DIGITAL ADVERTISING, PART II
find out how much experience
your agency has. Also, find out
if analysts are Google AdWords
certified. Google offers online
examinations that test how
well
individuals
understand
various forms of AdWords digital
advertising. Individuals need to
pass two of these tests in order
to earn certification. Ask your
sales rep if the analysts you’ll
be working with are AdWords
certified.
6. Agencies
can
earn
qualifications, too. If
agencies meet certain
requirements,
they
can qualify to become
Google
Partners
or
Google Premier Partners.
Partner
or
Premier
Partner status can tell
you something about an
agency’s experience and
knowledge. To become
Google Partners, an agency
needs to meet thresholds for
performance and ad spend. The
agency also needs to have at
least one person who is AdWords
certified. In order to become
a Google Premier Partner, an
agency needs to meet certain
thresholds,
and
have
two
individuals who are AdWords
certified.
that are immensely helpful. You
can then tailor your approach
to these trends. You can spend
your advertising dollars on the
campaigns and geographic areas
that are the most profitable.
However, this digging and
analysis does take time and
energy, and not every agency
puts in the extra effort to examine
each account in detail. Ask your
sales rep precisely what analysts
do as they monitor accounts.
part of the total calls are marketing
calls or inquiries unrelated to your
business? Calls and clicks don’t
pay the bills. Instead, measure
ads’ success by how many
appointments or retained clients
they create. Figure out how much
each appointment or retained
client has cost you. It’s possible –
and very illuminating.
Digital advertising has many fantastic
advantages, but as you can see, it
also has some pitfalls
to be avoided. These
pitfalls are painfully
familiar for me, as
I have experienced
many of them myself.
When I first started
hiring agencies to set
up digital ads for my
law firm, I shelled out
a fortune but received
peanuts in return. As
upsetting as this was,
the experience yielded an unexpected
harvest. I learned what doesn’t work
in digital ads – and how to do better.
Our firm figured out how to run digital
ads that fuel our organization’s growth.
Then I started a digital advertising
agency that helps other firms get
measurable results, too.
Digital advertising has many
fantastic advantages, but
as you can see, it also has
some pitfalls to be avoided.
7. Some agencies dig into details
more than others. Google
AdWords offers an astounding
array of options for setting up
and honing digital ads. You
can monitor how many clicks
individual keywords are receiving,
and target your ads to certain
counties, cities or even zip codes.
You can also see which days
of the week and times of day
your ads are most productive.
When you take the time to dig
into data, you may notice trends
What do analysts look at? What
do they change and how often?
Ask for specifics.
8. An agency may have a “turn
and burn” mentality. A high rate
of client turnover is, unfortunately,
not unusual. Ask your sales rep
how many clients renew their
contracts. How many clients
leave the agency as soon as the
contract period is over? Do clients
stay with an agency for the long
term? Are there client references
available you can call?
9. There is life beyond calls and
clicks. In digital advertising, it is
common practice to measure ads’
success by how many calls and
clicks they drive. It can be easy to
think these are the only available
metrics. However, calls and clicks
do not necessarily mean new
business. How many of these
calls are existing clients? Or, what
National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys
Summer 2017
I believe that effective digital
advertising is a crucial aspect of
growing your law practice. When
potential clients need answers, they
often turn to their phone or computer
to run a quick search. Your ads should
be there to answer their questions.
Just take your time (and ask some
questions yourself) when choosing a
digital advertising agency.
If you have any questions about digital
advertising, feel free to reach out to
me at [email protected].
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