Google AdWords
Business will never be the same again!
For 5 years I’ve wanted to use that headline, ever since my first Copywriting workshop! AdWords is the perfect opportunity.
It’s a big claim, but that’s how major the impact on business and particularly small business marketing is going to be. And it’s already started to happen.
If small business advertising is being hit by the equivalent of a marketing tsunami, why have 95% of small businesses not noticed?
Before we answer that, some background for those of you who have been totally focused on your business and solving client problems…
What are Google AdWords?
When you search in Google, the results show up underneath the search box. Have you noticed that the results that come up on the right hand side or above these ‘free listings’ look different? These are 'Sponsored Links'—advertisements created with Google AdWords.
The name pretty much describes what AdWords do: people type in words, and the ad linked to those words appears. They are an incredibly effective and inexpensive method for small businesses to market online and to create and control a profitable flow of leads.
AdWords enables your site to show up on the first page of the search engine results for the words and phrases you know your potential clients will type into the search box to find your services. The best thing about AdWords is that you don't waste a cent on ineffective marketing. How is this possible? You only pay when people click on your ads.
AdWords are simply the ultimate in Direct Response Marketing, which as we showed in Chapter One is the only type of marketing that works for small business.
And yes, the other Search Engines like Yahoo also have AdWords. But it’s like what happened in 1908 in America with the Model T Ford. The Tin Lizzie totally dominated the car market for everybody except the super rich. There was really only one car for Middle America, and of course it only came in black.
Lead creation offers a practical guide to small business marketing. We only want you to spend time and money in places that will help your business grow. Google is the Model T of today. Start with Google AdWords, and when you’ve got them working well and making you money, you might want to consider the others. If you have the time after servicing your new clients!
Why will Google AdWords change the world?
And particularly the world of advertising small businesses?
Every person reading this and virtually every knowledge worker goes to Google to start our research or to answer questions. And in particular, it’s where most of us start our process of buying—what’s out there? What does the service or product do? Where can I get it? What does it cost? Is there something cheaper or more effective? These are all questions we’ll ask Google first.
AdWords are there when you begin your research process and as you refine it. And Google works hard and (usually) intelligently to deliver the right ads so the searcher finds the web pages they need. The Google mission is ‘increasing relevance’, and this is the bedrock of their amazing and growing dominance.
Why must AdWords become a key part of your advertising and of how you promote your small business?
Let’s look at two alternative advertising approaches:
- You pay a dollar or less when someone clicks on your ad—and less than 20 cents if you follow the advice in this chapter. Someone who’s typed words into Google that match what you sell, and who has a good chance to be looking to buy from you.
OR
- You pay a thousand dollars or ten thousand dollars to place an advertisement in a newspaper. Many thousands buy the paper, a few see your smallish ad (you’re a small business; it’s all you can afford). Most who see your ad ignore it as it’s not relevant to them, or they are not ready to buy yet.
Spending even a thousand dollars is a waste. Why? The two final nails in the coffin of mass media advertising are that
1) It’s not interactive, so they have to make a lot more effort to get in touch with you. Whereas it’s only one click on Google. 2) Have you heard about the research on how few young people read newspapers? Who would want to be a publisher!
So, the Math:
If the newspaper ad works really well, you’ll get fifty qualified leads, and let’s say it only cost a $1000 and you only ran it once (freakish results, you must write great ads!). The ad runs, lot of effort, campaign is now over.
However, on Google you might spend $50, or ideally $10, and also generate fifty leads. And you can keep testing and refining the ad campaign, reducing the costs. And the leads keep flowing, day by day. This campaign is ongoing and low cost.
Guess it falls in the no-brainer category. So why haven’t AdWords become a tsunami yet?
Well firstly, it sort of has: Even in little Australia, Google’s revenue was nearly a billion dollars last year (and the Aussie dollar is currently about 88 cents to the mighty Greenback). That is significant and dwarfs a lot of traditional media, and that’s happening in other countries as well.
Secondly, there are some powerful industries linked to the world of mass media advertising that are continuing to sell what they do in the traditional ways. Publishers, TV networks, radio networks and of course traditional advertising agencies. These are big strong companies and they won’t vanish overnight.
But you and your small business can ignore this battle: Right now, Google AdWords are like ‘low hanging fruit’—ripe for the picking.
Two final questions before we show you how to get started:
Will the price of AdWords go up as millions more small businesses start to use them? Of course, AdWords are like an auction, you bid to be on page one. Should this deter you? No, because they are cheap now. And you don’t really have a choice as your competitors will be there even if you choose not to be.
Secondly, is Google’s dominance a concern? Absolutely. They are challenging Microsoft (Google Apps: the perfect business platform for SMEs, we use it and love it); challenging Amazon (with Google Books), initially in books sales and they have an incredible business advantage in this challenge. But why will they stop at books; they potentially have an advantage in selling any product.
And finally in dominating AdWords, Google operate in what economists call a ‘natural monopoly’. And such monopolies are virtually impossible to challenge without another technology breakthrough. Or unless the market demands something different and Google doesn’t feel it needs to address that: Henry Ford thought consumers wanting a choice of colors was ridiculous. He paid for that view
But these issues are for Governments and the big boys to sort out. Right now your small business needs to jump on the bandwagon and get rolling…
Simply go to the Google AdWords site today and set up an account. Once you have created an AdWords account, you then start creating Campaigns, Adgroups and finally the advertisements themselves