Seven Google Tools to Manage Media Campaigns

One of the things I'm always talking about is how the line between search marketing and online media is blurring. Indeed, they've crossed over right into offline.

Clearly, search marketing is a form of online media, but consider this: when you turn on content targeting for your PPC (define) campaign on Google, are you now running online media even though your ads are targeted by keywords contained in the content the ads appear next to? Of course you are. Add in Google Image and click-to-play ads, and you're now actively running an online media campaign.

Every once in a while, Google visits our office to give us the full update on all the kinds of media that can be managed by both media and search professionals through its system. Here's a quick breakdown for search marketers, online media planners, and offline media planners of all the things Google has to offer. I'm not writing this because I'm trying to promote Google. It certainly doesn't need more promotion. I just find it interesting and useful to understand what can be obtained through the Google interface.

Google Offerings

• Google PPC ads on the search network. Unless you've been asleep for the last seven years, you know about this. These are the sponsored text ads that usually appear on the right-hand side of the Google SERP (define). It's always good to supplement your traditional display ads with search ads. Not only will you have a heavier, consistent presence online, but you'll also reach your target consumer at the critical moment -- when she's actively seeking your offerings or information about your offerings. PPC ads deliver extremely meaningful brand impressions and interactions when consumers are most receptive to your marketing messages, thus they usually deliver higher conversion rates.
  
  
• Google PPC ads on the content network. These are the text, image, or video ads that appear on Google's content network, which consists of thousands of Web sites that will show your ad based on keyword relevancy. You can also opt to exclude some sites to optimize your campaign. The content network offers an inexpensive way to display your ads based on a site's content, which could complement the existing display ads you bought on a property basis. The click-to-play video ads are particularly interesting because you don't pay for the play, just the click.
  
  
• Site-targeted ads. These are also known as placement-targeted campaigns. Google can act as an ad network where you can pick placements on Web sites based on categories, topics, or specific URLs. Site-targeted ads may be text, image, or video ads and may be bought through CPM (define) or CPC (define) bidding. Having site-targeted ads further saturates specific sites with your ads, and if you combine these with direct property buys and ad network buys, you can come up with an optimum online media mix that balances out extremely high prices -- thus achieving more impressions and ultimately generating more clicks and higher CTRs (define) and conversion rates.

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