9 Exciting Gmail Ads Updates in the New AdWords Interface

Gmail ad campaigns, while often overlooked, are a powerful and effective campaign type that should be part of every digital marketer’s arsenal. Consumers are increasingly interacting with and consuming various kinds of content across mobile and desktop, and email is no exception. Whether you’re looking at your phone on your way to the office or lounging at home on your computer, you are likely checking your email – and so is everyone else! This is where Gmail ads come in.

It’s not enough to just have a Gmail ad campaign, though. Many advertisers employ email marketing, and the most successful ones are those who not only have compelling content but also know their target audience. Thankfully, the new AdWords user interface has significantly enhanced targeting and ad creation options for Gmail ads (which, as a note, you can now only create using the new AdWords UI). Here are some new Gmail campaign features specific to the new AdWords UI that are worth checking out.

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Audience and Demographic Targeting

First on the list of new Gmail ads features is audience and demographic targeting. With the new AdWords interface, you can use Google’s information on users’ life events and household incomes to narrow down your targeting.

Life Events – You can now target three specific life events: Graduation, Marriage, and Moving. This is one of the newest targeting options for both Display and Gmail campaigns in the new UI.

Household Income Targeting – You can target (and exclude) specific household income brackets as part of your Gmail ads targeting. This is an effective way to qualify your target audience. For example, if you’re an ecommerce company that sells high-end luxury goods or a SaaS company that sells relatively expensive software, you can either target only the top 10% income bracket or exclude the lower 50% income bracket to ensure your messaging is getting in front of the right people.

Ad Creation

In addition to updated audience targeting, AdWords can now help you create Gmail ads to capture potential customers.

Scan Your Website for Ad Creative – Gone are the days of spending an exorbitant amount of time crafting image creative. Google can now scan your website for image content and automatically adjust the size of its suggestions so you can use them for your Gmail ads. This will not only save you time but also strengthen the relevancy between your ad and website creative.

Video Creative – Who said videos can only be used for YouTube campaigns? You can now use video creative in your Gmail ads! Have a strong video ad in your YouTube campaign or on your YouTube channel? Add it to your Gmail campaign! This is a powerful way to stand out from other advertisers and speak to your consumer.

Call-to-Action Button – In addition to having a headline and description line, Gmail ads now have a customizable, 15-character length call-to-action button. This appears as a large, blue button at the bottom of your ad that can further entice people to complete your desired action (buy a product, fill out a lead form, etc.).

Mobile-Specific Features

If there is one area where new Gmail ad campaigns are significantly improved compared to their former old UI selves, it is on mobile. The new UI has a plethora of new mobile features that can help ensure your Gmail campaigns are optimized for your mobile strategy.

Mobile Ad Previewing – The new UI has a great mobile ad preview option that is particularly useful for Gmail ads. You can see how your ad looks in an inbox before it’s opened and see how it looks after it’s been opened. This is very helpful for when you’re trying to create concise, mobile-friendly ad copy.

Mobile Targeting – You can now take your Gmail mobile targeting to the next level with these new mobile targeting options:

• OS Targeting – You can now target or exclude a specific mobile OS. For example, if you only want to target iPhone users, you can now set that up when you’re creating your campaign.
• Device Manufacturer Targeting – You can also target or exclude a specific mobile device manufacturer (Samsung, Apple, LG, etc.)
• Network and Wifi Targeting – You can also choose to target a specific cellular network provider (Verizon, AT&T, etc.) or choose to have your Gmail ads only target mobile devices connected to wifi

With these great features readily available for Gmail ads in the new AdWords UI, you should take a second look at Gmail campaigns. Whether you’re trying to acquire new customers at the top-of-the-funnel or remarket to people who have interacted with your site, Gmail ads can be a vital asset to your overall digital marketing strategy.

Looking for help on your Gmail ads or online prospecting efforts? Talk to our team today.