(Reprint) An Adwords Success Story
Several months ago a colleague of mine got laid off from a large media conglomerate that shall go unnamed. Let's call the Company 'Clear Channel,' for the purposes of this blog. She was our HR Manager, Lisa Cole. Lisa was a terrific worker bee who always got the job done on time, and never complained about anything (that I know of.) We had a secret sign that we would give to each other in case we knew any problems were coming in the other's direction... a swipe of the nose like the one that Robert Redford gave to Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Lisa never gave me the sign because she got laid off before I did.
What I didn't know was that Lisa had a side business that she was growing. Lisa Cole Parties and Adventures (Lisa Cole Parties And Adventures) provided jewelry making, characters, face painting, ballooning and other fun stuff for kids parties in the Philly area. Upon being laid off, she set out to build that business and never work in the corporate world again.
Lisa did all the right stuff. She got herself a website, produced business cards, invested in supplies, hired help, and began to do demonstrations at local libraries. One day she got a call from the Yellow Pages, who promised a listing on Google, along with listing on AdWords in Philadelphia for a $200 per month contract for 1 year. That's when I got the call.
You see, I was the Manager of the Company's Website Sales, and Lisa wanted to know if she was getting a good deal. I knew Local AdWords for Philadelphia was an excellent resource, but I had a few questions about what the deal was about. 2 simple questions gave me the answer I needed. Was there a long-term commitment, and how many clicks did she get for the money. The answers were basically 'yes,' and 'not enough' (each click was at double the price than was listed on the keyword tool). I offered some guidance in the process when we met for coffee and bagels at Delancy Street. That was on July 3.
By July 6, her phone was ringing off the hook, and she was well on her way to making as much (and perhaps more) money than she made as a Corporate employee. Further, we went on to discuss things like what she could do when a client calls and inquires about her services. How can she better answer the phone to convert inquiries into sales. And what opportunities for upsell can she begin to experiment with.
Now I'm not saying that I'm the genius. What I am saying is that 1) Not all PPCManagement Companies in Philadelphia are alike, and 2) PPC is about generating prospects for your sellers. There is a genuine cost to development of sales leads, and keeping that cost as low as possible is what good PPC Management is about.
Keep at it Lisa!
Gary
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