What Are We Advertising? Will It Sell? | A Marketing Landscape in 2025

 A Marketing Landscape in 2025.

The Ads of Google.

For anyone who has dabbled in google ads, they have found out two things for sure:

1. Success can be found on google
2. Failure is much easier to find

To make a campaign successful on google, you need to be attentive to who your audience is and what it is they want to find.

Will you know this information right away?  Not necessarily.  You can research your audience before going live, find out which key phrases have had a history of success and include or exclude the audience(s) that seem like a good fit for your goals.

Being diligent with these tasks will (I mean should) get you off to a good start, but there will be more specific, daily tasks that you will need to be watching for, these include:

1. CPC/Engagement Cost
   
1. So your ads have been running for a week and you see you have two conversions, awesome!  The thing is though, you spent $100 to get these two phone calls.  Not exactly optimal on the budget
2. At this stage you need to start testing your budget.  Unless you are / work for a large corporation, it is not recommended to "maximize conversions"
3. Instead, it is a stronger choice to change your CPA (cost-per-action).  When you do make such a change, give it a few days to see how the audience responds
1. IE.  If those two conversions happened under a CPA of $20, try $15 for a few days
2. You may also need a larger window to evaluate effectively
2. Audience
1. Start with Geo-fencing.  Geo-fencing will allow you to pick and choose which regions are allowed to see your ads.
2. Example:  If you own a flower shop, brick & mortar, in Saskatoon, SK., you will want to target "Saskatoon" and exclude other regions
3. As well, if you feel a competitor may be getting 'click-happy' to waste your budget, you could actually exclude their business location (as narrow as a km radius).
   
   
3. Titles/Descriptions
1. These are the valuable messages that we display and are seen by the masses. Make them count!
2. Some types of text that can be used in a google ad include:
1. Descriptions (60-90 characters)
2. Headlines (30 characters)
3. Sitelinks (35 characters)
1. these text options link to a specific page, pdf or other asset
   
   
4. 
   
   
   
1. Think these through.  Use messages that will appeal to a general audience
1. OR, set up different campaigns with different messages directed at different audiences.  That difference counts!
   
   Each campaign will give you a preview of what your compiled ads will look like as well, use this preview to troubleshoot and to gain ideas of how your ads can improve
   
   
4. YouTube
1. Ah, we will talk about this a little bit later....stay tuned (or tubed)

In a broad sense, using google ads efficiently takes a thorough understanding of what you are advertising.  Look within, first!

Look Within, Then Advertise.

Starting a business, running a business, or even just being linked somehow to the success of a business can be exciting.  The thrill of gaining customers and the thrill of making money, can be intoxicating, but you need to stay in control.

To be successful in a business, you, most obviously, need a product or service that consumers want.  Now let's say that you have that great product or service that is furthermore sold at an affordable price, what then?

Then, you need to make sure that your customer-facing channels are up to par for your consumers (chances are this has already been looked into to some degree; considering current success).  Your website, your YouTube channel, your marketing materials, and other social media channels.

Ideally, all these channels need to be 'tip-top' before you advertise, but I know the enticement of throwing a few words and pictures up on a website and hitting the 'go' button.

I remember the very first time I sent a google campaign out into the world.  My website had two pages, limited services advertised, and...I had a spelling mistake!  to my surprise though, I secured a client within two days, and I thought I was off to easy street.  Boy was I wrong!

That was the only client I secured for about 3 weeks until I finally decided to 'look within'.

Well how can we look within?  Here are some ideas:

1. Website - Role Play
   Role play in the way that you are pretending to be a customer.  Be critical, don't just assume that your content is golden.  Have an honest reflection about the efficiency of your website and the effectiveness of your messages
   
   
2. Check, Check...and then Check again
   Every piece of media related to your business should be reviewed multiple times before being sent out to the masses.  Your first impression counts!  Check your work.
   
   
3. Google Analytics
   If your business has been running online for a period of time (or even if it has just started), set up a google analytics account.
1. You will learn valuable information about:
1. Where your traffic is coming from (referring website, search engine, other)
2. Where your users are located (city, province, state, other)
3. How long users are staying engaged
   This might indicate if there is a potential issue with a page (the masses don't lie)
   
   
4. Test out the Functionality
   
1. Does your contact form work?
2. Is the phone/email correct?
3. Are there any broken links?
   
   
5. Are You Organized?
   Make sure that you have processes in place to handle an uptick in business.  Remember, new customers won't wait.  Your business comes first and you need to plan every step.
   
   Monday.com is a great portal for staying organized with its modern functionality and hierarchy

Overall, looking within is about being honest with yourself, and listening to the critic of others.  Neither is easy, but that success that you are looking for is a 'work in progress', treat it as such.

Email Marketing, Blast With No Blunders.

Email Marketing can be a great marketing outlet.  In 2025, software like MailChimp and Constant Contact are necessities to manage an email campaign.  They help you organize your messages into segments that are tailored for specific audiences.  Some audiences to consider:

1. Current customers
2. Prospective customers
3. Super consumers (those that just love what you offer; much more than others)
   
4. Segment for prospects that rarely/never open your emails
   change up your messaging for them

Strategy is key and if you put in the work to tailor your messages, your success rate will go up.  Keep in mind though that 'looking within' is key to allowing for success before your first email blast goes out.
* if you are going to test, test with prospective customers first (no one wants to take a chance on losing existing customers unnecessarily)

YouTube, Make Every Impression Count.

An image speaks a thousand words, but a video is the real deal!  Like every other marketing channel, video content should be thought out well. but that is not to say that some random footage here and there wouldn't add positivity to your business goals.

When posting videos to YouTube, here are some considerations:

1. Highlight your goals
1. Through video, shine a light on your business with content that engages people
2. Adding a touch of humor can help lighten the mood as well (or at least entertain)
2. Titles and Descriptions matter
1. Use titles that engage your audience
2. Keep in mind that these titles are SEO components as well
3. If appropriate use { } brackets around a key phrase to garner even more attention
1. this helps a title or word(s) stand out
3. Link to your other channels/website
1. In the description, after you have introduced your video, also link to another social media channel and your website
1. don't link too many channels though, to avoid any sense of desperation
2. Remember, your video content is the key
2. Place a Subscribe link
1. Example:  https://www.youtube.com/@brandom-ga?sub_confirmation=1
2. Yes, you can subscribe to our New YouTube channel here
   (actual YouTube channel)
3. Just make sure you press 'enter' after placing your link (to make it active)
4. End Screens / End Cards
1. Use both of these to place a link to your 'next' video at the end (or at any point) in your current video
2. This will keep users engaged in your brand, opening even more opportunities for your business as a whole

When applying video content to a google ads campaign, keep in mind that the purpose of a video is to serve as a marketing tool.  Does it fill this need?

Here are some things to consider for YouTube Videos in Google Ads:

1. Use a Performance Max campaign (google ads)
1. Ideally, you want to run a search campaign for a period of time before starting a Performance Max campaign
2. The reason for this is that the search campaign will highlight key phrases and audiences that are interested in what your business has to offer
3. Then, the Performance Max campaign will use your 'converting' data and apply this to your video placements (which will save your budget, generally)
2. Set up a conversion tracker with YouTube subscriptions as an attributed goal
1. This is a sure way to keep track of video efficiency
2. You can also visit your YouTube channel to see which videos are getting more views and likes (and comments)
3. Asset management
1. Each campaign will have an assets tab where you can choose which videos, images and text you would like to have displayed
2. If you see that there is a particular video that is not getting a lot of views, this is a sure sign to change it out for some new content
1. Note:  the measurement window should be a comparison to video(s) that have been running for a similar period of time

Generally, have a little bit of fun with your video content, but Keep your business goals in mind.  We didn't discuss Hashtags, but we can save that for another blog.

YouTube is a great way for your audience to really see who you are, and what your business is all about.

So About That Within - Website Design.

Your website, the center piece to your online business goals.  Having a strong, efficient website design is paramount in 2025.

Here are some website considerations:

1. Have a Plan
1. Before having a website developed, have a plan about what you would like to see:
1. What services do I want to offer?
2. What categories do I need?
3. What phone number can I be contacted at?
4. What email?
2. Website Scheme
1. What colors do I like?
2. Do I have a logo yet?
1. necessary before you have your site designed
2. Unless you want your web design company to design your logo as well
2. Be involved in the process
1. Let your design team know what you want
2. Check in on their progress throughout the development stages
1. This will save time and money in the long run
3. Before going Live
1. Test your website (don't just take their word for it)
2. Get friends/family to test your website
3. Check over your website with a fine-tooth comb
1. Just keep in mind to criticize with options/solutions in mind
4. Domain Name
1. Having the right website name can be crucial
1. Try to keep it simple (long names are hard to remember)
2. Keep it relative (relate the name to your business)

In closing, be diligent with your efforts and do not take shortcuts.  It is what you put in that you get back.  Cliches aside, business is not easy.  Take all aspects seriously, and you will reap the marketing rewards.