You Better, You Bet (and why 2nd Better is actually Best)

Alas, there is one place on this Earth where #1 isn't actually the end-all-be-all. Where it's better to be Robin than Batman. Where it's ideal to be Donald Duck or Burger King. This is the wonderful and mysterious land of #GoogleAds.

Over these many years of handling #GoogleAdWords (now #GoogleAds) for clients both great and small, the number one question (and hard to quell desire) is to appear first, which would be anyone's first and most obvious instinct.

This is contrary and much to the frustration of agencies and media partners everywhere. Because when you are trying to be 1.5 or 2 or 3, and your client expects 1, you've fallen short. Even though you are budgeting more efficiently and effectively than the next nearest competitor, many see this as not good enough.

But this is exactly where you want to be.

When you pay to be #1, you pay to be #1. But you don't receive nearly the consistent results of a number 1.5, 2 or 3. On average, you are paying a premium in disproportion to your ROAI (return on advertising investment). In other words, you are paying for the Super Size, when you really only need the medium. Medium is better because it's all that's needed. Yes, we all WANT the most fries, but alas, we do not need the most fries.

What matters more is how consistently our ads are viewed and present among the competition. It's also about a metric traditionally reserved for display -- awareness.

Frankly, I'd rather my clients achieve the #1 SOV (share of voice), #1 ROAI, or the best conversion rate or the lowest cost per conversion. That's the ultimate goal and the ultimate aim.

Spending the most is one way to get there.

Spending the smartest is the best way to get there.