The key to successful lead generation is to assess what is working and what is not and make educated changes. With online advertising, nowhere is more important than Google Ads, also referred to as pay-per-click advertising.
In the last 10 years, I have spoken to numerous business owners who have told me they spent money on Google Ads and had nothing to show for it. When I've asked questions about what went wrong, the answer is usually that the calls were all junk.
As a consultant who sells and implements pay-per-click advertising for customers, I know that the calls are never "all junk." And, if they are, then I have to question how Google Ads was set up and what systems are being used for analyzing the outcomes.
Many pay-per-click companies provide reports from Google Ads. These reports show how many impressions, clicks, form fills, and calls were received. These reports include "junk calls" as well as qualified leads. However, these reports do not tell you what you really need to know. Which calls and form fills were qualified leads? And what keyword did the person use to find your company? When you know that, you can work to replicate the results.
One of the best tools I have found for doing this is CallRail. CallRail is third-party software that records every call to your salespeople or office staff and documents from where it was generated. This can include Google Ads, television, radio, email, direct mail, social media marketing, home shows, signs, and organic searches on Google and other search engines.
In the case of Google Ads, it identifies the keyword searched when the potential customer either called your company or filled out a form on your website. Knowing the keywords driving quality leads is vital to the success of your Google Ads marketing efforts.
But while CallRail captures the keyword, your salespeople need to add the call's outcome to get a complete picture of what is working. In the CallRail system, there is a place to mark whether the call received was a qualified lead or not, and there is also a field to enter notes. I recommend using the notes field to specify why the call was not suitable, or if the call turned into a sale, note that a sale was made. You can then export all this information to a spreadsheet to analyze which keywords generate good leads and sales and which do not. Then you can adjust the keywords being targeted and make educated changes to the ad spend on Google Ads.
When analyzing your keywords, something to keep in mind is that one non-qualified lead does not mean the keyword is not good. It can take months to gather enough information to hone in on the best keywords. Granted, if your Google Ads are set too broad, you might be able to see bad keywords from just one interaction. However, this is a process that will need to be done each month to keep fortifying your ad spend.
CallRail is also perfect for improving your sales team's skills. Because CallRail records every call, you can listen to call recordings to determine whether your salespeople follow their script (assuming they have one) or need additional training. It can also help you identify how many calls to your company are going unanswered. CallRail logs calls that hung up before the phone was answered. If the person waited 30 seconds with no answer, you've paid for a lead that is likely a lost opportunity. If your staff is missing a large portion of calls, that is an internal problem that you need to fix. People expect the phone to be answered by the third ring, and, often if it isn't, they won't even leave a message. They assume your company is not reputable and move to the next.
Ultimately, Google Ads can be costly with few results if you or the company you are working with doesn't do analysis and drill down to the sales made level. Using CallRail from the start will help you make educated changes to your Google Ads marketing and achieve greater results.
