11 Tips for Travel Marketers to Win at Paid Search and Get INSANE

ROI!

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Today’s Presenters

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Margot da CunhaTitle: WordStream’s Vertical Content Specialist

● Margot’s does PPC, digital marketing, and content creation.

● She’s excited to attend and speak at HeroConf in Portland this Spring!

● When she’s not working Margot enjoys running outside, and eating ice cream.

@ChappyMargot

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#TravelPPC

Hanapin Marketing is an industry-leading digital marketing

agency specializing in PPC (pay-per-click) advertising.

We operate the industry’s most-popular PPC BlogEach post delivers cutting-edge thought leadership from

an actual Hanapin AM.

We produce the industry’s largest all-PPC conferenceHero Conf 2015 is in Portland, OR April 27th - 29th, 2015

Wesley LenearTitle: Account Manager at Hanapin Marketing

● Works with clients to understand their business, and help execute their strategy through PPC.

● Is an avid sports fan and loves playing basketball in his free time.

@_Lenear

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Today’s Presenters

#TravelPPC

Do travelers search?

#TravelPPC

74% of both leisure and travel

planning occurs on the

internet

#TravelPPC

57% of leisure and 64% of

business travelers always

start their travel shopping &

planning with SEARCH

#TravelPPC

Tip #1: Find an Intriguing

Niche and Dominate it on

the SERPs

#TravelPPC

Why should I book with you?

• Competition is steep! Sell what makes you unique

• Ask, what makes us different?

• Find an unexpected niche

• Incorporate your best selling points into your keywords, ads, and landing pages

#TravelPPC

Stand out from the crowd!

#TravelPPC

#TravelPPC

Competitors!

Tip #2: Create Separate

Campaigns for Each

Destination

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Structure Your Campaigns by Location OR Destination

• Gain greater control over your budget

• Cator your keywords, ads, and landing pages to your audiences desire to visit your destination(s)

• Easily pause and activate your campaigns that are relevant per season

#TravelPPC

Target with Location Structured Campaigns

• Optimize by users’ geographic parameters•Ad scheduling•Bidding

• Target and exclude appropriate locations

•ex. You offer a tour of a city but don’t wish to target its residents

#TravelPPC

Tip #3: Bid When and

Where People are More

Likely to Book

#TravelPPC

Bid higher on locations, days, and hours when people are more likely to plan travel

• Dig into the Dimensions tab in Google AdWords

• Make sure you’re looking at enough data

• Create a custom ad schedule to bid higher or exclude certain hours or days of the week

• Dig into the geographic report to see where people are searching

#TravelPPC

#TravelPPC

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Segment Data by Geo, Day of Week, and hour of day

#TravelPPC

Segment Data by Geo, Day of Week, and hour of day

#TravelPPC

Tip #4: Utilize Ad

Customizers

#TravelPPC

Save Time & Stay Relevant with Ad Customizers

• Ad a limited time or recurring event, countdown or discount that updates itself

• Create a sense of urgency within your ad

• Check out the Google help page for ad customizers to learn more

*Refer to this blog post to get started: http://bit.ly/1wH9LXw

#TravelPPC

Tip #5: Get Visual on the

Display Network

#TravelPPC

Your Industry is Beautiful. Take advantage!

67.5% of ads on the display network are plain text ads!

#TravelPPC

“Just the image of the location can sell itself.”

#TravelPPC

- Sergey Rusak, WS

Paid Search Strategy

Not All Ad Formats Have the Same Reach! BONUS TIP: Use all 14

#TravelPPC

Tip #6: Make Sure Your

Images are Contextually

Clear

#TravelPPC

Avoid Irrelevant Clicks by Adding Context to Your Image

#TravelPPC

Only what in

New Zealand?...

#TravelPPC

Great, contextually

clear CTA’s!

Tip #7: Target, Test and

Optimize Your Display

Campaigns

#TravelPPC

Display will eat you budget if you’re not careful!

• Several targeting options! Based on placements, keywords, topics, interests, demographics - gender, age, parental status etc.

• Exclude irrelevant placements• Test to see what targeting strategies work• Optimize regularly

#TravelPPC

Determine your display campaign objectives

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Tip #8: Create Customized

Remarketing Campaigns

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Remarketing is extremely powerful!

• With travel, sales-cycles tend to be a bit longer. Remarketing is therefore a perfect fit!

• Remarket to those who viewed certain pages or completed certain actions

#TravelPPC

Example: A searcher visits a white-water rafting excursions page. Follow them with ads of happy

vacations rafting down the river.

#TravelPPC

Tip #9: Create Trusted and

Validated Landing Pages

#TravelPPC

Traveling is a financial investment! Trust needs to be built

• Provide proof that your services are secure and legitimate

• Use customer testimonials and trustworthy language

• Incorporate any legal certifications, awards for cleanliness or safety, etc.

#TravelPPC

Recommendations from

trusted, well-know companies

Customer testimonials Legal validation

Make the necessary information readily available!

• Provide specifics on what is included in travel packages.

• Utilize an FAQ to address common questions of potential travelers

• Establish clarity on pricing details

#TravelPPC

User experience

❖ Functionality➢ Ensure the site/landing page functions

well across devices❖ Imagery

➢ Include relevant, high quality images on landing pages

❖ Qualitative Research➢ If possible, gather data on user behavior

and preferences using the landing page/site

#TravelPPC

Tip #10: If you’re seeing

great ROI, continue to add

fuel to the fire

#TravelPPC

Raise Your Budget on Profitable Campaigns

• With travel, the opportunities to grow your reach are somewhat limitless

• If you’re seeing success, raise your budget because with a higher budget you’ll get higher return

#TravelPPC

#TravelPPC

Tip #11: Expand to Bing

#TravelPPC

Travel and Bing go together like margaritas and sunshine

• Travel has been proven to see great return on Bing• With less competition, you have the ability to own

and dominate the SERPs

#TravelPPC

Bing Audience

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www.wordstream.com/google-adwords www.wordstream.com/landing-page

Grade Your AdWords Account Grade Your AdWords Landing Pages

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Thank you!

@chappymargot

@wordstream

marketingteam@wordstream.com

@_Lenear

@hanapin

wesley.lenear@hanapinmarketin.com

#TravelPPC