PPC campaigns and choosing an agency - that’s the oh-so-big question we’re grappling with today. Here’s everything you need to find the ideal match for your company’s goals and what to consider before making a commitment. Plus, let’s bust some PPC myths while we’re at it.
Many companies leap into PPC with the hope of increasing their reach, scoring hot leads, and growing their customer/consumer base. When it’s done correctly, PPC has a stellar reputation for good reason.
Unfortunately, I have also seen how PPC myths have developed over the past number of years, leading to wildly unrealistic expectations. For many companies, PPC is treated like a miracle channel which drives an abundance of marketing qualified leads and contributes to unmitigated growth on autopilot.
“Just pour some money into a PPC campaign, press the magic button, and your MQLs will blossom. The unicorn customers will flood in too.”
I’ve been fortunate to work with amazing clients over the years, but I also remember the unpleasant situations working with clients who accepted these PPC myths as facts. Once a client called me barely two weeks after their PPC campaign had begun – he was very upset that MQLs were not inundating his inbox. His disappointment was the direct result of unrealistic expectations and a lack of understanding about how PPC works. Like everything else, it takes time and plenty of optimization to get the machine to hum.
Setting expectations: One of the most important elements clarified with our clients is that the minimum duration of a robust PPC campaign is 6 months. Benchmarks will be met, and real results will be visible only after 2-3 months have passed.
What takes so long? That’s really the burning question.
Well, kicking off the process takes a tremendous amount of market analysis, product research, and campaign work.
Only then can we dive into the details of campaign setup, ad creation followed by landing pages and workflows for some campaigns.
The most delicate and time-intensive step of the PPC process is campaign optimization, which requires patience while testing, retesting and continuously optimizing your campaign; this is where PPC expertise shines.
Once the campaign is launched – and then only after a week or two (for B2B campaigns) – will results become evident and optimizations begin. PPC is a numbers game, and until you have sufficient numbers ie clicks and contacts, you can't optimize.
Like any successful relationship in this industry, both the agency and client must remain committed to the shared goal. For example, there’s no way a PPC agency can achieve optimal results without an engaged client that’s supplying the agency with valuable content including blogs, eBooks, whitepapers, events, etc. PPC needs content – and there’s no other way to spin that one. Many agencies can also create this content but this requires an additional budget commitment.
Feedback regarding lead quality is also essential in order to create more or less or to change track.
So don’t think autopilot here. It’s a proactive relationship which lays the groundwork for successful PPC campaigns. And so that’s why choosing the right agency is one of the most important decisions you’ll make.
PPC is not a ‘one-size fits all’ business so make no bones about it: invest the time and energy into finding the ideal match.
The closer the collaboration, the stronger the results. But the match and expectations are are key, and I know from years of experience that you can never underestimate the importance of really getting it right.