Many new franchises open in a single business day! The staggering competition demands a more aggressive method like Google ads for franchises. These paid ads that work on a PPC, PPS, PPL, or PPI model can help franchise businesses attain new heights through better online visibility and revenue generation.
Paid ads are perhaps the best digital marketing strategy that garners quick results. While Bing and Yahoo ads are good, with Google occupying the majority of market share, Google ads can be your best bet to make your franchise brand and services more visible.
According to statistics, 65% of people who click on paid adverts are ready to make a purchase. So, we can safely conclude that Paid ads have a good conversion rate, and when done right can give a good deal of profit.
However, you cannot just start a campaign one fine day. This requires a good deal of research. If you are new to Google ads marketing, this guide is for you. Here we shall discuss all the details about how you can make your franchise a success by leveraging these ads.
What are Google Ads for Franchises?
Google ads are a pinpointed solution for franchisors who require targeting specific audiences based on gender, age group, or location among the crowd. It is one of the best digital marketing strategies for franchises to gain revenue within a short span of time. As Google occupies a whopping 91.5% of the search engine market share, it is perhaps the best source for targeting precise audience sections that are most likely to convert into paying customers.
Franchise Google ads are a quick fix for those struggling to maximize online visibility and boost business profit. Google adverts like search ads, Google service adverts, and display advertisements can help you gain traction on the SERPs without struggling to compete with the organic search results. However, if you want a smart solution, the Performance Max advertising can be of immense help.
6 Best of Google Ads for Franchises That Generate Maximum ROI
While there are a total of 9 types of Google ads, we are discussing six of them as these adverts are the most relevant to franchisors. It is common for franchisors to invest a part of their marketing budget in advertising; and rightly so, because on average, the ROI is $2 on every dollar spent. However, choosing the wrong franchise Google ad type can result in unexpected losses.
Hence, choose the adverts that work best for your brand. Although we have discussed a handful of Franchise Google ads, it is not necessary for you to resort to all of them. Hence, form your Google advertising strategy based on the unique requirements of your business;
- Google Search Ads
Google search ads is the most common type of paid advertisement that franchisees can use to amplify their businesses. These ads follow the PPC model of business. So, franchises have to pay only when someone clicks on the ads. The best part about search ads is that it offers the best visibility to businesses by ranking the adverts above the organic Google search results.
These advertisements appear in the form of a link with metadata, just like regular organic search results. The only difference is, they have ‘sponsored’ written above them. Setting a daily or monthly budget for search ads helps to keep the ad expense in check.
- Display Ads
Display ads are the next best thing to search ads. These too follow a PPC model of advertising and appear on third-party websites. These business listings are shown to the audience based on four three major factors— target location, demography, user intent & behavior.
Unlike search advertisement that consists just of a link, these are visually engaging ads that can be way more attractive in comparison. These can contain texts, images, infographics and videos. When a prospective buyer clicks on a display ad, it leads them directly to the franchise’s website.
- Shopping Ads
If you have a franchise of tangible products like shoes, cakes, garments, handicrafts, etc, leveraging Google shopping ads can be beneficial. These ads show detailed images of the product, the title along with important information like price, store location.
Apart from website traffic, Google shopping adverts can actually boost the footfall of buyers in the physical location of the store. A study shows that these ads have a 23% lower CPC and get 26% more conversions than other types.
- Discovery Ads
Google rolled out the discovery adverts in 2019. It is one of the super-targeted ads that further narrows down the target audience. Thus, these have a lower instance of bad clicks. Discovery ads are shown solely based on user behavior and search history (and of course, their location). They have a broader reach to high-quality leads who are genuinely interested in the products or services in question.
These ads run on Google Discover, YouTube, email inboxes, and social tabs. These are super effective for franchises as they facilitate audience reach and have better conversion rates.
- Performance Max Ads
Performance Max ads use AI and automation to run adverts across the whole suite of Google ads. This includes Google Search, discover, display, maps, and YouTube. PMax narrows down the target audience by reading vital signals like demography, search history, user intent, and past purchases.
It is one of the best types of Google ads for franchises. Franchisers who aren’t sure of which ad type would work best for them. The performance Ads were launched in 2021, and since then, users have gained an 18% higher conversion rate using this stream of paid Google advertising. It uses smart bidding that helps franchisers set the target and customize other things as per the unique goals of the business.
- Local Service Ads
Franchises that do not want to miss out on foot traffic should settle for local service ads. This is a location-based Google advertising type that depends on the physical proximity and search intent of the audience. These generate high-quality leads that are easier to convert.
Google LSAs appear even higher than the organic Google local pack. It appears with your franchise’s name, address, contact number, location, and user ratings. These ads come with the word ‘AD’ written in green on the top left corner.
It follows a PPL model, which means you have to pay for the leads it generates in a certain duration. There is no active bidding system for these ads. You will get your ad expense at the end of each week. However, it can exceed the weekly budget at times but never the monthly max that you set.
Note: Keep in mind that you should optimize your Google Business Profile. As Google My Business listing highly depends on GBP optimization.
Set Up a Successful Google Ads Campaign for Franchises: A Step-by-Step Guide
Now that we have discussed the best Google advertisements that work wonders for franchises let us delve deep into how you can actually start a paid campaign for your franchise.
We shall discuss a few tips and strategies that can breathe life to your advertising campaign. Knowing these techniques can be crucial for people who are starting off new in the realm of paid advertising;
- Choose the Right Keywords for Your Google Ads Campaign
Choosing the right keywords is equal to selecting the right audience for your ads campaign. The way your ads perform directly depends on the keywords you target. It is not enough for you to think a keyword is right, it is actually necessary for your target audience to be actually looking for these search terms.
As someone who is new to advertising, we recommend you use free tools like Google Keyword Planner. This is a powerful tool directly from Google that allows you insights into the search volume and keyword difficulty of these search phrases. If you have some budget, take the premium subscription of tools like SEMrush, Jaxxy, Ahrefs Keyword Explorer, etc.
- Craft Effective Ad Copies
Crafting an interesting ad copy is very important, this is especially true for franchises using display and discovery ads. There are two precise reasons why people click on the ads shown, the first is relevancy and the second is interest. While the former factor depends on the keywords bidding strategy, you do have some hand in the latter.
Devise a compelling ad copy that genuinely interests the target audience. Add images, texts, important information, then top it up with a CTA that guides the readers to take action. You can resort to A/B testing of ad copies if you wish to see which one resonates better with the audience.
- Highlight the USP of Your Franchise Business in the Ad Copy
There are innumerable franchises selling the same product as you do. So why should anyone buy from you?
This is where the point of USPs comes in. Never forget to detail your unique selling point. It can be a discount offer, geographical advantage for a particular location or quality of the product. Either way, it should highlight some specialty you are offering that your competitors lack.
An important thing to note here is to never compete with other franchises of the parent brand. Remember, your franchise business is not at odds against other franchises of the same company. Craft paid business listings, mentioning unique selling propositions that solidify your position against other brands in the industry.
- Geo-Targeting is Essential to Reach the Target Audience
Geo-targeting for franchises means targeting the people of a particular area to whom the adverts will be shown. Yes, there are age-related and user-intent-related concerns, but this is a primary one, especially in the cases of franchises. It is so because such businesses are primarily location-based.
For example, you have taken a franchise of the famous KFC, and the location of the franchise is Grand Island, Nebraska. You should target people only on Grand Island and not the whole of Nebraska. You should avoid targeting other locations in the same state, like Omaha or La Vista because KFC is a highly popular food chain with stores. Chances are, people from other cities will not visit your franchise to eat KFC chicken as they already have the same product in their area.
- Provide a Customized Google Ads Experience for Your Target Audience
By customizing your ads for certain people, you can get more people into your shop. For this purpose you have to create several ad copies for different demographic cohorts.
Let us take the example of KFC again. For homemakers, you can run an ad copy saying ”Don’t cook on Sundays. Indulge into a Bucket of Goodness Instead”. This is an ad copy that addresses their concern and speaks to them. However, if you run the same advert for a student in senior high, it might not work. A good customization for them would be ” Enjoy Today’s Soccer match with Chicken That’s Finger Lickin’ Good”
The personalized ad copy has the power to speak directly with the target audience’s concern. Hence it boosts the chances of sales.
- Keep a Tab on Ad Campaign Performance Data
Google Ads provides detailed analytics and tracking tools that help your franchise advertising efforts. Keep an eye on your campaign by using these tools. Although a superb paid franchise marketing strategy, running a Google ads campaign can be an expensive affair, especially when not monitored.
In fact, these ads are perhaps one of the most expensive digital marketing methods for franchises. Hence, not keeping an eye on the campaign can make it fall flat on its face. Monitoring is important to see how well the advertisements are performing, as well as the ROI and conversion rate. These are important metrics that can help you decide the future course of the campaign.
FAQs About Google Ads for Franchises
The cost of franchise Google ads depends on the type of advertisements you choose, the keyword you bid on, and the model of payment. Speaking in general terms, the CPC of search ads is generally between $1 to $2. Search adverts cost the most because of its wider reach and better visibility.
The cost per click of discovery and display adverts is generally under $1. You can set a budget for local service ads in terms of weekly or monthly max. The money charged for Performance Max adverts completely depends on the performance of the Google Ads campaigns.
No, Google advertising is not for free. It costs money to run a Google ads campaign.
For a franchise, keeping a budget of $10 to $20 a day should suffice in boosting recognition and maximizing sales.
Getting the help of a good pay-per-click management company can yield positive results. Paid campaigns are not as simple as SEO, as there is always a higher risk involved. Hence, hiring experts who understand the domain can boost the paid campaign for better performance.
Final Words
Using Google ads for franchises is a terrific way to generate profit for your business. However, you need some prior knowledge of PPC marketing to make the most out of this strategy. Unlike SEO for franchises, which can be done through trial and error methods, PPC involves higher risk. Here, both your money and time are at stake.
Hence, if you have some hands-on knowledge of Google Ads Optimization, you can work well to market your newly acquired franchise to potential customers. However, if you are completely new in the arena, it is best to get the help of a PPC management agency.
These companies have some of the best experts who can make tailored solutions that are exclusive to your business. With their help, the path to success will be much easier for you.
