When it comes to generating high quality leads that turn into clients quickly I have yet to find a strategy that generates a higher ROI than Google Adwords. In fact, it’s not even close. Unfortunately, there’s not a week that goes by that I don’t have someone tell me that “Adwords didn’t work for us.”
After digging, I find the problem isn’t Adwords, but how they are using it. Here are some basic principles you must follow to maximize your lead generation results:
Start Small. Test. Grow.
Adwords gives you a number of advantages over other media:
You don’t need a big budget to start. Try $50 per day. Test multiple ads. Find what works and then roll out larger. I know businesses that started out with a small $1,000 test and are now spending $20,000-plus per month because they’ve figured out what works early on and continue to generate more leads at a profit each month.
You only pay for action not impressions. Compare Adwords to the Yellow Pages, TV, billboards or even your local news website. Those media outlets require you to pay large fees upfront without even knowing how the ad will perform. Or, they base your fee off the number of people who see your ad (impressions). With Adwords, you can go day-to-day if you want and you only pay if someone actually clicks on your ad. It gets better … Google Rewards Smart Companies.
As you improve your Google Ads (more people clicking on them) Google rewards you by moving your ad up the page (oft en appearing above the organic search rankings). They also lower your click prices. You are now getting more leads and paying less in the process.
Start With a High-Converting Landing Page.
Most companies send their potential leads to their website’s home page. The problem with this is that your home page isn’t specific to their problem and has too many links which distracts attention.
On average I find that those that send their Adwords traffic to their home page have about 3 percent of those visitors call their office. Instead, send your traffic to a landing page. The landing page design I use for clients has been proven to convert at 10-20 percent. Sometimes higher.
A good landing page has a number of critical components:
- Call to action at the top of the page (i.e., Call XXX-XXX-XXXX for your free consultation).
- Benefit-orientated headlines and body copy.
- A backup call to action (email form) for leads who would rather be contacted via email rather than call your office directly. This also gives you the ability to stay in touch with these leads by email.
- Minimal links and located at bottom of page.
- Secondary calls to action at the bottom of the page.
Bottom Line: you can conservatively double the amount of leads you are currently generating by switching from your home page to a high-converting landing page.
How to Write Ads That Get Clicks.
Another issue that cripples conversions for companies using Adwords is that they simply don’t understand how to write good ads. Here’s a simple three-step formula to immediately improving your ads performance:
- Focus Your Headline. Eighty percent of the success of your ad rests on your headline. To improve this area always focus on a niche and a defined geographic area. In short, start very niched. Google also rewards more “relevant” headlines. What does “relevant” mean? For example, if you are an interior designer in Chicago, use the headline: “Interior Designer Chicago.”
- Benefit on Line Two: This can vary depending on what your firm offers but an example of a strong benefit may be: “You don’t pay until you’re happy.”
- Call to Action on Line Three: What do you want the prospect to do? Probably call your office right now. So tell them that on line three: “Call now for your free consultation.”
Sidenote: Always write two ads and split test them against each other. Find the winner and write another ad to try and beat it. Over time you’ll continue to ratchet up your leads and lower your click prices even more.
Bonus Strategy: Use Call Conversion Tracking and Stop Wasting Your Money.
Call conversion tracking applies a special tracking number to anyone who lands on your landing page and calls your office. This allows you to know with pinpoint accuracy which ads and landing pages are really generating results and leads.
Without this you are essentially flying blind. Always use call conversion tracking if you truly want to know your ROI with Adwords.