or scroll down to get the highlights

Tap HERE to listen to the interview, or keep reading to hear Chontelle’s top tips for building a strong foundation in your ecommerce business.

From Inner Circle Member to Business Growth Guru

Chontelle sells houseplants online from her home base in New Zealand. Since her market is fairly small, and she doesn’t have access to existing platforms like Etsy, she has always relied on selling directly from her own website. So it’s been extra important to her to drive traffic to her website with a paid social media strategy.

Chontelle had joined several ecommerce courses over the years, but found her home in the Inner Circle because of our focus on building a strong foundation. She learned that having a structured plan to follow, plus expert coaches that she could reach out to with questions or problems, really fast-tracked her success. And she loves being able to pay it forward now as a coach herself!

Finding Your Audience With Ads Made Easy

Chontelle kicked off 2024 by guiding our members through our social media ads workshop. Ads Made Easy is a very thorough and effective testing method to identify and target your ideal audience of buyers using social media ads. It’s all about identifying the fastest, cheapest way to find your ideal people, so that you can feel like social media is working for YOU, not the other way around.

“Once you’ve done the [Ads Made Easy] testing, it’s almost a set and forget exercise where you have this evergreen ad at a really ridiculously low cost per day.”

So for just a few dollars a day, you can quickly “fill your bucket” as we say, with a huge audience of people who are going to be really excited about your product. At the foundational level, our #1 priority is to keep that top of your sales funnel constantly filled with a large number of the right people. You don’t do it once and move on, you have to always have this “tap” running in the background to keep your bucket full.

One Month Of Testing Saves Several Months of Spend

Chontelle is a believer in sticking to the plan and committing to at least a full month of Ads Made Easy testing because it can save so much money later on.

“If you cut corners, then those people aren’t going to necessarily be your people. So it’s going to cost you more to bring them to your website because you haven’t done the testing to get the lowest cost possible.”

She teaches a holistic approach to tracking campaign performance, using Google Analytics (aka GA4) to measure results against the Meta Ads Manager. She really digs into the data to analyze audience quality, tracking metrics like time on site. A high bounce rate or low time on site can indicate that more testing is needed, and that even though your ads might be getting traffic to your site cheaply, it’s not the kind of traffic that will actually buy from you.

Marching (Slowly) Toward Conversion

Another reason Chontelle is such a believer in Ads Made Easy testing is that this top of funnel ad is not going to get sales. It’s going to provide a very large pool of potential customers that you will re-target later on. So if you aren’t attracting the right people up front, you’ll waste a lot of time and money later trying to persuade them to buy when they were never interested to begin with. Driving traffic isn’t cheap, so putting the work in early on to identify the right audience pays dividends further down the funnel.

The #1 Ads Mistake Store Owners Make

Chontelle has found that when first starting out, lots of people are impatient with their tests and include too many variables at once. And when they throw too many elements into the mix, it’s virtually impossible to identify what is working and what isn’t. The process is (and should be) slow and methodical – testing one variable at a time, completing one test before moving on to the next.

Roadmap For Success: Slow Down To Speed Up

Chontelle tells us that to successfully build a solid foundation for your ecommerce store, you have to take it slow, follow the lessons one at a time, and don’t cut corners. Give yourself time to implement the strategies and don’t allow yourself to get distracted.

“There are so many shiny objects in front of us all of the time that it is really easy for us to go off on this tangent and go over here and look at this.”

Attempting to learn too much at once keeps you right where you are. You start doubting yourself, wondering if there’s something wrong with your site, and falling down rabbit holes. Whereas making slow, steady progress compounds over time, and ultimately fast-tracks your success.

Chontelle attributes her store’s meteoric success to following the Inner Circle method in this slow, methodical way. In fact, she was able to leave her “day job” and dedicate 100% of her time to her own business.

By embodying patience, attention to detail, and a willingness to learn and apply, Chontelle has not only elevated her own business but now dedicates part of her time to helping others in the Inner Circle. If you’re a member in need of help with the basics, book a call with her! You can also learn more about our foundational programs in the links below.

RELATED LINKS:

Chontelle’s website: https://thelilypot.co.nz/

Episode 123 – Ads Made Easy

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/10x-your-audience-in-the-next-30-days-episode-123/

The Secret Way To Make Big Progress With Chontelle Fossey

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/the-secret-way-to-make-big-progress-with-chontelle-fossey-episode-124/

Build A Massive Audience With A Brand Video

https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/build-a-massive-audience-with-a-brand-video-episode-162/

or scroll down to get the highlights

Transform Your Business with a ‘Marketing First’ Mindset

I always say that “Marketing First” store owners will get more sales than store owners who don’t make their marketing a habit. A Marketing First mindset means strategically positioning marketing at the core of your business activities. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting out, adopting this mindset will be  immensely beneficial.

I recently spoke with Melissa Davies, owner of Bike Pretty. She’s really the quintessential Marketing First store owner, and I want to share the story of the amazing transformation Melissa made last year.

Melissa was already a good marketer. She has owned her business for ten years so she was consistently posting to social media, emailing her list regularly, running social media ads, etc. But she wasn’t quite connecting the dots of how her social media efforts were translating to sales.

Watch this video and learn:

• How Melissa built an audience of 4.6 million
• What happened when she posted a video for the 5th time
• How her supersized audience affected her sales

Two Game-Changing Trainings

Early last year we introduced a couple of new trainings to the Inner Circle. One was ‘The Big Picture’ in which we showed members how to build a sales funnel, and understand their numbers. The other was Brand Video Creation. In this one, we taught members how to create really effective 45-second brand videos they could use to build their audiences without paying a lot for ads.

So Melissa really was able to visualize her sales funnel for the first time. And she had a lightbulb moment when she realized that she had been underestimating how many people she needed to reach on social media in order to bring in the traffic she would need to reach her sales goals.

Once that was clear, she decided to leverage the second training to make a brand video that she could turn into an ad that would get her business in front of a LOT more people.

The brand video lesson empowers members to craft short, engaging videos showcasing their products and business benefits, accompanied by a strong call to action. These videos are not just fluffy showcases; they are powerful tools for audience growth, especially when used effectively on platforms like Meta and TikTok.

A Success Story: Melissa Davies’ Remarkable Year

To truly understand the impact of these lessons, let’s look at Melissa’s mind blowing numbers. She started with a monthly audience of 140,000 – a respectable figure by any standard. But after diligently working on her brand videos and leveraging our ’30 Day Audience Builder’ training (an oldie but a goodie!) she saw her audience explode to a staggering 4.6 million.

Melissa combined the power of consistent posting, strategic use of brand videos, and a deep understanding of her sales funnel to achieve these numbers. Her story is a testament to the potential of ‘Marketing First’ and its impact on sales.

Key Strategies and Tactics for Success

In episode 190 Melissa told us how she got over herself and committed to a 3x/day social posting strategy. That’s how she came to recognize the importance of reposting old content for increased visibility, and embraced the necessity of setting and chasing monthly goals. Once she understood her sales funnel, she began optimizing each stage – from audience building to converting traffic into sales.

Understanding the Sales Funnel

Let’s break down the sales funnel stages that Melissa mastered:

1. Audience: This is where it all starts. Building a large, engaged audience is crucial for funnel effectiveness. Usually, this is on social media platforms like Meta or TikTok.
2. Traffic: Once you have an audience, the next step is to get a percentage of this big pool of people to visit your website.
3. Focused Marketing: This stage involves targeted marketing efforts (like retargeting ads or email campaigns) to people who have visited your website or signed up for your list.
4. Conversion: The final stage, where website visitors turn into paying customers.

Melissa’s approach to each of these stages was methodical and data-driven. By focusing on her audience size and engagement, she managed to significantly increase her website traffic, leading to better sales.

The Power of Video Content

Melissa’s use of video content was a game-changer. Her brand videos, posted across social media platforms, significantly boosted her reach. And since they were working, she kept re-posting them.

And on the SIXTH repost of one of her brand videos? It went viral.

These videos, which were neither high-budget nor technically complex, really resonated with her audience. She attributes this to the down-to-earth, approachable, and on-brand tone of her videos. And rather than bore her audience, Melissa believes that posting them more often actually contributed to their virality.

The Impact of Melissa’s Marketing Strategy

The results of Melissa’s marketing efforts were clear and quantifiable. Her traffic skyrocketed, and while her conversion rate for new visitors was relatively low, the overall impact on sales was substantial. Melissa’s story demonstrates how a focused, consistent marketing strategy can lead to significant financial gains, far outweighing traditional advertising costs.

Lessons from Melissa’s Experience

Melissa’s journey offers several key takeaways for business owners:

• Focus On Your Funnel: Understanding and optimizing each stage of the sales funnel is critical for converting audience size into actual sales.
• Repetition is Key: Reposting content can significantly increase visibility and engagement.
• Reach More People with Video Content: Even if it’s simple and low-budget, video is the single most effective way to increase audience size.

The Path to Becoming a ‘Marketing First’ Business Owner

Melissa’s story really exemplifies the ‘Marketing First’ philosophy in action. She is continually monitoring her data, adjusting her sales funnel, and staying consistent with the type of organic content she knows is working.

This is the type of data-driven strategy we are working on in the Inner Circle this year – setting actionable goals that are based on real numbers, and putting a plan in place so that we get consistent results. Ready to make 2024 the year you become a Marketing First business owner? Join the Inner Circle HERE.

RELATED LINKS:

The Stress Free Content Plan That Built A Huge Audience: https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/the-stress-free-content-plan-that-built-a-huge-audience-episode-190/

How Melissa Reduced Her Cost Of Acquiring A New Customer By 44%: https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/how-melissa-reduced-her-cost-of-acquiring-a-customer-by-44-percent-episode-191/

or scroll down to get the highlights

If you’ve ever felt like your store + products are invisible, this is for you!

Earlier this year we released new “Brand Video” training in our Inner Circle.
It’s a game changer.

After implementing, hundreds of our Members have been able to grow big audiences of their perfect people, get high quality traffic to their site, and sell more of their beautiful products.

This is the #1 strategy every product seller can use to grow their sales in 2024.

Here’s the back story:
Early this year, we started out with a goal to find a way for our Inner Circle Members to get more people visiting their website. It had to be people who were prequalified – the right people, AND it had to be affordable, and easy, and something that everyone can do – no matter what they sell, or how big their business is.

I want you to learn how this strategy works, and see examples of Brand Videos and the results our Members are getting.

Every product based business owner needs their own Brand Video, to find their people, get more traffic, and grow their sales this year.

You might not know where to start, and what to say, and I don’t want overwhelm to stop you from getting the results you want, so we’re going to help you make your own Brand Video that you can use to attract your perfect people and grow your sales year round.

Sile Murphy makes luxury candles at https://www.thefragrantnest.ie/
Before she created her Brand Video, she was struggling to find her perfect audience and get sales.

Click play to hear how Sile used her Brand video and got 22 sales fast!

Rachel Flam makes Magical Fantasy jewelry at https://www.rachelflamdesign.com/
Before she created her Brand Video, she had a hard time getting enough traffic to visit her website.

See the Brand Video that grew her online Audience by 7X and kickstarted her sales.

Holly pivoted from in person sales and instead started selling her adorable capes on her own site at https://creativecapes.com/

See the Brand Video that grew her online Audience by 7X and kickstarted her sales.

or scroll down to get the highlights

Unlocking Growth By Reducing Customer Acquisition Cost

Let’s dive into a success story that might just change the game for your e-commerce business. Imagine putting an extra $21,856 in your pocket over the last year. Intrigued? Let’s break it down.

In our last post Melissa, the owner of bikepretty.com, spilled the beans on her mission to reduce marketing costs by increasing organic traffic. Now she’s generously breaking down the nitty-gritty details that led to a whopping 44% reduction in customer acquisition costs (and some other big wins too).

Read on to get the details, or click here to listen to the episode

The Cost of Acquiring a Customer: Why It Matters

Let’s address the elephant in the room – new customers don’t (usually) fall from the sky, they cost money to acquire. And if you want your business to grow, you need to ensure a healthy balance of new and repeat buyers. If you’re like Melissa, meeting your revenue goals but wondering why the needle isn’t moving, you might be spending too much on acquisition to turn a real profit. If you’re unclear about customer acquisition cost, you can learn all about here.

Building On A Solid Foundation

The following strategies are best implemented by stores that have demonstrated proof of concept, meaning you’ve sold products to people who aren’t friends or family, and you’re doing so consistently–at least one sale per day over a period of months. If you’re not there yet, check out this podcast episode to learn what you should be focusing on at the stage of business you’re in now.

Melissa’s Game-Changing Strategy

Melissa’s journey began with a commitment to reduce both overall marketing costs and the cost of acquiring a customer. She recognized that paid social media ads were an effective way to reach new customers, but she also understood that you can’t control what you don’t track and measure. Here’s how she met her goal of reducing marketing spend to 15% of her revenue:

Sales Attribution: A Holistic View

Melissa took a holistic approach to tracking her return on marketing spend. Instead of looking at each platform (Facebook, Google ads, Etsy, Pinterest, etc.) independently, she combined them with the paid apps she was using like social media schedulers and email service providers, and looked at the overall impact on her business. This allowed her to see the interconnectedness of her marketing efforts–she might be bringing in new site visitors with her Facebook ads, but then Google was re-targeting them, and she was using email to follow up with the hottest leads. If Melissa had isolated any one of these channels, it might have looked as if her money was being wasted. But like a football team, each player was contributing to the sales funnel in its own way.

Customer Acquisition Cost Calculation

The real magic happened when Melissa started calculating her customer acquisition cost (CAC). By dividing her total marketing spend by the number of first-time buyers, she could pinpoint the cost of acquiring each customer. This simple yet powerful metric became her guiding light.

And what she found was that her cost of acquiring a new customer came down over time. Melissa suggests looking at results over a period of months, not weeks, to get a more accurate sense of whether or not your strategy is working.

Amp Up Your Funnel With Organic Traffic

After getting a handle on her numbers and setting a goal, Melissa got serious about lowering her cold traffic ad spend. Using an adapted version of our Build Your Funnel training, she crafted an organic social media strategy that boosted her traffic without taking all of her time. You can learn all about it HERE.

Color-Coded Analysis

Melissa’s meticulous approach involved color-coding her data in a spreadsheet as she tracked her numbers week to week. This visual representation allowed her to identify trends over time. Red lines indicated periods when the cost to acquire a new customer was high, while soothing blue hues marked lower/more successful times. The patterns that emerged guided her decisions for the future. Melissa noticed that while there were times that she spent more aggressively (red) those efforts inevitably led to weeks of blue/low-cost results. Like a flywheel, money, and energy up front produced results that continued to build over time.

Email Marketing Amplification

Melissa knew the potential of her email list, that it was the source of her most interested customers, and that the relative cost of sending emails is very low. So she intensified her email marketing efforts, sending weekly campaigns to her list of engaged subscribers. Ultimately email contributed a whopping 58% to her overall revenue, so Melissa was really making the most of the money she had already spent to get those subscribers on her list in the first place.

A New Way To Set Goals

Melissa is a coach in the Inner Circle, and so she knows how difficult most online store owners find annual goal-setting. Choosing a number out of thin air doesn’t feel all that actionable, and can even be discouraging. She suggests that instead, we choose specific metrics to focus on–do you need to acquire more customers? Get more organic traffic? Send more email? Examine this year’s data closely, and you’ll know exactly where you should be putting your focus to meet the sales numbers you want. More about goal-setting HERE.

The Results: A 44% Reduction in Customer Acquisition Costs

Melissa’s year-long commitment to tracking, analyzing, and optimizing paid off – literally. Her strategic approach resulted in a staggering 44% reduction in customer acquisition costs. But this wasn’t just a financial win; it brought clarity, direction, and a sense of control over her business.

The Real Deal Results

In summary, here are the 3 actions Melissa took to grow her sales and lower costs, and the results they yielded.

1st Action

Melissa set up weekly tracking for the metrics she wanted to change

Outcome

• Marking cost reduced to 15% of sales
• Cost of acquiring a new customer down by 44%

2nd Action

Melissa adapted the Sales Funnel training and applied what she discovered to her marketing strategy

Outcome

30 Day snapshot

• 2022 Audience: 433k
• 2023 Audience: 1.1M (154% increase)

Traffic

• 2022 – 34162 site visitors (43% organic)
• 2023 – 19,839 site visitors (84% organic)

3rd Action

Melissa shifted her advertising budget from the middle and the bottom of the funnel, and instead, used the $ to build the top of her funnel. She focused on building her email list, and used her Reliable Revenue plan to convert her “big pool of warm people” into buyers via email.

Outcome

Conversion Rate

• 2022  .66%
• 2023  .65%

Average Order Value

• 2022 $157.09
• 2023 $166.32 (6% increase)
  

Your Path to Lower Customer Acquisition Cost

Melissa’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of strategic tracking and optimization. Whether you’re a seasoned e-commerce entrepreneur or just starting out, the lessons from Melissa’s story apply. Take control of your marketing spend, understand your customer acquisition costs, and let the insights guide your path to success.

Ready to unlock real, sustainable e-commerce growth? Dive into the numbers, embrace strategic tracking, and watch as your sales and profits soar.

Related Links:

Check out Melissa’s website www.bikepretty.com

The Stress-Free Content Plan That Built a Huge Audience
https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/the-stress-free-content-plan-that-built-a-huge-audience-episode-190/

Do You Know What It Costs To Acquire A New Customer?
https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/do-you-even-know-what-it-costs-to-get-a-new-customer-episode-187/

The Powerful Work That Will Get You To Your Goals
https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/the-powerful-work-that-will-get-you-to-your-goals-episode-159/

Become A Marketing-First Store Owner
https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/become-a-marketing-first-store-owner-episode-160/

or scroll down to get the highlights

Revolutionize Your E-Commerce Game: Melissa Davies’ Journey to Marketing Success

Have you ever found yourself staring at your bank account, wondering where all your hard-earned money went? We’ve all been there, scratching our heads and questioning if all that ad spend is worth it.

Let’s dive into the inspiring journey of Melissa Davies, the brilliant mind behind Bike Pretty, a collection of straw bike hats. She faced the challenge of skyrocketing marketing expenses but couldn’t afford to put a dent in her growth. What did she do? Melissa’s story is about to drop some serious wisdom on mastering the art of organic social media and slashing marketing costs (without compromising growth.)

Read on to get the details, click to listen to the episode

The Shocking Reality Check: Calculating Cost of Customer Acquisition

Melissa, a seasoned business owner, recently attended a mastermind session with Susan Bradley. The topic on the table – the elusive Cost of Customer Acquisition. Now, Melissa had been running her business for nearly a decade without ever crunching these numbers. Susan dropped a formula, Melissa plugged in the digits, and BAM…the cost was through the roof.

Sales were happening, but the advertising expenses were draining Melissa’s bank account as soon as funds came in. Melissa knew she had to fix the hole in the bucket, fast.

Setting the Goal: Slashing Marketing Expenses Without Sacrificing Growth

Melissa took a step back, surveyed her financial landscape, and set a formidable goal – cutting marketing expenses from 30% of revenue down to a lean and mean 10%. That’s not an easy feat, especially when your customers aren’t frequent flyers (Melissa’s customers either don’t purchase from her again, or purchase years later.)

Melissa set herself a specific target. She wanted to bring her marketing spend down to 10% of revenue. Ambitious? Maybe. Achievable? Melissa was determined to find out.

The Formulaic Approach to Organic Social Media: Melissa’s Three-Step Strategy

Now, here comes the magic – Melissa decided to pivot to organic social media (cue the collective gasps.) Organic social media? Isn’t organic reach dead?

But Melissa cracked the code and made it formulaic. She let go of the grand visions of a perfect social media world and embraced a structured approach.

Here are the three game-changing steps she took:

Step 1: Calling to Account – Tracking Every Marketing Dollar

Melissa got down to business and meticulously tracked every penny she spent on marketing. No more setting and forgetting ads on platforms like Facebook, Google, and Etsy. A simple spreadsheet became her best friend, helping her monitor weekly expenditures on various channels.
Why? Because those seemingly insignificant recurring spends can pile up, and before you know it, your hard-earned cash is disappearing into the void. Melissa took control. It’s not about throwing your money at Facebook or Google and praying they put it to good use; it’s about being the captain of your financial ship.

Step 2: Embracing Organic Social Media with a 30-Day Audience Booster

Melissa didn’t have a mint to throw at ads. Instead, she revisited an old friend – a Social Sales Girls training module called the 30-Day Audience Booster (available to Inner Circle members, you can learn more HERE. This training, curated by Susan Bradley and Patricia Manso, gave her a clear plan for daily posts on social media.
The goal? Three posts a day, and not just any posts. These were engagement posts designed to make people happy, inspire them, and build a community. Melissa didn’t have a massive following initially, but she leveraged the power of consistent posting. Silly memes, relatable jokes – she started with one post a day and worked her way up.

THE 30-DAY AUDIENCE BOOSTER FORMULA

Commit to posting 3 times every day. You’ll post 3 types of content:

1. Post an “inspirational” or “proof” post, that your audience is likely to engage with by “reacting, commenting, or sharing”
2. Post 2 product posts, and tag the products in your posts.
3. Share your posts to stories daily (and link product Stories to your products)

Step 3: Layering in Product Posts and Inspiration

Melissa was keeping her followers entertained, but likes don’t pay the bills. She knew she had to seamlessly integrate product posts into the mix– the dreaded “selling” posts. But she had a trick up her sleeve. Instead of judging these posts by likes or comments, she focused on link clicks – the golden ticket to organic traffic.
As she gained confidence, Melissa added another layer – inspiration posts. These weren’t just about selling; they were about creating a brand, a community. Beautiful bike tours, historical snippets, and fashionable outfits became the foundation of her fantasy bike lands.

A Stress-Free Content Batching Strategy

Melissa doesn’t have time to post 3x a day on the fly, so she started batching her content and planning everything out 28 days ahead of time. She dedicates about half a day each week to scheduling content, following the Audience Booster template. This was a lot of work up front, but as time went on she started using her analytics to see what worked best, and repeated those high-performing posts.

The Results: Melissa’s Triumph Over Marketing Costs

Ready for the results? Drumroll, please. Melissa not only achieved her goal of reducing marketing expenses to 12% of revenue, she decreased her cost of customer acquisition by almost half. Her ad spend is down 75% (saving her $21k+ per year) and her organic reach has increased 1,450%. The bottom line–Melissa took control of her marketing narrative. She turned the tables on those sneaky expenses, embraced the power of organic social media, and transformed her e-commerce game.

To re-cap

• Batch creating and scheduling content saves time and stress
• Reposting and repurposing existing content eliminates the need to constantly create new material
• Shift your mindset: treating social media as a volume game keeps you from getting bogged down by perfectionism or hesitation.

Your Turn

We asked Melissa what is the #1 piece of advice she would give to store owners hoping to get results like hers. Her answer was hands down the Inner Circle training “Build Your Funnel,” which is an exercise she does each month. She says it gives her a snapshot of where she is so that she knows what content she needs to make next.

So…what’s stopping you from taking the reins of your marketing destiny? Melissa’s story is a testament to the impact of a formulaic and strategic approach to organic social media.

Dive into your numbers, embrace the 30-Day Audience Booster, and start posting with purpose. Melissa Davies’ success story is your invitation to get organized with your social posting. The struggle is real, but so are the opportunities!

Related Links:
See Melissa’s website here: https://bikepretty.com/

Get Social Media Made Easy: https://classroom.thesocialsalesgirls.com/offers/PtLkpup2/checkout

Do You Even Know What It Costs To Get A New Customer?
https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/do-you-even-know-what-it-costs-to-get-a-new-customer-episode-187/

The Best Strategy For Organic Growth
https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/the-best-strategy-for-organic-growth-episode-119/

Organic Results That Will Shock You
https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/a-year-of-results-that-will-shock-you-episode-120/

Skyrocket Your Store’s Visibility
https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/skyrocket-your-stores-visibility-episode-129/

Build a massive audience with a brand Video
https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/build-a-massive-audience-with-a-brand-video-episode-162/

The TikTok Strategy That Exploded Sylvie’s Sales
https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/the-tiktok-strategy-that-exploded-sylvies-sales-episode-106/

or scroll down to get the highlights

Power-Up your traffic with Google’s Performance Max Ads

Have you dipped a toe into Google’s new Performance Max Ads yet? Heard of “PMax” but had no idea what it was? In this episode, we’re diving deep into the world of Google advertising and Performance Max Ads with our expert, Leona Griffin. Leona is Google-certified, leads a team who understands the intricacies of Google advertising, and is our Google Ads e-commerce coach in The Inner Circle.

If you’re an e-commerce store owner looking to grow your online sales without breaking the bank on ads, then this one is for you.

PMax vs. Smart Shopping

Performance Max Ads, or Pmax ads, are Google’s response to Apple’s iOS 14 update (which restricted advertiser’s ability to target their ideal customers,) and replaces Smart Shopping campaigns. Like Facebook’s Advantage+ system, Pmax ads use artificial intelligence to identify and target customers based on their behavior, rather than data, to overcome the privacy challenges posed by iOS 14.

This is GREAT news for store owners

PMax ads make advertising on Google Search, Gmail, YouTube, Display and Discovery a snap–allowing you to focus on producing great creative while Google’s AI manages placement far better than you could on your own. If you were frustrated or overwhelmed by Google Ads’ complicated system before, PMAx makes it really easy–eliminating the need for multiple campaigns, budgets, and endless spreadsheets to track them all.

Brass Tacks: Google Merchant Center

You may have dabbled in an SEO strategy before, with blog posts or optimized headlines. That’s great for driving organic, top of funnel traffic. But it’s nitty-gritty search-optimized product listings that will drive red-hot customers–those who are actively searching out your products with credit card in hand–that will allow Google to drive both organic and paid traffic your way. 

Google Merchant Center verifies and organizes your product data, ensuring that your store’s information (including product names, prices, sizes, and colors) is accurate and optimized for search. Think of it as the gateway to all things Google–it’s the way you tell their platforms exactly what you’re selling, so they can show your products to the customers most likely to buy.

3 Reasons to try Performance Max Ads

1. Superior Targeting and Placement
If you find the concept of a funnel overwhelming, Pmax makes it really easy. By consolidating various advertising formats, Google ensures that your budget is being spent where (and when) it’s needed most, whether retargeting site visitors or attracting new customers.

2. Maximize your spend across ALL platforms
Performance Max ads really shine at retargeting, helping you reconnect with potential customers who have previously visited your site. So if you’re already spending money on Facebook or Instagram ads, PMax ads pick up where Meta leaves off driving those visitors BACK to your site when they see Google’s retargeting ads as they browse the web. And PMax retargeting ads are super smart–their system is constantly monitoring your site visitors and showing them the appropriate messages at the right place and time, when they’re most likely to buy.

3. Increased Engagement
Pmax ads provide access to exclusive ad formats not available on other platforms, like video shopping ads, which integrate product listings beneath video content, enhancing user engagement. Google knows which type of ad creative each potential buyer is most likely to engage with, so it chooses from your ad creative to customize each viewer’s experience.

You’ve Got (G)Mail

One of the most exciting features of Pmax ads is within Gmail, a powerful channel for engaging potential customers. If you’re worried that too many of your site visitors are bouncing without leaving an email address…PMax can pick up the slack. Because Google owns Gmail, PMax ads can appear in users’ inboxes, showcasing products they’ve previously viewed, and providing another valuable touchpoint in the customer journey.

Who Should Use Performance Max Ads?

While PMax ads are clearly a great choice for product-based online stores, they’re also a great tool for other types of business. Because Performance Max contains so many types of ad creative, they can work equally well if you’re building a mailing list, hosting a giveaway, or advertising a service.

How Much Do PMax Ads Cost?

Leona advises starting with a budget of just $5 per day. It’s essential to approach Pmax ads as a long-term investment, as machine learning requires time to accumulate data and optimize performance. The key is to be patient and gradually increase your budget as you see positive results.

How Long Do Performance Ads Take to Start Working?

Because PMAx is an AI learning platform, it needs a significant amount of data to really figure out how to maximize performance. So we don’t recommend trying it for two weeks, then throwing in the towel. Leona recommends giving it 3 months minimum to start seeing results. At $5 a day, it’s still a fairly small investment and the reward for your patience can be huge.

$7 Million Results

Thanks to Leona’s excellent training in the Inner Circle classroom, our members have already seen great results from their Performance Max campaigns. Even those who had tried Google Ads before, or who were running campaigns that took a nose-dive after iOS14, have seen a big return on ad spend with the latest PMax ads. $7 million in revenue, to be exact, all from Google Ads!

Performance Max Ads offer e-commerce store owners a great opportunity to supercharge their advertising efforts on Google. With better visibility, better retargeting, and optimized engagement, Pmax ads can be a game-changer for your business. Just remember, patience and persistence are key!

Related podcasts:
Simple SEO You Can Do Today
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Learn how to build an SEO Sales Funnel
https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/how-to-build-an-seo-funnel-episode-161/ 

A Powerful 10-Minute Keyword Research Strategy
https://thesocialsalesgirls.com/store-owners-get-results-from-this-powerful-10-minute-keyword-research-episode-177/