Today, advertising accounts, which are an indispensable part of digital marketing strategies, play a critical role for businesses to reach their target audiences, increase brand awareness, and boost sales. However, setting up and managing an advertising account correctly forms the basis of a successful advertising campaign. In this comprehensive guide, we will discuss in detail the advertising account setup processes on different platforms, important points to consider, optimization tips, and frequently asked questions.
1. What is an Advertising Account and Why is it Necessary?
An advertising account is a tool that allows businesses to publish advertisements on various digital platforms (Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, LinkedIn Ads, etc.). These accounts are used to manage the advertising budget, determine the target audience, create advertising creatives, and monitor the performance of campaigns.
1.1. Importance of an Advertising Account
- Reaching the Target Audience: Advertising accounts offer the opportunity to determine the target audience according to various criteria such as demographic characteristics, interests, behaviors, and location.
- Measurability: The performance of advertising campaigns can be monitored and analyzed in real-time. This creates the opportunity for budget optimization and strategy development.
- Flexibility: The advertising budget, target audience, and advertising creatives can be changed and optimized at any time.
- Brand Awareness: Advertisements ensure that potential customers recognize and remember the brand.
- Sales Increase: Campaigns that reach the right target audience and contain effective advertising creatives can significantly increase sales.
1.2. Advertising Accounts on Different Platforms
There are many different advertising platforms on the market. Each platform has its own unique features, target audiences, and advertising formats. Businesses should choose the platforms where they can best reach their target audiences.
Platform | Target Audience | Advertising Formats | Features |
---|---|---|---|
Google Ads | Search engine users, website visitors, YouTube users | Search ads, display ads, video ads, shopping ads | Reaching large audiences, keyword targeting, conversion tracking |
Facebook Ads | Facebook and Instagram users | Visual ads, video ads, carousel ads, lead generation ads | Detailed targeting options, remarketing, social interaction |
LinkedIn Ads | Professionals, companies | Sponsored content, text ads, dynamic ads | B2B marketing, career targeting, company targeting |
2. Google Ads Advertising Account Setup
Google Ads is one of the world's most popular advertising platforms. It offers the possibility to publish ads in search engine results, on websites, and on YouTube.
2.1. Creating a Google Ads Account
- Go to ads.google.com.
- Click the "Start Now" button.
- Sign in with your Google account or create a new Google account.
- Enter your business information (business name, website URL, etc.).
- Define your advertising target audience (e.g., website traffic, sales, leads).
- Determine your advertising budget and bidding strategy.
- Enter your payment information.
- Review and confirm your advertising account.
2.2. Google Ads Account Settings
- Account Structure: Consists of three main layers: campaigns, ad groups, and ads.
- Campaign Settings: Includes settings such as target audience, budget, bidding strategy, location targeting, language targeting, device targeting.
- Ad Group Settings: Includes settings such as keyword targeting, demographic targeting, interest targeting.
- Ad Creation: Includes elements such as headline, description, URL, and call to action (CTA).
2.3. Keyword Research and Selection
Keywords determine which search queries your ads will be shown for. Choosing the right keywords ensures that your ads reach your target audience.
Keyword Research Tools: Tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs can be used.
Keyword Matching Types:
- Broad Match: The most comprehensive match type. Your ads can be shown for all search queries related to your keyword.
- Phrase Match: Your ads are shown for search queries that contain your keyword exactly or with close variations.
- Exact Match: Your ads are shown for search queries that are written exactly the same way as your keyword.
- Negative Keywords: Keywords for which you do not want your ads to be shown.
# Keyword research using Google Ads API with Python
from googleads import adwords
def get_keyword_ideas(adwords_client, seed_keywords, location_ids, language_id):
keyword_idea_service = adwords_client.GetService(
'TargetingIdeaService', version='v201809')
selector = {
'searchParameters': [
{
'xsi_type': 'RelatedToQuerySearchParameter',
'queries': seed_keywords
},
{
'xsi_type': 'LocationSearchParameter',
'locations': [{'id': location_id} for location_id in location_ids]
},
{
'xsi_type': 'LanguageSearchParameter',
'languages': [{'id': language_id}]
}
],
'ideaType': 'KEYWORD',
'requestType': 'IDEAS',
'paging': {'startIndex': 0, 'numberResults': 20}
}
page = keyword_idea_service.get(selector)
if page and page['entries']:
for entry in page['entries']:
print('Keyword: %s' % entry['data'][0]['value'])
print('Avg. monthly searches: %s' % entry['data'][1]['value'])
else:
print('No keywords were found.')
3. Facebook Ads Account Setup
Facebook Ads offers the opportunity to publish ads on Facebook and Instagram. It stands out with detailed targeting options and visual ad formats.
3.1. Creating a Facebook Business Manager Account
- Go to business.facebook.com.
- Click the "Create Account" button.
- Log in with your Facebook account or create a new Facebook account.
- Enter business information (business name, website URL, etc.).
- Connect your Facebook page to your Business Manager account.
- Create your ad account or connect an existing ad account.
- Manage users and permissions.
3.2. Facebook Ad Account Settings
- Account Structure: Consists of three main layers: campaigns, ad sets, and ads.
- Campaign Settings: Includes settings such as objective (traffic, engagement, leads, sales, etc.), budget, bidding strategy.
- Ad Set Settings: Includes settings such as target audience (demographics, interests, behaviors, connections), placements (Facebook, Instagram, Audience Network), budget, and schedule.
- Ad Creation: Includes elements such as image, video, text, title, description, CTA.
3.3. Determining the Target Audience
Facebook Ads offers detailed targeting options. This allows you to reach the right target audience with your ads.
- Demographic Targeting: You can target based on characteristics such as age, gender, education, relationship status, and job.
- Interest-Based Targeting: You can target based on users' interests.
- Behavioral Targeting: You can target based on users' behaviors (e.g., purchasing habits, device usage, travel preferences).
- Custom Audiences: You can create custom audiences from your existing customers or website visitors.
- Lookalike Audiences: You can find new audiences that resemble your existing customers.
4. LinkedIn Ads Account Setup
LinkedIn Ads offers the opportunity to publish ads to professionals and companies. It is an ideal platform for B2B marketing.
4.1. Creating a LinkedIn Campaign Manager Account
- Go to linkedin.com/campaignmanager.
- Sign in with your LinkedIn account.
- Select the account name and currency.
- Connect your LinkedIn page to your Campaign Manager account.
- Create your ad account.
- Enter your payment information.
4.2. LinkedIn Ad Account Settings
- Account Structure: Consists of three main layers: campaigns, ad groups, and ads.
- Campaign Settings: Includes settings such as objective (brand awareness, website visits, leads, job applications, etc.), budget, and bidding strategy.
- Ad Group Settings: Includes settings such as target audience (company, title, skill, interest, school), placements (LinkedIn feed, Audience Network), budget, and scheduling.
- Ad Creation: Includes elements such as text, image, video, title, description, CTA.
4.3. Target Audience Definition
LinkedIn Ads offers detailed targeting options for professionals.
- Company Targeting: You can target based on characteristics such as company name, industry, and size.
- Title Targeting: You can target based on users' titles.
- Skill Targeting: You can target based on users' skills.
- Interest-Based Targeting: You can target based on users' interests.
- School Targeting: You can target based on users' schools.
5. Ad Account Optimization
As important as setting up the ad account is continuously monitoring and optimizing its performance. Optimization ensures that the advertising budget is used most efficiently and that advertising campaigns achieve their goals.
5.1. Performance Monitoring
- Impression Count: Shows how many times your ads have been displayed.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): Shows what percentage of people who see your ads click on them.
- Conversion Rate: Shows what percentage of people who click on your ads perform the targeted action (purchase, form submission, etc.).
- Cost Per Click (CPC): Shows how much you pay for each click on your ads.
- Cost Per Conversion (CPA): Shows how much you pay for each conversion.
5.2. A/B Testing
A/B testing is a method of comparing different ad creatives, target audiences, or bidding strategies to determine which ones perform best.
A/B Testing Examples:
- Test ad creatives using different headlines and descriptions.
- Test different target audiences.
- Test different bidding strategies.
- Test different placements.
5.3. Bidding Strategies
Bidding strategies determine how the advertising budget will be spent. Different bidding strategies can be used to achieve different goals.
Bidding Strategy | Description | Suitable Situations |
---|---|---|
Manual CPC | You manually set the cost per click. | When you want to control the advertising budget. |
Automatic CPC | The platform automatically determines the cost per click. | When you want to increase conversions. |
Target CPA | You set the cost per conversion. | When you are targeting a specific conversion cost. |
Target ROAS | You set the return on ad spend (ROAS). | When you are targeting a specific ROAS. |
6. Real-Life Examples and Case Studies
Example 1: E-commerce Company Google Ads Case Study
An e-commerce company wanted to increase its sales using Google Ads. First, a detailed keyword research was conducted, and keywords suitable for the target audience were determined. Then, different ad creatives were created and A/B testing was performed. Campaigns were optimized using the best-performing ad creatives. As a result, sales increased by 30% and the cost per conversion decreased by 20%.
Example 2: B2B Company LinkedIn Ads Case Study
A B2B company wanted to reach potential customers using LinkedIn Ads. The target audience was determined based on criteria such as company size, industry, and job title. Campaigns were created using sponsored content and text ads. The performance of the campaigns was regularly monitored and optimized. As a result, the number of potential customers increased by 25% and the sales cycle shortened.
7. Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1: How can I keep my advertising account secure?
Answer: Use a strong password, enable two-factor authentication, carefully manage who has access to your advertising account, and be vigilant for suspicious activity.
Question 2: How should I determine my advertising budget?
Answer: Your advertising budget depends on your goals, the size of your target audience, competition in the industry, and the cost of the advertising platform. You can start with a small budget initially and increase your budget based on the performance of your campaigns.
Question 3: Why are my ads not showing?
Answer: There could be several reasons why your ads are not showing. For example, your advertising budget may be insufficient, your bids may be too low, your keywords may be too competitive, or the quality of your ads may be low.
8. Conclusion and Summary
Setting up an advertising account forms the basis of digital marketing strategies. In this guide, we have discussed in detail the advertising account setup processes on different platforms, important points to consider, optimization tips, and frequently asked questions. For a successful advertising campaign, it is important to choose the right platform, correctly identify the target audience, create effective ad creatives, and continuously monitor and optimize the performance of campaigns. Remember, continuous learning and adaptation are the keys to success in digital marketing.