Hi - I used 'It's Cold Outside' (ICO) for a while. It was useful in so far as I knew little about how to set up a campaign etc - but I have to say I didn't really see great results from the work they did. Also, if you have the time to invest, Google articles and help functions are probably sufficient to allow you to set up your intial campaign yourself.
I would be interested to hear from anyone else who has had great experiences from any other management companies.
Sharon
Just for Babies
I would be interested to hear from anyone else who has had great experiences from any other management companies.
Sharon
Just for Babies
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D
Dorkins
- Original Poster
- #3
Thanks Sharon, I have been using Adwords for several years now but it has got so involved and time consuming that I really don't have time to spend in making sure it's as value for money as it should be, I know that my current campaigns are not as good as they could be and are therefore costing me more money than they should hence the idea of someone managing it for me. Most companies are only interested in campaigns running at thousands per month, I don't come into that category.
I have also used "It's Cold Outside" and I really don't think it did me any favours either! You live and learn, shame it always costs money.
I have also used "It's Cold Outside" and I really don't think it did me any favours either! You live and learn, shame it always costs money.
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Hello Forum,
I was taken in by the Google Adword hype and campaign was given to Google themselves to organise. In short, I quickly saw my weekly direct debit go whizzing by and no new customers.
Incidentally, my company was selling consumer electronics.
Weekly budget was £250 ex vat and minimum run was engaged for 6 months.
After 3 months of loses, I decided to withdraw and that also took time, a week or two as trying to speak to someone to turn the money tap off took time.
So I would not say it was a good business experience. After this I also found out 4 other friends in our business spending huge amounts to get noticed on the 1st page, at the top section.
Now, everyone I know have stopped advertising using Google Adwords.
Enough said.
TC
I was taken in by the Google Adword hype and campaign was given to Google themselves to organise. In short, I quickly saw my weekly direct debit go whizzing by and no new customers.
Incidentally, my company was selling consumer electronics.
Weekly budget was £250 ex vat and minimum run was engaged for 6 months.
After 3 months of loses, I decided to withdraw and that also took time, a week or two as trying to speak to someone to turn the money tap off took time.
So I would not say it was a good business experience. After this I also found out 4 other friends in our business spending huge amounts to get noticed on the 1st page, at the top section.
Now, everyone I know have stopped advertising using Google Adwords.
Enough said.
TC
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Topcat,
To manage google advertising you needs professional like Steve Gibson or Colin Parker.
Sad that you lost money and didnt get any results, but you wouldnt be writing that here if you would have been left that to any of these two guys. They are well known here for their impressive results!
To manage google advertising you needs professional like Steve Gibson or Colin Parker.
Sad that you lost money and didnt get any results, but you wouldnt be writing that here if you would have been left that to any of these two guys. They are well known here for their impressive results!
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Rob,
I thought at the time, giving Google team the work it would be done to spec. and I wouldn't have any regrets.
TC
Google cares just about their profit
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M
Miss Pretty Pink
- Original Poster
- #8
That to me is the crux of the matter ,if it not the most wanted thing at the moment - stuff I sell is for a specialist market - I wouldn't waste your money.
I have had firms who assured my husband and myself that business would flood in...............still waiting.
Also did it myself on my own sites and was marginally successful - as always with Adwords it's how much money have you to spare and write off .
It appears you must do it ( be in the Google Adword Club)or you are missing out - but are you really?
Strangly this week they sent me a £75 voucher which I shan't be bothering with.
Anyways thats my experience of Adwords.
I'm sure guys that use it are rolling in dosh lol,and no doubt will be standing in a line to tell me!.
Miss Prett Pink
I have had firms who assured my husband and myself that business would flood in...............still waiting.
Also did it myself on my own sites and was marginally successful - as always with Adwords it's how much money have you to spare and write off .
It appears you must do it ( be in the Google Adword Club)or you are missing out - but are you really?
Strangly this week they sent me a £75 voucher which I shan't be bothering with.
Anyways thats my experience of Adwords.
I'm sure guys that use it are rolling in dosh lol,and no doubt will be standing in a line to tell me!.
Miss Prett Pink
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That sort of thing is a real negative.
The PPC manager should be talking to you - at the very least, in the initial stages.
For example, I have a client I'm starting work for on Monday. We've talked on the phone, we exchange emails.
I ask him things like "what's your margin on product X?"
I need to do things like this because I have to be able to tell what's profitable and what isn't.
If your PPC person isn't showing an interest in this stuff - or, worse, you can't even communicate directly with him/her - then the situation is set up to fail.
You learned the hard way and that's unfortunate. However, I hope your story helps other members make a better choice if they ever come to hiring a PPC person.
Steve
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Colin Parker
- Original Poster
- #15
Thanks Rob.
I rarely run Adwords accounts for clients but I would not hesitate to second your advice and recommend Steve Gibson to forum members.
The OP would still be advertising - and making money - had they used Steve from the start.
And - OP - it's not too late to contact Steve now.
Colin Parker
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Just because someone knows how to build a piano doesn't mean they know how to play it.
Steve
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Miss Pretty Pink
- Original Poster
- #17
I hope I can find a way that I can work out how to do it without hiring someone -in fact I shall make that my mission this year - that with SEO.
I would like to know how to do it but I cannot ever understand the way it is all written and the confusing way experts disagree on sites and blogs and let a lot more of us into this exclusive and mystic club of adwords and SEO.
Miss Pretty Pink
I would like to know how to do it but I cannot ever understand the way it is all written and the confusing way experts disagree on sites and blogs and let a lot more of us into this exclusive and mystic club of adwords and SEO.
Miss Pretty Pink
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Miss Pretty Pink
- Original Poster
- #20
When someone has to put derisive comments - when one has only joined this forum for advice and to make the occassional opinion ( gained from one's own experience) and meet genuine business people who want to succeed not one's who appear to have time to waste.
Miss Pretty Pink:|
Miss Pretty Pink:|
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Well my advice would be to keep reading this forum - like you I'm trying to learn the dark arts of SEO, PPC, marketing etc. and, as you say, you can find masses of info. on the net, but so much of it is contradictory and confusing.
However, I have found the advice on UKBF to be invaluable and when you do have a question - no matter how basic it is - there's usually someone (or more) who is kind enough to answer it.
Why am I trying to do it myself and not paying someone else to do it?
A couple of reasons: As a start up, money has been tight, a little knowledge means that you are more able to pick out the true professionals and avoid the charlatans (like the OP encountered) and also because I find it really interesting to find out how it all works.
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Err... Are you sure Steve?
It has always been my understanding that Google do not offer PPC management yet there are plenty of companies out there claiming to be working for/on behalf of Google just to get the custom - Exactly the same situation as mentioned in the start of this thread.
We have our own Google Adwords account manager and I double checked with the team once and they offer the Google Advertising Professionals program which allows your company to become 'qualified' and this is just how businesses are getting away with it.
I would be very interested and grateful to see any sort of documentary evidence that Google themselves offer PPC services.
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In 99% of all cases, I would seriously recommend hiring an 'expert' ppc professional unless you just want to fritter your money away. So many times have I taken over ppc campaigns from clients where they have attempted themselves only to have spent hundreds of pounds over a period of months, seen very little return on their spend (ROI), poor click thru rates (CTR) etc etc.
It does certainly pay in the long run to pay someone that knows what they are doing to manage it for you. We currently manage in excess of 50 ppc accounts for ecommerce websites in a range of industries and all are happy with their results.
If you do tackle this yourself, be prepared for it to be a long road while you learn the hard way, maybe look up 'Perry Marshall's Definitive Guide to Adwords' for a great place to start!
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D
davidjgoss87
- Original Poster
- #25
The important thing to remember about having your PPC managed in this way is that you won't then be spending 0 hours a week on PPC. You need to work with the management company so they understand your products and your business and can apply their skills and knowledge to this understanding. Like Steve said earlier, if they aren't communicating with you, something's wrong.
Also, be careful of long contracts and cancellation fees. You want a flexible arrangement you can stop at short notice with no penalty.
Also, be careful of long contracts and cancellation fees. You want a flexible arrangement you can stop at short notice with no penalty.
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I agree. They're not necessary and they're a disincentive for them to work hard for you.
Steve
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Just the experience I had with Its Cold Outside. After the initial set up, they did absolutely nothing - no performance monitoring or changes and improvements to the campaign. I had to call them constantly and the promised reviews came to nothing. The campaign just ended up costing loads in management fees for almost nil return. I am now left with the campaign they set up and attempting to manage it myself - not terribly successfully.
Steve - with your permission, I'll PM you to seek your help.
Thanks
Sharon
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Sure, go ahead. Alternatively, you can email me at steve@ any of the sites in my signature link below.
Steve
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TheBalanceBikeShop
- Original Poster
- #29
Very interesting posts. I am so confused. My adword quality landing page is 1/10 and I feel my advert is relevant to the landing page. Unfortunately, adwords will not show my advert due to poor landing page quality score..My advert is:
Balance Bike
Quality Wooden Balance Bikes
The Perfect Learner Bike for £49
www.thebalancebikeshop.com
So frustrating as reading around this topic is not helping..Any ideas anybody or I guess it's time for an export like Steve Gibson?
Balance Bike
Quality Wooden Balance Bikes
The Perfect Learner Bike for £49
www.thebalancebikeshop.com
So frustrating as reading around this topic is not helping..Any ideas anybody or I guess it's time for an export like Steve Gibson?
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Miss Pretty Pink
- Original Poster
- #30
Well,I decided I will use the voucher.....................I don't have to start right away but will study competitors to see if I can glean any ideas on keywords- not that there is that many out there - competitors.
Done a couple of press releases today for Pretty Pink Vintage Boutique.
One question with Blogs,Facebook and Twitter.
Sussex Cake Company has aTwitter page over 200 followers but no business - so how does one generate business that way - I find all those things very time consuming.
Are you other guys getting good results from all this social networking?
Thanks
Miss Pretty Pink
Done a couple of press releases today for Pretty Pink Vintage Boutique.
One question with Blogs,Facebook and Twitter.
Sussex Cake Company has aTwitter page over 200 followers but no business - so how does one generate business that way - I find all those things very time consuming.
Are you other guys getting good results from all this social networking?
Thanks
Miss Pretty Pink
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I am head of social media marketing for an agency specialising in ecommerce solutions and the key points I would recommend is:-
LISTEN to your fans/followers, hear what they have to say. Social Media is a two conversation.
ENGAGE with your customers and visitors to your social media profiles, they won't stick around for long if you aren't contributing to the discussion.
GENERATE BUZZ about your company, get the conversation flowing, let people know who you are... Don't try and sell your products/services to them though, they are unlikely to be interested in this stage.
CREATE YOUR NETWORK, over time, you will build a following and a regular group of visitors, slowly but surely, you will have an on-topic, related market to target as ultimately they will be interested in your company. Just continue to listen, engage and join the conversation.
DO NOT ADOPT THE TACTIC 'SELL SELL SELL' Social Media is about gaining interest and pulling them through to your personal website... Then that is where you try and convert your traffic and make the sale.
It is important to manage your time in social media effectively and measure your results so you can optimise.
I am happy to help further if you wish
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Sometimes you can have as little as 1 - 3 keywords in an ad group and have a quality score 0f 10/10 and a fantastic CTR and conversion rate. It really does depend on the size and structure of your website/landing pages.
For the average, medium sized ecommerce website, I would generally set up a campaign per product category and break the product range down into ad groups within that category. Take time to research your keywords, analyse where the traffic is going and create your tightly bunched keywords per ad group, if you haven't got an extensive budget, maybe keep these groups down to about 5 or 6 exact match keywords, once you have collected some data, you can always optimise and increase this at a later date.
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TheBalanceBikeShop
- Original Poster
- #35
Hi [FONT=verdana,geneva,lucida,arial]zigojacko[/FONT]
Thanks for your kind response....Please, please could you take a look. My range is 2 wooden Balance Bikes - one classic bike and another unique rocking wooden balance bike. I have selected only a few direct key words and yet no joy. My auto quote is 95p and budget is £5 per day. Thanks again Nick www.thebalancebikeshop.com
My keywords are:\Keyword
balance bike
kids balance bikes
balance bikes
wooden balance bikes
balance bike for children
children's balance bikes
balance bike uk
kids balance bike
wooden balance bike
balance bikes for kids
Balance bike
balance bikes uk
balance bike shop
balance bikes for children
Balance bike balance
training bike
training bikes
childrens balance bikes
Running bike
running bikes
bike running bikes
balance on bike
balance bike video
training bikes running
bike balance bike reviews
secondhand balance bikes
how to balance bike
used balance bikes
balance bike guide
bikes training bike
Thanks for your kind response....Please, please could you take a look. My range is 2 wooden Balance Bikes - one classic bike and another unique rocking wooden balance bike. I have selected only a few direct key words and yet no joy. My auto quote is 95p and budget is £5 per day. Thanks again Nick www.thebalancebikeshop.com
My keywords are:\Keyword
balance bike
kids balance bikes
balance bikes
wooden balance bikes
balance bike for children
children's balance bikes
balance bike uk
kids balance bike
wooden balance bike
balance bikes for kids
Balance bike
balance bikes uk
balance bike shop
balance bikes for children
Balance bike balance
training bike
training bikes
childrens balance bikes
Running bike
running bikes
bike running bikes
balance on bike
balance bike video
training bikes running
bike balance bike reviews
secondhand balance bikes
how to balance bike
used balance bikes
balance bike guide
bikes training bike
Last edited by a moderator:
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*Campaign One: Classic Balance Bike
**Ad Group One: Balance Bike
***Keywords:
"balance bike"
[balance bike]
"balance bike uk"
[balance bike uk]
**Ad Group Two: Wooden Balance Bike
***Keywords:
"wooden balance bike"
[wooden balance bike]
"wooden balance bike uk"
[wooden balance bike uk]
**Ad Group Three: Kids Balance Bikes
***Keywords:
"kids balance bikes"
[kids balance bikes]
**Ad Group Four: Childrens Balance Bikes
***Keywords:
"childrens balance bikes"
[childrens balance bikes]
"children's balance bikes"
[children's balance bikes]
*Campaign Two: Rocker Balance Bike
**Ad Group One: Rocker Balance Bike
***Keywords:
"rocker balance bike"
[rocker balance bike]
"rocker balance bike uk"
[rocker balance bike uk]
**Ad Group Two: Rocker Wooden Bike
***Keywords:
"rocker balance bike"
[rocker balance bike]
"rocker wooden balance bike"
[rocker wooden balance bike]
"rocker balance bike uk"
[rocker balance bike uk]
"rocker wooden balance bike uk"
[rocker wooden balance bike uk]
**Ad Group Three: Kids Rocker Balance Bikes
***Keywords:
"kids rocker balance bikes"
[kids rocker balance bikes]
**Ad Group Three: Childrens Rocker Balance Bikes
***Keywords:
"childrens rocker balance bikes"
[childrens rocker balance bikes]
"children's rocker balance bikes"
[children's rocker balance bikes]
----------------------------
keyword (broad match)
"keyword" (phrase match)
[keyword] (exact match)
Look at something like that as a structure to your campaign, that will sort your quality score right out. This is only basic obviously, I haven't even done any keyword research but hopefully this will get you started.
It's small, it's tightly grouped keywords and it will keep your spend down as per your budget
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Excellent...
Just always bare in mind the pointers in my post here:
http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=1124095&postcount=33
Let me know if you need any help with social media marketing
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