A client is a violin teacher in Santa Monica CA. She gets steady business from the Google Adwords campaign I manage for her.
Here’s how I keep costs down and results up. First, use Google Search only. She doesn’t need Display Network ads, which can get very expensive and aren’t effective. People are going to find her by googling “violin teacher” and not by her ad appearing elsewhere.
I limit the geographical area in which the ad can appear to about a 7 mile radius of her studio. This means only people in that area will see the ad. This simultaneously makes the ad far more targeted and lowers costs. (If you wonder why it’s only a 7 mile radius, then you’ve not been in much traffic on L.A.’s Westside.)
Total cost is about $60 a month. And she gets new students from it.
I have lost so much money on adwords, but still keep trying because I have done good on a few occasions
Targeting by location and specific search terms are really the only way you’re going to make Adwords effective on a ROI basis when you have a business that is more of a local business, such as a violin teacher would be.