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.

Google Advertising has some very awesome features that most advertisers are completely unaware of. If you already have a Google Advertising campaign running and are not taking advantage of these,you could be losing valuable leads and sales to your competition. The world of online advertising has changed, but sadly many ad agencies just aren’t aware of the numerous changes in Google Adwords (400 just in the last year).

1. Google forwarding phone number

Did you know that Google Advertising offers a free forwarding phone number that displays on your website? This makes attributing the calls from Google advertising so much more efficient and effective. How does it work?

 

• Whenever someone visits your website from your ad, they will see the Google phone number and they are “cookied”
• Every time they come back to your website they are shown that Google phone number again.

The reason this is so great is when they do call you (using this Google phone number) it gets counted as a conversion – and is attributed to the ad. We know that not everyone takes action immediately after visiting your website and we know they will often come back several times before they take action, previously there was no way of knowing if they had found you via your Google ad or not. Now we do and it’s a real game changer.

2. Google Advertising Re-marketing

This has been around for a while, you most probably have been re-marketed to but didn’t know it.

• Targeted banner ads can be shown to people who have previously visited your website
• You can choose to show different ads to them based on the pages they visited on your website
• These ads will “follow them around” the internet for pre-determined amount of time

It’s an extremely effective and cheap way to advertise to a very targeted group of potential customers. Another real game changer. 

3. Product Listing ads

Sometimes called Google shopping, Product listing ads are for advertisers with a shopping cart on their website.

• These ads show when someone searches for products on Google search
• Google extracts the information in your shopping cart and displays it at the top of the search results
• The ads are targeted to people who have the intention of buying – this is determined by the words they use in their search

Not many advertisers are taking advantage of this here in Australia (yet) so it’s not very competitive (yet) and is very cheap (for now).

Don’t miss the boat

The opportunities are huge. Is your business missing out on increased leads and sales? Find out more about Google Adwords here.