One of the biggest digital marketing trends of recent years has been Google’s headlong rush to embrace mobile, this has impacted the SEO world heavily, and increasingly AdWords is being similarly affected.

Google, of course, are simply responding to broader consumer changes, with mobile searches now exceeding those of desktop and 30% of all online shopping purchases now happening on mobile phones. This is a trend which has also given rise to a burgeoning mobile marketing industry.

The latest mobile marketing innovation is Google’s own ‘Click to Message Ads’. Google have been testing the extension for some months, and are now ready to roll it out to the mainstream.

Please Text Back

Click to Message ads are a new AdWords ad extension which allows mobile customers to contact businesses via SMS.

The extension will appear as a little message icon in the ad accompanied by your own tailored extension text (send us a message, make a booking, got questions? etc).

When the user clicks on the extension their default messaging app will be opened on their phone and populated with prewritten message text. This message text will allow advertisers to get creative, and to match their text up with what they believe to be prospect’s search intent.

The Click to Message extension is charged like a regular click and can be scheduled to appear at certain times of the day. To use the extension advertisers must have a phone number connected to the ad capable of sending and receiving SMS. This can either be an SMS enabled phone, or more practically for a business a mobile messaging application like that supplied by our friends at Ubisend. Depending on volume, you may also need a customer facing team to deal with incoming inquiries quickly and effectively.

Convenience and Conversions

The Click to Message extension reaches out to the growing number of people who prefer the convenience of SMS as a means of communication, not just with friends and family but with businesses as well.

Convenience is really the key here, SMS is able to function effectively where you may temporarily be without wifi, and allows you to make a quick enquiry when you may not have the time to fire off an email or make a phone call.

Google has some interesting data on this front, with research claiming that ‘60% of Millennials prefer two-way text engagement with companies because it’s convenient, fast, and easy to use’.

For the advertisers who have been using the extension to date, some are reporting really promising results. With Auto & General seeing an ‘80% higher conversion rate when compared with similar channels’.

Ultimately, Click to Message ads are unlikely to be suitable for everyone. But for those for whom it will work, such as companies who rely on bookings, (restaurants, hotels etc) it could open a whole new avenue of customer communication.

 

If you have any questions about the new AdWords extension, or about AdWords in general, please get in touch with us on 01603 343477.