Google Ad Words

[Terry Royce]

I know there have been some threads on this topic in the past.

However, is anyone on this forums actually CURRENTLY using google adwords?

I started going through the adwords site reading into it, and it was a bit overwhelming.

Looking forward to hearing recent experiences.

Thanks

[Paul B.]

I am not using Google AdWords currently. I know you asked to hear from people who are, but I figured I'd chime in.

I have used AdWords in the past with success. I may have paid more (net) for a done deal than others would pay, but I met my target (I'm willing to allocate up to $2,000 in marketing costs to each done deal).

Keep in mind, though, that the only deals I was doing were straight purchases/rehabs/flips. There had to be equity in the deal (at closing), and the location had to be solid. So, I was very particular. Had I an interest in all of the other fancy stuff like lease-options and short sales, I would have had a lot more leads. In hindsight, I should have found someone who was interested in those and sold those leads for $10 to $20 each, because I probably would have recouped half of my AdWords spend.

I am sure the economics of AdWords are more favorable these days since there is presumably less competition.

AdWords might look confusing when you first get started, but you can be up and running fairly quickly. If you're completely new to AdWords, you might get yourself a book on the subject to get going.

Naturally you're going to target your ads to your geographic region, then you're going to write ads that catch their attention. Focus on the problem-solving aspect of what you're offering, and use keywords that people are typing in. (Google will help you find these best keywords.) The most logical ones are "sell house fast" and "we buy houses," but obviously the more popular a search term is, the more you're going to pay for a click.

Probably the biggest mistake I see people make with AdWords (or any paid search strategy) is not using a specific landing page (or a one-page micro-site). Instead, they take people to their general home page, which many times doesn't even have a form on it.

When people click that link, they need to be taken right to the page where they can contact you. You have to sell them on the idea of getting in touch with you quickly, then make it easy for them to do that. That means having a form, an email address, a phone number -- everything.

And with respect to the form, you don't need to make it a hundred questions long, with questions about bedrooms, baths, loan balance, etc. Just get the relevant contact information so you can get in touch. It's a fact that the more information you ask for, the lower your conversion rate. It's only when you have so many inquiries that you need to separate the wheat from the chaff that you need to get a little more detail from your prospects.

The bottom line is that Google AdWords absolutely can work, but you have to do it right, and you have to spend a little time tweaking.

In fact, my very first deal came within days of putting up my campaign. I bought a duplex for $115,000, put $15,000 into it, and sold it within 45 days for $171,000. (Best of all, this was back in the go-go days when Regions Bank would loan you 75% of ARV and give you a $10,000 advance at close without a draw request. I didn't put one red cent into this deal -- not one penny -- as the rent was paying my interest and then some.)

When the dust settled, I think I cleared $28,000. So, yeah...you could say I am a fan. "Thank you, AdWords!"