Do you sometimes find yourself frustrated by the lack of results when trying a new automation, whether it’s Smart Bidding from Google or something you created yourself using a script or a macro in a spreadsheet?
You aren’t alone.
When the engines share case studies about amazing results from their latest automated account management system, what’s often left unspoken is all the work that went into creating the right conditions for the automation to shine.
For automations to be effective, some prerequisite conditions have to be met.
Here’s a simple way to illustrate the point that the effectiveness of automation depends on external factors. I picked up this concept from a presentation given by Russell Savage who founded FreeAdWordsScripts.com (which Optmyzr now owns).
Savage said that for an automation, like a self-driving car, to be effective, it helps if the roads are clearly marked.
Seems pretty obvious, right?
But now what if we had this perfect road but our GPS was off and tried driving to the wrong place?
We need clear goals and the correct measurements and sensors to get us there. – Read more
