Attracting new customers and growing revenues are always top SMB goals–but achieving these goals is easier said than done. So I was interested in talking with Beth Thouin, who is VP Marketing at Acquisio (part of Web.com Group, Inc.), a paid media martech provider specializing in machine learning solutions, to find out how Acquisio can help even SMBs with the smallest budgets.
Laurie: Beth, can you start by giving me a little bit of corporate background about Acquisio?
Beth: Acquisio has been around for over a decade now, having evolved from an agency that was sold, to become one of the biggest pay-per-click (PPC) platforms on the planet. We have several online advertising products, and we’ve embedded machine learning technology into all of them. We’re based in Montreal, and have about 100 employees located around the globe. Acquisio was recently acquired by Web.com which means more opportunity for our already award-winning company.
Laurie: What are the specifics of the solutions that Acquiso provides–who are they designed for, and what problems do they solve?
Beth: Acquisio supports almost every type of paid advertising online from the experienced marketer to those just starting, which I can break down.
We have several solutions for experienced marketers and campaign managers, including:
- Search: We use our Acquisio platform to provide search advertising management technology and solutions for AdWords and Bing, with sophisticated features like campaign cloning and cross-campaign budget distribution. Some of the most popular features are the machine learning bid and budget algorithms. Our algorithms have helped our clients achieve longer customer lifetime value (LTV) and decrease churn rates. This helps us get clients more clicks for less money, as detailed in our latest Performance Report.
Social: We offer social media advertising management and A/B testing on Facebook and Instagram through our Acquisio Social product. This product can be used by beginners, but seasoned Facebook marketers get the best results, because they know how to apply the best call to actions (CTA) test images and ad copy etc. But the tool does provide helpful recommendations to marketers just getting started. The best part about Acquisio Social is being able to set up and launch hundreds of ads easily in just minutes.- Display: The Acquisio Trading Desk (ATD) is a managed service with a team of experts that make sure your campaigns are successful through one-to-one client interaction and account monitoring. Our team has access to a huge display inventory and uses WhiteOps, a cyber-security firm that protects our clients from fraud. Our display services give marketers access to new channels like Spotify, eBay or LinkedIn advertising for example.
For novice marketers and campaign managers, we offer:
- Promote: An all-in-one automated Google AdWords advertising solution for small businesses, Promote is one of our most loved products! It automatically sets up ads, including keyword research, ad copy, landing pages and more, for 150 different types of business. All the business owner does is fill in a quick form and they’re instantly up and running on Google. Promote takes the guesswork out of PPC, streamlining the process for small business success. We have many partners selling Promote to their small business clients.
- Acquisio Managed Services: This is our most recent addition to our product and service family. Much like an agency inside our martech machine, our managed services team works directly with clients to support their PPC campaigns.
Here is a quick overview of how Promote works for early marketers and SMBs:
Laurie: How long does for people to learn to use the solution, and to start getting results? How much help do people usually need to be productive?
Beth: The time it takes to get up and running with Acquisio depends on the product the person is interested in. With a product like Promote or Acquisio Social, getting up and running can happen in a matter of minutes. With the Acquisio platform, the process can be anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, as campaigns are moved from AdWords and Bing into our platform, or as the machine learning is configured on accounts, etc. The same is true for display advertising services at the Acquisio Trading Desk. In either case we have dedicated Trial Success Managers that work directly with clients to ensure their success.
Laurie: What’s the pricing model like for Acquisio solutions?
Beth: Since we have different product and service offerings, pricing depends on which product a person is looking for. But, it’s important to note that machine learning optimization and Acquisio Social are included in all of our packages. Having no extra fees for turning on our machine learning algorithms is a huge advantage for marketers. Pricing for the Acquisio platform can be found online here. Pricing for Promote can be found online here. For ATD services, marketers should get in touch for a quote.
Laurie: What do you think makes it different from competitive solutions in this area?
Beth: Acquisio was the first company to take machine learning and apply it to the small business problem in advertising. Traditionally small budgets couldn’t be optimized, the ROI just wasn’t there and this has been a barrier for SMBs. As a result big name brands have dominated the space up until the last few years. Products like Promote are so unique in the PPC advertising space and that’s why they’re getting so much attention from partners. There are millions of small businesses who haven’t been able to compete with the big fish…until now! And we’re really proud to be part of their journey and their success. Aside from our small business solutions, the sophistication of our proprietary machine learning algorithms makes us a powerful and unique player in the PPC industry.
Laurie: What’s the best way to learn more and evaluate the solution?
Beth: If you’d like to learn more about Acquisio, please visit our website at www.acquisio.com. You can also sign up for a demo with one of our specialists or start a free trial of the Acquisio platform. And, you can click here to sign up for our Promote product.
Source: Laurie McCabe’s Blog