How to choose the best PPC Agency for your business

How to choose the best PPC Agency for your business

It doesn’t matter whether you run a small mom-and-pop store or already have several branches across the country; chances are you want it running successfully for years to come.

How effectively you use your marketing strategies is a crucial factor that plays a massive role in making your business successful.

PPC marketing is an already established way to help your marketing campaign get off the ground and run. Google alone currently boasts 3.5 billion daily searches; search pages are where it’s at if you want to be seen and heard.

This guide will cover the benefits of hiring a PPC agency for your business, five tips to choose the most effective one, how to calculate the results, and five things you should look for in case things go south and you have to switch your PPC agency.

Plenty of work so let’s start.

1. Benefits of working with a PPC Agency

Read on to find out the benefits of a PPC agency and see what you have been missing out on for yourself:

1.1 It contributes to your business goal

Perhaps one of the most compelling reasons for using a PPC management agency is so it can reach a maximum number of people and meet your goals.

Business goals can vary depending on your preference, ranging from high-level brand exposure to generating hot leads.

The bottom line is that PPC advertising can reach all kinds of people.

1.2 It generates fast results

A lot of times, businesses need results, and they need them as soon as possible. PPC might be the quickest way of running advertising campaigns and getting instant results.

So, it does not matter what your business goal is. Not only can you achieve it through PPC, but you can also generate the results you want faster than you imagined.

For example, if you have a website, your agency can easily create a Google Ads account, set up your ads, run them in the Google network and generate traffic and sales.

1.3 It gives you the first look

Imagine walking into a store looking to buy something, and you find that thing as soon as you walk in.

That is how PPC functions. Instead of appearing below or among the search results, your advertisements will appear on top of the search results.

This means that before visitors even look at the results of what they searched for, they will have a look at your ad first. And as the number of people that see your ads increases, so is your chances of getting your desired result.

1.4 It puts you in control

There are different nuances regarding default campaign settings, but it is essential to control many things. You can decide how to reach your customers first with the keywords you choose to target and how restrictive you want them to be.

If you want to start with a low budget, you also have the freedom to do so. And when an ad campaign is not in your favour, you can stop it immediately.

1.5 It drives offline sales

Another thing that makes PPC advertising exciting is that it drives offline sales. If you have a physical location, the chances are that after seeing your ad, customers are more likely to visit your store. Even though the transaction did not occur online, they saw your ad online and took the first step by visiting your store.

2. Signs it’s time to switch your PPC marketing agency

After you have made efforts to review a PPC marketing agency before working with them, some things can still go wrong. Thankfully, it won’t be much impact on your business if you can detect it in time.

When you are dissatisfied with the performance of your agency, you should reconsider your options and where you are spending your marketing budget.

If you see the following five signs, you should consider switching to a new digital marketing agency.

2.1 Problem with communication

Communication is not a one-sided job. When communication issues start developing, it is a big sign that you should look for a new marketing agency.

Signs of poor communication between companies include:

  • Unproductive phone calls
  • Your emails aren’t responded to on time
  • Poor account management
  • Missed deadlines

2.2 Not delivering the promised results

Often, you will come across some agencies that are big on promising but non-existent in delivering. Their honesty isn’t a question here.

They might be promising desired results because they want to deliver them, but the results they are generating are not enough for you to continue this partnership.

Hence, if you think about why your agency isn’t delivering what it promised, you should look for a new PPC marketing agency.

2.3 Stagnant results

PPC marketing is a very complex task if done right. Every year new features appear, and some are retired by the advertising networks. Also, considering the fearless competition among businesses, you will clearly understand the complexity.

A reliable agency should always try new things and improve existing campaigns to succeed. Set and forget is a thing of the past. If you don’t receive reports of improvements or tests are done by the agency for several months, they’re not doing their best.

2.4 Not bidding on your brand name

Your most valuable customers are those looking for your business. So, what will happen if your PPC agency fails to bid on your brand name?

You will lose potential customers, and existing ones may find it difficult to locate you. And something worse can happen!

Imagine that a competitor bids in that business name in the image below, and people keep clicking that link. What do you think will happen?

2.5 Creating and testing ads

The worst thing for PPC is to try something based on gut feeling or an idea. The need to switch things up based on data will arise, and you can’t despise things that come from creativity. However, problems come; they rely purely on guessing.

The perfect recipe for success is to back up creativity with robust data.

3. How to fire your PPC agency

Switching agencies is incredibly expensive, not to mention the time it takes to onboard and transition a new account manager(s).

But if you found the signs I’ve outlined in the previous section of this guide and the relationship with your current agency isn’t working out, here’s what you need to think through regarding the timing and steps necessary before, during, and after you fire your PPC agency.

3. 1. Communicate, Communicate, Then Communicate Some More

Communication is essential for an excellent business relationship survival. However, when there is friction in a relationship, communication can often decline. Unfortunately, this is precisely when communication needs to be ramped up.

The most crucial time for us to communicate the most heavily: is when the relationship begins to dissolve. The good news is that increasing communication can either solve the problem or validate your desire to part ways.

It is essential to take your time and ensure you are fully informed before making a decision. Discuss your main issue(s) with the agency. You can bring it up respectfully to the agency before you decide to fire them.

Ask yourself if you are unclear. Give them plenty of time to communicate with you and, if necessary, change their behaviour. You might not understand the circumstances. If you don’t let them know that you are frustrated and want to be able to explain, they won’t understand.

3.2. Analyze the current Agreement

If communicating your concerns still hasn’t resolved the issue, the next step is to determine what would be required to allow you to exit the partnership legally.

Have your legal team review the contract. Then, take the necessary steps to end the relationship and comply with the terms of the Agreement.

Take the time to review your contract during the communication stage to ensure you are legally ready to leave the agency.

4.3. Begin the Research

It is a bright idea to make sure you have the next PPC agency lined up before letting go of your current one. This will ensure you don’t experience significant revenue drops from your advertising campaigns.

If communication proves the relationship is irreparable, you can reach out to other agencies for proposals.

Start researching and contacting other agencies that can fulfil your needs or match your expectations. Before you fire your current agency, make sure the new agency is ready to go.

3.4. Leave on a Positive Note

It is time to inform your current agency that you are leaving the relationship. It is tempting to get emotional during communication, but it is vital that you keep your cool and not burn any bridges.

Remain professional, and submit a request to exit the relationship in writing with an end date that corresponds with the contract requirements.

It is possible to contact the account manager over the phone or in-person, depending on the relationship before or after the written notice has been sent. This will allow the agency to make amends and ensure that you have communicated your wishes.

After notice, you can either ensure the agency manages accounts for the remainder or terminate their access immediately and pay them the total amount for the remaining contract requirements.

To ensure that you choose the correct route, consult your legal team. No matter which option you decide to take, it is essential to end the access of the old agency to your Google Ads account after they have finished managing the account. Although it is unlikely, you should avoid giving access to your account to any disgruntled former account managers.

Bottom line

Now that you have read what benefits you will get from hiring a reliable PPC agency and how to part ways with your current agency let’s have a look at some tips you should keep in mind when choosing a digital marketing agency:

4. Tips for choosing a PPC agency

4.1 Define your goals

The first step that you should take is to decide what you want a digital agency for. This shouldn’t be something challenging to do.

Surprisingly, many businesses don’t do this well. Some don’t know exactly why they want a PPC agency or how they want to be achieved. Then they end up getting frustrated when things don’t go their way.

If your goals are simple, it would be easier to explain what you want from a digital marketing agency.

4.2 Value matters; price doesn’t so much

One of the most exhausting phases in selecting a digital marketing agency is how much you want to spend on your digital marketing efforts.

But remember that you want an agency that adds value to your business. You might have a limited budget, of course, but try to think of the value your business might get should you choose a top digital marketing agency.

4.3 Do your homework

If you have a few shortlisted companies you want to move forward with, you should get all the information about them.

You can do that by checking their websites, reading reviews about them, and browsing through their social media accounts.

Also, you should schedule meetings with agency representatives and ask them relevant questions.

We’ve written an article about the top 10 questions you should ask your future PPC agency, or you may regret later.

Are they active?

Do they have testimonials from people who have used their services?

They’re a marketing agency; they should market themselves in the best way possible.

4.4 Start small

Once you have decided on an agency, give them a minor assignment so you can evaluate their performance and see whether it would suit your overall needs or not.

For example, you can ask them to audit your website. An audit will provide insights into how you can improve your digital offerings. It would also show you what the agency has to offer.

4.5 Ask them to meet you

Before you finally choose a digital marketing agency, it is recommended that you meet them physically. It may not be possible in all cases considering this current pandemic situation, or maybe you’ve chosen an overseas agency.

Then one or two online meetings will let you know a lot of things about them, including how they operate, how big their organization is, and whether you will be able to work with them or not.

This is a crucial step because if you don’t trust the people you would be working with, there’s no point in choosing them.

5. How to improve the relationship with your PPC agency

Hiring a new PPC agency can be one of your most challenging marketing investments. You need to review expertise and perceived performance, and you must also account for culture fit, time investment, fee structure, and more.

Look at any new relationship as a true partnership so make sure you’re a fit for each other to ensure a fruitful relationship.

What can clients do to improve this relationship?

5.1 Clear briefings and goals.

Start with painting a clear picture of what success looks like to you and the available budgets.

Your brief will help the agency create a fitting plan and proposal. And to health check your goals vs your budget.

5.2 Understand the agency’s bandwidth.

If you want the same person to be working on your business five days a week, you should hire an employee.

What’s great about your agency contact is that she continuously learns from cross-industry and cross-client experiences. As a client, you profit from this knowledge and experience. But it also means she can’t fulfil your every desire within minutes or even hours.

5.3 Share all data that can help the agency.

The more information you share, the better. This probably also means sharing sensitive information like historical performance and margins.

5.4 Have reasonable expectations.

Realize that growth comes at the expense of profitability. Everyone wants more customers and a lower cost of acquisition. But you’ll have to prioritize one over the other, so your agency can focus on your main objective. And don’t constantly change goals, as hitting a moving target is hard. Also, realize that search doesn’t create demand; it just captures it.

So if you don’t get enough volume from your search efforts, maybe there aren’t enough people searching. If that’s the case, you’ll need other channels to generate demand.

5.5 Play your part.

If your agency manages your PPC campaigns only, their primary responsibility is to get the right traffic and sales for the right price, which is not as simple as it sounds. But everything that happens after that (the “post-click experience”) is on you.

So keep improving your value proposition, design, copy, load times, pricing, etc. Most websites don’t have a massive traffic problem. However, every website in the world has a conversion problem.

So now, you know the benefits of hiring a PPC agency, how to choose one, and the signs to look for to maintain a competitive PPC campaign and get results.

Relevant case studies of Todays.Agency

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