What Are Product Listing Ads?
Have you ever googled a product or service? If so, the first few results probably got your attention because they featured an image, price, reviews, and website of the products. PPC product listing ads allow you to appear at the top of search queries and increase your chances of someone purchasing your solution. And it's not only on Google that you can run these ads but also Bing, Yahoo, Facebook, Amazon, and eBay. Facebook and Instagram, for example, call them dynamic product ads and allow users to view your entire product catalog at a glance. But that's not all. If you have a SaaS B2B company, you probably need niche-specific business directories to advertise your product and increase visibility among relevant audiences. Sure, Google product listing ads can be useful, but you have way more chances of increasing sales in highly targeted directories.
Can you guess the beauty of PPC listing ads? You only pay when someone clicks on them. In fact, online directory listings are the most cost-effective advertising solution, as they ensure targeted clicks and qualified traffic from customers who are truly interested in your solution.
The Benefits Of Product Listing Ads
1. Visibility
No matter how elevated your SEO skills are and how skillfully you incorporate keywords in your landing pages, nothing can offer you more visibility than PPC product listing ads. They propel your listings above all standard text ads and organic listings. For instance, Temu spent $3 billion in marketing costs in 2023, and product listing ads and RoS banner ads were—and are—two of their main focuses. SaaS businesses can do the same to promote their products to niche audiences and increase their engagement rates. Potential buyers usually browse the top results first before they start clicking on organic results.
2. Click-Through Rates
Visual appeal is everything for your SaaS marketing strategy, and product listing ads help you showcase your product in a more appealing manner. Potential clients view a picture, a small description, the review score, prices, and your website's name. Such ads are more engaging than simple text ads, increasing website visitors and sales. In fact, many companies notice higher click-through rates thanks to the attractiveness of their products being shown in well-designed ads.
3. Qualified Traffic
PPC product listing ads usually appear to people and companies who have the intent to purchase. Therefore, you don't only generate new leads but also boost qualified traffic to your website, as the clicks you receive are probably from individuals who are not just browsing. Just by seeing your ad, they gain a clear understanding of your product and its pricing. So, when they click on the ad, they are just looking for the details before they make a decision to proceed to checkout.
4. Benchmarking
PPC listing ads for SaaS belong in the category of auction-style advertising. What does that mean? Companies compete in online auctions to have their product ads served to a specific audience segment. Seeing your competitors' bids, you can analyze your SaaS B2B marketing strategy and improve your efforts. You can check the low, medium, and high bids for specific ad spaces and compare yourself to your competitors. Therefore, you can understand your position in the market and use your budget effectively.
Steps To Create A PPC Product Listing Ad Strategy
1. Competitive Pricing
The guide to product listing ads starts with one of the most crucial aspects: pricing. In the SaaS world, there can be massive price gaps when you compare various companies. However, when you create product ads, you have to be mindful of that. Is your product the most expensive one in the bunch? Try lowering your prices to stay competitive. If this is not feasible, you can lean on your product's superiority to justify the increased price. Just keep monitoring your competitors' listings to identify changes to their pricing. Additionally, keep monitoring your own product feed's health, as mistakes can often occur. For instance, incorrect categorization, poor image quality, and missing information are common issues you have to be on the lookout for.
2. Negative Keywords
You don't only want your product advertisements to appear to the right audiences but also to avoid getting in front of the wrong prospects. Negative keywords are necessary for your product listing strategy to target only qualified buyers who have a high interest in purchasing. If you are not sure which negative keywords you should use, check the search term reports in your Google Ads account. You will get a sense of what people who see your ad search for. For example, if you promote your recruiting software but your ad appears to people searching for onboarding software, you need to add "onboarding software" as a negative keyword. As a result, you improve the efficiency of your ad spend and ad rank.
3. High-Quality Images
What does Google consider a high-quality image for product listing ads? Photos that are over 1024 pixels are considered high-resolution. One quick and easy way to make all the images on your website look better is to add them to your Merchant Center since it automatically improves lower-quality pictures. Remember that your product ad's image is the first thing customers see. If your images have poor resolution and lighting, prospects most likely won't form a positive impression.
4. Optimize And Update Your Feed
We mentioned earlier how you should monitor and update your business directory listings in case something goes wrong. But at the same time, you should keep improving your titles and descriptions so they are accurate, specific, and descriptive. Take a look at your competitors and see whether they have added any product details you are missing. For example, your competitors may have added a detailed description of their SaaS product's properties along with pricing tiers and exclusive discounts. If you haven't added the pricing tiers, you're probably missing out. Also, check the language your audience uses and incorporate it into your descriptions to speak straight into their hearts.
5. Segmented Campaigns
Did you know that Google and Bing allow you to group products based on category, price, and customer demographics? You can create segmented campaigns that cater to different demographics and serve products in different price ranges. This way, you can tailor your messaging accordingly, adjust your bidding strategy, and improve your SEO. You wouldn't bid the same on different keywords, right? It's pretty much the same tactic here since you don't want to bid the same for different products.
Do Google Ads And Facebook Ads Work For SaaS Digital Marketing?
Google Ads is known for its intent-based targeting, extensive reach, and diverse ad formats. If you're wondering whether it's effective to launch PPC product listing ads on the platform, the answer is a loud yes! SaaS B2B marketing aims to capture leads right when they search for a solution thanks to targeted keywords. Therefore, you can use various keywords and target audiences during all funnel stages. Once someone searches for a product similar to yours, Google shows your product ad and helps you generate qualified leads. Moreover, Google allows you to place your ads on websites, videos, and apps, boosting your visibility even further. Remarketing is another area where Google Ads for SaaS help you by reminding people who visited your website but didn't purchase anything about your solutions. Remember that you can customize each campaign's messaging depending on the actions you want to drive.
What about Facebook Ads, though? SaaS businesses can leverage the platform to advertise their products and connect deeply with their audiences. The granular targeting allows you to be extra specific with the demographics, interests, and online behaviors you want to reach. That's how you ensure your PPC product listing ad reaches only the most relevant buyers. Additionally, Facebook helps you reach new users who look like the profiles of your existing clientele. You can even retarget prospects who engage with your website and profile without taking further action. Another pro of the platform is the creation of ad formats, allowing you to use photos, videos, and "carousels," turning your SaaS product ad into an engaging experience. You may conduct iterative testing, especially A/B tests, to identify the best ad solutions.
What Is The Average SaaS Marketing Spending?
The general rule is that SaaS companies should spend 7–15% of their annual revenue on marketing activities. If you combine marketing and sales promotions, you may raise this amount to 30%. However, you may increase your marketing budget if you want to accelerate business growth. Be wise in your spending, and don't just waste money on futile efforts.
But how much do PPC directory listings cost? Let's start with the free options. Highly niche directories like eLearning Industry's offer you the chance to list your business for free. While this is a great start, your SaaS business may end up at the bottom of the barrel. That's why you should think about upgrading to a PPC listing ad to boost visibility. Like with Google product listing ads, your company appears at the top of the list. Also, prospects can easily read reviews and visit your website with the click of a button, features unavailable in free listings.
What Should You Include In Your SaaS Marketing Plan?
1. Search Engine Advertising
We have already talked about how Google Ads work in targeting high-intent buyers. You just bid on relevant keywords so your ad listing can appear at the top of the results page. This means your leads are qualified, you get measurable results, and you drive traffic to your website. Yet, the paid route isn't the only one. You can also add organic search engine advertising (SEA) into your strategic marketing plan since it depends on people's online behavior instead of cookies and targeting. It is basically an SEO strategy that focuses on incorporating relevant and powerful keywords and phrases into your content. The more keywords you add to your articles, the higher the ranking you'll achieve.
To succeed in SEA, it's best to use long-tail keywords. They may not be as popular as single-word keywords, but they target niche audiences with high purchase intent. Furthermore, your copy should be utterly convincing. With SEA, you don't have a lot of space to invite people to sign up for your newsletter, so every word must point out the properties of your SaaS product.
2. Social Media Advertising
Targeted advertisements for products aim to convince high-intent customers to make a purchase. However, this is not the case with social media marketing. Social media channels allow you to discover and engage with potential buyers who may not know who you are and have not begun their buying journey yet. Your main goals for SaaS growth are to build brand awareness and establish thought leadership. LinkedIn is the number one option for most B2B brands to promote their content and ignite interest in their solutions. There, you can either post your articles and webinar announcements organically or create paid ads.
Advertising costs are usually higher on LinkedIn than on Facebook and Instagram. But before investing in paid promotional campaigns, you should check whether social media is the ideal space for your SaaS product. Maybe you need to focus only on LinkedIn and abandon all other platforms. Regardless, use captivating and eye-grabbing visuals and utilize gated content to lure customers into handing you their contact details.
3. Display Advertising
Display advertising refers to video ads, native ads, and the two types of banner ads: RoS banners and popup banners. They are displayed on various websites your target buyers visit often. The ads are placed very strategically so they can lure interested customers to click on your ad and view your SaaS products. Their contextual targeting helps you attract the right type of leads and retarget prospects who have yet to make a purchase even though they have engaged with your brand. How do you choose a trustworthy publisher, though? Based on your industry, you must pick a digital marketing agency whose audience and expertise align with yours. For example, eLearning Industry is an established figure in the eLearning and HR world with comprehensive marketing solutions.
A crucial tip is to include powerful yet low-friction CTAs in your RoS banner ads. What we mean is that you should not sound salesy, encouraging people to buy something. Start by asking them to register for your email list or download a free eBook. These practices help them understand the usefulness of your product without feeling pressured to hand over their money.
4. Email Advertising
Email marketing refers to the broader efforts to create a loyal customer base where you inform them about industry and company news and promote your SaaS solutions. On the other hand, email advertising is about paying for sponsorships like newsletter featured placements. For instance, eLearning Industry offers you the opportunity to feature your brand in our newsletters for boosted visibility and targeted promotions. While there are many potential partners in the SaaS world, you should pick your partners carefully. Additionally, don't make it look and sound like it's all about making those sales. One of the best email marketing solutions is to make the benefits and outcomes of your product the focus of your product listing ad. Adding value to your SaaS ads convinces prospects about your product's usefulness.
5. Online Communities Advertising
Have you ever considered engaging with your ideal audiences in online communities and creating PPC product listing ads inside these spaces? It is a wonderful solution for SaaS businesses to connect directly with their customers, express their viewpoints, and foster a sense of friendship. You should do your research to identify communities relevant to your niche so your advertising is as targeted as possible. Therefore, your organic content and your paid ads have increased credibility and fostered trust and loyalty. Moreover, joining communities helps you receive valuable insights regarding people's needs and challenges so you can create corresponding content and ensure your product aligns with their preferences.
Key Takeaway
Filling out a marketing plan template can be a time-consuming but helpful task for SaaS marketers. Product listing ads for SaaS deserve a spot in the mix as they help you receive boosted visibility, generate qualified leads, and increase revenue. You just need to carefully set your pricing depending on what your competitors are doing, insert negative keywords and high-quality images, and segment your campaigns based on varying characteristics.
Many SaaS startups collaborate with established B2B content marketing agencies to help them with their digital marketing needs. From setting up Google and Facebook ads to creating newsletter featured placements, experts can help you fortify your marketing efforts and make the best out of your resources. Lastly, marketing pros can help by doing keyword research, crafting engaging content that ranks highly on Google, and bidding for ad keywords that will help your ad appear at the top of the list.
