Stop your trollies! Google just announced big changes to its Smart Shopping and Ad Campaigns. Want to know what’s hot off the press? 

Let’s give a warm welcome (maybe) to Performance Max Campaigns (PMC), the all-in-one upgrade coming to the Google Ads Space.   

But what is a PMC? When can we use them? Arke has the answers. 

Maximum Power! 

PMC is basically Google’s answer to everything. The new campaign format will allow advertisers to access all their Ad Channels from a single campaign.

The new campaign system is a shiny new tool for marketers to use for specific advertising and conversion goals that they want to control through channels using one easy-to-access source.   

After a successful launch last November, PMC will be fully integrated into Google Ads by the end of Q3 of 22, so we best get to grips with it now. 

If you’re working your marketing magic through Google’s Smart Shopping or Local Campaigns, we will likely be saying au revoir very soon. Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of the new setup, shall we? 

How PMC works

Through Google’s automated algorithms and capabilities, PMC promises to drive better ad performance and rocketeer conversions across all of its services.

Yes, you heard correctly, all of them. From Gmail to Youtube – PMC wants to ensure your ads are being seen at the right place, at the right time, by the right target audience.   

Okay, that sounds great, Google – but how do we set up our PMCs and make sure our ad reach is stretching to its full potential? 

All those assets

PMC seeks to simplify the campaign process by asking you for all your assets upfront. By telling Google what your advertising objectives, conversion goals and audience signals are, Google will (hopefully) do the rest for you! 

So, what do you need to do straight out the gate? Submit all you can from your brand! 

By adding in every asset you’ll need (videos, images, Search Engine Copy etc.), Google will automatically shake and stir all the media together, creating the best ad-based cocktail based on where your ads appear.  

However, it’s not the end of the world if you miss something out. 

PMC allows you to preview your campaigns and tweak them based on the specific content. Not only that, you can submit additional signal suggestions (such as shoe delivery or shoes online), which will guide your ads to audiences ready for conversion. 

The key takeaway here is to get detailed with your submissions. The more you give to Google, the better the outcome of your campaign. Just remember, there’s a fine line between detail and overstuffing – don’t add things just for the sake of it. It’s all about striking a balance!

If you want a full rundown on how PMC works – Google has an excellent tutorial you can watch right here.        

The Good, The Bad & The Algorithm

With new systems comes new considerations – what are the pros and cons to this new campaign format? 

Positives: 

Simplified Campaigns: 

Through automated systems optimising your ad placement, management for campaigns won’t just be quicker and more efficient; they’ll be easily accessible for all! 

Usability means marketers at all levels can find use in PMC. Small business owners will have the same tools and toys that big-dog brands optimise.

Transparent Insights: 

According to Google, PMC will continuously report on how your creative impacts ad performance and optimises your campaigns around this to help improve your ROI. 

On top of that, PMC will keep track of rising trends around your ads, helping users understand performance change and how audiences respond to new creative. 

These insights will keep your campaigns feeling fresh throughout their run whilst advising your future, broader marketing strategies.

Concerns: 

Simplified Campaigns (again…)  

Simplifying things can be a double-edged sword.

While this new campaign process might allow more marketers to utilise Google Ad Space, where does that leave those who want to delve deeper into the intricate algorithms of their campaigns? Speaking of…

Automation

Every day the robots come closer to ruling over us all. Though automation may remove some workload, having (human) control over your spending ensures users the absolute choice in where to budget and maximise effective campaigns.  

Only time will tell how efficient the Google bots budget our money. Be sure to keep up-to-date with Arke for all your algorithm needs – until artificial intelligence takes our jobs too.

How to max out your PMC

With these considerations out in the open, what are the essentials to jot down when using PMC?  

Strike a good goal: 

As we mentioned earlier, PMC will optimise your ads depending on how detailed your assets are; this includes your objective goals.

To make sure you’re getting the most with PMC, your brand needs to identify what matters most for the campaign. Do you want to generate new leads or retarget to already converted audiences? Is your goal to increase sales or a blend of everything?  

Before you even head to the Google Ad space, defining what needs achieving will make PMC all the more powerful.   

Bid Smartly:

Don’t throw your money away – set the right bidding strategy! PMC allows you to specify how and where you splash the cash for your campaign. 

The most effective strategy for PMC is Smart Bidding, where Google Ads will continue to use its machine learning to place money in the best place automatically.

However, maybe you’re the hardcore type, with the aim for your campaign to drive as many conversions as possible? It’s risky, but you could always manually bid if that’s the case – though we would advise not to as it can lead to overspending.  

What’s next? 

Though automated services can have their limitations, they also offer an experience all marketers can find comfort working alongside.  

Through its detailed asset services, alongside the addition of more in-depth insights, Google’s new campaign system might not appeal to everyone straight away; but there’s still time for PMC to evolve. 

We’re yet to see how PMC will work specifically for retailers and OOH campaigns; Google will likely continue to invest in its automated systems and conduct further research throughout the year. 
Until then, if you’d like help setting up an online campaign or want expert advice on the best bidding strategies for your ads – get in touch with our ad team now.