Writing Ads - Mention The Price Or Not?

Discussion in 'Google AdWords' started by bl4ckmaN^, Jan 6, 2009.

  1. #1
    I know this is a very complicated question to ask, and there is no straight answer to this, but still I want to hear what you think about mentioning the price of product/service in the ad.

    A bit of analytics from me:

    IF You mention the price:

    1. You get less traffic
    2. The traffic is more targeted
    3. The CTR goes down, meaning CPC increases (slighlty)

    IF You DON'T mention the price:

    1. You get more traffic
    2. Traffic might not be perfect, because people don't know I'm selling something
    3. Clicks are cheaper, because of high CTR


    All I can say that this is simply dead-end. I can't figure out, which is a better way to go, and I seriously want to hear some professional advice.

    P.S. To be more specific about what I'm advertising - I'm promoting various Clickbank products as an affiliate with a landing page.
     
    bl4ckmaN^, Jan 6, 2009 IP
    tankard likes this.
  2. RoelMPV

    RoelMPV Active Member

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    #2
    It's indeed a hard question.

    If I was you, I would test both methods for a few days and see which method brings you the best ROI.
     
    RoelMPV, Jan 6, 2009 IP
  3. Derek Pankaew

    Derek Pankaew Peon

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    #3
    Generally you start without the price and go to adding the price only if your ROI isn't good (ie. you're getting too much crap traffic.)
     
    Derek Pankaew, Jan 6, 2009 IP
  4. trishan

    trishan Peon

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    #4
    Sounds like a good test. I would imagine the results would vary depending on the industry and product and so definitive answer can be given. It is interesting to think about each searcher and the probability that they would purchase your item given a price and without a price.

    As an affiliate marketer I am sure your skills in copywriting are honed so you would back your skills in converting people who have a lower propensity to purchase into a sale. Generating general traffic by not mentioning price will yield some searchers who might have a propensity to buy of say 50%. That is there is a 50% likelihood that the searcher will purchase.

    In these cases you would want to get them to click and turn them into a sale with your super copy. In other words, you would be increasing their propensity to buy once they are at your site. Of course not mentioning the price in your ad will get searchers with a very low probability of buying immediately. Your super copy will not be able to increase these searchers propensity to buy to a level where they will actaully purchase and so you bleed a few dollars.

    Then it comes down to ROI. Does the additional revenue generated by the people you convert into sales match the amount of money you lose to low probability searchers? This of course can only be done by testing or making a very accurate estimation.
     
    trishan, Jan 7, 2009 IP
  5. bl4ckmaN^

    bl4ckmaN^ Well-Known Member

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    #5
    Probably starting with no price is a good idea, as Derek said.

    So I will try to experiment with that, and then see how it goes.
     
    bl4ckmaN^, Jan 7, 2009 IP
  6. pipes

    pipes Prominent Member

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    #6
    With avoiding the price, you can still emphasize very much that your selling something though, cant you? so that the visitor still expects that something is being sold.
     
    pipes, Jan 7, 2009 IP
  7. Prodrok

    Prodrok Peon

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    #7
    I have adverts that say - "From As Little As £xxx" and "Starting From Just £xxx". These work well for me as they have a decent CTR and a good Conversion Rate.

    But I got to this stage by testing things like "Unbeatable Prices On Widgets" and "Never Beaten On Price" against the two mentioned. I found that I had better CTR on these two, but a much lower Conversion Rate.

    I make more profit from the higher converting adverts - i.e. by displaying price.
     
    Prodrok, Jan 7, 2009 IP
  8. john1021

    john1021 Member

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    #8
    it's always better to mention the price in your ADs. i'll never put an add up and not have the price somewhere mentioned. if you're trying to sell a product, people should know how much they are going to pay. you can still have a high CTR and have the price in the ad. you just need the right keyword for the product. most likely if you don't put a price, people aren't going to buy your product anyway.
     
    john1021, Jan 7, 2009 IP
  9. PPCJohn

    PPCJohn Peon

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    #9
    It depends on what you are selling or pushing. What I always do is look at the competitions ads and see what they mention.

    If Im running a campaign for a client who is selling the same product, but for MORE, than I wont mention the price. If the price is less than the competition, then I will mention it in the ad.

    Likewise, if I am targeting specific model numbers of products, say a TV or DVD player, then I usually use the price in the ad other something that will bring in a customer away from the competition.
     
    PPCJohn, Jan 7, 2009 IP
  10. lemonarian

    lemonarian Peon

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    #10
    I would never include the price.

    If you target natural buyer keywords then you shouldn't need to worry...
     
    lemonarian, Jan 7, 2009 IP
  11. alpha42

    alpha42 Peon

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    #11
    Depends on the situation a bit I would agree.

    However, that said, I've found that if what I'm trying to market is a service specifically, I'm better off mentioning the price upfront in the ad copy. Since I pay for every click, I'd rather have people who are clicking already knowing up-front that what I'm selling isn't free.

    Mentioning Price = Less Clicks, but higher signup ratio over all.
    No Price (ie: "Cheap!" or "Affordable!") = More Clicks, more of them abandoning after visiting.
     
    alpha42, Jan 7, 2009 IP
  12. ThalesMM

    ThalesMM Peon

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    #12
    Makes sense.. I prefer telling it on the ad... Because if they know the price first, if they are not really willing to buy, they don't click, the price is the obstacle imo, once you get them the price, you break it.
     
    ThalesMM, Jan 7, 2009 IP
  13. trishan

    trishan Peon

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    #13
    This is all good and well for specific, uniform products like Orange 8GB Ipod Nano but doesn't fair so well for products which can come in various forms or which can be inclusive or exclusive of certain add ons and benefits.

    For example, I was recently looking for a good web host and price per month alone is deceiving. Some offer more space or more bandwidth or a free adwords voucher.
     
    trishan, Jan 8, 2009 IP
  14. Sunsiena

    Sunsiena Peon

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    #14
    It's better without the price!
     
    Sunsiena, Jan 8, 2009 IP
  15. Sunsiena

    Sunsiena Peon

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    #15
    because you can't predict the first reaction of the viewers
     
    Sunsiena, Jan 8, 2009 IP
  16. kumo

    kumo Peon

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    #16
    I think depends on what the price that you offer. You should make use of the price to attract customers. That means if you're selling a low and reasonable price for a product, then you should show it in your ads. If you're selling a fairly expensive product, then you should not show the price. You should show other privilege and good points of your product first. Convince your customers that there are so many good stuff in the product before showing the price. Because if you do that then your customers will be able to compare it with the price. They will weight and decide if the product worth the price. Rather then moving away from your product before knowing it.
     
    kumo, Jan 8, 2009 IP
  17. Prodrok

    Prodrok Peon

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    #17
    As Trishan said, some products aren't sold on price alone. You need to find your own unique selling point - if your product is more expensive, but its also the fastest delivery then people may pay more to get it sooner. In this case your advert should probably point out the delivery speed and that will likely increase conversion rate more than any other text.

    It's all about showing off your benefits!
     
    Prodrok, Jan 8, 2009 IP
  18. AgrInd

    AgrInd Peon

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    #18
    Every product is different. Some are sold based entirely on price and should have the price mentioned in the ad. Other products are so unique or dependent on the customers needs that mentioning the price might keep people from further looking into the services you provide.

    Split test you ads and let them tell you what works best for conversions not CTR.

    Good Luck.
     
    AgrInd, Jan 8, 2009 IP
  19. bl4ckmaN^

    bl4ckmaN^ Well-Known Member

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    #19
    I've decided that the best thing to do is to not mention the price, but at least give some idea to the reader, that I'm selling something.
     
    bl4ckmaN^, Jan 8, 2009 IP
  20. bimawarrior

    bimawarrior Peon

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    #20
    I have tested several ads, those that have price tag get better CTR, but low conversion.

    But those has price on it, such as : "Only $27", "Less then $100" has nice CTR and higher conversion.

    At least, those who clicks, know they're going to be asked paying something after clicking.
    I'm filtering my self from free info seeker :)

    Ah, sure there are many factors should be considered, such as the the sales letter, the offer, etc.
     
    bimawarrior, Jan 9, 2009 IP