Salesforce.com and Google Announce Salesforce Group Edition featuring Google AdWords

Google and Salesforce.com have formed what they’re calling a “strategic global alliance”. They’ve partnered to offer a new product called Salesforce Group Edition featuring Google Adwords. This new product combines the power of Salesforce’s on-demand CRM (customer relationship management) applications with the power of the Google AdWords pay per click (PPC) program to integrate sales and marketing. With this new product, Salesforce and Google is attempting to provide everything a company needs to “jump start” its customer growth using a single on-demand service.

By combining Google AdWords and Salesforce.com CRM, both organizations are attempting to essentially “bypass” and “get rid of” the services of a search engine marketing team to manage a company’s Pay Per Click programs. While this new solution is a win for Google, it could be outright dangerous for companies that are Salesforce customers’ employees managing the PPC accounts are not trained Search Marketing professionals, and a lot of the company’s marketing dollars could go to waste as a result.

As part of this new Google/Salesforce.com strategic global alliance, salesforce.com is the first company to resell the Google AdWords platform. Salesforce.com is acting as an official distribution channel for the Google AdWords product. The Google/Salesforce.com strategic global alliance is across forty three countries worldwide–and encompasses distribution, technology and co-marketing efforts.

Salesforce Group Edition featuring Google AdWords is an integrated solution that gives companies tools to acquire new customers and grow their business. By including most parts of the customer lifecycle (advertising, creating leads, closing business and retaining customers) in one solution, Salesforce Group Edition featuring Google AdWords allows companies “to jump start their business” by creating an internet marketing and sales presence. Essentially, it’s just another automated search engine marketing product that attempts to bypass the quality services of search engine marketing professional who are trained to do things such as extensive keyword research, write quality ad copy, and use their experience and skills to “optimize” pay per click marketing programs.

Salesforce Group Edition featuring Google AdWords includes an exclusive login page. Joint customers can go to the Google web site right now right now and login to their AdWords account or you can access Salesforce directly at here.

Salesforce Group Edition featuring Google AdWords is available right now in a five user edition for a special, 30 day promotional price of $600 per year. This includes a $50 Google AdWords credit. The $50 Google AdWords credit is available to new Google AdWords advertisers in the USA, Canada, and Mexico only (customers from the other 40 countries where this new service is available are simply out of luck, they are not eligible for the $50 Google AdWords credit). The list price of Salesforce Group Edition featuring Google AdWords is $1,200 per year. AppExchange applications may require an additional fee. For more information, visit https://www.salesforce.com/google or call 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE.

There are many other sites talking about this strategic Google AdWords/Salesforce.com strategic global alliance:
Salesforce.com, Google in AdWords Alliance
Creating a Linked Google AdWords Account
Google and Salesforce Tightly Integrate Adwords Products
Salesforce & Google Adwords Alliance
Google and Salesforce create Ads-CRM partnership
Salesforce.com and Google form strategic global alliance
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