Google has launched two new Web sites to float a raft of its marketing tools in front of advertisers, highlighting an extensive suite that covers every step of the marketing process from research to creative to publishing.
Google for Advertisers and Google Agency Toolkit both launched April 27 as central hubs that mesh together all of the marketing tools the search giant has to offer.
The tools span across various platforms including TV, search, and mobile and offer support at various stages of a campaign.
“They were created was because there was no single place that listed all of the offerings we had for advertisers, marketers and agencies to get their message out,” says Wendy Rozeluk, a spokesperson with Google Canada.
The advertisers site includes a section called “The Marketing Cycle” and organizes Google’s tools by specific job functions. A “My Toolkit” section allows users to create their own toolbox of favourites and share them with friends.
There’s also a light-hearted demonstration of how Google’s tools can be used for a complete advertising campaign. Google’s “Pet Stick” is a fictional gag toy that is marketed by bringing together Google tools across a wide spectrum.
The fictional company’s marketers conduct research to discover their “All bark and no bite” slogan is ineffective, but “The fun and easy pet alternative” is more popular. Also, Google Insights shows how “novelty gift” is where the most traffic is coming from for their site. It also shows that the U.K. market is much more attractive for this when compared to the U.S. market, and there are seasonal peaks associated with the search term.
Toronto marketer impressed
The marketing company creates a Web 2.0 campaign with an iGoogle Gadget, an interactive Google Map, and a YouTube contest. Later, the winners from the YouTube contest are used in 30-second TV commercial spots with Google TV Ads, which also allows the budget to be set. Web traffic is also correlated with the TV spots.
“This aligns our tools from the planning stage to creating an ad, placing the ad, and then measuring the results,” Rozeluk says.
There are no new tools with the launch of the sites, just a more organized presentation of tools, she adds. Google’s TV ad service is not yet available in Canada.
The Agency Toolkit offers a more straightforward listing of the tools, categorized by function. It caught the attention of one Toronto-based marketing consultant familiar with Google’s ad tools. Len Rosen, director of marketing strategy at Enable Consultants, spent half an hour on the site and found it productive right off the bat.
“It never surprises me that Google comes up with stuff that’s instantly usable by an audience,” he says. “Any reasonably sophisticated end user could take advantage of this to plan an online advertising campaign.”
Rosen tested out the site by conducting some research for a client who has built a private social network for educators. He discovered Google Ad Planner, and used that to delve into the U.S. English-speaking market with demographics from a specific gender, age group and household income – and then his own key words.
“I went to the research section, watched the video and then I started doing it right away,” he says. “It took me less than a minute to start doing all the things I needed to do to get a result.”
The campaign will likely buy banner and side board ads on some of the Web sites Rosen found with the tool. He was able to export a .CSV file with the information and plugged it into his customer relations management software of choice.
Hit pay dirt without paying too much
Google’s tools offer a step-by-step guide to conducting a marketing campaign and offer impressive contextual targeting abilities, says another Toronto-based marketing expert. But you still have to know what to say, and figure out where it’s most effective.
“You still need to be clear about your brand – what makes your business unique and differentiated,” says Cheryl Sylvester, chief brand coach at YourBrandCoach. “Being clear about this will allow you to use the keywords most honed to your brand.”
Google’s Adwords tool allows a business to get started quickly and for little investment, she adds. The measurement tools also offer the ability to learn what works and what doesn’t without spending too much money.
Google’s hubs are full of tools that are free to use, Rozeluk says. So advertisers can use them to brainstorm different strategies.
“It’s a way to keep the pulse on what Canadians are doing and what their interests are,” she says.
The hub is expected to attract both small businesses and large corporate advertisers alike.
