Click-to-message Feature of Adwords
Google announced in its blogpost that they will soon be rolling-out messaging (SMS) services to all the Ads of Adwords. With the new click-to-message feature of Google Adwords, potential customers will be able to connect with advertisers through SMS. This feature has already been tested by Google in June 2016 in beta.
In Adwords, call extensions have been there for years now, but the new SMS extension gives the users an additional option to contact with businesses directly. For those who are call-shyer’s or who hate to hold long on calls, this new feature will prove to be very appealing.
How does it work?
When users click on a message extension icon in an Ad, their phone’s SMS app will open automatically. In the illustration provided by Google Adwords given below, you can see the message extension added just below the call extension in the main ad. This new format allows advertisers to include a new communication action.
This feature also allows advertisers to set up a pre-written starting message that pop-ups when the user clicks on the messaging extension. This pre-written message is decided by anticipating what the users are likely to be interested in and can be edited by the users before sending.
Is there any extra charge?
All the clicks through SMS extensions are charged just as a regular click on the ad.
Additional Features
- They can be set at the ad campaign and ad group levels.
- They can be scheduled to appear during certain time of the day (closed hours) or on certain dates (holidays).
- A provision to use an auto responder to let the users know when to expect a reply is provided.
As of now, advertisers will have to develop and utilize their own techniques of tracking and measuring significance from message extensions for all the SMS extensions connected to a single user or a company messaging platform.
Google mentions that this AdWords feature is already used by companies such as Travelpass group, AnyVan, Auto General and Global Industrial. You should also call a PPC Service Provider and start using click-to-message ads and take advantage of a new and faster way to connect with consumers on mobile to increase your conversion rates.