Beta Testing Almost Complete for Google’s Text Messaging to AdWords Ads

What if your customers had a better way to connect with you, where instead of calling, being placed on hold, and waiting to be transferred to the right contact or having to wait through a long list of menu options, they could simply Google your business, click an icon, and send you an SMS (or text) message? Welcome to the future.

Google’s several months of testing for click-to-text AdWords search ads is virtually complete. These new message extensions allow users a new and better option to connect with a business without the annoying alternative of being placed on hold, waiting for a transfer to a specific person or listening to a long list of menu choices. Users who click on an icon or message extension will automatically have the SMS app launched. The call and message extensions are located below the primary ad instead of to the right of it as we usually see. Advertisers are afforded the ability to include the necessary Call To Action (CTA) in the text of the extension. And, it’s completely customizable.

Advertisers will see improved engagement rates with an initial text they get to design that automatically displays in the messaging app after being clicked upon in the extension. Proactively anticipating what your customers will be contacting you for, such as service appointment scheduling, for example, will make this tool even more valuable for your end user.

The good news: costs for message extension clicks are the same as a regular click. Budgets can be predetermined for a campaign or ad group and can appear at any scheduled time. The click-to-text tool can be customized so autoresponders can be set to provide other information to users when a business is closed, as well.

Tracking success with the new Click-to-text tool will necessarily be measured by the advertisers themselves, but coverage of message extensions will be accessible via Click Type segmentation or the extensions tab. This gives you the chance to test which messages are working best and continually refine them.

For convenience, Google has launched a guide to best practices for advertisers who want to commence with message extensions. Over the next couple of months, message extensions will develop worldwide.

Get a head start on your competitors! Contact us to learn more about how you can work new tools into your digital marketing strategy.