The average PPC campaign costs for small to mid-sized companies are $9000 to $10,000.
If you are already planning to spend so much money on your PPC campaign, it only makes sense to do it correctly.
But how easy or hard is it to manage a PPC campaign?
Probably not a lot with the right PPC consultant.
We are discussing all things you should know before hiring a PPC consultant. Don’t miss out!
What is a PPC Consultant?
A PPC marketing consultant is a specialist in PPC advertising. Their primary objective is to plan and optimize PPC campaigns on Google Ads, Microsoft Bing, and other paid networks. PPC consultants have a detailed understanding of paid media advertising and focus on strategizing and optimizing best industry practices to deliver a return on ad spend (ROAS) for clients.
Further, they ensure campaigns are set up correctly with the best practices in keyword research, bid optimization, ad creation, ad copy, and landing pages. The ultimate goal is to drive more leads and sales for clients while maximizing ROAS.
They are also responsible for analyzing campaign performance data and using this information to make continuous improvements that generate better client results.
How Can PPC Freelancer Help Your SaaS Business?
PPC experts perform a variety of tasks for their clients daily. If you have limited knowledge of how they work, this should give you a better insight into their roles.
Tailoring your PPC Strategy
PPC Freelancers take ownership of your PPC marketing strategy. This means they determine the type of campaigns to run, the platforms to use (Google Ads, Microsoft Bing, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), and the ads to publish.
One of the major focus areas of the PPC strategy is keyword research. The freelance PPC consultant identifies the specific keywords used to search for your product and services. Keywords are vital in determining a client’s overall PPC strategy.
Another important function of the strategy is to check on your competitors - what they are up to, their strategy, and more. This includes evaluating the type of copy, their keyword choices, the platforms they use the most, etc.
Optimizing Existing PPC Campaigns
If you already have PPC campaigns running with significant results, the freelance PPC consultant can help you improve the outcome. This includes performing an audit to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the PPC strategy, evaluating keywords, and even the design of the advertising copy. The PPC freelancer finds opportunities to help the business optimize, double down on its strengths and minimize its weaknesses.
This may include-
- Monitoring results
- Measuring the performance of campaigns
- Improving ad copy
- Updating and finding new keywords
- A/B testing
Reporting on Campaign Performance
Once you hire a Google ads specialist and all your strategy is in action, you can expect regular insights into the work. This is vital to understand your performance of the campaigns and the value derived from hiring the freelancer.
The smart approach is to agree on a reporting schedule with your PPC freelancer. It could be weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually based on your need and convenience. Some PPC freelancers present their key findings elaborately by using comprehensive charts for clients to showcase the key developments and lags.
Identifying New Opportunities
The freelance PPC consultant can help you get a creative approach to any campaign rather than simply letting it continue on its normal flow. Based on the reports delivered, focus on ways to enhance your campaigns. Say, a conversion rate optimization (CRO) opportunity is identified on a landing page. In that case, the PPC freelancers can help you tweak your existing strategy to boost their sales and overall ROI.
Drafting a Retargeting Strategy
A PPC freelancer can take your business PPC campaign further by drafting a retargeting strategy that could help improve your engagement. It is one of the most efficient ways to enhance brand awareness that allows businesses to market themselves to individuals who are more likely to buy a product or service. Once you hire a PPC expert, they know how retargeting works and can design a framework to increase the potential of your campaigns.
Optimizing conversion funnels
PPC services are typically directed at engagement, but a freelance PPC consultant focuses on optimizing conversion funnels that guarantee sales and not merely engagement.
This is done by setting conversion goals, creating interactive and engaging ad copies, and optimizing a copy for conversions, among other implementations. All these efforts are invested in ensuring a significant return on investment.
Questions To Ask Before Hiring a PPC Consultant
The smartest way to approach a PPC marketing consultant is by asking questions. Ask as many questions as you want, but don’t miss out on these-
1. Can I have a look at your portfolio?
How will you trust a PPC consultant if you have no idea about their work? To ensure they are the right fit for your brand, this is a smart question to get started with. This will help you gain insight into their work, practice, and achievements. You can start by asking-
- What industries do you have experience working with?
- Can you share any relevant case studies?
- How much ad spend do you manage on a weekly/monthly basis?
2. Do you have your Google Ads Certifications ?
If you hire a Google ads specialist with a Google Ads certification, it means they have completed certification courses hosted by Google. It further implies that they have demonstrated knowledge and proficiency within areas of Google Ads to get the certification.
There are currently six certifications available-
Google Ads certifications are courses hosted by Google that provide an accreditation upon completion, demonstrating knowledge and proficiency within areas of Google Ads.
There are six certifications available:
- Google Ads Search
- Google Ads Display
- Google Ads Video
- Shopping Ads
- Google Ads Apps
- Google Ads Measurement
So, if your PPC marketing consultant has these certifications, you’re good to go!
3. Do you outsource any of your work?
PPC consultants may occasionally engage with subcontractors to support them with some campaign elements, such as copywriting. Outsourcing is not an issue in itself, but ensuring transparency regarding who is working on your account is important. So you want to ensure that the agency delivers what you are promised without compromising the quality of your work.
4. How much do you charge to manage campaigns?
Talking about the price can be uncomfortable, but you have to do it in the earliest stage of engagement with the potential to ensure that you can afford each other. Or else, if the expectations do not match, it will be a waste of time.
While talking about the fees, make sure to ask them to break down the costs, which can be-
- Per campaign or project: Suitable when there is a specific outcome or timeframe, like a spring campaign, as it will involve limitations on the number of ad groups and ads created.
- Time: Rates are charged using the hourly model based on the time spent creating and managing the campaign.
- Retainer: Based on the scope of work, you will either be charged a flat rate or a flat rate plus an additional fee based on the percentage of ad spend.
- Result-based- Charged per lead or conversion captured, or upon a percentage of revenue. If you opt for this, have a clear contract in place about how to track the results.
And don’t forget to ask for a pricing sheet, with a breakdown of the price (preferably) and the actions that justify the price.
5. How do you strategize and plan your campaigns?
It is vital to have a well-structured strategy in place to ensure you have a clear activity plan and objectives to work towards. You want to be clear about things like-
- Target searchers
- What and how are you offering the marketplace via PPC?
- Determining the value proposition to pre-sell the solution to the right people.
- Customer pain points to drive them to buy a solution like yours.
A clear understanding of marketing fundamentals is necessary to drive the keywords, the ads, and any adjustments that need to happen in the future.
6. How do you measure success and performance?
How will you know your progress? You need to clarify the terms of the report format before getting into any binding contract. You can ask for a sample report to understand what and how progress will be reported to you.
Discuss with your PPC consultant the clear terms of success and progress. For example, what do you consider a conversion? - a download, form submission, email, registration, and sale.
An effective tracking mechanism is best for tracking conversations and measuring your campaigns’ ROI. You can work with the consultant to determine what to measure and then instruct the webmaster to incorporate the tracking code, set up the goals in Google Analytics, and import conversions into AdWords.
7. How do you present your data or findings?
How will the PPC consultants present your report? Will you receive it via email or in a live reporting dashboard? Do you want a weekly or monthly update? How often will you get into one-on-one calls? These things are important to plan to ensure a productive journey with your consultant.
Things to ask before hiring-
- Will you implement tracking?
- What metrics will you recommend to measure results?
- What steps will you take to understand our margins and the return on investment to drive sustainable growth?
8. What type of campaign experience do you have?
This is an important question to ensure the consultant’s range in marketing campaigns. Is it a search campaign, display campaign, YouTube advertising, or a shopping campaign? Even if all these campaign types are managed within one platform (Google Ads), each involves different complexities. Therefore, checking with the potential candidate to evaluate their experience and skills is important.
9. Who will have access to my account? Can I access it?
Even if there can be different account managers, you should have access to your account no matter what. Your account has a designated place for the consultant as the account manager, allowing them to make changes to your account and generate reports. Still, they cannot see your credit card information.
Ensure to retain ownership of the account by asking the Google Ads manager to link the account with their Google Ads Manager account. This setup provides a separate login for the consultant, you, and any other logins used by your team members, also allowing you to track a history of changes made in the account.
10. What happens when our contract ends?
For both of you to stay on the same page, negotiate the terms after the contract ends. Opting for a two-way notice period is a smart choice, which allows for a smooth handover process. Also, be mindful of data ownership before entering into any contract. Though this is rare, some digital experts delete campaign activities when a contract ends, blocking all access to your data.
Problems in Hiring PPC Freelancers
PPC freelancers can be great resources but are not free of problems. Here are some things you must know before signing a deal with a freelancer-
Limited Control and Management
Even if you hire a PPC expert freelancer, they are not an integral part of your organization as they don’t work for you exclusively. Suppose your dedicated in-house teams carry out most of your sales and marketing activities. In that case, the freelance PPC consultant may not be as involved and deduce their interpretation, diverting the campaign to lose its initial focus. This can result in discrepancies in the overall brand statement and voice.
For all your advertisements to align with your sales and marketing goals, there should be seamless communication and coordination between the respective teams. Working with a freelance PPC consultant can take much more time to adjust and build relationships.
Also, the freelance PPC consultant may sometimes not be familiarized with the set of business processes or workflows or call for using specific tools and platforms. This mismatch can lead to inadequate control and management of advertising activities.
Commitment or Assurance Issues
Companies may experience issues with project assurance as they cannot exercise a higher degree of control. Also, the freelancers are not wholly committed to your company; they will be available as per their schedule, which can result in sub-standard support. You may also have to wait for long to address any issues without getting urgent solutions.
At worst, the freelance PPC marketing consultant can also abandon you, leaving you with partially completed work or no work, especially if there is no binding agreement. PPC agencies are a much better choice as they will always be fully committed and readily available, with added continuity and accountability for their actions.
Confidentiality Risks
The ad campaign management portal contains sensitive information vital for the business lifecycle. One improper use can lead to huge issues negatively impacting the brand name and reputation.
Information such as contact and personal details of high-quality leads, customer purchase history, and other metrics are confidential and should be protected at all costs.
You may not be comfortable sharing this sensitive data with a freelancer. Signing a non-disclosure agreement can mitigate some of the risks, but enforcing it is a tricky business.
Single-Point of Contact
Dealing with a single individual instead of a team is not as easy as you think. For example, the freelancer may not always be readily available if they are located in a different time zone. Also, disagreements can sometimes lead to a complete fall in productivity or even project abandonment. Finding another freelancer would again consume a lot of time and money, and you are not even sure if the process repeats itself.
Quality Issues
Freelancers work for several clients at once to make ends meet. As they power through project after project, they can compromise on quality for speed and volume. Working for many clients may gradually lead them to lose focus of the primary advertising goals or may mix up with some other client’s requirements. This can result in a conflict of interest diluting the efficacy and result-driving capacity of the campaign.
PPC Freelancer vs. PPC Agency- Which is Best for You?
Choosing between a freelance PPC consultant and a PPC agency will depend on many factors, especially your budget and the extent of your project. Here is what you need to know before settling down with one-
Why PPC freelancer?
PPC freelancers can provide expert insights into your campaign minus the expense of hiring an internal team or agency.
Here is why it is a good option for you-
Affordable: Hiring a PPC freelancer is more affordable than PPC agencies, resulting in lower project costs. They often charge lower hourly rates. This option is feasible if you have a small project need and requirement.
Straightforward communication: Communicating with one person can be easier than coordinating with a whole team. Even if they work remotely, they can also contribute to team meetings virtually.
Expert advice: Many freelancers are experienced and have expertise in managing PPC campaigns. Having worked with so many clients, they have the know-how to build an effective campaign for your business.
Why PPC Agency?
The right B2B PPC Agency specializes in pay-pay-click(PPC) advertising. Unlike PPC freelancers, they usually have larger teams with experts who focus on specific parts of PPC advertising.
Here is why it is a good option for you-
Team of experts: PPC agencies host different experts in various areas. They include-
- Social media specialists
- Account managers
- Paid media experts
- Graphic designers
- Copywriters
- Ad buyers
- Data analysts, and more!
Holistic PPC Strategy: Due to the strength, size, and expertise of PPC agencies, they have experience developing campaigns for companies of various sizes, in different industries, and with different goals. Freelancers can be limited in their experience of using platforms, but PPC agencies can help you manage your ad campaigns in different channels, including-
- Google Search and Display
- Microsoft (Bing)
- YouTube
- Social media (i.e., Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn)
- Amazon
- In-App
More Effective Campaigns: PPC agencies are experienced and well-equipped to measure and analyze the performance of the ad campaigns they manage. They have the insights and ability to adjust and optimize campaigns for maximum results.
Access to Additional Resources: Many PPC agencies leverage software and marketing tools to create more effective campaigns. This helps them to manage their ad budget across different platforms, track online visibility, test landing pages, and conduct keyword research.
Hiring freelance PPC consultants and PPC agencies has many benefits and cons. While freelancers are more affordable, they lack the proper expertise, tools, and commitment to providing expert PPC services. At the same time, PPC marketing consultants have a devoted team of experts to assist you in every stage of the marketing funnel.
Choose TripleDart to Leverage The PPC Efforts
TripleDart is a complete performance marketing agency for SaaS companies. We are outcome-driven and strongly focused on building a pipeline with ARR. We have been PPC partners to leading SaaS companies like Moengage, Multiplier, Hiver, PayU, Sprinklr, and many more.
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