Google Ads Running Wild
By Distinct Advantage Partner
And, then, the money you are spending on the Ads to drive tails through your door does nothing except make Google richer. This could be happening for two reasons: incompetence or inflation of results by marketing companies.
Incompetence is easy to stumble into now because Google has matured their Ad program into a science. The plus side is, if an analyst knows what he/she is doing, Google provides a plethora of tools to really hone in on a practice’s ideal demographic. This means that the cost-per-click is less, with more tails through the door. If a person is aiming in the dark and hoping for the best, most likely, the Ads will underperform, and be shown to the wrong demographic, which costs a business more cash.
If a practice starts working with a marketing company that is more focused on itself than its client, inflated numbers can be shown on reports. Why? Because there are a few sneaky tricks that can be pulled to show a hospital that their marketing company is making tails come through the door on paper, when, in reality, the opposite is true. Where this most easily happens is when a hospital’s Ads are placed on a branded vs. non-branded search. Let me break that down into English.
- Branded = Name of the hospital and the town. For example, ABC Hospital in Anywhere, USA.
- Non-Branded = Type of services or any search other than the name of the hospital, e.g. spay and neuter in Anywhere, USA.
There needs to be the right finesse and balance in an overall Ad campaign of branded and non-branded Ad placement. Self-focused marketing companies try to make themselves look like they are producing results by directing a majority of Ads to the hospital brand. What happens is that people search for “ABC Hospital” and the results show the Ad for the hospital at the top and then local and organic results for the hospital below that. On a mobile device it is difficult to distinguish between an Ad and any other search result these days so the Ads get many more clicks than they used to. Now, if a hospital has poor organic placement, this works to the hospital’s favor. However, if the practice has strong organic search placement, it is overkill. What happens in that case is that, generally, people searching for a hospital by name would be clicking on the organic or local search result anyway.
Also, too many branded Ads throws the entire marketing system out of whack. There is a balance that Google wants created to keep search results optimal for the person searching for information. Too many clicks on branded-only Ads can skew people flowing through a hospital’s marketing program causing phone calls to drop off and queries for directions to evaporate. An analogy would be a little sugar in a cake makes it taste good, but a bunch of sugar ruins the cake.
"If marketing is not generating revenue, then why is a business conducting it in the first place?"
What are some other common mistakes that should be avoided?
- Make sure your hospital’s Ad is only showing in your area of service—not in a city or state that is across the nation. This mistake happens either through incompetence or by less than upfront marketing companies. Reports will show that your Ad is getting clicks (conversions) but, in reality, nobody is going to drive from outside of your city to see you. Money is being wasted because those clicks will never generate revenue for your practice. But, hey, LOOK said marketing company reports show they are driving traffic. Make sure to ask where, geographically, the Ads are running.
- The correct terms can be oh so important! Google has ways to tell its system “please do not show X Ad for Y terms.” Think negative terms (e.g. worst vet ever) to XXX terms nobody wants their business associated with, unless they are in that type of business.
Marketing done right generates revenue. Tracking if clicks are turning into customers is key. It is the hospital’s responsibility to help with this aspect in the marketing program. Before starting a campaign, for example, increasing dental procedures, a count of number of dentals being done each week/month should be made. Share this number with your marketing company. While the Ad is running, the number of scheduled procedures should be reported to the marketing company on a consistent basis. It matters because Ads can be crafted and tweaked to help generate tails through the door, immediately and ongoing.
Google Ad campaigns are about helping reach a target goal in a marketing program. The goal should generate revenue for the business. If marketing is not generating revenue, then why is a business conducting it in the first place?
Marketing done right matters greatly. Our results are the proof in the pudding with high click through rates and tails streaming through doors. Want to see more tails come through your door or to increase your average transaction charge? Give us a call and we will help make it happen. Beyond Indigo has been conducting internet marketing for 22 years. Our CEO and COO have each been working in marketing online for 24 years. Our team knows the old and the new, as well as how to generate revenue and tails through the door. We focus on results first and discuss costs second. We are committed to staying up-to-date with the changing online environment, such as ADA compliance. Plus, we are Google Ads Partners, and we know how to build Google mobile-friendly and fast websites. Need help creating a marketing plan? Call (877) 244-9322 ext. 100, or go to https://www.beyondindigopets.com/contact/
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