martes, 7 de octubre de 2014

Does Google Adwords truly deliver ROI?

As a team, we were discussing how to market our brand-new mobile app. Of course Google Adwords is a great tool, easy and fast to implement. However, is Google Adwords a good investment for all kinds of online-based business?

Our project consists of a mobile application that provides information about health care institutions and services in Chicago. Now, lets consider the cost to be associated with a simple Google Adwords campaign:

  • Approx. Cost per click: $2.11
  • Approx. Total Clicks per day: 18
  • Approx. Total Budget per month: $1,100 (This is a very conservative budget amount).
Sama and I were looking for the standard conversation rate in the industry, and there is not such thing as a standard conversion rate. Conversion rate are subjected to different variables such as devices, type of product, price, budget and segment market, just to name a few. All these variables make it very difficult to have a good estimate of what our conversation rate would be. As our application will be downloaded mostly on smartphones and tablets, we will base our calculations according to a study made by EQ3 that specifies the average e-Commerce mobile conversion rate in the health industry is 3.33%.

3.33% of conversion rate means that for every 100 clicks, only 3 or 4 clicks will results in sales. In our case, we are expecting 540 clicks per month, resulting in 18 sales of our application.

This doesn’t sound good! Our application will be sold for a price no greater than $5.00. Let’s do the math:
  •  Investment: $1,100
  •  Sales Revenue: $90
  • ROI: -$1,010

Based on our budget, we will need a conversion rate of 41% in order to perceive a positive return. Even the best conversion rate doesn’t exceed 30% according to a study that analyzed AdWords accounts with a combined $3 billion in annual spend.


Conclusion

We are true believers that Google Adwords offers a great tool to advertise products and services and generate brand awareness. However, this method doesn’t apply to all type of products.

As a marketer with professional experience working with Adwords campaigns for B2B, I can say that 5% of conversion rate is perfectly fine because products and services are sold by more than $500. For instance, cloud companies can spend an average of $2,500 on Adwords campaigns monthly (Approx. 1,000 clicks). Every click that is turned into client means at least a $500 contract.

In our case, Google Adwords might work for brand awareness and to position our application in the market, which we will explore in depth throughout our marketing planning.

No matter how good your landing pages are, or how good your campaign is planned, Google Adwords is not for everybody.


2 comentarios:

  1. Wow. This is some great research and some avenues of research I need to trip down a bit further. However, I disagree that the ROIexactly equals revenue. The return could be real-estate above the digital fold and more exposure case your SEO strategy is not putting you there naturally.

    And maybe, for all those clicks that didn't turn into a purchases, you could engaged by other means... and if that buyer has a good reason for not completing the order, you learned something that may be wrong with your company's website. Information is ROI, too.

    ResponderEliminar
    Respuestas
    1. Hi Molly! Yes, definitely ROI doesn't have to equal revenue. However, I would say that google adwords needs to be treated carefully. Cost can go out of control if you don't have a KPI plan. Thanks for passing by.

      Eliminar