Andy's AdWords Course - Get found by the people already looking for you

[Andy Black]

The forum is taking shape.

I'll upgrade to Xenforo v2, and add a theme as the default one is pretty ugly.
I'm still migrating the videos from the course into the forum.
Then need to configure some cart software so that people create a subscription and it creates an account automagically.

 

[redthumb]

Can I get the Code Andy?

 

[Andy Black]

For anyone who's on the fence... I highly suggest joining Andy's forum. It's amazing how fast he got it up. And he shares a lot of good info.

Also, his methods work. Here's the proof from a test that I ran in my account. It's a small sample size from one campaign. But it's starting to work well across the whole account.

The Test Column is using most of the stuff that I learned from him.

View attachment 17863

Using a slightly modified version of his methods, I reduced the monthly cost from $3,752 to $595 while increasing the quality of my leads. CPA for Valid leads (provisioned lead) dropped about 4X and ROAS went up 6Xish.

And the test campaign had some issues too. It's only getting better.

If you want to learn adwords, I'd start here.

Hey, thanks for the write-up and recommendation @johnp. I’ll have to find out what your slight modification is.

Interesting that you think the forum was created fast. It feels like it’s taking forever, with so many fiddly little bits getting fixed.

The main things to do before I open the doors are to:

1. Setup the shopping cart.
2. Finish copying the course into the forum.
3. Setup ActiveCampaign so new members automatically get added to the mailing list - so I can announce outages and changes and send a weekly update.

I will likely leave the course up on Thinkific for those that purchased it there, and just stop people from being able to purchase it. There seems to be a lot of people who bought it who don’t want to be in the forum, which is fine.

I’ve been focused on providing value in the forum rather than finishing off all these tasks. I think that’s the right way to do things.

Won’t be long and course will be closed for new buyers, and I create a marketplace ad for the forum.

Thanks for being active, and your feedback. Both are much appreciated.

 

[becks22]

Hey Andy,

Can you please PM me the discount code? I've been putting off doing this but the summit made me realize, I can't wait any longer... Thanks in advance!

 

[Andy Black]

Are there any discount code still available?

There sure is. It can be found on the inside here: https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/co...ng-adwords-from-a-pro-andys-brain-dump.54028/

 

[Guest92dX]

Here's a question that you might not know how to answer. I really hope you do though.

@Andy Black

Reposted from the PM.

Before I get to that:

The free trial of the AdWords course helped me achieve a 40% CTR on page. I had 2% conversions on page. People even still visited my site even without clicking on the link.

The question:

If I wanted to make a landing page and/or website that helped me find/buy business problems, how would I go about building an AdWords campaign to find the ideas/problems?

Basically, I want to pull a business problem out of 25 people who have the same problem. Then, I want them to purchase to have the solution built.

If you were to start a campaign like this how would you do it? Second question, would you actually do it? Do you think this campaign could be successful?

Fwiw, you can do click-to-call. You can do landing page. You can set it up anyway possible.

How would you create the campaign? What would you frame it as?

I don't need hand holding. I just need a general framework.

I just hate cold calls and cold emails. This is why I'm asking. I already saw how hard it is to get people buying even when they're asking for it.

My only positive feedback loop has been with AdWords. Perry Marshall suggests sticking with positive feedback loops.

 

[Guest92dX]

Never ceases to impress. Thanks man. There are a million ways to skin a cat. I knew it had to be possible.

I will pick up the Ask book.

I don't know any business owners anymore I think so I might just go ahead and pound pavement. Or, cold email and cold call.

When I have deeper pockets I will do this method.

You should write a whole post on this Andy!

Thanks again.

 

[Andy Black]

Just went to purchase with the INSIDERS code and it didn't work? Is there a new code available?

Hi @ToddD ... as per our PM conversation, I've changed it so INSIDERS pay $299/year for access to my PPC community, plus lifetime access to the course.

I'll create a new marketplace ad shortly about the PPC community.

 

[Andy Black]

You're the best Andy! I got it all working just fine now. I went ahead thru the Adwords pdf on there and have started my first campaign with very little issue.

My biggest "trouble" was when I didn't know the best keyword to use and the one I chose didn't even rank in my area. So then I had to go to the Keyword Planner and find a better keyword. Once I did that, I wasn't 100% sure how to modify the ad group (or whatever part I was supposed to access). But with Google's help, I got it all working just fine.

And pretty sure that the section I'm about to watch is about to cover Keyword research in depth! Thanks again!

Yeah, the PDF is good to print out and have alongside while you go through the videos.

Often I won’t go in and completely change something. I’ll often just pause the original campaign or ad group and create a new one. This gives me a fallback/rollback position (there’s a thread in my wee forum about that).

 

[ToddD]

Creating New AdWords accounts is easy with an MCC:

It's very simple to create a new AdWords account under your MCC account.
(Note that you can have nested MCC accounts if you want to grant access to specific MCCs to different people.)

Andy - What if the other business already has an AdWords account? I know that I click "Link Existing" and get their Customer ID number but would they be skiddish to grant me permission since I can access their billing info?

I suppose it would be the same if I created one from scratch and then they add their billing access to that one? Or as manager, can I not view that one area of their info?

 

[Andy Black]

Andy - What if the other business already has an AdWords account? I know that I click "Link Existing" and get their Customer ID number but would they be skiddish to grant me permission since I can access their billing info?

I suppose it would be the same if I created one from scratch and then they add their billing access to that one? Or as manager, can I not view that one area of their info?

Oops. Only just spotted this.

As a manager you can see their billing address but not their credit card info. I often get access to a client’s (or prospective client’s) account so we can discuss what’s been happening and determine whether I can indeed help.

 

[Andy Black]

Someone just asked me the following:

"I will be getting your course soon but before I delve into adwords I was wondering if you had a specific thread on how to use google keyword planner to research demand and competition for local service businesses (ex. window cleaning or power washing) in my area. I want to know if the people in my city / area search for more window cleaning than say carpet cleaning. I tried searching "window cleaning city" and it showed 10-100 monthly searches and "carpet cleaning city" showed 100-1000. Also much more maid service searches. Does this mean that window cleaning is not in demand in this local market? Sorry to bother you mate but if this is in a thread or your course please do let me know."


There are videos in the free trial of the course on how I use the Keyword Planner.

The short answer is that the Keyword Planner gives estimates. What I do is load campaigns and find out.

Some additional reading:

• The Biggest Benefit of AdWords
• Are You Only Buying Traffic?
  
• The Need For Speed
  
• How to get profitable or fail fast with AdWords

And an Inside thread:

• Turning Data Into Profit

 

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[ToddD]

QUICK NOTE:

The videos in the course are for the old interface that Google is depreciating soon.

I'll be redoing the videos using the new interface soon, but not for a couple of weeks at least.

Thanks Andy! Was hoping you'd do this for us! You're the best!!

 

[rybanez]

This course is pure gold. I dove into it a few months back and applied it to a side project I started. It didn't take long to get some new customer sign-ups from applying what I learned. Thanks Andy for putting this together!

 

[AFMKelvin]

Hi @Faithlaine, I’m confused. Are you sorry for posting something else that you deleted, or sorry the course is (still) closed?

(The course is not actually closed btw, I’m just discouraging people from purchasing until I redo the videos.)

Wow didn't even know you had a course let me know when you're open again.

 

[AFMKelvin]

I will let people know in this thread when the course videos have been redone.

Don’t hold your breath though. Doing a whole video course is hard work and takes a lot of commitment. It’s “on the long finger” at the moment (an Irish phrase I’m fond of).

In the meantime I’m setting up a paid email newsletter because I can drop wee hints, tips, and long rambles all day every day - because I’m at the coalface as a doer.

I’m not in the course creation business. For me, content is a byproduct of the work I do, and of responding to people in forums, Facebook groups, emails, calls, and conversing with clients and prospects.

If I can leave breadcrumbs behind as I’m moving forward then great. Even better if I can turn that into a scalable revenue stream.

If you signup for the free trial of the course then you’ll end up on my MailCheat(Chimp) list that I (ahem) only setup last week and only mailed for the first time yesterday.

People on that list will hear first what I’m up to and when I release the course again, and release other stuff. (All you email marketers will be facepalming at that. Haha.)

How do I sign up for the free trial and what's your facebook group?

 

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[Andy Black]

How do I sign up for the free trial and what's your facebook group?

Signup to the free trial of the course. You’re then on the MailCheat(Chimp) list I’ve just created.

I shutdown the Facebook group, and will likely shutdown the forum I created.

 

[lobo]

im interested to purchase the course, i'll be buying it once all the videos are completed

 

[MattR82]

Awesome, perfect timing for me to jump back into it soon.

 

[23Infinity]

Thanks for all the free content you post here Andy. I got my first client after gaining enough knowledge and confidence from your free content out there, and built my first campaign too, which seems to be doing well so far. Just bought your course as well.

 

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[lobo]

Awesome! I’m so pleased you’ve got your own campaigns running and are getting traction.

So you managed, and with a mixture of videos for the old interface and the new interface? That’s good to know while I’m still updating the videos.

Thanks for the review!

Not to rush you or anything, But when do you think the new videos will be finished uploading? I plan to sign up then

 

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[NursingTn]

I wished I knew about this when I did a trial Google ad campaign.

Oi vey, I should have come ask you first Andy rather than Google God. You would have been far more helpful in getting me up to speed.

 

[#nowhere]

Hi Andy,

awesome that you have redone the course. I want to generate leads for an (my) ecommerce business. You said the course is not specifically targeted at ecommerce optimization. Does this still hold true?

You call the course "jumpstart". If I have a bit of knowlegde about Adwords and want to generate more leads for an ecommerce business could your course be the starting point? What to do next or more specifically could you point me to some source which is more specified regarding google ads and ecommerce? Or do you say (like it usually is) "execution over information consumption"? So maximizing what I learned in your course instead of more learning?! I'm asking this specifically bc the internet is such a crowded place and gaining traction in a new channel can get really hard really fast - my experience is that more knowlegde is often the answer - because then you are able to find ways around the wide mass (who is driving up prices etc.). Shoot me a PM if necessary.

Thank you in advance and best regards from Germany

#n

 

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[Andy Black]

Hi Andy,

awesome that you have redone the course. I want to generate leads for an (my) ecommerce business. You said the course is not specifically targeted at ecommerce optimization. Does this still hold true?

You call the course "jumpstart". If I have a bit of knowlegde about Adwords and want to generate more leads for an ecommerce business could your course be the starting point? What to do next or more specifically could you point me to some source which is more specified regarding google ads and ecommerce? Or do you say (like it usually is) "execution over information consumption"? So maximizing what I learned in your course instead of more learning?! I'm asking this specifically bc the internet is such a crowded place and gaining traction in a new channel can get really hard really fast - my experience is that more knowlegde is often the answer - because then you are able to find ways around the wide mass (who is driving up prices etc.). Shoot me a PM if necessary.

Thank you in advance and best regards from Germany

#n

What do you mean by “generate leads for your eCommerce business”? Do you mean generate form fill enquiries or phone calls, as well as make sales from the website?

We have a new client at the moment selling office supplies. We’re using the paid search campaigns to generate sales and trying to generate leads too. This is before we create any Google Shopping Ads. The principles are the same: get the keywords nice and tight, have a relevant ad, and send people to a page that offers what they’re looking for.

 

[Andy Black]

Thank you Andy for your answer.

So as I see it as google shopping and ads work with the same principles you say the principles are universal for both? My goal is generating sales and form inputs with contact data, yes.

Best regards and thank you

N

Google Shopping is different than standard paid search ads. You don’t load keywords. Instead, Google looks at the title and description of your product and tries to show your ad when it thinks someone’s search term indicates they’re looking for your product. It’s a bit like SEO meets paid search. They can be very effective. It’s just that I prefer to upload thousands of keywords and have tighter control of what I do and don’t show ads for.

 

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[Andy Black]

So basically you are saying that control is higher with google ads than with shopping. So that would be your first choice?

Start with standard paid search ads because they’re simpler to setup, and they bring more data. Meanwhile you can get the ball rolling setting up the Google Shopping Ads.

I find Google Shopping can bring in a lot of junk and info-seeker search terms, so it’s case of starting slowly and adding negatives as you find them. Because standard paid search ads are keyword driven we can start out of the gate with higher bids and budgets because we can be more precise about what search terms we show for.

An example is for a client that sells office furniture. The Google Shopping campaign has been getting clicks for search term “desks”. We wouldn’t dream of bidding on just “desks” in our standard paid search campaign, we’d bid on +office +desks at least. So we’ve had to add [desks] and [desk] as negatives.

 

[Andy Black]

Also loved the course. At first I wanted to do a few campaigns for a people for free but after a month they were so satisfied with results they wanted to pay me. (two exactly. )

Everything is nicely explained and campaigns are set up in clear, easy to understand way. Step by step. Really loved that.

I only had some problems with fully understanding some YouTube videos since I'm not native so I wouldn't mind some subtitles and maybe giving some advice how to check conversions (if it was in course I had to missed that).

And also additional + for Andy for being such a kind guy.

You’re getting paid for your new skill? Well done!

 

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[Sadik]

Hey @Andy Black I am finally using the course for an Ad Campaign I am creating for a client. It's been very useful so far! Thanks.

I would like to finally join the FB group now since I am actively creating ads. Can you tell me what to do to join.

 

[Juan Pimentel]

Someone just asked the following:

Is your Adwords course still updated nowadays?
Will we learn from 0 to a decent level?

Like how to propose to clients, how to get them..

Oh and also, I see that you have a 40 page free ebook but it's available just by being subscripted.
Is it worth it or should I just buy your course?

Thanks and let's rock in 2020


My answer:

The eBook I pasted in the Speedway could still work. The screenshots are out of date, but the principles are evergreen.

The course videos and eBook are up to date.

Yes, people have gone from zero to decent level - aka generating leads. The goal is to get people started asap, so they can start running campaigns within a few hours without worrying about losing their shirt, AND understanding what they’re doing and why.

The goal is not to turn someone into an expert overnight, because that’s not possible. People have to start running campaigns for things to click into place, and for more advanced stuff to make sense.

I don’t cover client acquisition yet, because it’s not a course on growing a Google Ads agency.

However, I do have plans of adding modules or courses for sales, marketing, project management, client management, scaling with Excel, etc.

I didn’t do client acquisition modules because the course was equally for business owners who want to run their own campaigns, and for marketers serving Google Ads clients.

I’m going to create lots more courses and modules in 2020. Rather than create different “streams” for the different folks who’ve purchased the course, I might make an annual membership site where people pay a fee each year to access all courses.

People who buy the current incarnation of the course get lifetime access. If I create an annual membership with additional modules and regular new content then anyone who’s bought the current course can be grandfathered into the membership site at a discounted rate.

(I'm still figuring this out btw...)

Hey Andy is the annual membership ready? I would like to pay so I can access all the courses and anything new that you bring out. In the meanwhile thank you so much for all the value you provide to this forum.

 

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[Andy Black]

Hey Andy is the annual membership ready? I would like to pay so I can access all the courses and anything new that you bring out.

Gosh. A “shut up and take my money” moment. I’ve had a few of these lately.

I’ve upped my video creation game recently with various new YouTube channels and progress threads on the forum.

I have to figure out a process of publishing quality content regularly while still working on my lead gen business. And I’m watching to see if I can sustain a weekly or monthly publishing schedule indefinitely.

I’m quite enjoying the video creation, so am definitely a step closer to creating a membership site.

By the way, you can find those new progress threads in my signature at the moment, and I send out emails to people who’ve signed up for the free lessons in The AdWords Jumpstart course.

In the meanwhile thank you so much for all the value you provide to this forum.

Why thank you. It’s my pleasure.

I learn so much from people’s feedback, so thank you for commenting.