The streets are paved with gold…at least that is what some people will tell you when it comes to using Google’s Adwords to advertise your contracting company online. Many times, quite the opposite is true. Unfortunately, I know too many contractors who gave Google Adwords a shot, got their asses handed to them, and never returned.
And it’s a shame because never before in the history of advertising has the playing field been so level. I mean think about it, a freshly minted plumber just starting his own business can sit in his underwear and compete and win against a hundred year-old firm.
But you have to be careful when using Adwords
Every time someone clicks that ad of yours it just cost you, and in some industries those clicks are big dollars. If you have a small budget you could get swept away in no time. So how do you swim with the sharks and not get eaten?
You have to know your market!
You have to know exactly who your primary customer is. You don’t want tire kickers, you don’t want people trying to educate themselves on your product or service, you want people who are ready to buy.
So how do you know who to target in your market? Let’s say you are a plumber and you want more plumbing leads. But you don’t want leads to unclog toilets or fish hamsters out of drains right? You want leads from the deep end of the profit pool, you want bathroom remodeling gigs.
So you refine your market even more. Instead of using Adwords to target plumbers in Philadelphia, you would target bathroom remodelers in Philadelphia.
Let’s look at the results:
Searching for “plumbers in Philadelphia” returns 210 searches, while “bathroom remodeling in Philadelphia” returned 46. And guess what, the search for plumbers cost $3.69 a click while the remodeling search costs…get this, 5 cents a click.
Now, I am sure any plumber unclogging a drain in Philadelphia is going to make a pretty penny, but how much will you make if you land just one bathroom job at a cost of a nickel?
The point is…
You have to know your market, and once you do, then you can target your keywords around the most profitable aspects of your business. Being as specific as possible works online. This isn’t the YP where you list everything you do. On Adwords you are rewarded for fine-tuning your offering.
Now arm yourself
You know your business better than anyone, but maybe this advertising online thing has gotten you a little frustrated. You can get the knowledge you need to compete and win with Google Adwords from one of the masters…Perry Marshall. So check out Perry’s stuff and let me know what you think. I bet you will be happy you did!