It couldn’t be easier to create a simple AdWords marketing plan. Unfortunately, all too often we get bogged down in trying to use estimation tools to create a “perfect” account, before any campaign ever goes live. Doing your homework and trying to come up with some basis for advertising costs and overall exposure ain’t a bad thing. But…
At TCC we know that in order to have success building your brand and growing your business through advertising, you have to remain fluid. So, in an attempt to try and create an easy AdWords marketing plan for our clients – Which meets our clients needs, and allows us the necessary flexibility to find success – We have come up with a brief outline (or survey, if you will) which we hope will help us better achieve our clients goals. Please take a few minutes to consider these seven quick, easy questions to help create an AdWords marketing plan:
If you had to pick just one word to describe your business, and the products or services you offer, what would that be?
Although this may seem like an abstract thought exercise, when it comes to managing AdWords accounts for clients, this is important stuff! We have to use the information you have on your site to try and craft compelling and effective ad creatives. If the products or services you offer are not explicitly clear to us from your website content, then you are not being clear with your audience.
For example, if your business is selling “water pumps”, what kind of water pumps do you sell? Automotive pumps, commercial pumps, industrial pumps, residential pumps? With only 70 characters in an AdWords or Bing Ads text ad, it takes some skill to both “sort” user intent, and deliver an effective message. Which one or two word, limited number of characters, term best describes your business?
Pick one “selling point” that best describes why a customer would do business with you over a competitor:
Price – “Cheap” isn’t a word anyone wants associated with their business. However, no one wants to pay any more than they have to!
If you know you have the lowest prices of all your competitors, then posting pricing in the ads may be effective. (The consequence of that is, psychologically, it reminds the user that your wares are not free.) Do you price match, or have an automatic discount and promo code to offer? Do you actually have some products or information of value that you do offer for free? Anything that represents a better overall value than the competition on a price basis is marketable.
Quality – This is why “cheap” is a no-no word in marketing, cheap is NOT quality! 🙂
Maybe you go the other route, and know you have the highest prices or rates of all your competitors. Don’t hide from it, use it to your advantage! You are more expensive because you’re better than. While you have to be careful about using superfluous claims in the ad creatives, there are ways to say you are the best without actually saying it. As long as you back up the selling point in your products or services, your customers will know that they are getting exactly what they are paying (more) for.
Availability – Sometimes you need it, and you need it right now!
If you sell product do you have hundreds of thousands of units available on demand? Is your website a large and comprehensive database listing all those available products? If you are a service based business like a Locksmith or a Plumber, do you offer 24/7 emergency services? Do you have an operator standing by, or do you keep your phone on you at all times? “Help Is On It’s Way, Just Call Us And Relax!”, or “Your One Stop Source, We Have Everything You Need!” could be very compelling calls to action for those looking to buy now.
Service – Sometimes we all just need someone to talk to.
I can’t think of a better example of a business which delivers absolutely impeccable customer service than Tom Dwyer Automotive. It does not matter at all what you want to call and talk to them about, if it’s something, anything that they can help you with, they will take the time to do so. Their customer reviews are exceptional, both on site and through third party sources like Yelp! With such a record of exceptional service, the “Don’t Take Our Word For It, Ask Our Clients!” boast is one which can stand post-click scrutiny.
Longevity – There is just NO substitute for experience!
When it comes to a skilled trade (especially artists), as a customer you want to know that the person you are commissioning or contracting with has the knowledge to do the job. If you have a body of work spanning decades, in an industry which requires that precision and attention to detail only experience can provide, then promote that experience.
Who are your primary competitors?
The name of the game is to set yourself apart from your competitors. You know your business. You know who’s a competitor, supplier, retailer, manufacturer, etc. All the players in the game that we are just starting to learn. If you can give us a brief run-down of your main competitors, and the relationship you have with the largest and most well recognized brands in your industry, that is more information we can use to help identify your business persona, and implement an effective AdWords Marketing Plan.
What geographic areas do you serve, and in which languages?
If for example you are an attorney in Portland, Oregon, are you licensed to practice law in Vancouver, Washington? Smart marketers know how to use the tools at our disposal to target your advertising geographically. Again, if that information is not specifically clear on site, then we need to have confirmation of the areas you do and don’t serve. When it comes to languages – As far as our communication, unfortunately we only speak English. (Or rather, ‘mur-can!) 🙂 However, if you serve customers in multiple languages, we can certainly help you explore those opportunities. Especially when you consider:
How do you complete the majority of your sales?
Over the phone
If phone sales are your bread and butter, you have definitely come to the right place! The key is to not get caught up in “traditional” thinking about PPC advertising. Using PPC to generate calls requires a different strategy and approach than online engagement/sales. We can be extremely effective at generating phone calls with AdWords, but it does require a little lee-way and understanding on behalf of the client.
Through the website
If you sell product online through your website, you probably already have historical analytics data that a smart marketer can use to further improve your ROI. You probably also have an idea of which keyword terms, landing pages, etc. bring in most of your traffic. This would be the most “traditional” way of finding success with PPC advertising.
In person
If you are running an actual brick and mortar retail business, and the money comes into the till by physically changing hands, then neither phone calls or website visits are going to be of as much value to you as the pitter-patter of customers feet. 🙂 PPC advertising can certainly help you build your brand awareness, but you are perhaps the least likely to have physical “proof” of your Return On Ad Spend.
What is the goal of your advertising?
Given the above, in simple terms the goal is always to get you more of whatever it is that is of value to you. Establishing and tracking that value to prove ROAS is a difficult ongoing process at best, and an impossibility given your particular business at worst.
Whether it’s phone, website, or foot traffic – First we establish the good from the bad – Then we get you more of the good for the same amount of money. Whatever the dollar value of the ROAS is or is not, getting more for less (or the same) cost is never a bad thing… In context. 🙂 Nothing is guaranteed though, which is why we have to ask:
How much budget would you be willing to put towards implementing your AdWords marketing plan?
All of the above information is of vital importance for us to be able to prove to you the effectiveness of AdWords, and PPC advertising. It doesn’t have to be perfect from the beginning, and in reality, is never going to be perfect. It’s important that we begin with a basic outline which helps us to really understand your business. We are not the experts in your industry that you are, but we are experts in ours. 🙂 If we are allowed the flexibility to pursue the options and opportunities – Which, through testing, analysis, and optimization prove effective over time, we will produce results.
It takes time to build your persona, find your audience, and establish your brand. While we are available for consulting and account audits, we are most effective when managing accounts over time. While PPC advertising is crucial as part of an overall marketing plan, admittedly, there is more to building a successful business than just AdWords. If you are located in the Pacific Northwest and interested in pursuing a more robust marketing approach, please contact Royle Johnson of Integrated Marketing. We have had great success working with Royle, and all of our current clients.
