← Shiny New Clients!
Shiny New Clients!
An Ex-Google Employee and a Social Media Manager Walk Into a Podcast Studio... (With Google Ads Expert Jyll Saskin Gales)
00:16:19
Loading summary
Transcript28 lines
- [00:01]
A
Welcome to Shiny New Clients, the marketing podcast that helps you attract shiny new clients to your business. We'll talk about social media, what makes people buy, how to go viral, and marketing psychology all in 20 minutes or less. Whether you're a coach, a stylist, or a wedding planner, if you've got a service based business to sell, this is the show you need to fill your calendar. I'm Jenna Warner, your new marketing coach and this is Shiny New New clients. I made a friend on the Internet. Her name is Jill Sasking Gales. And in what other universe would I become friends with an ex Google employee? Like, it's so spicy. And also, did I see on your bio that you went to Harvard?
- [00:49]
B
I did. Harvard Business School.
- [00:51]
A
Are you L. Woods or what?
- [00:55]
B
What? Like it's supposed to be hard?
- [00:58]
A
There's no other universe where I from. The woods in Manitoba make friends with a Harvard grad and ex Google employee. All right, tell me everything. You're here to talk about Google Ads and I want to jump right in. First, you want to give us just like a little bit of background on how the heck you got to where you are.
- [01:15]
B
Sure. So, hey, I'm Jill with Y J Y L L. And I'm a Google Ads coach, consultant, teacher, content creator, podcast host, author, speaker. You know how it is with being a solo business own. I worked at Google for six years in the Google Ads sales organization, so working with the huge companies that spend millions of dollars a year on ads and helping them spend even more millions of dollars a year on ads. And I left about three years ago now, actually, I didn't leave to start my own business. I was not brave enough to do that. I left Google because I got a job offer I couldn't refuse. I learned two weeks later I should have refused it when it didn't work out. And then I started my own business, started posting on TikTok from my dining room table because I didn't know what else to do with my life and was fortunate to take off pretty quickly. Started getting clients and converted that into what my business is now, which is helping businesses of all sizes make more money with Google Ads.
- [02:14]
A
We both have that in common. Both helping people find their clients, just through different sort of venues. Exactly when I was creating the contract for like working with my clients, the lawyer said to me, like, I don't get it. Why would you teach someone how to do what you do? Because I have two sides of my business too, where we do the thing and we teach the thing and you do the thing. And you teach the thing. And the lawyer just couldn't fathom why I would kind of make myself redundant. And I'm like, do you understand that there are billions of business owners out there who need this? Like, I can't serve all of them. What made you decide to spend split your business? So you were doing it for some people and also teaching it for other people?
- [02:55]
B
I think what made me decide to split my business is I didn't want to do it anymore. When I first started my business, I was managing ads for people for like a couple hundred bucks a pop because I literally had no job at the time and had to make money. But I pivoted into wanting to teach people because I thought it's just not fair that I have all the knowledge I do from working at Google for six years and for running Google Ads for a previous side business I had. And most people don't know this, so most people lose a ton of money on ads. And it just felt ridiculous to me. And most people couldn't afford to pay my rates at the time. I was charging up to like five or six thousand dollars a month to manage ads for people when I finally gave up doing the do for you side of the business. So I really wanted to take what I know and teach as many people as possible. And of course social media has been an amazing way to teach people. But I like to also make money from teaching people. So that's how I got into kind of one on one coaching, doing larger group trainings. Fun fact. I have actually taught Google Ads at Google to Google Ads employees. That was a fun one. And then launching courses to reach even more people.
- [04:00]
A
That's amazing. And Jill is a resource on social media. I will link all your handles below so people can follow you because you are so generous with the information that you give out. So give us a context for what we're talking about when we talk about Google Ads. Like what, what even, what even is it?
- [04:15]
B
What even is Google Ads? So when you go to Google and search for something, a whole bunch of links and pictures and things pop up. And some of that happens for free. We call that organically. So if you've ever heard the word SEO, that stands for search engine optimization, that's the stuff that shows up for free. And then other stuff that shows up is sponsored is an ad and that shows up by people paying for Google Ads. So you can pay so that your ads can show on Google when people search for certain things. So for example, if someone is searching Google Ads, course I can Decide that I want to show my ads on Google when someone searches for that. But Google actually is so much more than search. We use Google Maps. You can show ads in Google Maps. There are shopping results. Google owns YouTube, so you can run ads on YouTube using Google Ads. There's actually about 10 different kinds of campaigns you can run. Of course, search is like the bread and butter and the one we think of most. But there are a lot of ways to grow your business by, of course, organic marketing tactics, whether it's SEO or Instagram or blogging or whatever it might be, and then through ads, whether that's ads on Google or on Facebook or Instagram or TikTok, et cetera.
- [05:29]
A
So, so if I'm looking for blue jeans, flare blue jeans, okay. And I type flare, flare, blue jeans into Google, what's going to pop up is some just websites that Google's like, yeah, I think they sell blue jeans. And then other people who are paying to show up whenever someone puts a call out for flare blue jeans. Did I get it?
- [05:53]
B
You did get it. But importantly, what's really cool about Google Ads, and not all ads work this way, is you as the advertiser, only pay for the ad when someone clicks. So if you sell blue jeans and your ad shows up 100 times when people are searching for blue jeans and people see your ad, they see your business, but don't click on it, you do not pay a cent. And that's what makes it really different from advertising on TV or in the newspaper. Like, no matter what, you pay to be there. And then hopefully you get some results for it. And maybe you will, maybe you won't. Whereas with Google Ads, you only pay if someone actually clicks on your ad. So if no one clicks on your ad, you don't pay. It probably means you need to improve your ads somewhat. But it's a nice way to kind of manage your risk when testing ads for the first time, right?
- [06:37]
A
Because with stuff like this, like, it shouldn't be costing you. A lot of times people, especially with Facebook ads, say they're dumping like an arm and a leg into those ads. Thousands of thousands of dollars, and they're not getting any kind of return. And I'm like, oh, my goodness. That's like, stop it, stop it. But I feel like Google Ads for that reason feels like a little bit less of a risk because you already know somebody wants exactly what you offer, or it wouldn't be in front of them. And the cost, like, you're not paying hundreds of dollars when someone clicks your Ad, Right. You're just paying like a lower amount.
- [07:10]
B
Yeah, it can range, but usually I'd say like small business owner getting started, you're probably going to pay somewhere between two to $5 for a click. So that's a lot more than a click on a Facebook ad would cost you. But the flip side is they are looking for exactly what you're selling. Selling. You know that little white box? We tell that white box on Google our deepest, darkest secrets are like, what does this rash mean? And like, engagement rings, you know, stuff you would never tell another human being. You tell Google. Google knows a lot of things about us. And for some people, that creeps them out. And I totally get that. But for me, not surprising given my career choice. I find that really exciting that we can help people solve those problems they have. And importantly, if someone doesn't want what you sell, you don't need to advertise to them and waste your money on them. So I think it's pretty cool.
- [08:00]
A
Now, if you're scrolling on Instagram, half the time you click an ad, you end up kind of in a funnel, right? Like, you end up watching a masterclass or getting a download. It brings you specifically to a place that's designed to sell. But with your Google Ads, are they doing that, or most of the time, are they bringing us just to your website? And, like, you're hoping that your website is enough to sell the thing?
- [08:21]
B
It can be either. So having a landing page, a place designed to sell whatever it is you're offering to people who come there can work very well on Google Ads as well. But you can, when you're just getting started with advertising, lead them just to your website. Or what some people even do is advertising to different blog pages. For example, I once advised this company that helps breastfeeding mothers. And so it's one thing for someone to search for like, you know, a nipple cover, right. They know exactly what they're looking for. But most people don't know the solution yet necessarily. They're searching like, why do my breasts hurt while breastfeeding? Right. And so Google can also be a great place for that because, like, they're not in market for the product yet. They're still figuring out what is my problem and is there a solution? And so surfacing relevant content to them that's not just like, sell, buy now can also be really helpful, whether through search ads or whether through something like YouTube, you know, you can show ads to people based on things they're searching for online. So if someone has recently searched for something. You can then show them a YouTube ad while they're minding their business on YouTube and use that opportunity with video to like educate and inform and, and bring them along through that funnel.
- [09:29]
A
You know what's so funny? People always think that our phones are listening and you know what? They are. But also, I think we sometimes don't realize the amount of information we tell it on the straight and narrow. Facebook owns WhatsApp, so it makes sense that if you're typing something to a friend in WhatsApp that that information now goes to Facebook. And like you say, Google owns YouTube. So if you typed a question, I just, I just googled how to make compost. You know, I'm on a composting journey this summer. So like Google now knows that I asked YouTube how to make compost and more than that.
- [10:06]
B
So if someone has a way to help you do that, sure, they could advertise to in that moment. But now that Google knows that about you and everything else knows about you, it can put together like, oh, maybe you're a green living enthusiast. And so any advertiser who wants to reach a green living enthusiast could do so. Or maybe someone sells this compost box. They're not advertising on YouTube, but they want to show display ads, right. To people who've recently viewed that kind of content. And so tomorrow you're going to be minding your business, playing an app on your phone and an ad is going to come up, right, for something about composting, not because they were listening to you, but just because it's all connected. Chrome, Maps, Android Photos, Gmail, like if you really there's, I think there's now nine Google products with over a billion users each. So Google and Amazon and Facebook, each of the big tech companies has a lot of information about you. But when you're a small business owner and you can tap into that to reach potential customers, that's what I find so exciting. Because any small business on their own, there's no way they'd be able to find the exact right people. Right. To reach for their business. But because Google has that information, you as a small business owner can leverage a Google knows to reach your potential customers. Right.
- [11:18]
A
So we don't need to know all those things about people in order to use the Google Ad tools to have Google reach them for us for money.
- [11:27]
B
Exactly, Exactly.
- [11:29]
A
Okay, anyone who this is new to, I think listener, if you're like freaking out because one, it's a bit of a mind game to know that all of this is Happening, but also wondering, like, how you can harness it. I want to make sure that you don't leave totally overwhelmed. So, Jill, can you just tell us how do we know when our business is at a point where it might be time to start utilizing Google Ads and reach out to someone like you or even just start investigating it?
- [11:54]
B
Absolutely. So the first thing I'll say is I don't generally recommend ads for brand new business owners. Before you're going to run ads, you want to already have a good idea of the kind of things you talk about on this podcast, Jenna. So, like, who are you trying to talk to? Who's your ideal customer? Do you have an offer that's appealing to them? Have you already gotten some sales? You want to know that what you have is working so far. You want to have a fire that's already burning. And I say ads are like pouring fuel onto that fire. If you just have your little pile of wood and you haven't been able to get it lit yet, then pouring gasoline on that will not be helpful to you. But if you have a fire going and you've been kindling it and it's slowly building and building, I know you live in the woods, I thought this would be a good analogy. Then pouring some gasoline on that is really going to get you a nice big fire. And so a more practical, like, how do I know if ads are the right next step for me? Rule I come up with is called the rule of two. Rule of two. It's very simple. There are just two numbers you need to know about your business to figure out if you might be ready to run ads. Whether it's Google Ads, Facebook ads, whatever it might be. The first is your conversion rate. So out of everyone who visits your website, how many do the thing you want them to do? How many make a purchase, how many call you, how many book a time in your calendar, whatever it might be? So that's your conversion rate, and you can find that out through your website provider. And the second number you need to know is your average order value, which means when someone does the thing you want them to do, how much money do you make on average? So if they book your service, on average, you make $200, or if they buy something from your store, on average, you make $50, whatever it might be. And so you want to take these two numbers, your conversion rate and your average order value, and just multiply them by each other. And if that doesn't equal at least two, you're probably not ready to run ads. So like practical example, let's say your website conversion rate is 1%. That means that of every 100 people who visit your website, one person does the thing you want them to do. And let's say that when they convert, you make, on average, $200. So on average, when someone buys from you 200 bucks, multiplying $200 by 1% gets you to that $2 number. And so what that means practically is the more expensive what you sell is, the lower your conversion rate can be. Whereas if you sell something quite inexpensive, you're going to want a higher conversion rate. But in my experience, unless that number equals at least 2 2, you're probably not ready to run ads, because those ads probably just won't be profitable for you yet. So you should focus instead on all the other foundations of marketing so you can improve that conversion rate and that average order value.
- [14:33]
A
I feel like I need to listen to that one more time. But at the same time, it's so clear. Like, you're like, this is a math equation. This isn't about you. This isn't about the quality of your work. This isn't about, you know, what side of the bed you woke up on. It's just. It's just a numbers game.
- [14:48]
B
It just numbers your conversion rate times your average order value. And what that two is telling you, by the way, in marketing, we call that your revenue per session. Revenue per session, which just means, on average, every time someone lands on your website, how much money do you make given the conversion rate and given your average order value? So if you have a revenue procession of $2, all that means is, on average, every time someone lands on your website, you make $2, given that 1 in 100 will convert, and when they do, they spend 200. So it's just a helpful way to understand, strictly through the numbers, how your website is doing. Which tells us, of course, how your business is doing and whether you're really ready to scale or whether you have some foundational things you need to work on first.
- [15:34]
A
Jill, you're so good at explaining these things, so it makes perfect sense that you have your own chart topping podcast.
- [15:43]
B
I do, thank you. Yes. It's called Inside Google Ads. Launched it a little bit earlier this year. And in every episode, it's about 10 minutes, and I answer three burning Google Ads questions that folks ask me on social media. So if this is the kind of conversation where you're like, jenna, please don't have a guest like that again, you probably won't enjoy the Inside Google Ads podcast, but if you found someone that's interesting, you can hop on over in wherever you're listening to this now and look up inside Google Ads.
- [16:12]
A
Yes, I'll definitely be binging it. Thank you so much for being here, Jill.
- [16:18]
B
Thanks, Jen. I'll talk to you soon.