Using Proof Points in PPC

As a digital marketer I’m always trying to implement new ways to connect with my target audience. I consistently see positive results from my campaign performances when I’m building visitors’ confidence every step of the PPC path. An easy way to build that confidence is through proof points. I look at proof points as evidence that backs up your marketing message. These can be endorsements, statistics, testimonials, etc. that solidify why your products or services are a must-have.

Where Have I Seen Proof Points Before?

Before we get into implementation of proof points in PPC, let’s step back a bit and look at some examples that you’ve most likely seen already.

Book Endorsements

You know those books that are going to change your life forever? They’re loaded with proof points. Take a look at this one. I highlighted the main elements in the green boxes.

This cover design lets potential buyers know how many other people have bought this book. The social proof used here gives people the sense that they want to be in on the secret too. No one wants to be left out. We also get a testimonial from another bestselling author. If another successful author endorses this then it must be good right? I can’t vouch for the material inside the book, but I know the marketing of it works.

TV Commercials

The whole goal of a commercial is to get you to buy something right? Sometimes the proof points aren’t always easy to see because advertisers are trying to subconciously entise you. Other times, ads make their proof points big and bold like this commercial I recently saw.

Every Celebrity Appearance in an Ad Ever

Celebrity culture is growing and not going away anytime soon. The public listens to their favorite TV, sports or movie superstar. That’s exactly why endorsement deals are big money because they drive sales. The proof point here is to get the potential customer thinking, “if my favorite celebrity uses it, then it must be good!” Here’s an example of Xarelto pulling out the big guns for one of their latest commercials.

I’m sure all of these guys hang out together in real life right? The point is Xarelto is using a variety of celebrities to appeal to a wider audience since their product is more universal.

Now that we know some proof point examples. Let’s see how we can utilize this tactic in our PPC campaigns.

Using Proof Points in Ad Extensions

Ad extensions are not only important to help your ad rank, but they also can provide more real estate to get a robust marketing message to your targeted audience. This gives PPC advertisers great space to add proof points to the mix.

The ad is flooded with great value messages, but the proof points in this PPC ad are the review extensions and one of the callout extensions. Review extensions are just one of the several automated ad extensions you can use. The reason they have a positive affect is that they come from third party sources. Your actual customers are leaving honest opinions about their experience with you. If you have a high rating it will not only help your CTRs but will also give the user confidence that you can back up your offers.

The second proof point we see in this ad is in the callout extensions. Letting the user know that you’ve shipped over 1,000,000 units is a huge impact statement. It shows you’ve been doing this for awhile and that tons of other people have already trusted you and made a purchase. This message does nothing but build trust and catch the eye since it’s such a long number visually.

Using Proof Points in Ad Message

While this ad from Shopkeep is a little too focused on making sure “iPad POS” is in the ad, it does add one great proof point in the first description line.

Claiming to be the #1 rated iPad POS is pretty bold. But it’s an enticing message, and it can be easily proven right or wrong with a simple check of the app store. I would take this ad one step further and test the “#1 Rated” message in the headline. This would make your biggest proof point stand out the most, add special characters to your headline which can look unique, and then give you the first description line back to add more value messages. Using the basic ad space wisely can help you have the biggest impact in case your ad doesn’t show extensions all the time.

Using Proof Points in Display Advertising

Here’s one example from Amazon. In this instance they’re using dynamic ads to pull in actual product information. So just like we saw ratings in the ad extension example, Amazon is pulling in the ratings from their own database.

The ad’s main headline is also another proof point. This soap is more appealing if it’s “the #1 dermatologist recommended bar,” versus not having that message. Whether it’s validated or not, I’m confident in saying that this message will definitely capture the user’s attention. We also see that proof point repeated on the product page as well as Dove’s official page for this product for validation which leads us to our final point…

Relaying the Trust with Proof Points on Your Landing Page

You’ll see me say this in many blogs I write. It’s extremely important that you relay your ad’s marketing message to your landing page. I’m going to post the wine club ad again and then the corresponding landing page below it. I highlighted the proof points in the ad with red boxes and highlighted the landing page proof points with green boxes.

In this scenario, the landing page goes above and beyond the efforts portrayed in the ad. We can only see the above the fold content, but Amazing Clubs makes sure a proof point is visible at any time. They show how many customers have used them. You can read numerous, positive reviews. Last, you see how they compare to the competition with a fantastic page for any user not currently in the “buy now” stage.

The image above isn’t the entire page, but it shows the best content on that page. They prove how they’re better than the competition. The call to action we saw on the previous page is still there with two more proof points underneath it in case you’re still not convinced.

Summary

Competition in the PPC world is growing. Going after the right keywords is not enough anymore. The few ad examples we saw in this blog were focused on a good marketing message and not keyword stuffing. Using proof points in your PPC marketing will help your ads stand out from the other ads on a search query results page. Then make sure you also use proof points on your landing page to not only promote conversions but also to help the user still in “discovery mode” along the buying journey. Last, just like anything you do with PPC, test out these elements. See which ones work better with your target audience and build upon your discovered successes.