Google Makes Paid Advertising More Social with +Post Ads

Brands now have a great new way to engage their clients with their Google+ content. They just started beta testing +Posts, a new feature that combines the social elements of Google+ with the reach of Google Display Network advertising.

What are +Post Ads?

+Post ads work like paid advertisements on social networks, only they don’t only appear in users’ feeds or pages – they appear on Google Display Network.

A +Post ad will include details such as +1s, shares, and comments. Hovering over the ad for two seconds will expand the ad on the user’s screen.

Advertisers only need to pay if a user hovers over and expands the ad. In the expanded ad window, users can easily like, share, and comment on the post, or follow the brand’s page on Google+. Brands can share photos, videos, and even Google Hangouts using these ads, and engage their audience directly through the different social options Google+ provides.

Google’s director of global brand solutions, Gretchen Howard, says that these ads “are a result of the company’s ongoing effort to make its products more social.” She went on to say that “Over the past little over a year, we’ve been really thinking about how we build out sharing and recommendations into all of our ad products. We thought the next logical thing would be for brand advertisers to have conversations within the ad.”

Initial Testing by Toyota

Google started beta testing for +Post ads with a small group of AdWords advertisers, including Toyota. The promotional video for this new advertising channel shows how Toyota used +Post ads to promote the 2014 Corolla.

Schwartz described Toyota’s target market as young, creative, and constantly connected. They needed a way to reach out to this audience on social media, and engage them in authentic conversations. “Rather than talk at them,” Peterson said, “We wanted to talk with them.” +Posts provided the perfect opportunity for them to “increase the level of conversation online and reach those customers wherever they are.”

Brands that are interested in using +Post ads can express their interest by filling out this form during the beta testing phase.

Making the most of +Post ads will require a good combination of PPC management and social marketing strategy. Call us today to find out what we can do to help you develop an effective campaign for Google+, Facebook, and other social channels.

https://youtu.be/4yCUgx7H2zo