It Starts With A Single Step

Andy Splichal  0:51  

Wow, that intro doesn't get you excited. I don't know what well, Hey, there, I am Andy, and this is Make Each Click Count the podcast. I make no secret that my bread and butter is running paid advertising using Google ads. And although the plans for this podcast is to contain a whole lot more, I want to start by addressing Google paid ads. Let me share a quick analogy between online advertising, in particular Google ads in the great city of Las Vegas. So for those of you that have read my latest book, The story will be familiar. As it's the same analogy that I opened to start the book. Google gives advertisers a tremendous opportunity to reach millions of potential buyers, and even some training on how to properly use Google if you do the research. However, Google will take practically anyone's money that is willing to spend it with them. And Las Vegas this term is called dumb money. It's what makes Vegas rich hell, it's what makes Google rich. But there is a better way. In Las Vegas, one of their most popular games is blackjack. It's a relatively simple game. Blackjack can be played by anyone over the age of 21. You start with two cards and you're trying to get closest to 21 get closer to the than the person representing the casino does without going over. If you do it, you win easy, right? Just like those wishing to advertise using Google, anyone can sit down and start to play as long as they're willing to part with some money. However, some people wish to play blackjack, well, they first they would like to educate themselves a bit more on the rules and strategies to increase their chances of success. There are books on blackjack strategy that are so many of you take a look. And if you learn what's inside, they're going to increase your odds on winning. There are similar books regarding Google advertising, they can help increase your odds of success. I should know I wrote one, I wrote two of those books. And hopefully you've read them. But when you want to increase your sales using Google or any other online marketing, there's always the initial problem of what to do and where to start. This is especially true if you're a busy store owner with 1000s of things pulling you in different directions. From talking to store owners over the over the years, I have discovered that there are four specific routes that most business owners can proceed with in terms of advertising, using Google or you're ready because here they are, number one, they can do absolutely nothing. That's the easiest option. You decide not to advertise on Google, maybe you elect to advertise on Amazon or different marketing channel. For store owners, especially online e commerce Store owners, this can be turning your back on the potential for a huge number of sales. Plus, if you rely purely on Amazon, you're at Amazon's whim, in addition to paying Amazon a steep commission, and you don't even own the customer. Number two, you could do it yourself. You could take your lumps as you learn just like that person walks into the casino for the first time. You're welcome to jump right in and play. Typically, those players lose for the first time but who knows? We've all heard of beginner's luck, right? Number three, you can hire an agency lead an SEM search engine marketing agency that you select handle everything for you. Again, maybe they know what they're doing. Maybe not. If you are a small to medium sized business, you're going to find this. Typically those large sem agencies have a great salesperson. However, once you sign on, your account typically goes over to a junior marketer maybe right out of college, they may very well and they probably will take their lumps however they get to do it with your money. And if you don't know the base basic best practices, then how are you even going to know number four, the fourth option you educate yourself, at least with the basic best practices and advertising and Google ads and Google Shopping, just like the blackjack newbie it can be daunting, and it'll take some time. However, if you don't learn at least some fundamental best practices, it is going to be disastrous for your marketing budget. By listening to this podcast and read my books, you're taking the fourth and hardest step to educate yourself, and I congratulate you on doing so you have set yourself apart as someone who desires and demands better results from your Google Shopping, and your Google ads. And I'm excited to help you get there. For those of you that don't know me, I want to give you a quick background. Now, don't worry, I'm not going to go into my entire life story. If you want to read the complete background on me, you can read it in my agency website, www.trueonlinepresence weren't my blog, blog that True Online Presence. However, the 10 cent version of my story is this. I've been running paid ads since the early 2000s. And during that time, I've managed hundreds of 1000s of dollars, maybe millions of dollars for myself and my private clients. To be frank, I'm not even sure exactly how much is I've never added it up. You know, those big ruling clocks that keep track of national debt that just keep moving? Well, that is what the amount of money I have handled for private clients and myself looks like it just keeps rolling. But whatever that amount, it's a lot I will tell you. And I manage this money for those private clients using Google ads, Microsoft Bing Ads before Yahoo, it before that it was Yahoo, MSN, if you remember, Amazon ads, Facebook ads, and those are a couple of the current marketing channels as well as past marketing channels, including Nextopia, Shopping.com, PriceGrabber, Shopzilla. Pronto become I'm sure there's quite a few more I can't remember right now. I've been marketing online so long, I can still remember that AOL squeaky dial tone, login hint into the internet or the excitement of hearing, let's say you've gotten mail was younger marketers will have no idea what I just reference to more recent times, when I launched my flagship agency back in 2014. To online presence, I did so with the intent to be different than all other agencies out there. I didn't want to offer the full gamut of services to every company, to source out to just to source it out to junior marketers to take a p ercentage of your ad spends, as most other agency clients do know what I do at your online presence, I worked with only a handful of private clients on various specific marketing channels. I focus on Ecommerce companies advertising, with Google ads, and in particular Google Shopping, and I charge a set fee. This is how I've set myself apart. And this laser like focus has allowed me to become one of the top Google paid per click experts in the industry, implementing best practices and creating proprietary strategies. And although I am very good at this, and I would undoubtedly say one of the best and running Google ads for Ecommerce companies, sharing the minut details of running Google ads and Google Shopping ads is not what this podcast is going to be about. Well, not all of it. Sometimes I'm not going to be able to help myself from dropping some knowledge bombs from time to time. And for those of you that do want the best practices and those proprietary proprietary strategies, well, I encourage you to read either my two books, Make Each Click Count:T.O.P. Guide to Success Using Google AdWords, or my newest book, Make Each Click Count Using Google Shopping. Or third option, you can also take a trial to my training site, The Academy of Internet Marketing. Don't forget the T h e, The Academy of Internet Marketing at the beginning. Instead of focusing on the details that might get boring to some will probably almost everybody except for me and a few other crazies who live and breathe, pay marketing instead. This podcast, I plan to address a wide range of concerns that affect small to mid sized business owners and in particular, small to mid sized ecommerce business owners. I plan to invite guest, they can help in my goal of providing the latest the most useful information throughout this podcast to keep you informed and help you to succeed in your business. So that sounds good to you. Well, that is my plan. But the journey starts here with today's first episode, you've probably heard the ancient proverb that our journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step. What today is our single step and I hope that you will be there to take this journey with me. Now before I finish reading wrap it up today. I'm asking you to do do me a favor. If you liked this episode, go to Apple podcast. Give me a review letting me know why you liked it. It's going to help others find us. And if you know somebody specifically selling products online, and you think this podcast will help them send it to them. I'm not going to be offended if you share what we discussed here today. Also, one last thing I almost forgot. If you have an idea for an upcoming show, including a topic you'd like to hear discussed, or you have somebody in mind you'd like, see have us on our podcast as a guest. Send me a quick email at info at trueonlinepresence.com. And let me know that is it for now and I will talk to you in the next episode. Happy marketing. This is Andy.