Flying in Fog, and Google's Content Network
My friend Jeff, who's a pilot, took me for a ride in his airplane. Once we'd taken off he turned the controls over to me. He let me fly his plane, AND land it.
It was a TOTALLY disorienting experience, as describe on this video:
Sorry if this sounds geeky but it instantly reminded me of teaching people to do AdWords. If things are headed the wrong direction, they frantically push pedals and pull levers and suddenly the whole thing goes into a tail spin.
They crash, with no idea what just happened.
If running ads on Google search is confusing, the Content Network is even trickier. It's like flying an airplane in FOG.
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Perry Marshall
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Entrepreneur Magazine says: "Perry Marshall is the #1 author and world's most-quoted consultant on Google Advertising. He has helped over 100,000 advertisers save literally billions of dollars in Adwords stupidity tax."
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This an excellent analogy to describe using the Google Adwords Content Network.
I have been using it effectively for nearly two years and I am still learning how to better take advantage of the power on the content network.
I have personally spoken to Shelley and I must admit that she is the real deal expert on this subject.
Can't wait to see whatyou too have in store.
Tommie
Flying In Fog and Google Content:
What I took from your video on when you went for the airplane tour with Jeff Tedamin and you referred to the eight ways of how an airplane can fly.
This reminds me of how many beginners begain in this cycle of having eight or more programs going on at once and most do not work one of them propably.
In my opinion a person should not take this approach. They are Flying In Fog.
Kenneth Young
I think that when you are entering in an unknown environment, you must always have assistance from an expert, in your case an experienced pilot. Excellent analogy Perry
Just learning the proper way to structure my AdWords campaigns brought my cost per click down from $5.00 to $0.60.
I feel bad for those that attempt to "Fly" without learning from someone like you how to use AdWords.
Definitely one of the best investments I made…
Hi Perry,
My husband is a pilot and has soloed many people over the years. Our second date was a flying date, where I flew the plane. For some reason it felt very natural for me to fly and was a lot of fun. I even landed it with no help! He said I was the only one he has ever seen land without help on their first try.
I really can't say I have the same natural ability with Google Adwords. I REALLY appreciate all of the great work and documents you have compiled and made available for us newbies to learn from. Thank you!
Excellent analogy Perry!
I can certainly relate to the out-of-control feeling of first contemplating the AdWords interface back in 2003. What the heck is all this stuff and what does it all do?? And what is it going to cost me? Coz I have a feeling it's going to…
After ads going inactive all the time I gave up for a while until I got your guide. Even 6 years later I am still learning even though I do it all day every day!
Flying is definitely the most sublime experience a human being can have.
We all take jet travel for granted – you show up, get on, ride the plane, and get off. Mostly unexciting.
Small aircraft are totally different. It's a much more "intimate" experience. I've been up in a 4-seater a few times and it's very scary. Even if you love flying, like I do.
Particularly when the pilot casually asks you "Want to try a stall…?" Ohmigod planes are supposed to fly aren't they, not stop in midair – we're all going to die!!!
And if you think a light aircraft is weird, you should *definitely* try to hover in a 2-seater helicopter – that is the most awkward feat of coordination ever. A ride in one of those with a former crop-sprayer is not to be missed…
If you'll indulge my story-telling about flying, going back to jets, I was once fortunate enough on a quiet BA flight to wangle a visit to the flight deck. This would be back in the innocent, happier times of around 1998 or so before they became weapons of mass destruction.
As we were coming in to land the pilots asked me if I'd like to be on the flight deck when we touched down.
Seen "The Matrix?" Where Neo is getting his first combat training? "I think he likes it – want some more? – Oh Yeah!"
I got strapped in between them (this was a 757 I think, a big plane) and was given headphones to listen in on flight control instructions.
This was when I realised that the *pilots* aren't actually flying the plane, ground control is. They issue instructions, and the pilots dial the settings in to their controls.
The plane then follows these instructions precisely (this is not in any way to lower the supreme act of responsibility pilots take with hundreds of human lives every minute of every day).
As we approached the landing strip we could see the next flight below us getting ready, and taking off before we started to set down.
The plane gets lower – "100!" announces the automated navigation system. (meters to go)
"50!" "20!" "10!" … and we were down.
And going back to your point about including all the bells and whistles, and making the interface look like the cockpit of a jumbo jet?
I guess this is like when you setup your first campaign and everything is done for you by Google. All the defaults set. (What we tell people to avoid).
Yes, you can cynically argue that Google is just trying to extract the most they can from every beginning advertiser.
But if that were so and they just robbed everyone, we would all give up and they would not be the success they are.
So maybe Google's "ground control" really is just trying to stop us from crash-and-burn when we first get started…?
Or am I being too generous? The more insights we get about the Content Network, the more we realise it's power.
And it's not for no reason that Google has concentrated enormous resources to "Display" advertising (images, graphics, video). Display ads being synonymous with the Content network…
We're only going to see Content, Links, and Images becoming more strategically important over time – look at the PlusBox, Ad SiteLinks (just announced), Display ad builder, YouTube and so on.
This makes your Bootcamp all the interesting and relevant. I look forward to the content!
Perry.. I hate flying! hehehe… I try to avoid flying if I could and only fly when there is no other alternative to it, like if the destination was just too far away to drive to.
Hi Perry,
First I love these videos that you post every few days. You are a natural at doing them. I haven't really tried using the content network, I have strictly just focus all of my campaigns on the search network. But I will definitely sign up for your content tutorials I would love to learn more.
Thanks,
Chris Robertson
Really cute story Perry. Ha ha. My fiance is a pilot…it can be scary as a passenger.
I see the analogy and sales pitch your trying to make with this video. My opinion is : it fails miserably!!
The physics of aeronautics is easy to understand. Only a fool starts pushing pedals and making corrections. Any instructor will tell you, " Hands Off " and let the plane trim itself! It is made to fly and designed to be forgiving of stupid mistakes a pilot makes.
As Far as Fog goes — An instrument rating takes care of that mystery!
The industry your dealing with is an absolute Black Hole we just keep pouring money into. There is No "you do this, it does that" logic associated with Ad Words or for that matter a lot of the computer wizardry we are Forced to subscribe to.
I can teach a woman that doesn't even know where to put gas in her car to fly a small airplane in a matter of 20 or so hours.
By the same token, I've been paying Ad Words for years, and still can't get a real answer to a question out of ANYBODY!! My 2 cents
Glenn,
I'm sorry but you are incorrect. There are LOTS of people making money on AdWords. It's a bidding system so traffic is selling for what it's worth. But you have to have a USP and a good sales funnel. AdWords all by itself is just a way to spend money. If you haven't gotten a real answer then you haven't been asking the right people.
I am puzzled about Google content. We have used Adwords for years for our business. In the last two months the Content portion (which I did not even know existed) has gotten us millions of impressions and hundreds of clicks. Great! Except for the fact that no one who is clicking is apparently interested in our service. What is the deal?
Before the past two months, we would spend $50 a month fairly consistently. Now we are spending that each day, we have stopped the campaign and declined the charges, Google has no support.
We have had people manage us before and they charge us the same thousands a month with no real results- it has truly been a horrible experience.
Charles,
You need to separate search from content, manage them separately, track conversions in the Placement reports. Our Definitive Guide shows you how to do this.
Perry