Summer Love—for Your Ads

The warm weather’s here, but don’t relax your marketing efforts

Ah, summer. Who can forget those magical months when school stops and fun reigns supreme? Even for us adults, the season still has a little magic left to it: vacations, dips in the pool, even a quick nap in the hammock can remind us of just how stupendous summer can be.

Without a doubt, summer strikes a chord in everyone. And while that means fun will be had, it also means that consumers will likely be hitting the Web, searching for deals and bargains that will help them soak up the savings as they soak up the sun. When they do, you’ll want your ad campaigns to be toned up and attractive, so follow these tips and you too can have an unforgettable summer.

Price-consciousness never takes a holiday
Ads for travel sites should call out low price points whenever possible. Vacation or not, people are always looking to save. But be sure to check the marketplace to make sure that your prices are competitive, because highlighting prices that are higher than your competition will probably backfire on you. Ad copy for hotels should emphasize amenities and unique features that will appeal to users seeking the perfect stay.

Staying cool
Sites that sell or service air conditioners should be careful not to write creatives that make it sound as if their site is purely informational. Ads for air conditioning sites that reference things like “emergency service” may deter users who are seeking installation or simple repairs. For ads tied to non-emergency-modified “air conditioning” keywords, it’s generally better to focus on sales, installation and repairs. Additionally, if you haul away old air conditioning units for customers who purchase new ones, be sure to mention that, as it’s almost certainly something for which users will be looking. If you sell A/C units that both cool and heat, put the emphasis on “cool” in your summer ads, as that’s undoubtedly more important to users this time of year.

Sex sells—when appropriate
For sites that sell bathing suits and summer clothing, it may pay to add a little flash to your ads. For example, bathing suit ads that refer to bikinis as “sexy” and “hot” may appeal to users more than ads that simply state “we have bikinis.” Along the same lines, while mentioning low prices is always a good idea, ads for children’s swimsuits may be more appealing if they also discuss quality. Parents always want to save money, but high-quality clothes for their children are probably just as important to them.

And at any time of year…
As usual, the normal search ad best practices still apply during the dog days of summer:

• Whenever possible, use keyword insertion and alt-text to make sure that your ads contain users’ search terms and they appear the way you want them to.
• Call out any competitive advantages that you offer: coupons, free shipping, special sales—anything that will help give you a leg up with consumers.
• Avoid ads that offer highly specific results for general keywords. For example, if a user searches on “summer wear” and gets an ad that only discusses bikinis, they may be slightly put off.
• Avoid keyword/creative clashes, and be sure that your ads reflect the keyword. For example, a search for “summer shoes” that leads to an ad offering winter shoes will frustrate users.
• If you’re a business that only serves local customers, consider creating a geo-targeted campaign that will display your ads specifically to users within your area. Doing so will bring you more targeted traffic—customers who are specifically looking for what you sell.

Though summer’s the time to keep cool, applying these best practices can help heat up your summer sales. And that might make your summer every bit as magical as those days of long ago. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m ready for a dip in the pool. Cannonball!

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst

Photo courtesy of Flickr user YatesLaberge.com.