The average person spends an average of 4.1 hours checking their work email every day, that’s 20.5 hours per week! With that amount of time spent on email, it’s easy to see why gmail ads can be one of the best ways to target potential customers.
Although lead generation is one way to get into a potential customer’s inbox, it can be a challenge for many businesses. gmail ads provide a way to avoid having to convince potential customers to hand over their personal information.
what are gmail ads?
Gmail Ads, also known as Gmail Sponsored Ads, Gmail Sponsored Promotions, and Gmail Sponsored Promotion Ads, are paid interactive ads that advertisers can post to their potential customers’ email inboxes. . ads in gmail are displayed at the top of a user’s inbox within the social or promotions tab:
once any part of the ad is clicked, the full email ad opens. Expanded, the lyft ad above looks like a typical email with a subject line, catchy media, the option to forward the message, save the message, and more. the ad on the right margin is also displayed, which contains the same link as the full ad:
how do gmail ads work?
Just like a yahoo mail ad, gmail ads can be:
- click for possible conversion
- saved to the user’s inbox (by clicking the star icon at the top of the email or the “save to tray” button inbox” at the bottom of the email)
- forwarded to someone else (by clicking the blue “forward” button at the bottom of the email)
- closed without take no action
Users can interact with your expanded gmail ad in several different ways, depending on its elements and design. Options include playing a video, filling out a lead capture form, clicking through to your website or post-click landing page, or on mobile, clicking to call or downloading an app.
Google automatically optimizes gmail ads to ensure they’re aesthetically pleasing wherever they’re displayed—desktop, mobile, or the gmail app. For example, this is the same ad that is shown on desktop and in the gmail mobile app:
First collapsed on desktop: 
And collapsed on mobile: 
then expanded on desktop:
and expanded on mobile:
in both locations, the images have the correct dimensions; the copy is formatted appropriately, the cta buttons are placed so they stand out, etc. to provide viewers with a good user experience.
how you are charged and available targeting options
It’s important to note that gmail ads are pay-per-click ads, which means you only pay for the click that expands your ad initially, rather than each time someone interacts with your expanded ad.
Ads in Gmail use typical display targeting options, including audience keywords, in-market audiences, demographics, affinity audiences, automated targeting, remarketing, customer matching, and life events.
best practices for gmail ads
1. promote an offer at the top of the funnel
Gmail users who see your ads are usually at the top of your marketing funnel, probably in the awareness or evaluation stage. To attract them, you need to recognize that they probably have minimal familiarity with your brand and product. Also, since they haven’t searched for it (as is the case with paid search ads), they likely have little or no intention to buy.
Since your potential customers aren’t ready to make a purchase, your ad should focus on offering free content or collecting information from potential customers, such as an email address to start sending them real emails. An educational webinar with a signup form or closed pdf is a great idea to nurture prospects further down your funnel.
2. take advantage of your competitors
One of the biggest challenges with gmail advertising is knowing if you’re targeting the best audience. The competitor takeover strategy (using your competitors’ domains as your targeting method) is great for fine-tuning your targeting. This allows your ads to show every time a gmail user receives an email from one of your competitors. Ultimately, this helps attract an audience that is likely to be highly interested in your product or service.
as an example, hanapin marketing uploaded a list of their closest competitors’ domains and saw click-through rates of up to 33%.
3. design your expanded ad as a post-click landing page
those are the exact words from google. To do this, you need to focus on several key elements and design best practices:
- copy: Your collapsed ad copy should stand out in your expanded ad. It should be direct and direct, but also highlight your unique value proposition so that viewers know exactly what the benefits of your offer are and what they earn by clicking.
- cta color: your cta should “pop out” of the ad to grab the user’s attention and persuade them to convert. this means your button should contrast with the rest of the ad.
- short copy: instead of typing vague copy like “submit,” “register,” or “download,” use catchy, personalized text, like “improve my roi” or “i want free google ads tips.”
- images: avoid using cheesy stock photos, photos too small to understand the context, or photos that are too colorful. instead, opt for hero photos or infographics, which will help visitors better understand the value of your offer. For more information, see the guide to selecting the best stock photos.
examples of gmail ads
The examples below demonstrate the best practices listed above. here’s one from walmart, first collapsed, then expanded:
While most of the message in the ad is consistent, there is a critical part that is quite different. the collapsed ad promotes a minimum of $35, while the expanded ad advertises a minimum of $50. Details like that could deter prospects from clicking through and redeeming your offer. Also, there is no prominent cta button in the expanded ad which could lower the click-through rate.
this rule an investment ad includes matching text in both places:
both titles and descriptions are the same. Plus, all copy is direct and highlights the UVP, so recipients know exactly what they’ll gain by taking action: a chance to get a free seat at the 3-day transformational investing workshop.
the color and copy of the cta button are also optimized. the orange stands out against the background, and “request a free seat now” is descriptive and compelling. To top it off, instead of showing a generic stock photo, an image of the workshop is shown to give prospects an idea of what it will look like.
martha stewart meal kit delivery service, martha & marley spoon, use images beautifully in your expanded ad:
The first image shows what the package looks like when delivered (although this might be more effective if a customer was holding it), the second shows the food preparation stage, and the third shows the final product.
The collapsed and expanded ad text is the same, including an attractive promotion and a clearly defined uvp. the blue cta button is highlighted as no other blue is present; however, the copy could be more personalized and persuasive to drive more clicks.
here’s another ad with a very clear uvp, offering potential clients the opportunity to “take exams quickly, submit vsp claims seamlessly, and create easy customer estimates” both collapsed and expanded:
Finally, this mobile ad example demonstrates the mobile call click option:
when potential customers click the “call” button at the bottom of the ad, they are automatically allowed to contact customer support, providing an optimal user experience.
how to create gmail ads
gmail only allows ads to be created in the new google ads experience. As long as you have access, there are two ways to create gmail ads:
- create: upload your text, image and video assets. google will then optimize your creative for you.
- upload: design a single image ad, or a fully custom html, and upload via zip file containing a html file, images, a collapsed ad image, and a teaser.txt file.
create
& extensions”.
upload
& extensions”.
gmail ads specs
hidden ad specifications
all gmail ads have the same collapsed ad specs:
- logo: minimum size: 144px x 144px; maximum size: 150kb; 1:1 aspect ratio
- business name: up to 20 characters (must be advertiser’s recognized name)
- title: up to 25 characters
- description: up to 90 characters
- display url: up to 255 characters
- final url: no character limit
extended ad specifications
Extended ad specifications differ depending on whether you’re creating or uploading an ad.
creating
- title: up to 25 characters
- description: up to 90 characters
- business name: up to 20 characters
- cta button: up to 15 characters
- logo: minimum size of 144 x 144 pixels pixels; 150kb maximum size (1mb for header image and marketing image); 1:1 aspect ratio
- images: 1:1 aspect ratio; minimum size of 300px x 300px; or youtube video link with a video thumbnail size of 324 x 183.
- Accepted image formats: jpeg, jpg, png, gif (not animated)
going up
- image uploads: [300px to 650px] x [300px to 1000px]
- accepted image formats: jpeg, jpg , png , gif (not animated)
- maximum image size: 1mb
note: instapage’s digital ad specs guide contains these ad specs and more. includes everything you need in one place: dimensions, file formats, examples, and more.
conclusion
gmail ads are an extremely effective way to engage with a target audience beyond your traditional search efforts, allowing you to reach potential customers where they spend a large portion of their time: their inbox.
To create the most optimized gmail ad, please refer to the Instapage Digital Advertising Specifications Manual for the most up-to-date ad specifications and targeting options. Then, make sure you complete your ad campaign by providing an optimal post-click landing page from ad to post-click landing page with instapage, the strongest post-click optimization platform.