Introduction to Google Engage
The Google Engage program for agencies has been around since February 2011. Back in November, 2011, Ben was contacted by Google, went through the brief and simple application process and within a few days, Little Wing Marketing became a member of the Google Engage for Agencies program.
So what is it?
According to Google, “Google Engage is a program that helps you master the art of online marketing so you can help your clients succeed online.”
As a part of membership, you receive hundreds to thousands of dollars worth of “coupons” toward Google products and services that can be passed on to clients.
But I don’t work for Google
The skeptic in me thinks that Google Engage is merely an initiative of Google to cultivate an army of web nerds (developers, designers, programmers, online marketers, etc.) to be non-paid, glorified sales associates pushing Google’s products onto their clients.
Although part of that is true- Google is educating web professionals on how to use and sell their products…however, they are providing valuable services to agencies that help them make their clients more money, which helps the agency make more money. I’ll go into detail about those valuable services in this article.
Not to mention, that Google is THE authority on the web. So, the more we know about their products and how they can reach our target audience, the better we will be as marketers, and the better off our clients will be.
What is the Value in Google Engage for Agencies?
Google Engage, at its core, is about education. Educating agencies in how to use and sell Google products, which brings in more money to the the small business we work for, thus more money to us, as their marketing agency. Gotta love “Win Win”. But most importantly, we learn…
Learn how to talk to business owners about their online marketing
The best thing, in my opinion, about Google Engage is learning how to talk to business owners about marketing their business online.
Little Wing Marketing is an internet marketing agency that handles accounts from small to medium sized local businesses. An overwhelming majority of our clients are not highly computer, web, or “Google product” literate and they will admit that in the first meeting. I’ll even go so far as to say that many local businesses do not even have their head wrapped about their business goals and processes or marketing goals and strategies. So, as marketers with the know-how, it becomes our responsibility to explain how these products can grow their business online.
Many of their online resources, help you evaluate the needs of your client (the right questions to ask), assess the products that will benefit the client, and then helps you tailor a sales pitch to your client getting them started working with you, using these products.
It gets the agency thinking about the right questions to ask, what to consider, how to evaluate and what to propose. Literally, getting to the root of business “problems”, setting goals and offering “solutions” for achieving those goals.
Get to know their business…
Basically, it goes like this…
Know Your Own Business
- Know it inside out!
- Strengths, Weaknesses, Unique Selling Proposition
Know Your Client
- Know your client‘s industry, segment & company
- Products/services sold
- Current sales processes
- Business goals both online and offline
- Size of company (Large, Medium, Small)
Know Google
- CPCs, Google Client Fit, Google products
Once you know these things, you can design customized solutions for your client…
Education & Support- How to use products and how to sell products that will make your clients more money and you more money.
- AdWords phone support
Google will help you build client pitches, construct campaigns and give you advice on how to optimize.
- Online training courses, webinars and events
Covers latest innovations and best practices for AdWords and beyond.
A new initiative of Google Engage is to broadcast “lunch and learns” that are hosted by local agencies, where Google provide lunch during the presentation about Google products and services that will benefit businesses. I attended one last week at another local web firm, and was impressed at the 25+ in attendance. I have also seen webinar tutorials and hangouts on Google+ with the purpose of educating internet marketing professionals as well as business owners about how to use Google products to make more money online.
- AdWords credit for your new clients
It’s easier to get a client started on a product with a $100 coupon- especially when they can begin to see results.
- Sales tools and marketing collateral
Here is a screenshot from a downloadable .pdf document in my Google Engage account called, “Learn about the effective sales pitch.”
Conclusion
Getting involved with Google Engage might be just what you need to separate your agency from the others and your ability to find relevant, trackable and quantifiable marketing and advertising solutions for your clients. Thus, your agency will grow as a result of happy clients that trust in your business, web and marketing expertise.
I have just read this
http://abetteruserexperience.com/2012/06/poor-bastard-of-the-month-the-adwords-specialist/
But I see you changed your mind about Adwords certified professionals.
Good to know =)
It would be interesting to learn more about your experience in the Google Engage program. I’d be particularly interested in understanding how Google Engage agencies make their money. Do you bill clients by the hour to set up and manage their AdWords? Or do you bill a percentage of their Google spend (e.g. the client spends $1000 per month on Google AdWords, so you bill 10% or $100)?
The way people make their money with Google Engage is by charging for their services. Google Engage is first and foremost an educational platform. And it’s primarily geared towards the person doing the word, such as an AdWords specialist. The AdWords specialist goes through Google Engage, gets educated on how to position and market AdWords to clients. Then, when they get the AdWords work, they charge for that service.
As for how you charge for AdWords updates, that depends on you, really. But most of the people I know that do it charge either a flat management fee or bill hourly. You could take a percentage of the AdWords spend, but in my experience, that happens less often than charging a flat fee.