Last week I launched one final advertising campaign on Google AdWords for Steem before the ads ban takes effect in June! After weeks of preparing, I got all of the ads uploaded and approved primarily for the video below and matching post at https://steemit.com/…/3ffc3520-426a-11e….
Initial Results are Amazing!
The watch time on this video is ridiculous with an average of 30+ minutes per view from the USA, Canada, Australia, and UK for just $0.01 to $0.02 per view from cryptocurrency keyword and retargeted audiences!
Out of all the ads I have done so far, this one is performing by far the best with the budget for it now $600 a day in the USA, UK, Canada, and Australia with $50 a day global because the global watch time is a lot lower among non native english speakers.
The next biggest expense on the ads is $200 a day for display ads to https://steemit.com/…/3ffc3520-426a-11e… which presents similar information to what the video shares while allowing the thousands of us that commented to also be heard alongside what I had to say.
The remaining ads are smaller remarketing campaigns to keep people coming back after an initial interaction and to discover more about Steem through more of my videos and videos by other producers like @joeparys and @tomasgeorge along with posts from https://steemit.com/…/the-top-25-steem-….
I am also testing some ads for https://jerrybanfield.com/resources/ which has a box promoting Steem at the top to see if we can keep these going after the AdWords ban and bring new entrepreneurs that might launch smart media tokens.
On the ads budget we have $8,161.46 more available to spend and I am prepared to go $20,000 or so in the negative as needed to allow the @budgets account to make payments after I have already spent the money for the ads because we have limited time left to finish this campaign before June 2018.
But?
I am conscious of many objections and critiques of why the ad is not perfect or why I am not the right person to promote Steem or why now is not the right time and so on. Fortunately, my experience and the data shows that these ads are proving extremely effective. Even if someone reacts to the ad by taking an opinion that Steem is awful, sharing that opinion with someone else may motivate further investigation and a different conclusion.
For example, take a look at @trafalgar's story at https://steemit.com/…/3-months-1000-fol….
As we can see from @trafalgar's story, someone helped bring a big investor to Steem by talking about how bad it was! In fact, my first impression of Steem was "who cares about earning $0.20 on a blog post" because at the time I was completely invested in Dash and I did not take the time to do any more than read a couple posts on my friend @robertgenito's blog.
A month later after selling all my Dash, I remembered Steem and took a second look. The more I saw, the more I realized that earning $0.20 on a blog post was the biggest difference in the world compared to nothing. That alone made this the best blockchain to me and it just got better and better seeing 3 second transactions, no fees, interest on Steem power, etc. Without a first impression, even a negative one, I never would have taken the time to research Steem further on my own.
Why?
The primary purpose of this ad is to help spread the idea that what we create is worth something. Companies taking everything users create for free and making a fortune off of it have tricked billions of people worldwide to give up valuable time, energy, and even money without getting anything more in return than a few likes and followers. Steem gives us the chance, however imperfectly, to change that. Even if the average user only gets a few cents, that is WAY BETTER than nothing on other websites especially when the earnings add up over time.
My passion for Steem is founded in our ability here to directly connect as human beings, share our truth without the ability to be banned, and each have a chance to participate in the value we contribute online. Steem is the best way that exists I see to do that which is why I give everything I have to helping spread that message.
Thank you for reading this today! I am available during this live stream to answer any questions you have about Steem, the ads, and anything else you want to ask today for the next hour!
Love,
Jerry Banfield