There are two paths that you can take when it comes to managing your pay-per-click advertising campaign online. You can learn it yourself and make Google's stock rise higher while you figure out the learning curve,
then spend a lot of time keeping it running smoothly. Or, you can hire a professional pay-per-click firm to handle it for you.
I did both.
See, I know the position you're in right now. I've been there. I've hired and fired 2 pay-per-click management companies. I was forced to learn on my own and spend tens of thousands of dollars.
My Experiences with Outsourcing My Pay-Per-Click Needs
The first pay-per-click management company that I hired kept raising my budget and jacking up my costs-per-click. Yet, I wasn't getting any conversions!
So I decided to fire that PPC firm and manage my own pay-per-click campaigns. I studied under the top gurus like Perry Marshall. I bought all the ebooks and coaching programs. And, I spent more than $10,000.00 figuring everything out on my own until I grew a no name business into $50k per month in sales all from pay-per-click advertising.
But, I worked day and night on my pay-per-click campaigns. I spent a ton of time, money and effort on it. I couldn't handle it anymore so I hired another pay-per-click firm to take over the accounts again. They did a nice job and are still around today, but I saw some holes in their approach.
Now, I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did. I want to help you choose a pay-per-click management company that's actually going to help you turn clicks into clients.
Here are 7 Questions You Need to Ask Before You Hire a Pay-Per-Click Management Company:
1. This is going to piss people off: How many accounts does an account manager handle? Just because you have a "dedicated" account manager doesn't mean he/she isn't dedicated to 50 other accounts. This is not uncommon in some of the larger pay-per-click firms out there. If they work 40 hours per week that's less than 1 hour/week they are spending on your account, provided they do nothing but work on accounts every minute of the day.
2. Can I peek in and have access to my Google & Yahoo accounts? There's a new breed of PPC management that keeps everything secret. They are basically buying a click for $1.00 then charging you an undisclosed markup on the click. That's why their setup & management fees are low. They're making money on marking up your clicks.
3. What constitutes an improvement? You need to put in your order with the pay-per-click firm just like you would order a steak medium rare with a side of truffle fries to a waiter. Don't be afraid to ask for help and don't be afraid to speak up. For example: I want to increase sales while keeping my cost-per-sale under $50.
4. Do you track phone calls? If you are doing any part of the business offline then your pay-per-click management company should offer a way to track where your calls are coming from. Tracking calls back to specific keywords helps eliminate waste and will reveal high response terms you'll want to dominate.
5. What are your prices? Now, don't be cheap. There is no such thing as a Mercedes Benz for Honda prices. I'll admit some people don't need the Mercedes, but if you are spending $2,000/month or more, chances are you at least need a certified, pre-owned BMW.
6. What is your experience? I'm all for giving the new guy a try. I was the new guy at one point. Nothing, I repeat nothing can replace experience. Experience comes from long hours of hard work. There are no magic formulas. Good solid basics and some creativity will always win in the end.
7. Will you involve me in the project? No one knows your business as well as you. Get specific on how often you'll meet to review the results and plan next steps. A good pay-per-click firm will welcome your input. It is invaluable.
Now, it's up to you. But, if you fail to ask the above questions, then you're risking hiring and firing new pay-per-click management companies when things go south or spending tens of thousands of dollars learning how to do it yourself like I did. Learn from my pay-per-click outsourcing experiences.
