If you’ve been to the Google home page recently, you may have noticed the top of the new Nexus 7 tablet popping up under the search box in the days following its release. This is a pretty unusual occurrence for the search giant, who has only included advertisements on its home page a couple of times before, when highlighting its original Droid and Nexus One phones. This is huge ad visibility, and Google is sure to see sales skyrocket. Today, I’d like to imagine the possibilities for what you could do for your business if you had a chance to advertise on Google’s home page.
Make a Google Doodle
Perhaps the most fun way to take advantage of the ad spot on Google would be to incorporate your ad in the classic Google doodle style within the name of the search engine. Interactive doodles tend to be some of the most popular ones, as we learned from the doodles during the Olympics. These doodles invited aspiring Olympians to try their hand at some events. For this type of ad, consider which of the letters in “Google” looks most like your product, insert it in its place, and let users click to play a fun game that highlights the usefulness of your product.
Prepare for Traffic
Imagine the clicks you’d get from your Google ad, and now consider whether your current infrastructure could handle this volume. You wouldn’t want your web servers to crash in the middle of the campaign, leaving people with an ugly “site not found” page instead of your website. Therefore, you would definitely want to expand things ahead of time, getting ready with plenty of bandwidth and a great email delivery client to help you follow up with all the new leads you gather from your ad campaign. In addition, you would want to have your support team ready to accept and process all of your orders.
Launch a Simultaneous Campaign
In addition to your Google ad, launch a campaign elsewhere to maximize your web exposure during this time. Gather a list of potential advertising opportunities and evaluate each of the sites to determine which ones are the best use of your money. You want sites with a relevant audience and that limit the number of ads they post so yours is more noticeable. Having your company’s name out there in more places improves your reputation in the eyes of the millions of people hearing about you for the first time.
Follow Up on Facebook
After a campaign, you would definitely want a plan in place for continuing your burst in business. For one, make a Facebook page for your company if you don’t already have one, and start using it well. Statistics show that people who are your fans on Facebook visit your store 30 percent more often than those who don’t. Therefore, you’ll want to ensure that you get people connected with you on Facebook so they don’t forget about you after your campaign is over.
Although Google is unlikely to open its home page up for just anyone to purchase ads, the possibility is still a fun one to think through. Your ad could reach millions of people, and you’d want something clever enough to grab attention. In addition to the ad, though, you would also need the rest of the plan in place to turn your increased exposure into sales and profits. Once you have a plan, consider putting it in place, minus the Google ad, of course.
