Start By Understanding Your Customer Lifetime Value

One of the first questions companies ask when considering Google Ads is how much they should spend on Google Ads. It isn’t uncommon for sellers to focus on metrics such as the number of clicks or conversion rates to determine the value of the ad. While this works for low and mid-priced items, it will cause you to miss out on great opportunities with high ticket items.

When selling high-priced items on Google Ads, you should focus instead on maximizing your return on investment (ROI). For example, you may spend $1000 on Google Ads in a month with 1000 clicks on your Ad and have on 1 or 2 people purchasing a high-ticket item. Many sellers would view this as a failure and choose to give up on their campaign. However, if you consider that those 2 conversions gave you $5000, it’s actually a win. With high-ticket items, you’ll make more for a single conversion. Focus on your earnings more than the cost per click.

Test Several High Converting Headlines

Testing headlines is vital for the success of your ad campaign. Google Ads A/B testing provides the opportunity to run more ads, ensure they are effective, spend less, and therefore get better ROI on your ads. The question is, how do to craft high converting headlines.

Dr. Robert B. Cialdini’s ‘6 Principles of Influence’ are an excellent guide to optimizing your Ad headlines. These principles are:

• Reciprocity – This is simply returning a favor. People are more likely to want to do something for someone that has done something for them even when the person didn’t ask them for a favor. Give your audience freebies, giveaways, or discounts and they will feel indebted to make a favorable response.
• Commitment and consistency – People always strive (consciously or unconsciously) to act in a way that supports decisions they have made in the past i.e. we tend to go down the path that agrees with the person we would like to be. You will obtain greater conversion by getting your audience to agree to something relatively small to increase the likelihood of a greater action e.g. getting them to click on the ad to take advantage of an offer.
• Social proof – People are more likely to do something if everyone else is doing it. Adding star ratings, testimonials, or likes to your headlines will encourage more people to click on the ad.
• Liking – When you like someone, there’s a greater chance of being influenced by that person. You are more likely to purchase something from someone you like rather than someone you don’t. There are two techniques to help make your brand more likable. These are using compliments and familiarity.
• Authority – People are more likely to be compliant in the face of authority. In the case of marketing, you can show authority by showing that you’re an expert. Phrases such as ’10 years of experience’ or adding a title such as ‘Dr.’ are a great way to showcase authority.
• Scarcity – People’s desire for something increases when they believe it is rare or in short supply. Adding phrases such as limited-time offer, special edition, or limited stock will increase the desirability of the product as well as instill a sense of urgency in your audience to take action.

While you may not apply all these principles in every Ad headline or copy, they offer an excellent guideline for crafting effective headlines that drive conversion.

Choose Your Keywords Wisely

There are various factors to consider when choosing keywords for your Google Ads campaign. Many business owners look at what the competition is using as well as the most popular keywords and try to go with those keywords or similar keywords. However, when it comes to selling high-ticket items it is more important to consider keywords with high buyer intent (also known as “commercial intent”).

Keywords with strong commercial intent don’t always have high search volume. This can be especially true for big-ticket items. People that have the intention to buy an item are likely to search for more specific terms. While there might not be many people searching for these terms the few that are searching are more likely doing so with the intention to buy.  Therefore, you’ll spend less on your ad campaigns and you will have a higher chance of converting with these keywords.

Link to a high converting landing page

Ensuring that you have a killer ad copy is important for getting people to your website. However, your landing page will be what convinces the visitor to make a purchase. It is therefore important to ensure that your landing page is effective at converting visitors to customers.

There are several elements to consider in designing a landing page. Some of the key elements of an effective landing page include:

• Strong headlines – These are headlines that are unique, clear, and concise. They let the visitor know exactly what the page is about as soon as they arrive. Consider including sub-headings too in order to guide the visitor through the content.
• Eye-catching images – Images are not only attractive to the eye but also influence our moods. For example, images of smiling people put us at ease and even uplift our mood. You can use this to your advantage and use images that are not only eye-catching but are likely to encourage a decision to purchase.
• High-quality copy – The copy on your page is what will give the visitor that last push to make the purchase. Many visitors skim over the copy on a page to learn more about a product or service and decide whether it is the right choice for them. Ensure that your copy is not only compelling but also easy to understand and gets right to the point. Create a sense of urgency to get your audience to commit by using phrases such as ‘limited time offer’ or ‘get this offer today’.
• Easy to fill forms – It’s important to make it easy for the audience to take action. This includes filling out a form, and ensuring that the form is easy to fill by reduce the number of fields and making sure it is mobile friendly. A simple form means your audience is less likely to feel overwhelmed when giving their information.
• Include social proof and trust badges – Trust elements will such as testimonials, accreditations from well-known organizations, and logos of major brands you’ve worked within the past help to make visitors more at ease when trying to make a purchase decision.

Use Ad Extensions

Google Ad Extensions allow you to extend your ad by including images, additional site links, phone numbers, lead forms or other content. Ad extensions help you maximize your ad text and help you create better quality ads. You will save money and be better able to share more information and draw attention.

There are several types of Google Ad extensions to consider. These include:

• Site links – These enable you to share more information with your audience. You can share links to other pages on your website that the viewer may be interested in or make it easier for them to find the information that they need.
• Call extensions – These allow customers to call you directly. They simply include a phone number and an option to call. This makes your brand feel accessible and approachable. These call extensions are especially great on mobile devices where users can easily click and call your business directly to get the information they need.
• Image extensions – They are what they sound like!  Image extensions add an image to your Google Ads, making them more attractive to searchers.
• Hint: Download our full checklist of things to check on your Google Ads before getting started. 

Implement a retargeting strategy

People don’t always convert on their first visit. In fact, the vast majority of the visitors to your site will not convert on their first visit. Many people intending to buy high-ticket items are likely to want to think through their decision. They may even want to compare your product to other products or brands. It is therefore important to have a retargeting strategy. This is a strategy that enables you to drive prospective customers back to your site and therefore gets another chance to convince them to convert. This is especially important when each customer is worth so much.

Consider using social media such as Facebook and YouTube, display networks, and mobile apps for retargeting visitors. You should stay in front of your audience in order to get them to come back. You’ll have a chance of converting with someone that has already thought of buying items from you and has visited your website to see what you have to offer.  Learn more about retargeting here.

Use multi-part forms

Filling in forms can be overwhelming for audiences. This is especially true when there are many fields to get through. Many people are deterred from converting simply because filling in a long form is too tedious or time-consuming. It is therefore advisable to keep the fields to a minimum (3 at most) e.g. Name, phone number, and email address.

However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t capture more information from the visitor. With a multi-part form, you can ensure the basic information is captured and that the visitor has the option to provide more information.

Conclusion

Selling high ticket items with Google Ads can be extremely financially rewarding for your company, and provides the opportunity for quick scalability.  Find a combination that works, and you’ll be able to grow your business quickly.  For more information on how to create a winning Google Ads and digital marketing strategy, get in touch here!