Google AdWords has recently released a new advertising feature called Customer Match that lets you upload a list of customer emails and target your ads to those email users.

When users login to their Google accounts, such as Google Search, Youtube or Gmail, using those emails, you will be able to show ads to them. Note that if users login to their Google account using different email addresses than the ones you uploaded (e.g. ray.wang@smartt.com), Google will not be able to target them.

Customer Match can be used for both search and display campaigns. Here’s how to create a Customer Email List:

1. Sign in to your AdWords account and click on Audiences

2. Click on Create list under Customer emails (If you’re creating a remarketing list for the first time, you’ll see several remarketing options. Under "Customer emails," click Create list. If this isn't the first remarketing list you've created, click +Remarketing list and select "Customer emails" from the drop-down menu.)
   
   

3. Upload an email list

(NOTE: you have to include an email opt out link. Provide a link to the page where people can manage their preferences for receiving email from you, including opting out of any email lists they may be subscribed to. If this page requires people to sign in, you could instead provide a link to a page with instructions on how to manage email preferences on your website.

Once you’ve created a Customer email list, you can select it as the target audience for your display or search campaign.

Display campaign:

Search campaign:

This new AdWords feature is effective because you can reach a group of high quality customers to increase their brand loyalty or reach prospects who you know to convert them into paying customers.

You can also use Customer Match to target new audiences – here’s how you can do so:

• Target email users who are not current customers.

Suppose you have a newsletter mailing list that contains subscribers who are a mix of customers and non-customers. To create a campaign that targets only newsletter subscribers who are not customers, you need a ‘clean’ list. There are two ways you can do this:

1. Create a ‘non-customer’ list outside of Google: Create a clean list that contains only newsletter subscribers who are not also customers:
   1. Copy your list of newsletter subscribers and your list of customers into Microsoft Excel (or a similar application).
   2. Select the email addresses column and click on Data and Remove Duplicates.
       

2. Have Google match emails and create the list for you: Use the built-in Custom combinations feature in the Google AdWords Customer Email List feature to create a list of newsletter subscribers who are not in your customer list.
   1. Upload your list of newsletter subscribers. Upload your customer email list (if you haven’t already done so).
   2. Create a tailored Customer Email List by selecting Custom combination and choosing to target each of these audiences from your newsletter list and none of these audiences from your customer list. This creates a new list that contains everyone from your newsletter list and none from your customer list.
      
      

Once you’ve created a tailored emailing list, add it your AdWords campaigns and promote offerings to your newsletter subscribers!

• To target non-customers for any AdWords. Focus your ad spend when you want to reach untapped audiences by showing ads only to users who have never interacted with your brand (i.e. subscribed to your newsletter or purchased from you). You can do this by excluding members of your customer list or newsletter list from your AdWords campaigns. Here’s how:

1. Target your display campaign: After you’ve created a campaign in a display campaign, click on Display Network and +Targeting.

Then, select Ad Group targeting and exclusions or Campaign exclusions.

Select Interest & remarketing.

Select a customer list.

2. Target your search campaign: Click on a search campaign and click on Audiences and Exclusions.

Select customer lists.

Targeting an untapped audience without overlapping with your current prospects or customers lets you achieve better ROI from your ad budget for campaigns focused on new audiences or new market segments.

Google AdWords’ Customer Match feature is an effective tool that enhances marketing programs by reinforcing your messages to a highly qualified audience. The feature also lets you customize a more tailored ad or promotion geared towards new audiences.

If you have any questions about the new Google AdWords feature or AdWords in general, please feel free to touch base with us.

Smartt is a digital consulting agency that specializes in branding, web design and development, digital marketing, and IT services.

We offer monthly AdWords management – including initial setup, banner development, data analysis and optimization. To learn about our management services visit Pricing and our AdWords service page.