Does this sound familiar? You’re at a café with a friend. Your phone is on the table next to you. Your friend mentions an amazing new product. It sounds interesting, so you think you’ll look into it later…but then you forget.

Soon after, an ad for the product pops up in your Facebook feed. You didn’t search for the product online, didn’t include it in a post, a text or email. You only ever mentioned it in a phone conversation or when your phone was nearby.

The first time this happens you probably just think it’s a coincidence. But when you receive more ads that are highly targeted to what you’ve only ever talked about you might start to wonder, “Is my phone listening to me?”.

Cue the creepy music.

Hey Google, could this really be happening?

After all, it’s not out of the realms of possibility.

• Smartphones have a microphone and are programmed to act when we ask a question – think Google assistant, Alexa and Siri.
• If you use these applications and your phone is on, it’s “listening” and ready to respond.
• Experts argue the technology exists and the algorithms are sophisticated enough.
• We know Google and Facebook collect data which they use to target ads.

But are they also listening in?

Computer says no

Google, Facebook and others say they are not listening to people’s conversations.

For one thing, gathering a constant stream of audio from so many phones would cost a great deal.

And, ultimately, they don’t need to listen to you. They already know you better than your nearest and dearest.

In a previous blog post on machine learning, I talked about how, by analysing 300 of your Facebook likes, an Artificial Intelligence enhanced algorithm can evaluate your character better than your partner.

And, Facebook likes are just the tip of the iceberg. Your status updates, photos you post or are tagged in, everywhere you’ve logged on and all your messenger conversations, even the ones you half typed, thought better of and deleted, all help paint a picture of you, your likes and dislikes.

Added to this, your clickstream is like a window into your stream of consciousness, and by analysing your browsing and purchase history, Google makes some spookily accurate guesses.

Big Brother is watching

By opting into the world of social media and online searches, we’ve opted out of an anonymous life.

Which shouldn’t really come as a surprise. Most of us know by now that you pay for free social media and internet browsers with your personal information.

So can I, as I suspect a lot of you do, still hear the creepy music?

Experts predict a ground swell of unease about online tracking will result in the rise of products and services to help us hide our activity. Until then, I’ve outlined several ways you can improve your online privacy in this blog post.

But, of course, there is an upside to all this.

ONLINE INFLUENCE’S PLAYLIST

Forget the tri-tones and dramatic swells of sound, if you run a business, there’s nothing at all creepy about Google’s astonishing foresight. In fact, it’s genuinely awesome!

Online Influence is a trusted Google partner, and by working with those nosy algorithms, our friendly team can help you target your advertising campaigns with almost pin point accuracy. Contact us to find out how we can help your business today.

When it comes to running successful Google AdWords campaigns, smaller agencies have a lot to offer. You don’t have to think big to get big results!

Google Ads focus on keywords. This targeted and tailored form of advertising is a great way to promote your business and win more leads. What’s more, with a Google AdWords campaign you can set a budget and you only pay when people click on your ad.

There are some good large agencies in the Google Ads field, but smaller agencies can often give more bang for your buck.

How? Think about the little guy on the football team. He’s quick on his feet and slips through spaces others miss. He has to be nimble, mentally and physically, to survive! He can’t rely on brute force, so he’s got to be smart, fast and creative in the way he plays the game.

Here’s 10 good reasons to think small for big Google Ad returns.

1. Small agencies have to be highly-skilled and dynamic
Smaller Google Partner businesses have to be smart and creative. At Online Influence, we have to think outside the square, be flexible and problem solve as we go – no need to wait for a response from another department, we are the other department!

2. True partners
Three members of our small team have studied for, sat and passed the rigorous Google exams that earnt Online Influence it’s Google Partner Badge. These are the staff members who look after our Google AdWord clients. However, that’s not always the case. A business only needs one qualified person to earn a badge. At a big agency, your account won’t necessarily be handled by a qualified Google expert.

3. Google Ads don’t fit the system
Big agencies, like all big businesses, have clearly delineated roles and systems in place. To get the best results from Google AdWords, you need a campaign that’s tailored to your business, not someone else’s, and you need a flexible expert on your side. At Online Influence we “customise not systemise”.

4. We won’t lock you in
At Online influence, we rely on great results to keep our clients happy. Because of their large overheads, most big agencies lock you into expensive contracts you just can’t get out of, even if the ads aren’t working.

5. Know what you’re paying for
Big agencies will often bundle your ad spend and management fee together, which means it can be hard to tell how much was actually spent on Google ads. At Online Influence our accounting is clear and transparent.

6. Reporting you can trust
Our reports are extracted from your Google account, not generated from a reporting system that leaves out critical data. They are true and accurate and give you the real picture, not just a bunch of facts and figures that make us look good.

7. Own your history
When you choose Online Influence, you choose the rights to your history. Big agencies often don’t give their clients access to their Google ad account. This means that if you leave, you lose all your valuable history.

8. Know, like, trust
With a small agency, the person who signs you up looks after you from start to finish. In larger agencies, your campaign is, more often than not, assigned to a junior (often unqualified) staff member you’ll never meet.

9. A double shot soy latte, right?
At Online Influence, we believe in personal service. We work hard to get to know you and your business. We don’t want the overview, we want the nitty gritty. This gives us a better understanding of what you need and the market you’re trying to target.

10. We’re a small business just like you
When you choose a smaller agency, like Online Influence, you’re choosing someone who understands your struggles and needs.

Just because a business is “offline” doesn’t necessarily mean that it cannot promote its products and services on the internet. In fact, many traditional businesses like restaurants, coffee shops, accounting firms, dental clinics, manufacturing firms and countless others are using online marketing tactics to reach their target customers.

Here are the most effective online marketing techniques that anyone can use to generate an ongoing stream of leads, prospects and customers from the internet:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization is a process, or a set of targeted activities, which aim to increase the search engine rankings of a website in a given niche or industry. The higher the rankings of a website, the more online visitors it will receive (which eventually leads to more sales and profit). There are various aspects of SEO that online business owners should understand in order to succeed in this particular strategy:

• Keyword research. This is the act or process of discovering which keyword phrases are being searched for by a target market on Google or Yahoo. In SEO, a business owner pays attention to popular search phrases with a high amount of traffic stats per month. SEO campaigns are based on main keyword phrases (and other related keywords) in a given niche or industry.

• On-Page optimization. This refers to optimizing a particular website for higher search engine rankings by tweaking or adjusting certain elements within the website itself. Putting main keywords on the title, description, meta tags, and body of the webpage content is an example of on-page optimization.

• Off-page Optimization. This refers to SEO activities which are done outside a business website. Activities such as increasing the number of external links to a website (also called backlinks), and blasting SEO content in key internet channels, are prime examples of off-page optimization.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)

Aside from SEO, another effective online marketing strategy is pay-per-click advertising (PPC). This is a form of advertising where the business owners create short ads which will be shown and served in various content networks all over the web. Google Adwords and Yahoo! Search Marketing are examples of online platforms who offer pay-per-click programs. Basically, this form of advertising is cost-effective because advertisers will only pay for each click that they receive from their ads.

Just like SEO, PPC requires the business owner to perform keyword research before starting any online marketing campaign because all PPC ads are keyword based. Generally, popular keywords in a given niche or industry will entail a higher cost for the advertiser, while not so popular keywords will cost less per click.