Why you should be excited about AdWords Customer Match

Have you ever wanted to be able to create ads that target guests that you have an email address for? Well, Google has announced the release of customer match targeting for AdWords so you can create better tailored ads for guests that have already stayed with you.

What does this mean for advertisers? It means that you can reach guests you already have a relationship with when they’re using a Google product, such as Google Search, Gmail, and YouTube, and if Google matches them as a customer, they’ll be served a relevant and timely ad.

Now, before you go off exporting your email subscriber list, there are a few requirements from Google for this new targeting to work. You must have at least 1,000 users in your audience; users have to use Google products, and you acquired this email from the guest and didn’t purchase it from a list.

Our friends over at WordStream found that uploading their database, they had a match rate of 50.4% and that 180,000 users out of their 357,000 user list were using Google products.

The accuracy of their test is exciting and shows that Google is listening to both its advertisers’ needs and wants and those of its consumers. In an AdWords blog post announcing customer match, Google said, “Consumer expectations for immediacy and relevance are higher than ever, and successful brands are those that connect with people in the moments that matter most to them – the I-want-to-know, I-want-to-go, I-want-to-do, and I-want-to-buy moments… Google is in a unique position to connect consumers with your business in the most relevant ways. Whether they’re searching on Google, checking promotions on Gmail, or watching videos on YouTube, we can deliver the most relevant information based on what they’re doing, wherever they are, when they’re looking, and on any device they’re using.”

So, why are we so excited about this announcement? We’ve been talking with clients about ways to establish better relationships with loyal guests and this new advertising feature is a great way to stay top of mind for guests that are already familiar with your brand. You’ll be able to create custom ads for guests that are matched in Google AdWords and serve special ads to these customers instead of serving them ads that aren’t relevant to them or make it seem as if they’re not acquainted with your brand.

Another functionality of customer match is being able to segment your lists even further by identifying which email addresses belong to families and creating unique ads showcasing your family-friendly amenities or packages versus identifying email addresses for couples who are more likely to book a romance package or anniversary offering. This way, your ads are even more tailored beyond the customer being familiar with your brand, these ads are actually relevant to their wants and needs.

This new feature of Google AdWords is just a new way to reach your targeted audience, though all other advertising options are still available such as setting up remarketing campaigns or ads designed for potential guests.

What do you think about uploading your email subscriber list to AdWords to reach your loyal guests? Tell us in the comments section below!