2021 Digital Advertising Playbook for Equipment Dealers
Online searches for heavy equipment are on the rise, especially as we head into a busy selling season. Take advantage of this seasonal increase in demand with Google Ads.
The changing seasons may mean it’s time for a change in your digital advertising strategy. To generate real ROI and make the most of your ad spend, use this digital advertising checklist to set up, manage, and report on successful paid search campaigns.
Fill out the form below to download and print your own copy of the Google Paid Search Guide:
Google Paid Search Guide for Equipment Dealers
In this guide, we’ll cover the steps you can take to ensure sales success using Google Ads. From setup through reporting, use these tips to launch personalized search ads for your business.
CAMPAIGN STRUCTURE
| Determine and create an appropriate structure that meets the needs of your business priorities and allows for keyword & ad copy relevancy. | |
| Determine and create an appropriate structure for ongoing bidding and budget management. | |
| Determine an appropriate plan for geo-targeting. |
KEYWORD SELECTION
| Target low funnel keywords, including brand names, equipment categories, inventory, location, new/used, parts/service, rental, and ‘near me’ variations. The average equipment dealer can expect to have more than 10,000 keywords. | |
| Use various keyword match types, such as ‘phrase’ and ‘exact’ to get full-coverage of all applicable incoming search terms. | |
| Layer in a comprehensive selection of negative keywords to exclude from targeting. |
AD COPY
| Make sure the ad copy is always relevant to the search query. Equipment dealers can expect to have hundreds of ad copy variations. | |
| Take advantage of all appropriate extensions, including call, sitelink, structured snippets, callout, and location extensions. | |
| Use inventory information when appropriate, including price, availability, and application. | |
| Test both responsive search ads and expanded text ads. |
LANDING PAGES
| Align ads and landing pages to make sure each landing page is relevant to the original search query. Linking to unfiltered inventory pages or the wrong piece of equipment can result in a higher bounce rate and wasted ad spend. | |
| Audit each landing page to make sure it’s designed for easy conversions. Look for clear CTAs and test for mobile-friendliness. |
DISPLAY ADS
| Determine the appropriate audiences to target for your business needs. It’s highly recommended to utilize a combination of in-market, custom-intent, and remarketing audiences. | |
| Add appropriate exclusions to minimize low quality mobile app and website placements. | |
| Use image, responsive display, and text display ad offerings to maximize coverage. |
VIDEO ADVERTISING
| Determine the appropriate audiences to target for your business needs. It’s highly recommended to utilize a combination of in-market, custom-intent, and remarketing audiences. | |
| Add appropriate exclusions to minimize low quality mobile app, website, and channel placements. | |
| Use both in-stream and discovery ad formats to maximize coverage. | |
| Use appropriate call-to-action overlays to drive traffic to your site. |
BID STRATEGY
| Determine a bid strategy that meets your business needs and KPI goals. | |
| Use smart bidding where appropriate, but make sure that automated bidding outperforms manual bidding before widely implementing. | |
| Use audience bidding when appropriate to adjust bids up or down. | |
| Bid by demographics, device, and location when appropriate. |
CONVERSION TRACKING
| Make sure all primary conversions are accurately recorded. This includes phone calls, forms submissions, and chats. | |
| Track secondary conversions separate from primary conversions. This may include key pageviews, time-on-site thresholds, etc. | |
| Enable Google call tracking for ad extension calls and record store visits, if possible. |
SETTINGS
| Make sure auto-tagging is enabled. | |
| Always use tracking URLs and tags for clear attribution and reporting. | |
| Disable automatic ad suggestions. | |
| Exclude inappropriate content on display and video. | |
| For seamless linking and reporting, link your Google Ads account to other Google properties like Google Analytics and Google My Business. |
ONGOING MANAGEMENT
| Daily account management will help guarantee results. On a daily basis, make sure your budget is pacing correctly and adjust for performance as needed. | |
| On a weekly basis, run a health check to ensure tracking and overall account set up is correct. | |
| On a monthly basis, analyze campaign and ad performance to produce and implement recommended improvements. | |
| On a quarterly and annual basis, analyze year-over-year performance to produce and implement recommended improvements. | |
GET STARTED TODAY
If you’d like help creating and managing your digital advertising strategy, give us a call. As a Google Certified Partner with 10+ years of experience in the heavy equipment industry, we’ll work with you to customize a paid search strategy focused on sales and conversions, not just clicks.
Get started with a free digital analysis to review the opportunity in your market and paid search tactics that may be right for your business.
About the Author
Adpearance is the digital marketing company obsessed with generating quality leads. Our solutions combine cutting-edge technology, premium tracking, and an expert team to transform business results.
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