Getting Your Google Ads Credit for COVID-19 Relief

If you have been consistently advertising on Google over the past year, you may have received a notice recently about a substantial credit applied to your account. However, if your ad agency uses the tactic mentioned in our last blog, there’s a chance you haven’t gotten your credit. 

(If you have not yet received your Google Ads credit, it might be a good time to contact your agency to see if they’ve heard about it and what they plan to do with it. Our clients have received between $300 and $800 to be spent by the end of the year.) 

Know Where Your Money is Spent

In our last post, we talked about how you would never expect a customer to hand over thousands of dollars for a new pool or spa and then hope for the best. They want to know where their money is going, why you’re spending it the way you are, and what they can expect. They also closely watch the project’s progress to make sure they’re getting their money’s worth. 

With such a significant investment, this is entirely understandable. It would be strange if your customer didn’t closely monitor their project and want to know what’s going on. But for some reason, we see so many pool and spa companies that effectively do just this when they hire an agency to run their Google Ads. They give them thousands of dollars each month without really knowing how it’s the agency is spending it.  

Should You Be Getting a Google Ads Credit?

Here is one tactic that agencies use: say the marketing company brings in $10,000 a month. Since they handle all the billing from Google, their clients are never 100% sure where their money goes. How much are they spending on Google Ads, and how much is going to “administration” and other fees? That’s the big mystery. 

Besides not being a very cost-effective and fair way to do business, handing over your Google billing to another company can cost you in other ways. As we mentioned above, Google recently issued credits to advertisers for COVID-19 relief. If your ad agency handles your billing through Google, you may never hear about this money unless you specifically ask about it. 

Here is what the notification from Google would look like:

A Google Ads credit has been applied to your account for future ad spend

Dear advertiser,

We’ve applied an ad credit to your account. This is related to the COVID-19 announcement Google made at the end of March.

We know that businesses of all sizes have been facing unique challenges as a result of COVID-19, and we also understand that many of these businesses continue to rely on Google Ads to help them reach their customers. As a gesture of support, we’ve funded eligible accounts with an ad credit to be used towards future ad spend this year. After December 31, 2020, this ad credit will expire and any unused portion will be removed from the account.

So, where will this ad credit go? How much is it? Will they refund the credited amount to you since Google is footing the bill? Or will they divert that amount of money to their fees and let Google make up the difference? Do they even know about it? Unless Google sends you the bill directly, you may never know. 

That’s why at Small Screen Producer, we charge a set monthly fee for Google Ads management and leave you in charge of your Google billing. You get the bill directly from Google every month, so you know exactly how much you’re spending. It’s just part of the transparency we offer that you won’t find elsewhere. We believe that the best success happens when everybody has the best information. 

Of course, getting all the information goes far beyond billing. It’s crucial to know how much you’re spending, but it’s equally important to know what you’re getting for your money. Next blog, we’ll discuss what you should look for as you continue to work with a pool and spa marketing company. Is your marketing agency giving you reports that keep you informed or that simply makes the agency look good?  

Note: To see what the official notification from Google looks like, or if you wish to learn more about this COVID relief initiative click here:  https://www.blog.google/inside-google/company-announcements/commitment-support-small-businesses-and-crisis-response-covid-19 

About Small Screen Producer

Small Screen Producer is dedicated to create and optimize your company’s total online presence. As a leading innovator of digital media marketing since 2008, we have the experience to capitalize on your unique strengths to help your business succeed. Our goal is to help you Position, Pursue, Promote, and Protect your business. We offer a complete line of digital marketing solutions to get this done. They include website design, Google Ad services, Facebook and Instagram Ad services ,website lead capture tools and automation, social media marketing, reputation management, technical services, , graphic design, video production and monthly service plans. We take your online marketing and advertising off your to-do list, so you can focus on your core business.

Contact us today to learn more about boosting your company’s revenue through our four pillars of success that will Position, Pursue, Promote, and Protect your business.