Question 1

How do we spend more without diminishing profit margin (i.e. lowering ROAS or increasing CPL)?

Accepted Answer

It is nearly impossible to increase your budget without thinning your profit margin, at least temporarily. This is because you're expanding the audience size, targeting less low-hanging-fruit, and pushing the algorithm to go into uncharted territory where it doesn't know who to target yet.

We often recommend temporarily "leaning out" your account when trying to scale. Activities like this are helpful to preserve your profit margin while you're waiting for the algorithm to adjust to a higher ad spend:
* Pause brand awareness campaigns like video shopping
* Scale back brand campaign by reducing budget and or changing bid.
* Find brand keywords that are taking money in the other search campaigns

It becomes even more difficult when your account has maxed out its spend (meaning it reached its entire market/audience), because at that point the only options available to us is using a lower-spend outbound campaign (such as YouTube or display) can increase brand awareness and introduce your offering to a new audience. We recommend starting these campaigns with a lower budget to see how it affects the overall campaign performance. Your main campaign conversion driver campaigns should become more active as result of running these outbound campaigns, thus allowing us to increase the budget on the outbound campaigns incrementally.

Question 2

How do I know the cost per aquisition of a client if Google Ads is only bringing in leads?

Accepted Answer

If your Google Ads account is gathering leads (as opposed to revenue), then it will be important to manually determine the cost per aquisition of a customer. Cost per aquisition, or CPA, is your bottom line, after all.

Getting to the bottom of this number is not always straightforward, but it is always worth the effort.

THe goal is to look through your recent sales and leads, and then to try to determine the average conversion rate of a lead that comes from Google Ads. That way we can apply the conversion rate to the performance reported by Google Ads in order to determine the CPA of a customer/client.

### Here is an example of the math equation that needs to be done:

If your CRM/sales reps are able to find 19 leads that originally came from Google Ads in the past 4 months.

And 8 of those leads converted into a customer/client.

Then, 8 converted leads out of 19 total leads is a 42% conversion rate from Google Ads.

If Google Ads is reporting 63 leads in the past 4 months and spent $20,000 in ad spend to do that, let's apply the 42% conversion rate to those numbers:

42% of the 63 leads gathered by Google Ads is 26.46 leads that were converted into clients, theoretically.

$20,000 spent on ads divided by 26.46 clients means each client cost $756.

Now that you know each client cost $756, you can ask yourself: Is that a profitable amount to spend aquiring a client based on how much revenue clients bring in over their lifetime with the business, on average? If so, then it's probably time to start talking about increasing the monthly ad spend to begin scaling how many leads are coming in each month.

### How to find the leads that came from Google Ads

Leads that submit a form will need to be tracked using [UTM parameters](https://help.sol8.com/faqs/how-do-i-set-up). This will need to be done ahead of time, so that the contacts in your CRM can be identified as having Google Ads as their source.

Leads that call your business won't have any UTM parameters attached to their contact record (and, in many cases, won't have a contact record unless the person who answered the phone added them into the CRM). In this case, we can send you a list of names & phone numbers from our call tracking app, and then you can manually match up your recent sales/new customers/new clients to the list.

Question 3

What should my monthly budget be to start?

Accepted Answer

Generally, a $2,000 monthly startup ad budget allows us to gain enough data to make optimizations within the first month.

A budget that is too low doesn't offer enough data to see what’s working and what’s not.

On the other hand, exorbitant ad spend puts you at risk of overspending in areas that don't provide good results.

Our solution? We test every Google advertising channel (such as search, display, [GSP](https://selftaughtmarketing.wordpress.com/2015/12/10/what-is-gsp/), and Shopping) to see how each performs and influences other campaigns within the account.

Then, we reallocate ad spend to the higher-performing campaigns.

Question 4

How can I track chat leads? Which chat apps are compatible with Google Ads?

Accepted Answer

If you use a chat app on your website, and you want to see how many leads come through it after interacting with an ad, then we would recommend using a chat app that allows for lead tracking.

Lead tracking means we have the ability to verify the person chatting is an actual lead. Some chat apps simply mark every single chat message sent by a unique user as a lead, even if the person is trying asking a question that doesn't express intent to consider purchase.  For example, if someone chats in to say "can I get a refund?" then we would not want to tell Google Ads that this person was a lead. There are two reasons why this is not ideal:

1. We would see an inflated number in the Google Ads performance reports/dashboard
2. We would be telling Google's algorithms to optimize it's targeting based on incorrectly marking that chat user as a piece of conversion data

If you are considering using a chat app that doesn’t allow lead tracking, then we would recommend *not* basing optimization decisions off of chat conversion rate. We can make this happen by setting up the conversion action & tracking, but not including those chat conversions in the "Conversions" column of the ad performance. This is because a chat conversion would be counted the moment the lead clicks to write their message, but this type of conversion isn’t a direct indication of success.

You have the option to swap out the chat app with one that does allow for conversion tracking with Google Ads.
* Some chat apps have a team of customer support reps (like OctaChat or LiveChatInc. With these you don't pay unless it's a verified lead and the reps have gathered their contact information.)
* Some allow you, the business owner/employee to man the chats yourself (like PureChat).
* Some offer chatbots (like ManyChat)

Question 5

Can You Join Our Company Slack Channel?  (...Or Other Communication/Project Management Channels)

Accepted Answer

We take communication seriously. **And that’s why we don’t join external client communication channels or project management applications** (like Slack, Ryver, Asana, Basecamp, or TeamWork). *Here’s why:* ## 1. Juggling channels is inefficient Each of our client managers may work with dozens of clients at a time. So you can imagine that joining every client’s Slack channel would get a bit *noisy*; not to mention each client uses a different platform type, which would result in a lot of clutter. ## 2. We have rock-solid processes inside our own agency From onboarding to account setup to ongoing management, our communication processes are about as efficient and streamlined as it gets. We have automations and purposely-redundant methods in place to ensure each client account is managed with the sharpest eye. Which brings us to our final point: ## 3. Limited access and workflow Each client is assigned a powerhouse team dedicated to their account: a client manager, a specialist, a *backup* specialist, and two strategists. To provide the best service, client managers frequently rope a specialist or strategist into conversations with the client. However, **if a client manager joins a client's external communication channel, it is nearly impossible to rope in those other team members**—and it is similarly clunky to forward client information out to the rest of the team. With our communication systems, we can move efficiently, tie automations to our emails, and allow access to our entire team. ## We prioritize frequent and *meaningful* communication We try to set clear expectations early on regarding our time and yours. While adding your client manager to your internal Slack channel might seem like the best way to reach us, our policy to stick with internal communication processes actually results in **more availability to speak with you and higher-quality communication**. As always, we’re happy to chat with you about any questions or concerns. Reach out anytime.

Question 6

Why do I need a Branded Search Campaign/Why do I need to spend money when someone is searching for my brand name?

Accepted Answer

The common thought process is “why are we allocating budget in order for an ad to appear when someone is already searching for our brand? It seems like a waste of budget.”

Here’s why:

Don’t Leave the Hot Leads Exposed to Competitors: 
* You don’t want to leave the brand exposed to competitor campaigns. When a lead searches for the brand name, you don’t want a competitor ad to be the first thing they see (and you especially don’t want that lead to click on the competitor ad).

Gain Extra Data For Optimization Opportunities:
* Statistically it takes 2.5 clicks on average before someone is able to convert. Most people come back later. Without a branded campaign, you can see which keywords developed a conversion, but you can’t see how long it took them to convert and what path they took to come back (meaning did they Google your brand name or simply go back to your website, did they sign up for an email marketing campaign and then click on a link in an email, did they find a social media ad instead and click from there to convert, etc.). 
* This is because Google isn’t able to re-tie all the session data from the first interaction to the subsequent interactions. 
* If you set up a branded campaign, then you’re able to optimize fully because you can see which keywords have a shorter time lag, which have a heightened time decay, what is their top conversion path, etc. 
* Branded campaigns usually see about a 50% click-through rate and a 30% conversion rate, so they manage to catch a good chunk of the hot leads to help you see this data. 
* So, if you’re wondering how well the other campaigns are at driving traffic to make a return visit, you will need to raise the bid on the branded campaign.

Question 7

How can we get the product rating stars to show up on the ads?

Accepted Answer

The product ratings will begin appearing on Shopping Campaign ads whenever your business and the product itself qualifies for the program. Google is a bit vague exactly how to qualify...The rule is to gather a minimum of 50 reviews across the store before submitting the form to apply to participate in the program, but that is where the hard & fast rules end. In [this article](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6059553?hl=en&ref_topic=7307120) they say, "Reviews and star ratings may not always show. We’ll show star ratings when our system determines that the information is accurate and relevant for shoppers’ needs." Which means they are leaving it up to an algorithm and the parameters are left a mystery.

The only way to get reviews that aren't made directly in Google to appear in the ads is with a reviews aggregator app. Here's an article explaining this and offering a few alternatives. And [here's Google's comprehensive list of approved 3rd party aggregator apps](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/7045996).

There is a section of your Google Ads account where the seller rating stats will begin to populate once the ads are showing the stars. The only way to know whether the ratings are showing is to occasionally check recent dates in this section. Here is how to get to it: Click on "ads & extensions" and then "extensions" and then scroll to the bottom of the screen and choose "automated extensions." The "Seller Ratings" row will populate with data on days when the ratings appeared in the ads.

If you aren't receiving enough reviews to qualify for the program or to keep the stars actively appearing on your ads, here is a tip: Use your review app to create an automated email series that asks customers to review. Schedule a large amount of emails and be very direct about wanting a review. Make sure to set up a trigger inside his review platform to stop the emails as soon as the person leaves a review. The automated emails have to be sent out of his review platform to do this, of course. He said he sends emails that say things like: reviews are so important, we're a family owned business, your voice matters, if you can’t give us a 4 or 5 start review please let us know so we can make it better, and even "we’re not going to stop asking until you review." Sounds pushy, but effective!

Question 8

How do you track phone calls (leads and sales)?

Accepted Answer

Tracking phone calls is incredibly important for accurate reporting. Any calls that come in from your campaign are recorded using a tool called [Call Tracking Metrics](https://www.calltrackingmetrics.com/).
 
Here’s how it works: 
 
First, a lead calls from an ad extension or from your website. 
 
When this happens, we can see some really useful data:  
What page of your website the individual was on when they called
What keyword they used to land on your website 
Which campaign generated that user 
Then, a member of our team manually scores every call. After listening to the call recording, we manually import the quality conversations and the associated data into Google Ads.
 
Most agencies use a time threshold to determine lead quality (for example, any call over 45 seconds is automatically recorded as a conversion); however, we ensure lead quality manually, which makes for far superior data.

Question 9

How did you create the estimated projections in the action plan?

Accepted Answer

Using tools such as [Google Keyword Planner](https://ads.google.com/home/tools/keyword-planner/), [iSpionage](https://www.ispionage.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIr8C8oKHy5wIVDfDACh11eAdMEAAYASAAEgJl5PD_BwE), [SpyFu](https://www.spyfu.com/), and [SEMrush](https://www.semrush.com/), we craft a keyword strategy.
 
Next, we: 
1. Add the total monthly impressions of those keywords
2. Divide that number by a standard 2% click-through rate
3. Multiply that by the keywords’ average cost-per-click
Finally, we produce results based on a 3%, 5%, and 10% conversion rate.
 
This will give you a total amount of monthly leads/sales and cost-per-lead/sale.

Question 10

How to share passwords with Solutions 8

Accepted Answer

These instructions will help you add confidential login information to Dashlane, a trusted online program that allows you to securely share login information with us. We use this tool so we can keep your information secure, rather than exchange sensitive information via email. * Go to [dashlane.com](https://www.dashlane.com/) and click on “Get Dashlane”. * Allow the app to make changes to your device. * Log in or create an account. Be sure to create a really strong password! * Follow the prompts or skip the prompts. * The Dashlane dashboard will pop up. * Click on Password on the lefthand panel. * Click the green “Add New” button at the top. * Enter the information you’re sharing. * Click Ok to create the record. * To share this record with our team, go to the sharing center and click “Add New” * Find the items you would like to share in the drop down menu. * Add solutions8ads@gmail.com to the Recipients box. Be sure to click “Full rights” before sharing. * Click send.

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