Hire Someone Or Do It Yourself?
So you've considered doing some ppc advertising. I am going to give you some information you can use to decide if you want to hire someone to manage your pay-per-click campaign or if you want to do it yourself. The bottom line is that the biggest factor is YOU – I am just going to tell you what is on the other side of the hill, so you do not have to climb all the way to the top to see for yourself. In the process, hopefully I can save you some money too.
Do It Yourself
If you want to manage your own PPC campaign, here are a few things you should to take into consideration:
1. Time
How much time do you have? How much time are you willing to give up? Managing a PPC campaign can be very time-consuming, depending upon the industry. Between testing new ad copy, reorganizing ad groups and keeping an eye out for patterns, maximizing your results requires your ongoing attention. Consider it a part-time job for the first several months, and beyond if you intend to scale up your campaign.
2. Experience
How much do you already know about the PPC industry? Most of the larger companies and marketing firms have someone with at least four years of PPC experience managing PPC campaigns. If you do not have much experience, there are a few ways to get it. One way is to spend lots of time reading the marketing and PPC forums (this way is free). Secondly, just go ahead and open your own PPC accounts and dive in head first (this is what I did, and it was very expensive). Nevertheless, both are good ways to gain experience, and both can put you on track to make a profit.
3. Competition
How many other advertisers are there prospecting for the same customers? How much are the bids going for in the top 5 ad positions on the first page of results for your keywords? The difference between that top position and a lesser position can be several dollars per click if you’re not writing deadly effective ad copy to draw people to your ad.
4. Keywords
How many keywords will you be managing? Do you know how to find all the relevant keywords for your business, including the obscure ones that consumers use but never occur to sellers? Keep in mind that if you are in a competitive industry, you will probably be going up against other advertisers who are using expensive keyword research and bid management software to automate a lot of these processes.
5. Descriptions
Do you know if you can write good PPC descriptions? I’m not talking about normal ad descriptions, but words and offers that grab people by the shirt collar and make them do a double-take. The difference can be the deciding factor between making a monumental profit or taking a staggering loss – a lesson I learned first-hand.
6. Budget
How much do you have to spend? If you are new to PPC and plan on spending more then $500 per month, I recommend you start off hiring someone to manage your PPC ads or to act as a consultant. It will be well worth the money if you shop around for the right person or company to help.
7. Learning new techniques and strategies
The PPC market is constantly changing and evolving. You have to stay up-to-date with everything, because you can be certain your competition is. Staying up-to-date involves reading newsletters and forums regularly, consistently, and carefully.
Hire a Pay-Per-Click Manager
If you are going to hire someone to manage your PPC campaign, here are a few things you should take into consideration:
1. Experience
What type of experience do they have? How long have they been in business? Do their current clients recommend them unconditionally?
2. Price
Shop around – you can always find a good deal on the internet. Just watch out for the ones that are TOO good. Remember the saying that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Talk to at least three different companies and compare them carefully before making your choice. Most legitimate consultants and firms will charge you between 15% - 30% of your monthly ad budget, so you're paying them out of your profits. To be honest, price should be the least of your worries because it's more important to get results and if the person you hire isn't getting results for you then stop spending money.
3. Bid monitoring
How many times per week do they check your bid positioning?
4. Friendliness
You are going to be communicating (via email or phone) a lot with the person running your PPC ads. You should like talking with them and find them easy to talk to.
5. Response time
How quickly will your calls or emails be returned?
6. Support
Do they offer phone support or just email support?
7. ROI tracking
Is it offered? It is not necessary to have ROI tracking, but in today’s market, it drastically increases your chances of having a profitable PPC ad.
If you’re still on the fence and don’t know which side you want to land on, then I have another option for you – consulting. Hire someone to help you take off your training wheels and give you a push.
If anyone has a preference for a future topic for this blog, just send me an email (tyler@tylerwest.net) or post your request as a comment. I want to provide you with information and discussions that address your specific needs while provide answers to questions and problems you may currently be facing in your PPC ad campaigns!