The day my monthly budget of 4 million yen began to melt quietly
One summer afternoon, I was in my office looking at the Google Ads management screen as usual. That's already my daily routine
Eels. But that day, as part of our in-house training, I was trying to go a little deeper than usual and explore the truth behind the numbers. Month 4
It is an advertising account that has a budget of 1 million yen and can be said to be the lifeblood of our business.
My finger, which was scrolling through the changelog page, suddenly stopped. What was engraved there was a line that made me doubt my eyes.
“Change your bid strategy: from maximizing conversions to maximizing conversion value”
The date of the change was yesterday. This is what they say when they say things that make my spine freeze. Change your bid strategy by putting a scalpel in the heart of your ad account
It's such a major surgery. It was carried out without any consultation, and without even an ex post facto report. The generation we should have built until now
I felt that the relationship of trust with Riten was rattling and falling apart.
The tragedy of overly superior AI that continued to chase “fakes”
Bad premonition changes to black conviction with each click. The root of the problem was much deeper. The new strategy “Co
“Maximizing version value” was driven by ridiculous value standards.
What our company handles is an expensive service that is a major decision for our customers' lives. Value brought by one customer
The average (LTV) is approximately 3 million yen. Nevertheless, I believe the setting that taught Google's AI “this is the value of our business”
It was something I couldn't do
- A “60 second or longer phone consultation” that is really worth it: 3,000 yen
- “Clicking on the phone number” is unclear if it will lead to a contract: 5,000 yen
I was astonished. In response to AI, “Clicks with low expectations are 1.6 times more valuable than real inquiries, so prioritize that
It was the same thing as ordering, “Go get it.” Throw away your monthly budget of 4 million yen and do your best to do low-quality actions
I was making them chase you. When I realized this fact, I overcame my anger and even felt a kind of emptiness.
“Why?” There was only one fundamental problem that lay ahead of
This case was resolved for now through careful dialogue with the agency. They also acknowledged the mistake and quickly restored the settings
I got it. However, a big “question” remained in my mind that I couldn't wipe away.
“Why did this happen?”
It's easy to say that the agency was incompetent. But that's not the essence of the problem. They are professionals too. However, they are me
An “external” person to their business. The enthusiasm of our customers that we feel every day, and the customer's dreams and life lives behind an inquiry
I think it's structurally impossible to understand 100% of the total.
Even if the “number” that LTV is 3 million yen is conveyed, how much of the customer's feelings about their “ideal lifestyle” is conveyed
I can't even share that “feeling to the touch,” probably because it's hanging on. So, I don't know the value of “phone clicks” and “actual calls”
can also be easily mistaken.
I don't think this gap will ever be bridged, no matter how good an agency you get along with. When I thought so, something inside me
I made a click and switched.
The obvious and strongest answer is “we'll do it with our own hands”
“Let's not leave it up to anyone else. Let's protect and nurture the lifeblood of the business with our own hands.”
This bitter experience showed me a new path of “in-house development.” Specialize within the company rather than outsource
Build a team and run our own ads. At first it seemed like a tremendous challenge, but in order not to repeat that failure again
I was convinced that was the only way.
Going in-house has immeasurable advantages beyond eliminating the costs of paying agents.
What is bigger than anything elseOverwhelming “speed” and “business understanding”That's it. If we had operated in-house that day, the settings would be different
You should have always been able to fix it in 1 second the moment you noticed it. It's necessary to worry about agencies and think about sentences without corners for hours
That was great. Changes occurring in the field of business, such as the feeling that “inquiries from specific regions were concentrated this weekend”
You can immediately use your sense to tune advertisements. I am keenly aware that this sense of speed is the very competitive edge of this era.
Next,Complete “control” and “transparency”That's it. No more fearful of changelogs. We ourselves achieved our business goals
Make all changes with intention in order to do so. All of that data and knowledge about which measures were implemented and which were missed is the company's investment
It is accumulated as production. This is an asset that can never be obtained as long as operations are left to an outside party.
The real use of tuition fees that were too high
Of course, it's not an easy path. It takes time and money to secure and develop human resources with specialized knowledge. But think about it
please. Which is really “expensive” the risk of throwing away 4 million yen a month or the cost of developing human resources as an investment in the future
huh? I think the answer is clear.
Since that day, beside management, I furiously learned advertisement management, and built an operation system in-house. And now, our ad account
We are growing our business more healthily and powerfully than ever before.
Through this experience, I was convinced. In the coming era, in order to create a really strong business, the heart of marketing is other
They said you shouldn't leave it to someone else.
That's why I'm worried about this experience and the in-house operation know-how I've built up from scratch, just like me in the past
I decided to provide it to business owners. I feel doubtful about how to deal with agencies, and advertising management linked more to the business
I want to, but I don't know where to start. I want to be a guide for such people.
This is more than just ad management consulting. to your company,“Ability to think, execute, and keep improving on our own”
It's a new challenge to transplant.
The 4 million yen I lost that day was too expensive for tuition, but this determination and mission gained thanks to that was for me
And I believe that there is irreplaceable value for the friends I meet in the future.
