Hello! It’s Shaun and I’m back with another Wednesday Workshop from Happy Hao Car. As many of you probably know… Google has been pushing their mobile-first, micro-moment focus for at least a couple of years now and this year they’ve really been putting their money where their mouth is. It’s pretty cool to see it unfold. At least it is for me…

For most dealers… it’s challenging to keep up with Google’s updates, improvements and additions, but hey… that’s why me and the Beard keep breaking it down and helping you ride the waves of the Google ocean.

So… last week Google announced a new ad extension… for mobile ads… Message Extensions! Cool!

What’s a message extension? Glad you asked…. Even though you didn’t really ask. I know that you will eventually.

Message extensions are pretty much like all the other ad extensions, so you can use them to give your ads more features, make your ads larger and increase CTR. Nice!

A message extension will look like this:

You’ll see the message icon and now your users have the option to text your dealership directly from the mobile SERP! Yeah… You can even grease the wheels for those conversions by including a pre-written message like “Interested? Text us now!”

You’re loving this right?… Message extensions are currently available to a limited number of accounts, but Google says they’re opening them up to everyone in the coming weeks, so get ready.

If you know where the Ad Extensions tab is in AdWords, you’ll go there to create your message extensions at the ad group or campaign level.

You’ll enter your dealership name, the phone number that people will be sending texts to, so this won’t be your landline… you’ll also enter your custom message extension text like “Text us” “interested?” “Tell me about this Raptor” and so on…

And… you’ll also enter your post click message text. Google will show this message in the searchers native messaging app. You’ll use this to help people begin a conversation.

You’ll want to experiment with messages like “I want to schedule a test drive”, “Tell me more about this Camaro”, “I’d like to learn more about this lease offer” or something as simple as “Call me”.

PPC experts believe that message extensions will increase CTR’s by 50% over the mobile ad alone and may even perform better than call only ads… I guess we’ll see.

Let me throw you a couple tips as you consider and perhaps begin using message extensions…

1. They may not show all the time. That’s right, your message extensions may not show all the time, so you’ll want to carefully manage your mobile bids and keep your quality scores high if you want to be successful.

2. Create multiple message extensions so they makes sense to searchers. Your message extensions are going to be different by new, used, make, model, service and for those dealer groups with stores in different states… don’t’ forget city.

3. You’ll also want to schedule your extensions, so they’re only showing when you’re ready to respond to them. 24 hours a day is no good.

Now don’t get sad, but there is currently no conversion tracking available for message extensions. This means you’ll have to create your own system for tracking and measuring your success, which is not impossible.

Keep an eye out for this new ad extension and let us know if we can help.

Like always If you have questions or comments about this video leave them down below or come talk to me at the next automotive conference. Until then Make sure you come back next week for another Wednesday Workshop from Happy Hao Car.

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VP of Marketing Email Shaun Shaun is a true internet car guy and the Vice President of Marketing at Happy Hao Car. His automotive internet career began in 1998 with the Reynolds and Reynolds team that launched Microsoft’s CarPoint.com, CarsDirect Connect, Yahoo Autos, Automark Websites and Reynolds Web Solutions. Shaun’s Marketing prowess coupled with expertise in Social Media allows him to effectively market Happy Hao Car’s capabilities, extend its reach and build the right reputation. His unique blend of humor and automotive experience has made Raines a sought after speaker at industry events including NADA, NCM, Digital Dealer, DrivingSales Executive Summit and 20 Groups Shaun lives in Frisco, Texas with his wife, children and dogs.

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