Pay Per Click advertising is one of the most popular forms of marketing in the digital space. However, you need to do it right or it will just be a waste of money. To ascertain the success of your campaign, it’s advisable to seek the assistance of a competent digital marketing agency with experience in PPC such as Zero Gravity Marketing. But with the many PPC agencies out there, how can you be sure you are picking the right one? This article aims to shed some light.
Certifications
Advertising trends online are always changing and that’s why the best PPC agencies take their team’s education seriously. There are various certifications that both individuals and agencies can complete in order to hone their skills and show their mastery. So, before handing over your marketing campaign to an agency, take the time to assess their credentials. That being said, here are some of the PPC specific certifications to look for when reviewing a potential agency:
-YouTube Ads Certification
-Google Ads Certification
-Bing Ads Accreditation
-Facebook Blueprint Certification
In addition to certifications, some companies go the extra mile to secure platform partnerships. For instance, a Google Partner agency is abreast with all the Google Ads product information and has gained Google Ads certification.
Similarly, Facebook Marketing Partner companies have shown experience in offering custom Facebook marketing solutions and know how to drive positive results with Facebook marketing.
When a marketing agency shows these badges on their site, chances are you’re dealing with a reliable partner.
Communication
It is important to establish just how you will communicate with a marketing agency once you start working together. Every digital marketing company has various methods of communication and it is important to ascertain they align with yours, or at least be flexible to match your needs.
Some agencies, for instance, only hold monthly meetings and communicate regularly via email, while others prefer meeting on a regular basis. Others have a portal or dashboard where clients can see their PPC campaign progress, while some opt to walk their clients through the results in order to avoid any misunderstandings.
When going through your options, ask the marketing agencies about their communication process, how fast they can respond to your queries and if you will have one primary point of contact.
It is also important to assess how well you get along with the company’s representatives. Are you comfortable conversing with them? It is not uncommon for PPC companies to work with their clients for years, given how long a successful marketing campaign can take. As such, ensure you are certain about your ability to collaborate with the agency.
Industry Experience
When it comes to setting up, creating, launching, optimizing, and monitoring PPC campaigns, the process is relatively the same. However, there are some nuances specific to each niche. When a marketing company has experience in your industry, they will be in a better position to create an ad copy that not only resonates with your audience but targets the right demographics and firmographics. Such an agency will also be effective and efficient in making realistic goals and informed suggestions.
Before picking a PPC marketing agency, ensure you look for testimonials and case studies in your niche. Bear in mind that some focus on business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C), while others work in multiple industries.
Contracts
If this is your first time getting into PPC marketing, then you might be hesitant about signing a contract for 6 to 12 months. However, there’s a reason why most marketing agencies ask you lock-in. It is not a strategy to scam you.
Building a solid PPC campaign and strategy from scratch is time-consuming and needs a lot of money. The costs can be so significant that many marketing companies do not earn a return on investment from their clients for several months. In addition, marketing campaigns tend to take time before giving substantial results.
According to the co-founder of Crazy Egg, Neil Patel, it can take 3 months to see the results of a marketing campaign. Until then, you might notice a decrease as changes happen and your website re-ranks for better searches on the search engines.
However, even though contracts are standard in the PPC marketing space, it is important to go through the stipulations and ensure you’re comfortable with the terms and factor in your goals and expectations before putting down your signature.
Strategy
A pay-per-click advertising company is only as successful as the strategies they put into place. However, it can be hard to identify a company’s strategic abilities before signing the contract. After all, no company wants to give away its marketing secrets in this competitive landscape. However, there are several ways to tell if they are able to provide the results you want based on the recommendations they provide. For example:
-Do they know the best platforms to drive the results you are after based on your target audience?
-Can they explain how they will ensure your marketing budget is spent efficiently?
-How will they ensure your SEO and PPC campaigns are symbiotic?
-If you have an existing PPC campaign, can they provide suggestions regarding why you’re not getting substantial results and what you should be doing differently?
It is also important to discuss and come up with a clearly defined objective. More often than not, clients want to achieve multiple goals and so, it is advisable to begin by ranking on what is most important to your business. For instance:
-Do you want to gain brand recognition?
-Are you looking to drive leads & conversions?
-Are you looking to drive traffic to a specific place like a blog?
Providing this information in the early stages is vital to working efficiently towards achieving your goals.
