5 great things search ads can do for your brand

It can catch the customer where he’s easier to catch – in his emotions. Consumers are more likely to respond to ads that appeal to their emotions. That includes search ads. A recent study found that people respond 50% better to an ad that reveals their innermost needs. A search ad that plays on a consumer’s desires or fears is more likely to succeed than one that just lists product features.

It can create a positive lasting memory for your consumer. Behavioral scientists teach that the stronger the emotional charge a new event creates for a consumer, the more likely he is to remember it. Often, creating that emotional charge means connecting the new event with some older memory or experience on the consumer’s part. If you succeed in this, then your search ad will punch above its weight, generating conversion numbers that will bowl over the skeptics.

It can solve problems for the consumer. Your consumer wants solutions, not more problems. Instead of using jargon-heavy language to list a product’s features, excellent search ad copy succinctly shows how the product will make the consumer’s life easier. In fact, the search ad’s constraints can even be an advantage here. Given the search ad’s limited space (you’ve got only 70 characters of creative copy in which to make your case), you won’t be able to lard it with the sort of dry detail that turns off consumers.

It can establish loyalty to your brand. The first impression is where you start establishing a strong relationship with your customer, and in many cases a search ad is the place in which people stumble upon your brand first. Ads that resonate with consumers and evoke positive associations are more likely to create lasting memories – and thus loyal customers. Research shows that customers with developed brand loyalty are more likely to spread the word, which is another reason to make your search ads as powerful as the rest of your messaging.

It can generate insights for a cross-channel brand strategy. The real-time nature of the search marketplace makes it an excellent place to learn about what messages resonate with consumers. You can experiment and change things on the fly, seeing what works at relatively little cost. Investing in search ad creative will yield insight that you can leverage across all your other outreach channels. Ad creative testing can provide insight into how best to engage your customers, which you can leverage throughout your business.