i was given a chilling reminder.
For years, i have spoken about almost nothing but Google. i felt like, whenever i started to say anything, people could predict i would say “Google”. Perhaps i was a broken record – stuck on Google, Google, Google.
When the key players had their Google accounts shut down one by one, their interest in Adwords eventually died out.
For a while there was a wave of…
“How can i get my Google account back”-s
…but they also died off too.
That’s why, in recent times, when a client has come asking for traffic, i’ve often abstained from Google and advised them to use Microsoft Adcenter or Facebook.
It was safer for me, since most of their offers were what Google deems unsavoury. Testimony to that, most of these clients came with already banned accounts -
let’s be honest, for them, there was no hope of ever getting back on Google.
Perhaps it was just absent-mindedness on my part, something i’m notorious for, but that’s the only explanation i could give for why i would START a campaign FOR MYSELF on Facebook.
If it wasn’t absent-mindedness, maybe it was because Facebook PPC is fast, easy, and works.
The Internet Business Academy ads ran for a few weeks.
Expertly, i tested several and came up with ads that got as much as 1% click-thru-rate. (Yes, that’s 1% not 0.01%.)
Click costs were ridiculously cheap too – but click-to-lead conversion gave trouble.
All sorts of headlines and offers were tested on the landing page before i found something that converted to my satisfaction.
But all the while, i remember being frustrated. Why were there no CLUES as to what the customer was looking for when they clicked the ad?
“WHY ARE YOU CLICKING THIS AD!!?”
I would yell at my computer.
Why would someone click an ad that says, “i will show you xyz” and then leave when they see the landing page saying, “here is xyz”?
Is this not why they clicked?
Did they not want xyz?
I reminisced about Google. Good ole Google – where a customer SEARCHES with whatever is foremost on their mind. Where a customer responds to an ad because they see an answer to their most pressing question in that instant.
Ahhh….Good ole Google!
Facebook’s targeting does not allow the power of targeting what is foremost on the customer’s mind.
On Facebook, you target potential prospects by topics of general interest.
If they happen to click your ad, great. But the reasons are across the spectrum:
it could be just out of curiosity – or because they want a closer look – at the picture! – or because they want to see who wrote this retarded ad.
You really don’t know why they click.
On Google, if you get a click on your ad, it’s because it promises an answer to a question on the prospect’s mind, right at that instant.
And if you don’t screw up the landing page, you should get the prospect to follow through to get the answer by taking whatever action you want.
I was lazy. For a while, i let the idea simmer in my head.
Until last night, i just did it.
I Setup a Google Campaign and Went to Sleep – In the Morning, My Inbox was Stuffed Full of Lead Notifications.
By the end of the day, i killed my Facebook ads.
It seemed a better idea to divert the bulk of the advertising budget to Google.
And this, my friends, is why i have ALWAYS preached Google, Google, Google.
Because Google is unlike any other. It allows you to answer questions in the heat of the moment while the prospect is still asking them. Facebook is wonderful for certain general interest offers. But when you have a specific problem-solution offer, Google is king.
To learn more about advertising styles and how to choose the right type of advertising for your offer, enrol at the Internet Business Academy:
~jim
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Here's one reader's opinion - Do you agree?
I agree Jim. We have been the same. Google or nothing, and when Google attacks, it is invariably nothing that you are left with.
But the fact remains, the fundamental truths of direct response marketing and the psychological and emotional triggers to human buying behavior are what Adwords is built on, and marketing by stealth and distraction (FB PPC) just cannot compete.
So the challenge is to be original, relevant and ethical, and go after that market already “on heat” to buy your solution.
I still believe Google is the definite platform to do this.
Great post BTW.
Tanya