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| 'Time Management for Internet Marketers' |
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Google Adwords: Pay Only Pennies to Find New Customers, that Traditional Marketing Methods Can’t Find.
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Anyone wearing their marketing hat, will know about the lonely hours spent on the phone and how the pavement eats your shoe leather. The mail shots and newspaper ads that can pull so few responses, are a source of frustration and expense. However, the solution might be easily within your grasp.
I run a marketing and communications business with clients dotted around the world. Some time back, I became aware of Google Adwords and the dramatic results they can generate. The beauty is – you can be up and running in a very short time. The downside is, it’s a great way to trash advertising funds until you discover the tricks that make it work well. When you do that – it soon becomes a rich source of new clients at rock bottom cost.
Here’s your problem . . . most of the people you’re chasing either don’t want your product or service at all – or else they may need it at some hazy time in the distant future. Running after people like that is fraught with disappointment.
The reality is – as you’ve always suspected – that there are plenty of potential customers out there, who are searching this very minute for what you do, to solve their immediate problem. If you could just tap into that flow of people who were actively trying to track you down, at a time when they’re ready to buy - that would undoubtedly be the most financially rewarding action you could take.
Today – most businesses have a website. But the key question is “Does it attract new business - or is it just an expensive, must-have, online brochure ?” Tie your unproductive website together with Google Adwords and you create a stream of qualified leads that will lift your business to the next level.
Basic Google is common knowledge. It’s an internet search facility that allows anyone with a web connection to find products, services and information triggered by typing in relevant keywords.
The only snag is, that unless your business offer appears on the very first page of a Google search, it’s very unlikely that anyone will ever see your website.
Why ? . . . because nobody, but nobody, looks any further than the first page – or very occasionally, the second page. Attention span on the internet is measured in nano-seconds.
If your business is down there on page 3 (or lower) – you won’t be seen – it’s as blunt and simple as that.
And furthermore - Google decide who is top and who is bottom of their list using a set of complex algorithms, which they change from time to time. It’s their secret – and far beyond the wit of us ordinary mortals to figure it all out.
But all is not lost. Google Adwords can push your message up onto the first page where it can be seen. If you’re unfamiliar with Google Adwords . . . I will outline the basic mechanics of how it works.
To the right of Page One of most Google search results, you will find brief adverts containing links. If you want to view the advertiser’s full message, clicking on a link will cause the following two things to happen:
1) You are taken directly to the advertiser’s website.
2) As you go – Google deducts a tiny payment from the advertiser’s account. (Hence the name, ‘Pay Per Click’)
It’s good to note the following points:
Ø - Advertisers only pay when their link is clicked. So if people look at an ad but don’t click – the advertiser pays nothing.
Ø - It’s important to understand that some keywords are more popular – and carry a greater cost to the advertiser.
Ø - Ads only appear when certain search criteria are met. The advertiser can alter these criteria at will to suit his/her changing plans.
Ø - Advertisers have total control over the geographic reach of their advertising. So ads can be very carefully targeted.
To give you a flavour of the potential - here are two examples of Google Adwords campaigns I have worked on in the UK.
Example 1 - House of MirrorsWebsite: www.houseofmirrors.co.uk
This excellent business specialises in restoring and supplying fine antique English 19th century mirrors. Their showroom is in fashionable Chelsea in London. They understand that you can't sell mirrors costing thousands of pounds over the internet - but your showroom can become visible all around the world, and attract enquiries that significantly boost future sales.
We set up an Adwords campaign on Google, so anyone searching for ‘antique mirrors’ would immediately see the ‘House of Mirrors’ website on the first page of their search.
This campaign produced good identifiable results - particularly from the USA, which was the proprietor’s chief requirement.
Typical month's Google Adwords figures for House of Mirrors . . .
Total people searching = 17,125 Clicks for House of Mirrors = 794 Cost per click = £ 0.13 Monthly cost = £102.22
So each new person who came as a result of this campaign and registered an interest to look at the House of Mirrors website cost 13 pence.
Example 2 - Cranmore CatteryWebsite: www.cranmorecattery.co.uk/
This is a small and delightful business set in the Surrey countryside. They will lovingly look after your cat while you are away on holiday.
Although in need of new business, initially the proprietor was highly reluctant to do any internet marketing. However, since we set up a campaign for her, she’s had such a strong response, that she is now considering putting up her prices by 50%. A highpoint was when somebody's butler phoned to place two very aristocratic cats.
Typical month's Google Adwords figures for the Cranmore Cattery . . .
Total people searching = 7,139 Clicks for the Cranmore Cattery = 149 Cost per click = £ 0.04 Monthly cost = £ 5.96
For a monthly advertising cost of £5.96 the Cranmore Cattery achieved 149 potential customers who were interested in looking specifically at their business. Each lead cost an unbelievable 4 pence each.
Julie Ottey (the proprietor) said . . . "It was obviously worth our while, to link our web site to Google Adwords. It has created loads of new business, particularly new clients from London. Thanks for the advice.”
So – bearing in mind that I’ve only scratched the surface - where do you go from here with all this ?
I buy a large amount of marketing books. Some are good and some are truly awful. One I can hand-on-heart recommend – (because it’s where I picked up ALL my Google knowledge and strategy) - is Perry Marshall’s very comprehensive toolkit called ‘The Definitive Guide to Google AdWords’. I think you can still pick up a downloadable version from his website for US$49. (That’s about £28 in real money)
However, I would suggest you road test Perry’s tutoring skills first, by signing up for his free 5 day Google Adwords course at www.perrymarshall-adwords.com. That way, if it’s not a route you ultimately want to take – you won’t have wasted your money.
I think it’s important to stress that Google Adwords will work for any business whether you run a home for cats or a large enterprise with multiple products and services – it’s just the strategy and the keywords that may be different. Even if you’re already using Google Adwords, reading Perry Marshall’s book will put your strategy and results onto a completely different level.
When I started my marketing business I used only traditional methods to attract customers. I still use those methods. And I’m certainly not suggesting you abandon what you’re already doing.
But you can see how you can easily find additional hot prospects and boost your sales over the internet, for just pennies a lead.
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