Google Booms Despite The Bust

We bang on and on and on about why you should be advertising on Google over almost any other platform. It might make tedious reading for you, but Google has recorded an astonishing 26% leap in profit in what most businesses are calling the most difficult trading quarter for 15 years.

Is Google in Cahoots with Evil Forces?

Here’s the rub: if your business needs advertising, where are you going to put your money? Press and traditional media like TV and radio can give you some impressive sounding stats about their audience. They can point to circulation figures, demographic information about their users and show you compelling ads that have been run with them over the years. That’s all great, but you’re still in the unwelcome arms of Dame Chance, and her merry cohorts ’Potential’ and ’Bankruptcy’.

Sure - you might be fairly certain that 18-25 year old males buy your product and watch a particular show or read a particular magazine. But all that gives you is overlap. A kind of Venn diagram of potential customers.

What you can’t tell is which of these people are interested in buying something right now. Your ad might be reaching the right kind of person but is it arriving the day after their bonus cheque arrives or the day after they’ve just been made redundant? Maybe the magazine arrives 3 weeks before pay day… there’s a host of things between the ad and the result - none of it within your control.

How much simpler is pay per click? Someone types in ’buy a rug’ - guess what… they’re looking to buy a rug!!

Yeah Yeah - How Do You Know It Works?

There’s the testing. A better question might be: how do you know if someone’s responding to an ad in a magazine or your little bit of DM? Sure there are ways you can do it - asking customers on the phone when they order, doing discounts etc. Great stuff. If it happens. And you’ve got the extra margin necessary to do all the post-sales analysis.

Stack that up against AdWords and you begin to see why Google continues to serenely peg ever greater profits.

Someone types in something on Google they’re broadly after one of two things - information or somewhere to buy. It doesn’t matter if they’re part of your traditional ’demographic’. They’re looking now. This second. Credit card on the desk next to them. They’re self-selecting.

You don’t have to care about their age, sex, orientation or skin colour - just make sure you’re in front of them when they’re searching and you can have their business.

Is It That Really That Simple?

Nope. As well as an effective campaign all the normal rules of business apply. Are your prices good? Does your website inspire confidence? What are your competitors doing? Are other people offering free delivery or great motivational offers?

AdWords isn’t a panacea. But all things being equal, it’s the most cost-effective way of bringing in new customers. And whereas a magazine or TV ad is all upfront development costs that you have to stick with no matter what the results are you can change your AdWords every 4 minutes if you’re that way inclined.

Of course, we’re going to recommend you hire an agency to manage it on your behalf. AdWords has more features and reporting tools than you can shake a stick at and unless you think that learning technology is a good use of your time then you’re better off bringing in someone with the necessary experience.

Today’s Moral?

It’s no surprise to us that more people are looking to online channels to advertise. A far bigger surprise is the number of people who are resistant to the idea of joining the most responsive and transparent advertising platform out there. Call us today to learn more about how Google works, and how we can help you. If you’re staring down the barrel of the credit crunch, it could be the smartest move you make today.