Google AdWords: Should You Outsource or Keep It In-House?

When it comes to advertising with Google AdWords, the first decision you need to make is deciding on a budget. One of the best things about Google AdWords is that it can be effective for nearly every business, big or small. You can set the ad spend where you’re comfortable and rest assured that you will never go over your budget.

Sounds, simple, right? Well, at first glance it may look simple and Google does a terrific job of walking you through things. You can also find a lot of online resources and YouTube videos explaining the process. The problem that most people encounter at this point, however, it information overload.

That brings us to the second big decision you’ll need to make - whether to do it yourself, or hire someone with some experience to do it for you. This may sound like a difficult decision, but when you consider that your business - and your money - is on the line, the answer becomes very clear.

Consider this: if your total spends in a month is $10,000 and the cost of keeping a full time-team to take care of it is $2,000 and the outsourcing company only takes a fee plus 10% of the total spends ($1000), it will save you time as well as money to outsource.

But, if the costs are nearly equal, it might be advantageous for you to do it in-house because you will have more control and the experiments will run faster if you have a qualified individual or team to manage it and keep up with all the updates and strategies.

Experience is key

We recommend outsourcing for most small business-owners. This is especially true if they don't have any prior online advertising experience. While Google does make it simple to get started with AdWords, the complexity increases rather quickly.

They say ‘practice makes perfect,’ but if you have little or no experience with pay-per-click, you’re simply learning with your own money - and the end result is usually a poorly-optimized campaign that isn’t producing results.

Setting up your account is the most critical aspect, and this is the area where many mistakes occur that can derail your campaign and cause a lot of frustration. When we hear anyone say that pay-per-click doesn’t work, the first thing we ask is how they went about incorporating it into their marketing strategy. Chances are, some errors were made in the setup process and things deteriorated from there.

When looking for a consultant to outsource to, always try for industry specific specialists. For example, at Bloomerang, we specialize in retailing. However, we have found great success for other professionals.

Pay-per-click is simply instant gratification and return on investment. Once it is live, it’s working. I have so many people tell me they have a Google AdWords account and hardly feel the impact, but I also see people like myself who could not imaging a day without Google. I once had a client that wasn’t sure if AdWords were worth it, so just for kicks I asked if we could just turn it off for 20 minutes. He yelled, “turn it on - let’s never do that again!”

There is a lot more to Google AdWords than just making a bid and closing a sale. There are hundreds of different strategies you can combine to secure a transaction, or a reservation, or even an appointment. The more time you put in, the better your results will be from your efforts.

If you decide to outsourcing your marketing efforts, the single most important question you need to ask the person handling your Google AdWords is: What is your plan of action and when can I see it? This will guarantee their professionalism, put a schedule that can be monitored, and give you a written contract of sorts so if something goes wrong you can claim explanation or refund if needed.

Oh, and here is one more important piece of advice - use a local agency. Sure, there are many international online advertising agencies with impressive portfolios, but there is nothing better than to sit down and talk with the people directly responsible for your online success. You need to feel comfortable with someone you can trust who knows your local market. At Bloomerang, we make sure you speak to an account strategist who’s directly responsible for your results. We believe that our experience - along with our one-on-one direct relationships with our clients - is what gives you the ultimate advantage when it comes to online advertising.

If you would like to get started with Google AdWords, we're here to help! Our team of experienced agents will work with you - at any budget - to make sure you achieve the results you desire! If you're brand new to Google AdWords, or any other online marketing platforms, We'll be happy to talk with you at any time to explain how it works successfully. Just drop us a line below or call anytime at (941) 806-1911.

What’s Wrong with This Picture? A Missed Opportunity!

Last Sunday I was invited to watch the New York Giants play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from a suite at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The suite level of this stadium is an area that few fans ever get to see because it is exclusive and largely caters to corporate sponsors and big money donors.

You’re probably more likely to see people dressed in suits and ties than football jerseys in the suite area because many of the people are there to network and talk business – not necessarily watch the game. Resourceful salespeople are always looking for opportunities that often go unnoticed and the smart ones make the most of every advantage they can find - places like this are where they thrive.

When I was walking through the lobby of one of the suites, I turned around and saw this fantastic floral design that was prominently showcased for everyone to see. Of course, I immediately started searching for a tag because I wanted to see if I knew which shop delivered those beautiful flowers.

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My jaw dropped open when I discovered that there was no tag at all - I simply couldn’t believe it! Some local shop was fortunate enough to be able to prominently display their gorgeous flowers in one of the most prestigious locations in the entire city – a place crawling with VIPs and influential business executives – and they didn’t even bother attaching a tag to let all these people know where they can get their own flowers from the same florist the Buccaneers chose when they wanted to impress people.

Advertising isn’t cheap and there are no shortages of advertisers willing to spend crazy amounts of money to secure a product placement like that, but this florist failed to take advantage of this FREE opportunity to brand their product and promote their business.

As small business owners, most of us simply don’t have the resources (or the budget) to spend a ton of money on advertising, so we have to look for other ways to promote ourselves besides simply writing a check to a marketing company. Your logo should be EVERYWHERE! Nothing should ever leave your shop without your logo on it somewhere, and when it does, your logo should be all over the delivery van and all over the driver. If you are proud of the products you produce, then why keep it a secret? Let everyone know where they can get some of those beautiful flowers!

Do you need help with your branding or marketing campaigns? Bloomerang Solutions is here to help! From custom-built websites to location management to Google advertising and everything in between, we’re ready to make your business bloom! Give us a call today at (941) 809-5000 or drop us a line below.

Preparing Emails for Success

Email marketing is stronger than ever. In fact, the return on investment for email marketing generates $38 for every dollar spent. For the past 10 years, no other tool has consistently generated a higher ROI for marketers, yet many business owners underutilize this incredible marketing tool and some even ignore it altogether.

It’s easy to get seduced by social media advertising because many people perceive it to be more effective and less outdated than email marketing, but the numbers suggest otherwise. The average open rate for email is around 22 percent, while Facebook organic reach has steadily decreased to just over 6 percent.

Not all emails are created equal

Email marketing still achieves higher conversion rates at a lower cost than paid social ads, so it has the potential to provide a better ROI than social media - but it has to be done right. Email marketing today is much different than it was a decade ago. Technology has changed the way businesses interact with customers as marketers continue to discover new ways of growing their businesses and generating new leads by engaging electronically. People no longer have the patience to read a lengthy email. In fact, most people don’t read them at all – they scan. And if your content appears too comprehensive, they won’t even bother. Email marketing is a whole new ball game, and here’s how you should approach it.

  • Make your content easy to scan

  • Put the most important information up front

  • Use numbers or bullet points so it’s easy to scan

  • Present content in a quick, condensed, and scannable way 

Make sure it works on any platform

Nearly 70 percent of consumers use their smartphones as their primary method for checking email so if your email content isn’t mobile-friendly, you could be missing out on reaching a huge portion of your target market. People don’t have the time nor energy to take extra steps to try and consume your content if it’s not convenient. It’s worth the extra time it takes to make sure your content is optimized for mobile devices. 

Visual content is extremely important

A wall of text may provide a lot of detailed information, but you can get your message across instantly by using powerful images in your email messages. Communicating your message with a compelling image that’s complemented by short copy can help you get your message across much faster than if you’re relying on text alone. 

Mind the (curiosity) gap

The space between what a person knows and what they want to know is called the curiosity gap, and it utilizes some knowledge a person already has. This could be previous insight, or even enough knowledge of the subject to make predictions. The thought of what could be waiting on the other side of that link is sometimes too enticing to move past. This is important to keep in mind when constructing your email; your goal is to pique their curiosity and make them search for more.

Email marketing is an extremely effective way to reach customers, but you need to give them what they want, when they want it, and in a format they can consume quickly and on the go. If you need help with your email marketing campaigns, then Bloomerang Solutions is here to help. Give us a call today at (941) 806-1911 or drop us a line below. Together we can help your business bloom!

Optimize Your Website and Improve Your SEO With Location Pages

With over 63,000 Google searches taking place every second of every day, it’s no wonder why search engine optimization (SEO) techniques are being examined so closely by businesses vying for the few precious spots on the first page of search results. Showing up on the first page of Google can mean the difference between a thriving business and one that can barely struggle to find new customers.

When you consider that 75% of all Google searchers never even make it to the 2nd page of the search results, it becomes clear that your chances of someone finding you diminish rapidly if your site isn’t listed near the top. So how do you get to the top? With the help of SEO!

What is SEO, and how can it help my website?

In simple terms, search engine optimization means organizing your website and online content to rank high in the unpaid section (organic listings) on a search engine in order for it to appear as a top result for searches of a certain keyword. That sounds straightforward and simple enough until you try to figure out the algorithm that Google uses to determine your page rank.

Google is very vague when it comes to their search algorithm. There are over 200 determining factors they use to assign page rank and many of them are not made public, but one thing that many of them are looking for are consistency and accuracy, so that is a good place to start if you are looking to improve your Google ranking and your position in the search results.

What are some easy steps I can take to improve my rank?

SEO changes all the time so the rules are often ill-defined, but on is that “content is king,” and should be the first thing you focus on when trying to improve your SEO and your search results ranking. It’s important to remember, however, that Google algorithms look for quality over quantity, so your content needs to be clear and concise and also relevant to the goods and services featured on your website. After all, Google’s goal is delivering the best and most relevant results for every search.

One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is to take inventory of your website and look at it through the eyes of potential customers. Is it easy to navigate and are you able to quickly find what you’re looking for? Is there assistance available for people who need it? Does it give visitors enough relevant information (your locations, hours, prices, reviews, testimonials, daily specials, etc.) to make an informed decision on whether or not to consider your business? These are all things you need to keep in mind when optimizing your website.

What else can I do to make it easier for potential customers to find me?

I used to own Beneva Flowers, which was located in Sarasota, Florida. It was the biggest shop in town, and we had an aggressive pay-per-click marketing strategy to make sure people saw Beneva on top when they thought of Flowers in Sarasota. But then I began to wonder what happened when people searched for flower delivery in one of the neighboring cities that also happened to be in our delivery area and I noticed that we weren’t always coming out on top in some of those other areas.

I felt that we were doing a big disservice to people who lived in those areas. We made deliveries there every day, but we weren’t promoting those areas very prominently on our website. The information was there if you knew where to look, but it wasn’t ranking as well as I expected.

From there I decided to enhance the information that was already on our website with unique pages dedicated to each city in our delivery area. That way when someone was searching for a flower shop to deliver to Bradenton (a neighboring city), Beneva’s Bradenton page was the first to appear.  

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I added these pages to all the other floral websites we were managing, and they always preformed very well. Now we are offering the same opportunity for all of our clients who have websites through us or Teleflora. The new pages are similar to the one pictured above and contain relevant keywords to enhance your website and boost your Google ranking when people are searching for areas where you deliver. It also includes a Google map so people will know exactly where they’re searching.

We have already began creating pages for some of our clients and will be expanding the program in the coming weeks, but we need your help! In order for us to create a set of neighboring city pages exclusively for you, we need to gather a little information first. The process is simple, just click here and fill out a few short questions about your local areas along with any hospitals, care facilities or venues in your delivery area and the zip codes where you deliver. We’ll take it from there and begin building your pages and increasing your Google rank!

The bottom line is that search engine optimization is no longer optional because there are only so many coveted spots on the first page of results to go around. Your competitors are working hard to find ways to occupy those spots and they’ll take advantage of every opportunity they have to get there. These city pages won’t solve your SEO issues overnight, but they’re an effective place to start and we’re here to help! Give us a call today at (941) 806-1911 or drop us a line below – let’s get started today!

Are You Where You Want to Be? The Choice Is Yours, Choose Your Path Today

Don't let another day go by if you are not where you want to be. Think and act like the person you want to become and turn decision making into a habit!

In retail as well as and many industries, there are three types of entrepreneurs:

  • The “experts” who have done it, understand the path and chose where and how they want to play.

  • The “watchers” who go about business everyday, do a great job and go home at 6.

  • The “PDE” (passion-driven entrepreneurs) are the most dangerous to competition, the Keyword, PASSION.

When someone has drive, lookout. Those are the clients I look for. That was me. I meet those looking to take on and conquer their market, whatever industry they are. You can't measure or read about passion. It is the fuel that runs the engine of your mind and ability. Get on the wavelength of where you want to go, now drive your passion. Hope you like this:

-Art