Building an email list continues to be one of the most lucrative marketing activities.
Prospects that fill out lead forms can be nurtured in lengthy email campaigns while existing customers can be sent offers that are personalized just for them. The potential is huge for advertisers. In fact, other marketing channels pale in comparison as email generates a $38 ROI for every $1 spent.
Building an email list is incredibly valuable when combined with a targeted nurturing campaign. But Customer Match from AdWords helps you get even more out of it.
What is Customer Match?
As the name suggests, Customer Match is a way to "match" your brand with more prospects. It allows advertisers the opportunity to upload their own email lists and target those users with Search, Gmail, or YouTube campaigns.
The obvious benefit here is being able to create highly personalized campaigns.
If a prospect has filled out a lead form but hasn't converted yet, you could create targeted ads across different platforms to reach them. Existing customers could also be targeted with campaigns that display relevant offers that complement a purchase.
Another added benefit is that there is no expiration date on email lists. So you could build campaigns to re-engage previous shoppers who haven't purchased in a while
Before you can get started with Customer Match, you will need at least 1,000 emails and those must be obtained directly through your website or in other instances where prospects have expressed interest.
As long as you meet the requirements you can create highly targeted campaigns.
How to Set Up Customer Match
By now you can see the advantages of implementing Customer Match in your campaigns. Being able to connect with prospects on other platforms as they browse the web ultimately translates to increase engagement and more sales.
To get started, login to your AdWords account and click on the View link under Audiences:
Then select Customer emails in the Remarketing List dropdown menu:
The next page is where you will be asked to provide more information about your email list. Use a descriptive title based on the attributes of that list (e.g. existing customers, leads, etc.) to keep your efforts organized and so you can select the right list to target. Then simply upload a .csv file containing the list of email addresses.
When uploading a large list, the process could take up to 12 hours. So you may not be able to get started right away with Customer Match. Once the email list is done uploading, simply navigate to the ad group you want to implement it in and select the list you wish to target.
Here is how to add Customer Match to your campaign:- Search: Customer Match can be added to both "Search Network only" or "Search Network with Display Select" campaigns. Navigate to your campaigns page and select the ad group you want to implement it in or create a new one. Click on the audience tab and then click the remarketing button. From there you can select the list to target.
- YouTube: YouTube is one of the world's most popular sites for videos. You can use Customer Match to existing online video campaigns or you could create a new campaign to better suit your email list.
- Gmail: To display your ads within Gmail, add your Customer Match audience to a Display Network only campaign. Click the Display Network tab and click the +Targeting button to select your campaign and ad group.
Customer Match offers a great deal of potential for advertisers. By uploading your email list, you can reach even more of your target market on Search, YouTube, and Gmail.
Those who have filled out a lead form have already expressed a degree of interest in the products or services your business offers. So, instead of displaying generic ads, you could instead change the ad copy to target any reservations that may be holding them back from making a purchase. One example might be highlighting a free trial or offering a discount on specific products.
And don't forget to segment existing customers into a separate list. Customers who have already made a purchase can be targeted with ads that display complementary products or services.
These are only some examples of how Customer Match can boost your paid search efforts and drive more sales to your business.