Audio Ads

Staying Connected

Within three months, GotVMail used Google Audio Ads to increase new customer revenue by more than 7% and site traffic by more than 5%.

Takes one to know one

After starting and selling his first company by the age of 21, Siamak Taghaddos understood the plight of the entrepreneur. "The challenges are numerous," he says, "but above all, an entrepreneur needs to project a professional image – to be seen as someone who can compete with bigger rivals." He understood it so well he decided to build his next business around addressing this plight. In 2003, Siamak and David Hauser founded GotVMail, a virtual phone system for entrepreneurs and small businesses that allows them to have a virtual office that connects callers to employees no matter where they are or what type of phone they're using – home, cell, office, or VoIP. And unlike traditional, more expensive phone systems, there's no hardware to purchase or install and everything is administered online.

"For an entrepreneur, the ability to have the professional sound and feel of a big company without the big company price tag and resource requirements is invaluable," says Siamak. His idea has grown into a sound business, and Siamak has received accolades from the business world for his innovative approach. Throughout GotVMail's three-year history, Google AdWords™ has played no small role in the company's success. "AdWords has helped us be profitable from our second month in existence," Siamak adds. "To date, tens of thousands of entrepreneurs and small businesses have signed up for GotVMail, and AdWords is still our main source of sales."

Reaching a difficult market

"The small business market is notoriously hard to connect with," says Siamak. "When we evaluate advertising and marketing, we look to reach the most people as easily and efficiently as possible." After exploring a number of additional marketing channels, GotVMail set its sights on radio, which reaches 80 percent of 18- to 54-year-olds. But the team soon learned it wasn't so simple. "Radio advertising is great in theory," says Siamak. "In practice, however, we found it to be an expensive and tedious process. We did a few national test spots, but it wasn't giving us the return we had hoped for."

Then Siamak heard about Google Audio Ads, which is designed to make radio advertising easier and more cost-effective. It features an online interface where users can quickly create campaigns, launch them through a network of hundreds of stations across the U.S., and track and measure the results. "Choosing to use Audio Ads was a no-brainer," says Siamak. "We could now easily implement our national radio advertising strategy through one company."

Streamline, and streamline some more

GotVMail uses AdWords to zero in on small businesses in the U.S. and Canada. "We were excited to see we could do the same type of targeting with Audio Ads," Siamak says. The team was able to choose when and where their ads would play based on a number of criteria, including time, station format, demographic, and location. After GotVMail developed its radio spots, it uploaded them to AdWords, and then launched the campaigns. By using a specific URL in the ads – www.bigcompanysound.com – GotVMail was able to better track and measure the campaigns' success. "The process and interface are very ‘Google' – simple and clear," Siamak says. "We could do everything on our own."

Siamak appreciates the independence Audio Ads offers. "For a company of our size, the process has to be streamlined or it's not worth it," Siamak explains. "Audio Ads does just that. We get to augment our AdWords activity, control our costs and the creative process, measure our success, and deal with one company. We've seen an increase in new customer revenue of more than seven percent and site traffic has increased by more than five percent. It's the easiest, most streamlined approach to radio advertising we've ever used."

The entrepreneurial sweet spot

Audio Ads are now a key part of GotVMail's marketing activities. "Google Audio Ads is an innovative approach to radio advertising," says Siamak. "It's perfect for us as we target entrepreneurs through both call to action and brand marketing."

As GotVMail increases its customer base, more and more small businesses sound, well, big. And as Siamak uses Google AdWords and Audio Ads not just to grow his business, but to define an industry, he sees a bright future ahead. "For us, Google Audio Ads hits our sweet spot: an entrepreneurial company using an entrepreneurial technology to reach entrepreneurs. We fully intend to continue increasing our radio advertising using Audio Ads."

About Google Audio Ads
Google Audio Ads™ makes radio advertising easy and cost-effective. Google has partnered with hundreds of radio stations that reach millions of listeners throughout the United States. Using the AdWords online interface, advertisers can develop and launch campaigns, and target their audience based on time, location, station type, and demographics. Audio Ads connects them with qualified creative professionals who can help produce ads. Tracking is simplified through online reporting, which features real-time recordings of radio spots in context.

About Google Adwords
Google AdWords­ is a performance-based advertising program that enables businesses large and small to advertise on Google and its network of partner websites. Hundreds of thousands of businesses worldwide use AdWords for text, image, and video ads priced on a cost-per-click (CPC) and cost-per-impression (CPM) basis. Built on an auction-based system, AdWords is a highly quantifiable and cost-effective way to reach potential customers. For more information, visit http://adwords.google.com.