Tactical Training Systems — New Google Ads Account Setup

Overview

Tactical Training Systems (TTS) is a division of Trachte focused on custom police and military training facilities. The existing Google Ads account for TTS is inaccessible due to being registered under a former employee's personal credentials, blocking all payment updates and campaign management. The resolution is to create a new, company-owned Google Ads account and use the opportunity to build a proper market-informed ad strategy from scratch.

The Problem: Locked Legacy Account

The TTS Google Ads account was originally created by a former employee using her personal name, personal address, and personal payment details. When she departed, the account was not properly transferred. As a result:

Payment methods cannot be updated (the account is locked to her personal credit card)
Administrative access is severely restricted — only read-level actions (e.g., viewing receipts) are possible
Active campaigns have effectively gone dark due to failed billing

This is a cautionary example of why ad accounts must always be created under company-owned credentials from the outset. See ^[1] for general guidance.

The Solution: New Company-Owned Account

The recommended path is to create a new Google Ads account under Trachte/TTS company credentials rather than attempting to recover the locked account. Miranda Strong (Trachte) is responsible for initiating this from the client side, with Asymmetric assisting in the setup.

Setup checklist:
- [ ] Create account under a company-owned Google login (not an individual employee's personal account)
- [ ] Use a company billing method (corporate card or invoice)
- [ ] Add Asymmetric as a manager account via Google Ads MCC link
- [ ] Migrate any salvageable campaign structures or keywords from the old account (read access allows export)

Market Opportunity

TTS operates in a high-growth niche: custom training facilities for law enforcement and military, including shoot houses, tactical scenario rooms, and multi-use facilities shared between fire, police, and military units. Key characteristics of this market:

All custom builds — every project is unique, though based on standard models
Public sector buyers — municipalities, counties, federal agencies (Army, etc.)
Federal grant funding — facilities are frequently subsidized by federal grants (e.g., Dane County building a facility with 50% federal funding)
High intent, low competition — the market is specialized enough that search volume may be modest but buyer intent is very high

"Every county in America wants one." — Trachte team, noting strong latent demand

Fire Facilities (a related Trachte division) is currently having an outstanding year, suggesting the broader public-safety facilities market is active.

Research Required Before Launch

Before building campaigns, Asymmetric (Sebastian Gant) will conduct market research to inform strategy:

Demand sizing — search volume for relevant keywords (training facility construction, shoot house builders, law enforcement training facilities, etc.)
Competitor landscape — who else is advertising in this space and how
Decision-maker mapping — who initiates and approves these purchases (likely facilities directors, chiefs, county administrators)
Funding mechanisms — understanding federal grant cycles and how to align messaging with budget availability
Keyword strategy — balancing branded terms, product terms, and intent-based queries

Findings will be reported back to Brian (Trachte) before campaign build-out begins.

Recommended Campaign Approach (Preliminary)

Based on the nature of the market, initial campaigns should likely focus on:

Campaign Type	Rationale
Search — branded	Capture anyone already aware of TTS
Search — category	"Custom police training facility," "law enforcement shoot house," etc.
Search — grant/funding angle	Target decision-makers researching how to fund facilities
Display/remarketing	Low priority initially; market is too niche for broad awareness spend

Messaging should emphasize customization, proven track record (Trachte's 125-year history), and potentially grant eligibility guidance as a differentiator.

TTS sits under the Fire Facilities arm of Trachte's business
Trachte also handles Fire Facilities advertising through Clarion (fire engineering trade media), which includes digital assets, magazine placements, and podcast sponsorships — TTS may benefit from a similar trade-media layer alongside paid search
The broader Trachte corporate rebranding initiative (potentially "TBS Group") may affect how TTS is presented; coordinate with ^[2] before finalizing ad creative

Action Items

[ ] Miranda Strong: Initiate new TTS Google Ads account creation from Trachte side
[ ] Asymmetric: Assist with account setup and MCC linking
[ ] Sebastian Gant: Research TTS market demand, competitors, decision-makers, and funding mechanisms; report findings to Brian
[ ] Sebastian Gant: Export any usable data (keywords, historical performance) from the locked legacy account before building new campaigns

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