Better Without Them: Lessons Learned From SpyGuy's $63,000 Agency Mistake

For most brands, a feature on The Tim Ferris Show means record sales days. But Allen Walton had a totally different experience. Because his brand, SpyGuy, sells gear like hidden cameras, GPS tracking, and bug detectors. So traditional advertising doesn’t always work. That's why Google Ads have been Allen's secret weapon since he launched SpyGuy in 2014. And he taught himself how to run them. Until he eventually brought on an agency. It cost him $63,000. Now he’s back running the ads for his brand and giving Facebook another shot. Here’s what went on behind the scenes.

Show Notes

If I've learned one thing from this podcast, it's that most successful ecommerce founders just figure things out on their own. That's exactly what SpyGuy's Allen Walton has done since the very beginning. On this episode, he shares:

• The best books for learning Google Ads.
• Why you should learn the basics before hiring someone else to do a job for you.
• His $63k agency mistake.
• Groups other ecommerce founders should know about.

Show Notes & Links:

• [0:47] Allen’s experience going on The Tim Ferris Show.
• [3:16] Why Facebook hasn’t worked well for SpyGuy.
• [5:14] How Allen taught himself Google Ads.
• [15:38] Why it took him so long to get started with email marketing.
• [17:41] His disastrous agency experience.
• [32:04] Parlaying press into new opportunities.
• [34:38] How he thinks about SEO.
• [40:27] Where other ecommerce founders should be spending their time.
• Allen Walton on Twitter
• SpyGuy
• Allen’s episode of The Tim Ferris Show
• PPC Hero
• The Paid Search Podcast
• The Ultimate Guide to Google Adwords
• Pay Per Click Search Engine Marketing For Dummies
• Ultimate Guide to Pay-Per-Click Advertising
• HARO
• DropInBlog
• eCommerceFuel
• The Dynamite Circle
• Dave Gerhardt on Twitter
• The Ecommerce Marketing Show Home

What is Ecommerce Marketing School?

Privy presents Ecommerce Marketing School with Val Geisler, part of the Triple Whale Network. A podcast to help you scale your Shopify store and learn from the best in the biz. Every Tuesday and Thursday you'll hear from an ecommerce expert and get the tactical advice you need to grow your brand.