5 Massive Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a PPC Marketing Company
It’s human to make mistakes, they say. But, nowhere do they say that you HAVE to make mistakes in order to learn. You could always learn from other people’s experiences. Isn’t it?
Same applies to the process of choosing, hiring, and letting a PPC marketing company manage your digital marketing campaign. Yes, while PPC is not a new concept to digital marketers, it is still quite an enigma to the layman. And, it is indeed very much human to make mistakes when you are looking for a company to manage it for you.
These mistakes are massive, but, at the same time, the preemptive measures to avoid these are very simple. So, let’s just read along to see what blunders you can very well avoid committing.
- Not Checking the Credentials
Okay, so how do you look for a PPC marketing agency? Do you Google? Do you ask friends? Do you ask acquaintances? Well, you or anyone who has only a basic idea about what PPC is, does probably all of these. And, odds are that you simply hire one that either ranks top on Google or the one that your friends tell you is good.
I am not trying to imply that research is bad. The point I am trying to make is that you are probably doing only half the research. Here’s the deal. People have probably only heard about such and such company that they recommend. Even if they have seen their work there’s all probability that your realms are different and so are your aims. How, in that case, do you judge? Even if you decide to go by their Google ranking, ratings, and reviews, it is only by asking questions that you will get to know if they offer what you want.
See if they have Google AdWords certification. And don’t hesitate from checking it if they do. If they are, they will show it to you gladly. Also, look at their experience, and ask for client references if any. Check their track record and make sure that they have been delivering positive results. Also, make sure that they are well versed with the kind of niche you are dealing in.
- Not Looking into the Contract
Contracts, my dear, as boring as they may sound are extremely important. A contract not only binds a company that you are hiring, but also you. So, don’t think that just because you have signed a contract, everything is going to be in your favor.
It is, most times, advised that you sign a non-disclosure agreement, popularly known as NDA. It works in your favor because it restricts the PPC marketing company sharing your vital (in some cases, sensitive) information with a third party.
When it comes to signing a contract that dictates the terms of service, you need to pay a lot of attention. An awful lot of agencies sing a contract for 6 months to a year. While that may sound alright at first, problems may arise if the performance of the agency is not up to the mark. You only end up feeling trapped that way. So, it is only wise not to go for such long time frames.
Why agencies offer you minimum 6 months of time is because it is actually the time when you start seeing the actual results of any marketing strategy. It is never in order to trap you. So, looked at from the agencies point view, it is a sound span. However, you always have the option of talking things out and choosing a duration that is acceptable to both.
Also, make sure that you do not hire them without a contract.
- Not Owning Your Ad Accounts
So, you had your brand marketed the PPC way through this agency and then your contract ends. Now, 3 months later, you decide to either work on it on your own or to hire some other agency. Now is the time when you realize that you neither have your AdWords account details nor their passwords, because not only did you not ask for them when the contract ended but also failed to mention anything about it in the contract.
Big goof-up! Now you have to start everything all over again. Adding insult to injury, if you give up the rights to your AdWords account to any agency that you had hired, you are allowing them to sell off your information to your competitors.
So, while you are in the process of hiring a company, make sure that you discuss this aspect. All the account details, as well as passwords, should become your property once the contract is over.
- Hiring a Company that Only Manages and not Strategizes
You’ve found an agency that can promote your products/brand/services through PPC marketing; great! But, did you check if they strategize or just manage? Even you can manage your ad campaigns once you have an expert telling you how to do it. So, if you are paying the agency that relies on your direction about how many campaigns to run and how much to spend on each, you are simply flushing your money down the drain.
If your agency is not into strategizing, it is probably not what you need. If it is so, odds are that your ads go onto automation, which of course, is a no-brainer. The only thing that makes a winning case it a solid strategy. So, look for an agency that strategizes and manages PPC marketing for you. They must move about with a systematic approach in a sorted out manner, making sure that they keep all this transparent with you, and let you know how they are moving about.
- Hiring a Company that is Limited to Getting You Traffic
Okay, since we understand PPC as pay per click, we may as well understand the role of a PPC marketing firm to get your no more than traffic and clicks. Is it not?
That is being nothing but foolhardy. Great traffic and a high number of clicks is a great thing to achieve, but is it leading to conversions? Are you making proportionate sales as the clicks? Any agency that understands this, focuses not only on clicks, but also on conversions. If the agency is unable to convert clicks into clients, the fault lies either in the ad campaign or in your product/service. You will need to figure that out.
So, makes sure that your agency gets you traffic, clicks, and conversions through perfect ads and customized landing pages.
The Mother of All Mistakes – Absence of Performance Measurement
Well, this is a bonus, and deserves an unforgettable mention. We do so much to market our products, and we invest so much time and money. But, if we forget to measure the progress, it’s all in vain.
If your agency fails to use analytics to measure the progress, you are only setting fire to the money that you thought you had invested. These analytics will help you ascertain what your precise return on investment is; and that too clearly segregated for each part of your ad campaign, for every keyword.
I know that it is still human to err, but a stitch in time does save nine. Doesn’t it?