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Is AdzZoo an SEM scam, or yet another company preying on Small Business Owners?

Published on July 23, 2010 by in AdzZoo, SEM Scams

<!–noad–>Please note – all comments are my opinion, and meant to facilitate an open discussion regarding your experiences with AdzZoo.

As with many of my other posts regarding companies that provide Search Engine Marketing Services, I will start by reminding you that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

I believe AdzZoo’s pay per click plans are a huge waste of money for many reasons.

    • They are an MLM – Of the money you pay them, how much goes towards your internet marketing campaign?
    • They are not results driven. In my opinion, the reports that are provided to their clients are very misleading.  These reports that contain no valuable information.  Campaigns appear to be designed for impressions, not conversions.

  • Like many SEM companies, AdzZoo overpromises and under delivers. While this may not be AdzZoo promising you the world, they are responsible for the training materials they provide their sales reps.
  • AdzZoo appears to take advantage of most small business owners’ lack of knowledge with regards to internet marketing.  Vague reports, show impressive numbers, but deeper analysis, and a little research show how all these impressions have little or no value to the business owner.
  • The landing pages they build have WEBSITE ANALYTICS on them, but I have yet to hear of them sharing all the data with their clients. Why hide data on their “highly optimized website”  (their term, not mine) they built for you?
  • Based on the reports I have seen, an understanding of how Google Adwords works and numbers I have found on the web, the vast majority of the impressions they get you are on Google’s content network. These clicks (if you get any) tend to convert very, very low.

If you subtract the commission they pay the rep who signed you up, and the profit they have to be making on the top, I believe only 20% of the money you give them is actually going towards any advertising, and THAT ADVERTISING IS OF VERY POOR QUALITY. If you were to run your own campaigns, you could get at least 10 times more exposure, for the same amount of money you are paying them.
The reports Adzoo shows their clients contain no valuable information. These reports will show you the number of Ad Impressions, and say something like “your ad received 74,562 impressions. Potential visitors have searched for information related to your business at least 74,562 times. As a result, your ad was displayed and viewed by potential customers 74,562 times.” This quote is from an actual AdzZoo report. This statement is very misleading in more than one way.

  • First, an impression on Googles Content Network (where AdzZoo displays 99% of your ads) does not mean that someone “SEARCHED FOR INFORMATION related to your business.” For example, lets say you visit www.CNN.com, and you are reading a news story. The ads that are on this page (upper right corner and 3 across the bottom as of 7/28/10) all get counted for 1 impression.  As these ads rotate through, all the clients shown are counted for 1 impression.  Depending on the settings for the ad rotation, you taking 10 mins on CNN to read an article, may have accumulated 100′s of impressions for different business, even though you didn’t look at a single ad.
  • Second, may not have ”SEARCHED FOR INFORMATION” related to those businesses! You either went directly to the website, or searched for something not even closely related to the ad’s rotating on this screen. Google’s technology does allow clients to have ad’s placed on their website based on keywords searched, however, when you Broad Match keywords, your ad WILL show up many times where you personally would not have placed it.  This is why these ad’s work on quantity, not quality, and tend to convert very, very low. For most small businesses, this is a complete waste of money as, regardless of claims made by SEM companies, I woudl not say these ad’s are targeted.
  • Third, the content network is made up of millions of websites that have opted in to let Google display their ads on individual websites.  When you visit a website, and see an ad, how often have you personally clicked on an ad? The click thru ratio is typically very low for these ads, and the odds of acquiring a client (or converting a visitor) from one of these clicks is very, very low.  Add in the AdzZoo landing page, (another barrier to converting a visitor) and your chances of converting these visits is almost ZERO.
  • Fourth, these ads are VERY, VERY INEXPENSIVE. They can cost as little as .25 cents per 1,000 impressions. This means that you could get these same 74,000 + impressions for less than $20. Most likely, AdzZoo charged you approximately $200 per month, and then spent $20 on these 74,000 impressions.

AdzZoo reports will also show you “number of page views” and “average ad position.” This information is also of no real value. I believe that Adzoo reports a page view, if you get a click. Based on a knowledge of how people use the web, I highly doubt many of the people to the landing pages convert to a customer.  As a matter of fact, I had a client who had an Adzoo program for 2 months, and not one “page view” made it to my client’s actual website. As for Average ad position, who cares? Sometimes position 1 is the best, and sometimes position 5 has the best R.O.I. Listed below are a few examples of the “highly optimized web page” that AdzZoo builds their clients.

http://adzzoo.com/new/listing-lakesidesuites-1800.html
http://adzzoo.com/new/listing-maidsandmore-21.html
http://adzzoo.com/new/listing-kinglimo-222.html
http://adzzoo.com/new/listing-roofingandgutters-282.html

See anything similar with these “highly optimized sites?” They are not optimized at all. These are nothing more than a template with different business names and numbers in them. And to make matters worse, AdzZoo is using your “highly optimized website” to get links to themselves. I found 6 “links” to AdzZoo’s own website on the 4th example above. These are text links, which could be good for them, and don’t help this roofer at all. They also put their name in the title tag of every landing page. I wonder if AdzZoo mentioned to you that they are going to use your website, to brand themselves.

Adzoo has Google analytics installed on their landing pages. Why don’t they share all the data? Why would they not show you the bounce rate (the number of visitors who bounced from your website?) Why not share the referral source? I suspect they keep this information from clients because the bounce rates are incredibly high, and the referral source would show the myriad of websites that these clicks are coming from. This would reveal that the majority of the clicks are not coming from Google, but rather random, useless websites, and then the visitor is most likely bouncing from the landing page.
Offer to AdzZoo – Add me to any one of these Analytics Accounts (as a user with no admin privileges) and I will post the reports online for all to see. If you have an AdzZoo Account, call customer service and ask them to add you to the account (it only takes a minute to do) and then let me know the password, and I will compile these reports for all to see. I will do this for no charge.

AdzZoo gets most of your impressions from Google’s content network. First let’s clarify a couple of things. An impression does not mean your ad was viewed by anyone, as Adzoo claims.  Just because your ad was on a webpage that someone was looking at, does not mean your ad was “viewed.”  Second, the content network is comprised of random websites that allow Google to display advertisers on their website.  AdzZoo can bid on these impressions, not clicks. They can bid as little as .25 cents per thousand impressions. If you took your money to Google yourself, or found a reputable company, you could get 10 times the impressions. Of course, impressions do not equal customers. You still have to get your ad in front of the right person at the right time, or you are just wasting money.

Adzoo claims to put you on the highest trafficked websites like CNN.com, FoodNetwork.com, amazon.com, About.com, and many more. What good does having an Ad on any of these websites do your local small business that sells hardwood flooring or roofing? Probably not much, if any good at all.

I have heard that AdzZoo’s representatives are paid 40% of what you spend. (As of this update (10.28.10) I read a blog post that they were lowering this to 20%.)  This is not counting the profit AdzZoo has to be making. I have not known many companies to pay their reps more than the companies take, so assuming they take at least 40%, this leaves 20% of your budget to actual marketing efforts. Some customers pay $269 per month. This would leave approximately $53 per month for your actual internet marketing. Not very much in the world of internet marketing, and definitely not enough to get the results AdzZoo implies they get their customers.

In summary, AdzZoo overpromises, under delivers and provides reports that lead one to believe that impressions mean your ad was viewed by someone. They are a Multi Level Marketing structured company that implies they deliver ads to Google, when in reality they deliver the majority of your ads to Google’s content network. AdzZoo builds landing pages that they attempt to pass off as “highly optimized websites.” They place analytics in this generic, template driven landing page, and then withhold the data that would show where traffic is really coming from, and what is happening to visitors after they arrive at this landing page. AdzZoo does not advise clients (unless it is in the fine print) that they will use Title Tags, Meta Tags, Robot follow tags, and text links to market and brand their own company.
In my opinion, Adzoo is a very misleading company.   They use big numbers from campaigns that have little real world value to the business owner, to show clients what they need to see in order to continue spending money with them. I would recommend avoiding them at all costs, as a rep, or a customer.

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75 Comments  comments 

75 Responses

  1. @frumdahip –

    Thank you for your thoughts – I need to correct one thing you said: “…… aggregate buying (volume) will play a big role in why Adzzoo is able to do some of what they do.”

    This is just not true – See Google’s website about resellers – and their warning about “Companies and claims to avoid when considering AdWords”. Google clearly states “Nobody receives preferential prices for AdWords
    Every advertiser pays the same price for AdWords. We don’t give discounts to anyone.”

    I am not sure if you intended your question about “what extent (you) will go to be “king of the hill”, towards me or not – but I have stated this before, and will repeat it. AdzZoo is not a competitor to me. I do a few ppc campaigns for a couple of my clients – but I prefer to focus on other areas.

    As for the commissions paid out to the reps – this is a huge point against AdzZoo for one reason – You still have to take profits out for AdzZoo itself. This leaves about 20% of your actual money going towards your campaign. It is a ridiculous amount to pay, for a poor campaign that does not deliver. That has been one of my biggest complaints against AdzZoo.

    If you are really considering AdzZoo – please contact me, and after I learn a bit more about your business – I can give you a quote for a one time fee to setup a similar campaign for you. Then you can run the campaign yourself, and not pay AdzZoo – (or me) any more money per month. I am reworking my main website to offer this service to clients with small budgets who want to target the content network.

    The truth is that the vast majority of small businesses out there do not need to spend a lot of money on campaign management – BECAUSE PPC IS NOT AS HARD AS THESE COMPANIES MAKE YOU THINK!

    Thank you for your feedback.

  2. frumdahip

    @muskrat

    I stand corrected then on one point that I thought may be a variable. BUT unless I go about educating all my local clients on ppc and going through instructionals it seems to me a service is still needed. While Adzzoo is perhaps a bit more with profits going back to the company it does seem worthwhile nonetheless. If I had a certain special wrench or set of wrenches for a couple hundred dollars then I could do certain repairs on my car and not pay almost $100/hr! for mechanics…but the sad reality is I don’t have the knowledge of mechanics nor the patience nor the tools so I pay the hourly rate.

    IT seems to me that many organizations and individuals overpay for services so long as results come their way. Groupon and the like take huuuge chunks and yet clients stream onboard.

    Business owners are often willing to pay a few bucks more for people to do a job for them. Hey…if all business owners took a couple classes here and there on anything they could virtually run their own SEO and web hosting and even design websites. And one more class and they can do professional photography too. I am sure you get the point.

    You do make a valid point BUT realize that most local businesses know their business and rely on services that will bring people to their door..and Adzzoo is simply another alternative with a simple templated packaged tool thats all. And so what if a lot of it is the same in one sense. When it comes to online information…I just want simple, easy to navigate information. I don’t want to have to wait for all kinds of flashy things to load…I just want info that will help me make a decision on a service or product. I love art and creativity but it does not make one iota of a difference for me when I am searching for services/products locally.

    I think we can simply agree to have our own opinions and continue to serve clients the best we can. If I find an opportunity to sell (yes…sell…services for local businesses which bring them a good ROI and they are happy with and reasonable cost then I am more than open to that most definitely. Show me those options and I will consider that absolutely). I am not out to become a one company toting herald just a simple guy who understands the value of advertising and serves local/regional and national clients the best he can with whatever services there are.

  3. The problem is that clients of AdzZoo DO NOT get an R.O.I. – nor do they get their money’s worth. For what they spend, they could go to a local company – pay less, and get better results.

    As for a company you can sell for – that delivers R.O.I. to clients – check out Groupon, or Living Social etc. I am not endorsing these companies – as I have done no research on them, but on the surface it seems to me like an honest sell, with integrity. No scam – company A put’s a coupon on line – that is then emailed to all people who have signed up for the mailing list on the corresponding site. Seems that it is, what it is – and no numbers need to be distorted.

    We will definately have to disagree (respectfully) of course.

  4. NeedJobGuy

    I was checking out this company for a job, and my experience is this. The guy who was recruiting me just seemed more like a shyster. He advertised on Craigslist saying he has more leads than he can handle. That is why I called him. He wanted ME to come up with 10 people I did business with. That is NOT “more leads than he can handle”. I turned him down, but he changed it up on me for another opportunity with the company, and that has not turned out good either. I listened to him on a phone conversation, and the person asked him the name of the company, and he gave this person a different name, when it was really Adzzoo. It seems he wants people to give up 10 people they know for his leads. Also, he sent out an email to the reps telling them about some HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT that would be made today, and you get on the call, and they are NOT even ready to start, and there is NO announcement, but just chit chatting. They seem to be playing cat and mouse, and bait and switch games. Like they want to be secretive of what they’re doing, and hope you don’t ask too many questions, and then answer the questions with other questions. They like to dangle fake bait at you (i.e. more leads than we can handle) to get you to take it, and then reel you in with their hype. It doesn’t sound like an up and up honest way to earn a living to me.

  5. JaePro

    Hey Chad,

    I find your defense of your position somewhat comical and definitely outdated. However, seeing that this blog was posted nearly a year ago I guess you must be forgiven. I say that because I have been in SEO for nearly three years and I have been an AdzZoo rep for just over a year and some of what you have said was true at one point.

    When I first started with AdzZoo they had a one price fits all structure that was silly at best and inane at its worst. However, over the course of a year AdzZoo has grown tremendously, not only in its ability to deliver, but also in its ability to meet Google’s new transparency policy.

    You have made the statement several times that an AdzZoo client does not get their monies worth when they deal with AdzZoo and yet you base that on your own opinion and not that of any of my clients. My clients get exactly what they were told they would receive and that is a first page Google presence along with placement on maps, the Google content network and all of the major directories.

    You have somewhat stated that these listings have little or no value because not all readers see every ad. In that same line of thinking then, advertising in the newspaper, on radio or billboards is a complete waste of money because not everyone hears a radio show or reads a billboard or looks at every ad in the newspaper therefore all of those mediums must be a scam. Not a very logical argument if you ask me.

    The advantage of AdzZoo to a client is simply this, they get first page exposure on the internet and HUGE branding opportunities that otherwise would not be available to them at the price AdzZoo charges. They also have the campaign managed for them so that they can do what they do, which is run their business. I believe in the AdzZoo product for many reasons but most importantly because not all businesses can hire and SEO first to help them get onto the first pages of major search engines.

    My company may have a client that wants a great presence but has a limited budget and $2500 a month for a full blown SEO program is outside of his budget. For $800 a month through AdzZoo he gets a great presence and he can enjoy the benefits of someone else managing that campaign for him.

    My last point is this, AdzZoo is a Google certified AdWords partner, and unlike the time you started this blog, that is now a big deal. Not just anyone can be an AdWords partner and you are required to have transparency with the client. AdzZoo offers 3 levels of product and as for me and my team we only sell one and that is the most expensive one. Why do we do that? It is simply because, whether I sell the least expensive or the most expensive the management fee is exactly identical…$300 on average. So when I sell a $800 campaign $500 of that is going to their media buy with Google.

    If you know how the Ad auction with Google works and armed with the knowledge that our average client page quality score is a 9.3 you can see that a $500 media buy is substantial. Just for you FYI $800 is the average cost for the clients I look to service. SEO does not work for everyone and it certainly isn’t guaranteed. I think the average SEO companies guarantee is most likely…probably, possibly, potentially, maybe, might be on the first page in the next 6 to 18 months. We both know why that is and we both know that some business owners can’t take that kind of a leap of faith. That is the client AdzZoo is helping.

    JMorey
    SEO consultant

  6. Colleen

    Adzzoo has a slick marketing campaign. Here is the problem that I see. First of all they pretend they are a priority with Google! Second of all I see them going down the same road like alot of MLMs and there are some good ones out there. If you are privvy to their training it is all about recruiting and not knowing the mechanics of the product. I knew that when i was approached and all they could speak of is we are looking for leaders and talking about building an agency like it is insurance a “red flag” went up. The founders of this company are heavy hitters in MLM and have proven track records in taking huge organizations with them everytime they start a new company. I am not against that but anyone who wants to pay for an ad campaign is better off going with an experienced SEO company or person and paying more or the same amount of money because they KNOW the business.

    Addzoo teaches these people nothing more than a pitch in selling and recruiting and they dont educate the client. For those who think that SEO and SEM companies are afraid of addzoo they are mistaken. Once these business owners find out they are not getting what was promised the field will be open and honest companies will reap the reward. Customer service and integrity is key and i just dont see it in this business model that addzoo has.

  7. frumdahip

    @muskrat

    We will disagree respectfully and I can appreciate that. I am continuing on my course with pursuing options for local/regional clients and Adzzoo may be the perfect fit as I get to know more about how the service works in the backend as a huge benefit for the client.

    I do know that Groupon and the like have some great benefits for start ups or companies for loss leaders but the fact is that after you offer minimum 50% off these services charge 50% of the coupon offered. Plus they pay out in stages and offer no limit on maximum number of buyers. Too much business can be the death of a company that cannot handle it just as much as too little. Word of mouth going forward about these sites and even online shows me a very mixed picture depending on the industry.

    I personally love Groupon and the sort but because I pay 50% off for services means I will never be a repeat customer paying full price ever again. Why should I when I can experience all kinds of services similar and different for 50% off or more. I do not pay nor will i pay full price at these places after having them discounted heavily….unless they offer a service that i can’t live without (haven’t found one yet).

    I do know there is a lot more to this conversation that can go on and on but I hope we have come to the point where we part ways peacefully and continue to offer our clients quantifiable results however we can. Peace.

  8. “….over the course of a year AdzZoo has grown tremendously, not only in its ability to deliver, but also in its ability to meet Google’s new transparency policy…..”

    Why were they not “transparent” before? What were they hiding? How have they “grown tremendously? Can you please be a bit more specific, and if you have examples (Screen Shots of any of their landing pages on the “first” page of Google, Reports, or Testimonials that I can verify etc) then send them to me, and I will post them. Better yet, have your clients come to this blog, and post a comment in support of you, with their domain names in the listing. It will give them a free link back, and I won’t try to steal your customers, and shouldn’t be able to if they are so happy with their R.O.I.

    “You have made the statement several times that an AdzZoo client does not get their monies worth when they deal with AdzZoo…”

    They don’t – I have seen the reports – and they are grossly overstated, showing 80,000 + impressions on the content network, and making it sound like “80,000 + customers looking for your product or service saw your ad.” I have no problem with the Google Maps listing, or Google Local Business Listing – but a client does not have to pay for that – they can do it themselves, and do it in about 10 mins (with no experience). As for the listings on “all of the major directories”, If you mean Yellow Pages, Dex, and Superpages – those have little value, and can be done by a client themselves for free. All the other little directories do not have much (if any) value.

    “The advantage of AdzZoo to a client is simply this, they get first page exposure on the internet and HUGE branding opportunities that otherwise would not be available to them at the price AdzZoo charges……”

    Yes it would be available to them – they can set up their own Adwords Account – create a campaign, set the budget, and let it run. When you are talking about a “branding” campaign, there is not a lot of managment necessary. I will set up anyones campaign (for content network) for a 1 time, flat rate of $200 – and they will get more traffic, and spend less money each month. They will also have control over the campaign when I am done. AdzZoo is way overpriced at best, and a scam at worst.

    ” I believe in the AdzZoo product for many reasons but most importantly because not all businesses can hire and SEO first to help them get onto the first pages of major search engines.”

    Please show examples of AdzZoo Landing pages being on the first page of “major search engines” To date, I have not seen one. I also pointed out in a previous post, why these landing pages are not optmized, and do not show up, and have no SEO value…the main one being that these pages are subpages of AdzZoo’s own website – and most are not indexed by Google. If it is not indexed, it doesn’t show up, and if this is the case, there is no SEO value to the clients REAL website.

    “My last point is this, AdzZoo is a Google certified AdWords partner, and unlike the time you started this blog, that is now a big deal.”

    No it’s not a big deal, and it’s not hard to do…there are only 3 requirements (1) •Have managed at least a US $10,000 spend over 90 days (to be counted from the day the AdWords account is linked to the MCC). The MCC account linked to the company must have spend on 60 days out of a 90-day period. (2) •Have at least one individually qualified employee
    (3) •Note our terms and conditions Here is the link (for proof)

    Please provide proof of your claims, and I will gladly post them.

    Regards,
    Chad

  9. frumdahip

    Why would I use a Google AdWords Certified Partner?

    Like many advertisers, you may not have a significant amount of time to invest in learning AdWords and managing your own advertising account. Hiring a professional can help save you time while maximizing the return on your investment.

    Google Certified Partners have invested time training and using AdWords to become certified, and using their expertise may benefit your campaigns and help generate new leads and business from Google advertising programs.

    In choosing a Google Certified Partner, you should consider your core advertising needs and try to match them with a professional’s services. You can look for someone who may be able to provide the services you’re looking for with Google Partner Search.

    This from that link that you sent Chad. That was helpful so thank you. I recognize that I am not the certified person but rather a sales person and one who desires to see clients simply get results. IF I can work with clients to bring them to a team (not just one) who will deliver that then I am successful in that. There is a cost for that expertise and there is a cost for that infrastructure.

    I know so many businesses that still have no clue what a QR code is for petes sake let alone how to create one (which is the simplest task ever). For those businesses that are doing their own campaigns and are successful at it…awesome for them. For those that are not able for whatever reason but ultimately benefit in actual trackable and noticeable results…good for them in however they can do that…including utilizing Adzzoo. As for the Adzzoo reps who are not what they should be…that exists in everything unfortunately (I might state however that Adzzoo is very stringent about their image and feel free to report whichever rep is not acting in a responsible manner…they will not tolerate this as the company image is important). Anyways…bad reps and business people…that ranges from mechanics to lawyers to you name it. It is sad but it does not mean everyone is that person.

    Ok. I know I said we should agree to disagree as I am not in the habit of always going back and forth as most people have their minds made up at the get go. You know your stuff Chad and I do appreciate that…but don’t take away the fact that the team internally at Adzzoo is any less efficient and that they are inferior as that is not the case. They simply chose to exert and utilize their talents in an organization that sees the landscape a little different…but not wrong by any means.

    Its all good. Peace.

  10. Michael

    I signed up for a 6 month local campaign with Adzzoo and during that time there were numerous delays and problems getting the advertising and landing page to sync up to my specifications – at least 2-3 months of delays. Communication was poor, but although their written guarantee does not stipulate results or lack of, their independent rep promised me repeatedly that if I was not satisfied, I would receive a full refund. This was conditional for my moving forward. During that 6 months, I did not receive 1 e mail or phone call, nor to my knowledge, any sales. The independent rep denied making the promise and the company refused to give me a refund, nor did they make any attempt at all to make things right. In fact, several “promises” made to me about results, refunds, and contacting me, never materialized. I’ve seen companies that run based on lies, deception and poor customer service; they never last. Adzzoo is no different and I’m certain they will fade from view within a few years, if not sooner. My advice is to find another source to advertise through.

  11. I just reading this entire thread and love the way that the only defensive replies are made by Adzzoo reps. Where is the corporate spokesman for Adzzoo that is letting his reps throw themselves under the bus? How about it Adzzoo? You are the one that should be defending your company, not some poor 1099 rep. After all, you charge your reps to work for you! How about coming to their aid?

    Just a thought!

  12. Chad,
    I enjoy your insights on SEM companies and their sleight of hand tactics. I am a marketer who is more experienced in traditional marketing but have studied extensively on digital media.
    I’m curious if you have found a company or companies that do a “great” job in that space that I might be able to team up with to offer their services locally.

    thx
    Ken Braswell

  13. I respect your comments, and they are well thought out….

    My major problem with AdzZoo is the way they represent the data – it is misleading. Why be misleading if it’s all above board, and not a “rip-off”?

    To my readers – will someone please send me CURRENT reports by AdzZoo – I would like to see how “transparent” they are with regards to cost of clicks vs price of clicks. I also would like to verify if my information posted a while back is still accurate. I will correct myself if proven wrong.

    Regards,
    Chad

  14. I am sorry to hear of your poor experience. I wish you would have found my blog before signing up with them.

    Also – to all readers – never forget…..IF IT SOUNDS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS. A smooth talking salesman will say anything to make the sale, and then you will never see them again.

    Get them to send you an email, with their promises in writing…..this probably will not hold up with the company, but should get the bad salesman fired.

    Make sure everything they are promising you is in writing, from the company, in the contract. If it’s not – kick them out of your office.

    Good luck in the future Michael. I wish you success.

    Chad

  15. I noticed that too! :) Thanks for reading.

    Chad

  16. Ken,

    I haven’t found any company I would endorse. This is probably because I am not looking. Most of the companies I deal with are small business owner, who don’t have a large budget (less than $30 day). The truth that the SEM firms I feature in my blog don’t want you to know, is that with a budget like this, and a local reach, it does not take much work to manage these campaigns. For this reason, I have started offering to set up campaigns for my clients, for a one time charge. If I do any further work on the campaign, I charge my hourly rate on an “as used” basis. Most of the time, after a campaign is set up, the business owner can manage it just fine, since it doesn’t require 20 hours per week, as these large SEM firms would have you believe.

    I will be updating my website to reflect this.

    Regards,
    Chad

  17. John Delaney

    Chad…

    We are finally nearing the end of our 6-month experiment with AdzZoo – and have begun creating the “story” of what we’ve learned. As a little tease, here are some interesting facts that have come out of this experiment.

    Part of the process has involved comparing the use of effective website content in an organic SEO campaign to the AdzZoo approach. In it’s first 60-days, the organic campaign generated more traffic and leads than the AdzZoo program – by a 20-1 ratio. For the last 3 months the ratio is closer to 40-1 in favor of the organic campaign.

    In this same time frame, we setup a targeted campaign on Facebook that has resulted in an average of 16 sales per month. The overall sales generated from the organic SEO campaign and the Facebook campaign have resulted in over 120 new customers.

    Now, here is the fun part. New customers gained through the AdzZoo campaign? ZERO! Nada! Nothing!!

    The cost for creating and implementing the organic campaign and Facebook campaign = $1600. The cost for creating and implementing the AdzZoo campaign = $1800 to date.

    The ROI? Organic w/Facebook = $24,000. AdzZoo = $0.00

    These are not number we made up – but true results of the campaigns. The final tally comes in July, along with a detailed report.

    Regards,
    John Delaney

  18. John,

    Thank you for sharing this information.

    So that it does not get buried at the bottom of all the comments I have received on my AdzZoo post, I am going to create a special page on this blog, where I will gladly publish your complete report, along with links back to your site giving you credit for the effort, money, and time you put into doing a great report about the effectiveness of an AdzZoo campaign.

    Your efforts are greatly appreciated.
    Chad Musgrove

  19. This is a huge scam and I urge any small business owner to avoid your waste of time and money. When problems arise, and these will most assuredly occur, you are forwarded to :
    Nathan I. Prager Chief Financial OfficerVice President of Compliance,Suite 200,6465 N. Quail Hollow Road
    Memphis, Tennessee 38120
    Voice 901-767-5361Cell: 901-483-0757
    Fax: 901-313-0188
    This is the nastiest, most arrogant, condescending, take-it or-leave-it, New Yorker one could imagine. When you then investigate Mr Prager the truth behind this company becomes crystal clear. Go to
    http://www.laserradio.com/memphis.html
    Adzzoo is a scam. You have been warned.

  20. Marc,

    Thank you for your input. I have seen the link you placed in your comment (not sure if you provided it previously or not) – and read through it a while ago.

    Yet another reason why not to trust AdzZoo, either as a potential rep, or as a customer. If their owners have been involved in past scams, what would make them trustworthy today.

    Regards,
    Chad

  21. Affiliate Income

    Hey Chad, you posted a comment on my blog. Although I’m not affiliated with AdzZoo, I think they have a place in internet marketing. Most small businesses that would use them would not do any other online marketing themselves… nor would they hire an online marketing firm because they won’t pay their fee. AdzZoo is good for a small local business (restaurant, storage, etc) but for a business with a bigger reach… a SEM company would give them the attention they need.

    I was involved in AdzZoo a while ago but I have made much more money with Affiliate marketing. Affiliate income is a lot easier to do too.

  22. What a jerk you are for doging out a compani you no nothing about.
    No im not a rep but I do the same things for clients using google maps and adwords. These services do work most small busowners that do Adwords never get their add to high quality and thats because theres a lot more unseen stuff added I know how it works if your in a business with high competitve keywords, your add perclick per quality firstpage position will be extreamly more higher if you did it yourself without a optimized website and microsite or landing page. So adzoo do what they claim dont believe them tryit your self big dady go try to get first page with a web desighn company for their keywords and see, and know im not a adzoo rep. I build and maintain websites. So quit trying to damage companies you obvisoluy know nothing about. JERK

  23. I did post on your blog – but my post was directed at a comment left by “Bob Andrews”. I posted a comment that said:
    “@Bob Andrews.

    I found your information very informative. This blog is obviously set up by someone who is an AdzZoo Rep. If this message gets posted, and you see it, I would welcome your comment on http://www.websitemarketingtruth.com

    Thanks,
    Chad”

    But when I just now went to your blog, and checked it out again – for some reason, only my comment shows up, and not all the comments. This makes it appear as though I am saying that I found YOUR (original post) information very informative, and this is not what I was saying. I was agreeing with Bob – who clearly disagreed with your analysis of Adzzoo.

    For this reason – I have disabled the link back to your website….if you want to contact me further, and explain why it appears I gave your blog and endorsement, when I clearly did not – then please do so, and I will re-enable the link to your website.

    I welcome all comments on my blog – and publish them as-is….even those that disagree with me.

    Regards,
    Chad

  24. Advertising Agent

    I would just like to ask a few questions. 1) Every network marketing business has some sort of scam blog out there to try to discourage people to get involved correct? 2ndly, Most blogs against these companies are trying to market their own products to those who were supposedly burned by the networking company? Isn’t this preying on those who have had a bad experience already? 3rdly, I bet most of these people who report on these blogs negatively are not successful in a company like adzzoo because they were too lazy to commit and follow the system. And lastly, why do you have to prey on those former customers and former reps of this company with your own product campaign… Nice way to try to ethically advertise. LOL

  25. Hello “Advertising Agent”,

    Welcome to my blog. I will do my best to answer your questions.

    1) I would speculate there is a blog devoted to MLM’s or at least a post somewhere about what a ripoff most Multi Level Marketing programs are. There is probably a reason for that. With most MLM’s – there is always a small percentage of individuals that make a lot of money, but most lose out. Many MLM’s end up going out of business.

    2) I do not know if most blogs that are against these companies are trying to market their own products or not, and can not speak for the ethics of whether or not those blog owners are “preying on those who have had a bad experience”

    3) I do not know if most people reporting on these blogs are not successful. I do not know if they are lazy. I would venture to guess that most people fail at MLM’s because the product offering is weak, the work is hard, and the promises of making a million dollars with your own “home based business” are usually empty.

    Your last question is one I can speak directly to, as you imply things about me that just are not true. I do not prey on anyone. I do not overly advertise my services to people reading my blog. I simply signed the bottom of this post with my name, title and company. I do not offer services that compete with AdzZoo. I do not run SEM programs for people. For a one time flat rate charge of $129 – I will help someone setup their own Adwords account and teach them what they need to know to run it. They pay Google directly, and control where their money is being spent. Not sure why you think I am “preying” on reps, or former customers.

    I put this blog up to help small business owners keep from falling victim to AdzZoo’s ridiculous programs, and hopefully save their hard earned money. I spend many hours on this blog and do not expect anything in return. If someone wants to contact me, great, if not, I hope I helped them in some small way.

    Good luck to you, and thanks for taking the time to post on my blog. All comments are welcome, even those that disagree with me, or question my integrity.

    Regards,
    Chad Musgrove
    Owner
    Pro AD Insight

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