Bidding

Digital Marketing - Study Notes:

Bidding approaches

With our targeting in place, now we can think of our bidding. We have three bidding approaches available to us when it comes to display and video advertising.

• With default bids, we don't set any specific bid for our targeting method and set a default at our ad group level. AdWords will then use this default bid across all targeting methods within that ad group.
• With custom bids, we might want to set a bid for each individual targeting method. You can set these as a max CPC or a max viewable CPM.
• With bid adjustments, we might choose to increase or decrease our bid based on a particular location, device, or day of the week.

Enabling bid adjustments

We enable our bid adjustment at the targeting method level.

Navigate to the targeting method that you would like to set an adjustment for. On the sidebar menu, click All Campaigns and click on one of the targeting methods, whether it be Keywords, Audience, or Demographic. Select the line for which you want to set a bid adjustment. Click Edit and enter your bid adjustment amount. Click Apply.

Bidding strategy

A well-developed bidding strategy will help your campaign perform at its most effective.

You will align your bidding strategies with your advertising goals. If you make multiple adjustments on the same campaign, all of your bid adjustments will be multiplied together to determine how much your final bid will be.

Importance of mobile

When planning your bidding strategy, don't overlook the device bid adjustment. Consider the importance of mobile, particularly when it comes to your video strategy. Over half the views on YouTube are coming from mobile devices.

Video lengths, particularly on mobile, are shorter all the time.

Example: Netflix

A good example of this can be seen from Netflix, who tested 3 ad formats from the 30-second TrueView, a 15-second TrueView, and a 6-second bumper ad to see which resonated best with the mobile-first audience. In the end, the bumper ad proved best for product awareness and had the highest lift in search queries.

Their teaser ad proved best for brand ad recall.

Bid adjustments by device

You can alter your bids whether your ads appear on desktop, tablets, or mobile, by specifying a bid adjustment at the campaign level or at the ad group level. To apply a bid adjustment, navigate to the campaign settings and choose whether to apply at a campaign or ad group level. And under the Edit panel, enter whether you would like to increase or decrease your bid, depending on the device.

You can also enter a -100% bid adjustment to opt out of a device altogether.