PAY TO PLAY IS THE NEW STANDARD

Thankfully providers are doing a much better job...

The best thing about paid advertising online is that you get detailed results that are not available through any other means. While Google and Facebook have excellent systems, the results can only be accurate if the technical setup has been implemented correctly. All too often, we come across situations where clients have been getting incorrect data because the original setup was incorrect . It's a little bit of a mistake to put Facebook and Google Ads in the same category. Facebook doesn't gather the mass data that Google does and has been for two decades, and Facebook certainly doesn't have the years of experience of Google, let alone the gigantic size of the organisation either. Facebook is doing it's best to use profiling to target your market. That's the big difference between the two; Google focuses on selling a product or a service.

Again, we have hands on experience, a lot in actual fact, when it comes to ensuring the technical setup of paid advertising is correct.

Don't be foolish to think that just anyone can do this. Furthermore, as with everything related to online technology, change is our only guarantee. It is important to be aware of the fact that those providers also screw up, and although it is highly unlikely that anyone would ever see a refund. It is worth accepting you do need specialists who are on top of change and can spot errors in reporting for you.

Only just recently, Facebook was double-counting sales conversions for many websites using Shopify. The exact cause of the double counting is still not known. It is common for plugins to conflict ('plugins' are known as 'addons' in Shopify – small applications used in website platforms such as checkouts, forms and the like).

Google Ads has come a long way, and when implemented correctly, mind-blowing results will come your way. Our certified Google Ads experts love getting these massive returns for our clients. Facebook is getting better too. Facebook is good at getting immediate results in comparison to Google Ads but does not compare over the longer term.

Get used to the idea of paid advertising, and as our experts will tell you, the only strategy that works well with pay-to-play advertising is a frugal one.

The other side to understanding pay-to-play is that every cent you spend should be working towards your goal. Many clients get dismayed because they are not getting immediate sales when they start spending money online. This is where it is important to understand your KPIs.

The first stage of any marketing plan online or off is to create awareness. You might not make a sale, but you did get something out of it, people got to know you. The second phase is getting them into your store. The same goes for digital advertising. Thirdly, your salespeople (sales copy) helps them choose the products that solve their problem or enhance their experience. Moving further on, returning customers build trust in you and your brand. Eventually, your returning customers are like some of us in this crew, crazy about some brands - Customer Devoted. Your marketing now has an inertia all of its own.