Working for a digital marketing agency for almost fifteen years has given me some insight into what paid search advertising clients want and what they need. Recently, we have had a handful of advertisers ask us to prove our value and tell them why they should keep paying us a monthly management fee once their campaigns are set up and optimized.
“Now that the campaigns are set up, they are on autopilot, right?”
False. Once your campaigns are up and running, even if we are using Google’s plethora of Smart Bidding options, they will always need a keen eye kept on them to spot any anomalies or issues that arise with the campaigns.
Think of JumpFly, or another digital advertising agency, as your paid search pilot. We all know that most commercial airplanes that we travel on are manned by pilots but are mainly flown by automated systems. There are no self-flying passenger aircraft because an airplane needs a pilot in case things go wrong and to handle the tasks that just can’t be handed off to an automated system.
The same is true for pay-per-click (PPC) advertising: your agency is your pilot. There are a myriad of situations that still need a human’s intervention, data analysis, and intuition with Smart Bidding. Having a set of human eyeballs, as well as our in-house proprietary reporting platform, is crucial to the success of your digital advertising efforts. There is no “set it and forget it” in PPC even with all the automation available. Anyone, an agency or end-user, who does this with the campaigns that they manage runs a real risk of hurting campaign results.
“Where can I see my campaign performance information and trends?”
While all advertisers can access their account performance statistics in the advertising platforms, sometimes that data is difficult to decipher for untrained eyeballs. Fortunately, most agencies, JumpFly included, have some sort of weekly or monthly reporting system for their clients.
JumpFly’s proprietary platform is robust enough to get you all the data you need but easy enough to read that a middle schooler could understand it. Our system was created by JumpFly’s Chief Technology Officer and provides beautifully compiled information, including but not limited to: users’ location, gender, and other demographics, along with month-over-month data to compare and easily recognize trends.
Receiving a well-conceived report is much easier for your average advertiser to digest than simply reviewing the monthly data on the platforms. If my choice is easy and pretty or confusing and difficult, I choose easy and pretty all day with no questions asked.
“How do I get whitelisted for the new Google Ads or Microsoft Advertising beta?”
Working with an agency gives advertisers a distinct advantage over self-managed accounts: direct agency support and contacts with each of the platforms. This direct line to support can be helpful in basically any situation. From policy violation disapproval to gaining access to new betas and everything in between — having dedicated agency support available contributes to the success of paid search efforts.
This is not to say that self-managed accounts don’t have support — they still do. But the level of support they receive is vastly different from the assistance available to agencies. In order to utilize that extra layer of support, your account must be linked to an agency’s management shell.
“How do I add keywords or change ad copy?”
Once you hire a PPC agency to manage your campaigns, you should never have to ask yourself (or Google) this question ever again. If you need ad copy changes or keywords paused or added, all you need to do is email your agency account management team, and they will do it for you.
You are an expert in your business, just like paid search managers are in theirs. Let your account team handle the heavy lifting on your account while you focus on converting leads or shipping out all of the orders that digital advertising sends your way.
“Why is PPC management so expensive?”
Just like your business, digital advertising agencies have teams of qualified experts to work on your accounts. Experienced marketers with decades of experience command higher salaries than those new to the field. And with this experience comes a wealth of information to make your account perform better.
As with everything in life, sometimes you need to spend money to make money. And digital advertising is no different.
Make the most of your time and budget by hiring a professional paid search agency to handle your campaigns. Let your results speak for themselves. You won’t be disappointed.
