Starting An Atlanta Pay-Per-Click Agency

Although I had conducted three years of exhaustive industry research, developed a solid business plan, and set aside a substantial financial cushion, starting an Atlanta pay-per-click agency was much harder than I had envisioned.

To summarize the experience succinctly; everything takes twice as long and is three times as hard as you initially expected.  If you have entrepreneurial dreams of your own, here are my candid experiences over the first six months of launching Lead Horse:

Choose your networking events very carefully.  I’ll share one of my personal experiences.  I found myself sitting in a stuffy banquet room with silver balloons strung from the ceiling, attempting awkward conversation over the course of a two hour lunch. Then comes the highlight of the event, the keynote speaker whom proceeds to deliver an extremely generic presentation with PowerPoint images that were reminiscent of the 1980′s.  Although networking is extremely important, some events are simply a waste of time and money.
Pay-Per-Click Marketing with the goal of acquiring B2B leads is typically not a cost-effective channel.  Although a few decent leads have ended up in my company inbox via this channel, most of the clicks to my website derived from Atlanta PPC campaigns were a direct marketer’s nightmare of “looky-loos” versus quality leads.
HARO is a wonderful place to gain free press and establish a strong online presence.  This site connects journalists in need of expert content to business leaders seeking publication.  HARO has a global audience and regularly publishes content across heavy hitters such as Mashable and The Huffington Post.
SEO is more important than you might imagine.  Since my professional background is focused primarily in the land of PPC, I initially underestimated the value of a strong local SEO presence for generating quality leads.  Although ranking on the first page of the Google results for the keyword ‘pay-per-click agency’ would be virtually impossible, ranking on the first page for ‘Atlanta pay-per-click agency’ is definitely attainable with the right SEO strategy in place.
You can find a killer office space without breaking the bank.  For instance, I found the perfect office location in downtown Decatur, GA.  It is beautifully furnished and even comes with a shared receptionist, several meeting rooms, and office equipment for only $300 per month.  Check out Regus for more information.
Speaking at non-industry events will expand your network and produce vital B2B leads for your company.  Attending events within your particular industry is a no-brainer.  However, being viewed as a thought leader outside of your industry where the competition is lower and becoming a prominent figure within your local business community is a worthwhile investment.