6 reasons why you should consider using Google Marketing Platform

Automation. Algorithms. These terms are flying around fast in online marketing land. Some see opportunities, while others see threats. In any case, these developments can not be ignored. The bigger question is: how can these technologies help you to achieve better business results? I mean, demonstrably better business results?

That’s where Google Marketing Platform comes around. A very comprehensive package of online marketing solutions, a one-stop-shop for running performance marketing campaigns. Included are all your familiar Google products, only better!

• Display & Video 360 (before: Doubleclick Bid Manager)
• Search Ads 360 (before: Doubleclick for Search)
• Analytics 360
• Data Studio
• Optimize 360
• Surveys 360
• Tag Manager 360

The power of Google Marketing Platform lies in its ‘360-degree integration’ approach. In the Integration Centre, you can connect Google Products as well as software from third-party developers. This way data, conversions and target audiences are truly intertwined.

All 360-products can be ordered individually and require a fee to use, with the exception of Google Data Studio, which is free of charge. Of course, you would never pay for something that wouldn’t yield something in the long run, right? That’s why we will set out some intended benefits of the platform for you. We’ll also state the preconditions, because unfortunately, these benefits are not instantaneous. That’s how honest we are.

1. You’ll have more control over your return on investment

In addition to the trusted bidding strategies from Google Ads, you can also use the Google Marketing Platform tools to apply new, more comprehensive bidding strategies. Consider, for example, minimizing your average CPC or CPA while spending a fixed monthly budget, or achieving a certain ROAS percentage on specific promotional campaigns and on Google Ads and Bing Ads at the same time.

Condition: Sufficient data for the algorithms to work. The larger your portfolio of campaigns and channels and the more conversions, the better the system will perform. For most bidding strategies you will need at least 20 conversions a week before you’re able to actually apply them.

2. You’ll be able to target more advanced and ‘more premium’ audiences with Display & Video 360

While the Google Display Network in Google Ads is limited to websites that have joined Google, Display & Video 360 (DV360) allows you to target third-party audiences and placements. Various buying options are available, including bidding through an open exchange, direct deals, or traditional (fixed) buying. You can also buy inventory space from Digital Out Of Home publishers in DV360, like digital billboards at physical locations.

Condition: Media agencies are often one step ahead of individual advertisers, because they can achieve better deals with publishers (e.g. volume agreements) and might have access to exclusive inventory.

3. You can (almost) endlessly combine your target audiences

You can combine lists of target audiences from different channels, or add audiences from your own business data. If you manage to do this smartly, you can tailor very specific audiences, which you can target for the next phase of your campaign. You’ll also gain insight into the performance of each target audience, so that you can, for example, assess their profitability.

Condition: your lists of target audiences must contain at least 1,000 members each, before you can apply them to your campaigns. In addition, cross-channel remarketing with non-Google products requires some implementation. But we are more than happy to help you with that.

4. You will gain more accurate insights into attribution across channels

Thanks to data-driven attribution, you will gain insight into the real added value of each channel within the customer journey. Instead of a standard attribution model such as Last Click, a customized model is generated using data from converters and non-converters. You can also add your own data, such as traffic from a newsletter or a mobile messaging service.

Condition: This feature is exclusively available in Google Analytics 360. You will also need to keep track of e-commerce or goals, having achieved a minimum of 15,000 clicks on Google Search and using a conversion goal with at least 600 conversions within 30 days.

5. Your reports and dashboards are all in one place and easy to share with your teams

There’s nothing more boresome than typing numbers manually and calculating metrics by hand. With Google Data Studio you’ll save yourself a lot of time and effort. The tool allows you to create relevant reports and real-time dashboards that you can share with other stakeholders. This way, you won’t have to dive deep into individual platforms for your data. Google Data Studio is free of charge and can be used without a license for Google Marketing Platform. However, combining Google Data Studio with 360-products renders the tool even more powerful!

Condition: you will have to connect multiple data sources and will need access to these. Once the connections are made, you are able to create custom dashboards.

6. You are left with more time for important strategic decision making

The integration process requires some skill and effort. However, when you have fully set up Google Marketing Platform and are making maximum use of the power of the tools, you’ll no longer have to worry about manually adjusting bids, limiting your budget or controlling your CPA. The system will work for you. Of course these systems require human overwatch, but you can easily keep track of your campaign performance using real-time dashboards and applying the tips provided to you by Google.

Condition: Integrate and start using the Google Marketing Platform. Because the desire to start is one thing, but executing your plans is something else.

Fortunately, we can help you! Hide & Seek is happy to provide you with advice about the Google Marketing Platform. We can also support you with the entire integration and implementation of the tools. If you would like to use an individual 360-tool, we are here for you as well.

Wondering how Google Marketing Platform can help increase your business results? Please reach out to us.