Tifaine Ellis from Clear Hayes spoke with Rod Russell, Course Instructor for the Marketing Association’s workshop Google Ads - The Profitable Way, to learn why Google ads should always be a top priority for marketers

Google Ads is the new Yellow Pages; a goldmine of untapped potential making sure that people can find what they're looking for.

That observation comes from Rod Russell, Managing Partner at ADMATIC and Course Instructor for the Marketing Association’s (MA) Google Ads Workshops.

Russell first fell down the Google Ad rabbit hole while working at the Yellow Pages 10 years ago. He observed certain categories in the directory were more successful, and when he dug a bit deeper, discovered it was because the Yellow Pages was running Google ads for those categories. It dawned on Russell how powerful Google Ads were, and he has been running campaigns on the platform ever since.

“People are often blown away as to how much actually goes into Google Ads, and how much value they can actually get from it,” says Russell.

Russell says that it’s vital for marketers to be across Google Ads because it’s the main channel where people are showing intent and are primed to buy your products and services. Google’s search dominance is well documented and shows no signs of slowing down, so understanding how to precisely target people across the platform is vital.

“Google ads should always be a priority for all marketers because it is the quickest return on investment you can get from any digital marketing channel. People are in the act of looking for your products and services, and you're just putting yours in front of them at that moment of inspiration” Russell says.

The way marketers are using audience data is changing all the time. Google Ads is constantly changing and evolving how marketers can target and reach their customers. It can place ads both in Google Search results and on non-search websites, mobile apps, and videos. It’s a diverse program with a very large reach which can effectively boost website traffic, generate sales or lead generation, and help generate awareness.

Russell says that Google ads should always be a top priority for all marketers, and knowing how to fully leverage them can allow them to target consumers more effectively. It’s an important tool for marketers to learn and grasp the use of machine learning alongside marketing campaigns.

“You should try and leverage machine learning as much as possible. But you should definitely look to put the guardrails in place first, using human intelligence and knowledge of the Google Ads Platform to set your marketing campaigns up for success from the start” he says.

Automation in the marketing world isn’t just about algorithms taking charge and doing all the work, says Russell. Instead, it’s a great opportunity for marketers to find alternative ways to best leverage this new technology for better results.

He explains: “Machine learning is playing a bigger part in Google Ads. So it's becoming more essential for marketers to understand what machines can do well, and what it is that humans can do well, and then looking for that middle ground where human intelligence and machine learning can work together to get the best outcome.”

Russell has condensed ten years of Google Ad knowledge into a one-day course that provides marketers of all skill levels with the confidence to set up, create, and leverage Google Ads technology to maximise their return on investment. It sets up the foundations for marketers to grasp the latest trends and changes in Google Ads and in-depth knowledge of paid search.

Ultimately, Russell’s aim is to arm marketers with the right knowledge “so that when they’re dealing with their ad agency they can have meaningful conversations with them about how to best leverage maximum value from Google Ads.”

Written by Tifaine Ellis, Communications Consultant at Clear Hayes Consulting.

See Rod’s upcoming Google Ads workshops here.