Does Google Ads still work in 2021?
Does Google Ads Work in 2021?
So This is a very interesting question and we are going to be brutal and too the point. Yes Google Ads may be completely wrong for your business. It is great for Google but most likely it will cost you a lot more money and wont even pay for itself.
Now before I continue I will let you know I have done all the Google Ads training and accreditation, I have used Google Ads hundreds of times for my own businesses and for other clients. I have done paid courses in how to get the most out of Google Ads Campaigns and have called, spoke to and worked with Google Ads staff who for the most were all very helpful and professional.
The biggest benefit of Google Ads and it is a massive benefit is that it will get traffic you your website or to a specific page on your website very quickly. This is very powerful as traffic can sometimes equal money in the bank. The second massive benefit is that it targeting visitors based on their demographics and targeting keywords means that the traffic you are receiving is extremely relevant to your business goals. This all sounds amazing wow!!!! Now for the big huge problem.
It is just way too expensive. The cost of gaining traffic in the vast majority of occasions will exceed the revenue the traffic will deliver. In short it will cost you more money to run Google Ads than it will make your business money. So who is the winner here? Google is the winner and they are winning big. They are making over 85 Billion Dollars a year with Adwords.........that 85 BILLION!!!! Yes Google loves their advertising platform and will do everything they can to get you to use Ads and convince you that it is great for your business.
It gets better, if you want more customers and more business it will just encourage you to keep spending more money with Ads and keep increasing your budget. Now Ads does have a place. If you have a high value product or service where the retail price is over $1000 then Google Ads might actually work for your business because all you need to do it make one sale and it could pay for all those visits sent to you via Ads but if you have a business selling a product costing $10 or $50 or even $100 then it may end up costing you more money than it is worth. So what should you do?
Firstly stop using Ads. You will save money but the objective is not to save this money, it is to use it for other marketing. I would defiantly encourage you to invest in promoting your business and driving traffic to your site via Social Media or SEO. Now I hate Social Media, I think it is over-saturated and fake but it will like Ads send very targeted traffic to your website and is much more cost effective. Money spent on Social Media Advertising will also help grow you Social Media profiles which in turn helps with your branding, word of month and online credibility/authority. Google Ads does none of this. In fact when you turn off your Google Ads campaign it is over, the lights go off. Nothing, just emails from Google encouraging you to spend more money.
We would also encourage you to spend money on quality Local SEO. Again approach this with some caution as a good SEO company will never guarantee results and may never deliver so it could be seen as a "fugazi" smoking mirrors. When we work on a clients SEO we only work on it for a minimum of 4-5 months, making a genuine and valid attempt to set up their SEO Foundation so we can show the benefits. It is a much more honest approach. So our genuine advice would be to stop consider alternatives to Google Ads. Spend your money long term on SEO but again be careful who you work with and invest heavily in Social Media Marketing.
So How Can You Make Google Ads Work for your Business?
It starts with contact us. We have proven to be successful time and time again. Are team have international experience and are better than people in Bali who claim to be Google Ads experts and are a complete joke. If you have $250 per month to pay our fee will will help you. That's what it will cost for your campaign to be a success and you will need to pay Google for your advertising in addition to our fee.
Don't Dump your money into Google Ads Hoping it will work. You need us to help you
Social Media Content
Anyone who currently lives on the planet earth for the last five years or so have all been told again and again that social media content is extremely important and if you have a business, you must be on social media. Has anyone in simple, easy to understand language ever explained why it is important or if and how it will work for your business? Let's take a closer look.
What is social media?
So I am guessing you have heard of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Linkedin and maybe a few more social media platforms. These are the main social media platform where people post social media content. So what exactly is social media?
Simple it is you sharing information about yourself or your business, or a story or something of interest that you would like to share with your friends or strangers online. It could be a picture of your lunch, it could be a short video of you working out in the gym, it could be you writing a review on an amazing or awful restaurant you just went to.
It's you having a voice and communicating with people you would like to share information with. A post is simply you writing or posting an image on your Facebook or Instagram or Twitter page. You need to subscribe/register on these platforms and create a page where you can share information. It's free.
What is the purpose of social media for Business?
So you can reach out and show all of your friends the amazing time you are having on holiday in Italy and that would be an example of how you would use social media personally, but not for business. Businesses can create a business page on social media. It is like a personal page but instead of sharing and displaying content about you, it is focused on your business.
You can share this information with your friends but it is better to reach out to your potential customers and share information with them. These social media platforms are very sophisticated and you can target who you want to reach out to and present content with. For example, if I owned a gym, I would create content and share it with people who were into fitness and working out.
I could be more specific, if I owned a gym in Bali, in a specific area, Canggu and new most of the people who used the gym were aged between 20 -40. I could run an advertising campaign and create content, people who are into fitness living in Canggu Bali aged between 20-40 may be able to see this content and inquire about the gym or share this information with their friends who may be interested in a gym membership. You can see how this can be very powerful.
Do All Businesses Need Social Media?
This answer will surprise you. If you have a business, do you need social media content? No.
In fact, I own several businesses that have zero social media content and consistently make money. They don't even have a social media page. You will constantly be told your business must be on social media. The people spreading this message are usually social media companies. They want you to advertise with them, they want your money.
Social media content and marketing will work for some businesses and not others. Depending on the type of business you have and the type of audience you are targeting, different social media platforms may be more applicable. I would, from my own experience, recommend social media for the vast majority of businesses in Bali. Most businesses in Bali relate to tourism and while social media is not essential for every business, chances are your business could benefit from social media.
What type of Social Media content should I use?
Again it really depends on your audience and what type of content they like to consume. There is no one approach for every business, but in general, we recommend a combined approach and above all, test work works. Testing is a huge component of successful social media marketing.
In general, you have three types of content, text, image and video. My preference is to use promotional video content for social media advertising. Video content is usually very powerful, but only if done properly and it does take some sophistication to set this up. The great news is we can help you create awesome video content for your business.
Are you sure this will work for my business?
So I like to be optimistic but above all, I am a pragmatist. You will probably fail, why?
Because most businesses fail miserably with social media content and advertising. Don't get me wrong, many businesses are hugely successful and make tens of millions of dollars, but they are usually large businesses and corporations. Most small businesses spend money and don't see the return on investment. Why?
It takes real skill to work with a limited budget and compete with giants. Social media and online marketing change all the time. What was great advice 5 years ago is now outdated and terrible advice. Most business owners have no idea but are arrogant and insist they are the experts. If you are going to engage in creating social media content and marketing you need a professional assistant.
Most social media experts in Bali are a complete joke. I know, I always check out my competition. They are giving advice that is 5 years old and things have changed, social media is now super competitive. So what can you do to grow your business with social media? Contact real experts in Digital Marketing, contact us. You will need at least $300 for our service every month and a minimum of $300 in marketing. If you don't have this money, don't start until you save up. Running a business costs money.
Social Media Strategy Yes Your Business Needs One
It astounds me when I see many businesses engage in social media and actually have no social media strategy or plan. They just do it then get upset when they spend lots of money and make no sales.
They come to us and the first question I ask is, what is your social media strategy? They give me a strange look as if I am speaking a different language. Marketing a business online is not easy. The best thing you can do is answer a few questions. Take a look below.
What is your business Objective?
I like to keep things really simple. We need to ask ourselves a very important question. We can call it a vision as many marketing people do or a goal or an objective. So what is our business trying to do? Don't say make money. That is an outcome. Your business needs to serve a purpose. Making money is an outcome of being successful at fulfilling that purpose. So what is the goal of your business?
Who Are your customers?
Now we have established the goal or vision of your business. We now need to work out who our customers are. That's right not everyone might be our customer. Are they old or young? Are they male or female, are they of a certain ethnic or cultural background. Do they have an interest in a particular activity?
The better you know your customer the more targeted your marketing will be. You really need to know and understand your customers.
How will your business help your customers?
We are starting to make progress and have only asked two questions. Let's keep moving. How will your business help your customers? Do they have a specific problem you can assist them with? Do they have many problems that you can remedy? Are you selling a product or offering a service that will make their daily lives much easier?
Perhaps you are not solving any problems. It could simply be a new handbag that is nice to have. You are solving a problem right there. Purchasing your product makes them feel good. Chances are regardless of the product or service your business promotes you are always helping your customer even if it is a short-lived feeling or sensation. You must clearly understand how your business can help your potential customers.
Where are your customers?
This is a very important question. Where are your customers located geographically and where do they spend their time online. Many will ask why does it matter where they are located geographically? It most definitely does.
It costs more to advertise online in the US than Italy. It costs less money to advertise in India or South Africa compared to Italy. So if you are trying to reach an audience and advertise online, where you advertise will cost you money. Depending on the country or even city you are located in, there could be a big increase or decrease in marketing spend.
let's look at where your customers are online. Are they on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn? There are so many social media platforms and many of them are tailored to a specific audience. Knowing which platform your target audience use is extremely important.
What type of content do they like?
Finally, were are really getting into the details. Do they like video content, if so are they short videos that are 30 seconds or webinars that are 30 minutes to 1 hour? Do they prefer images or text content? Now initially you might not even know the answer to these questions but a huge part of marketing is trial and error. Learning what works and doing more of what works. Learning what does not work and eliminating this type of content from your marketing.
Many times when we initially start we might not have the answer, so in marketing we split-test. We create two of three different types of content and push it out to the same or very similar audience and see which type of content works the best.
What actions do they need to perform so you can make a sale?
Your business has an objective, a vision but your business also needs to make you money. It's not a hobby, it's a real business and the expectation is you will after successful marketing start to make sales. What are the steps involved from the time a customer has seen your marketing content to actually making a sale?
Do they need to call you or fill in a form, perhaps they need to visit your website or have a meeting with you? Do you need to create a proposal for your customer and how soon will they become a customer, one minute, two months?
It will be different for every business but the easier and the shorter the process the better. Sometimes that is not possible, complex services and business solutions take time but usually pay more in the long term.
Report Track Rise Repeat and Learn
Again developing a social media strategy is unique and will be different for every business. You will not have all the answers at the start, the main thing is to constantly ask yourself questions and attempt to find out the answers.
I have created a video and really believed it was amazing only to find the outcome was poor. I have created content I considered weak and had amazing success. We need to constantly test our marketing and keep a track of the results. Marketing especially for a new business will be expensive, you want to know ASAP if it is working to your benefit.
Track everything and constantly learn and refine the process. Above all be prepared to spend and initially lose money on marketing before you see positive results. Social Media is extremely competitive. If you need help contact us and if you think you can do this without guidance you will be in for a disappointment. Marketing is not easy, that is why we exist. We can help you so you can reach and help your customers.
