To manage, or not to manage, that is the question! On one side, you know you don’t have enough time to learn how to really execute your Google advertising properly. But on the other hand, your business is your baby. Handing over your search engine marketing (SEM) to a specialist hurts almost as much as parting with your child for their first sleepover.
If you’re stuck in Google advertising limbo, let us guide you out. We’re going to dissect the benefits and consequences of both self-managing and hiring a Google agency, as well provide some helpful tips for making working with an SEM specialist a walk in the park.
Self-Managed Google Advertising
Why do businesses choose to self-manage their Google Ads?
A business owner has twos goals—to get more customers and spend as little as possible while finding them. To them, hiring a Google agency means spending more money than they really need to, which negates goal two.
Other reasons for businesses choosing to self-manage their Google advertising include:
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- Not knowing who to trust/there being too many choices.
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- Not having enough time to properly interview agencies.
- Wanting to control every aspect of their business.
What are the benefits of self-managing your Google advertising?
There is one main benefit of managing your own Google Ads (two if you count getting to learn a new skill as a benefit).
- Control.
But this comes at a price…
The consequences of managing your own SEM.
Unless you’re already trained in search engine marketing, you’ll be relying on a bit of luck to get your campaign type, keyword strategy, bidding and content right. While a business looking after their own Google Ads may think they’re saving time and money, they’re actually doing the opposite. Here’s how:
Time:
Imagine you need to buy a new mobile phone. You take a look at what’s out there and you think, “Wow, this is a bit expensive. I bet I could make a better phone for less money.” Or would you? Probably not. Why? Because you know how long it would take you to learn how to build the phone, source the tools and materials, and then actually make the phone. Plus you don’t have all the things needed to get the phone running, like software support. If you don’t have experience running Google Ads professionally, it’s the same thing.
The time you spend on trying to set up and manage your Google advertising could be better spent on running your business, or other areas of admin. This leads us to our next point.
Money:
Time is money. The time you spend on managing your Google Ads is time away from making money in your business. It all comes down to your return on investment (ROI).
Allocate yourself an hourly wage and then tally up the cost of how many hours you spend every month on your Google Ads—even if it’s checking how they’re going. Then, add in the cost of how much money you spent on your ads in that time. If the leads you earned from those ads do not cover the cost of what you spent (in total, including time) in that period, you’re throwing money down the drain.
So, is it worth you using a Google agency? Let’s find out.
Agency Managed Google Advertising
The goal of a Google agency is to produce more leads and retain existing clients while reducing the overall spend—in short, produce a better ROI for their client. Sound familiar? Over time, a good account manager will be able to get your more bang for your buck, so, if you ever need to, you can reduce your advertising budget.
What are the benefits of using a Google agency?
We’ve already let slip the main benefit above; how much money a Google agency can both make and save you in the long run. The run won’t even be that long, as an experienced account manager knows how to get an impressive result quite quickly.
A good account manager will:
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- Research and understand the value of your business, your competition, your strengths and your weaknesses.
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- Advise on ways to strengthen your website to create a good campaign foundation.
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- Perform A/B testing to always outperform their own last campaign for the client.
- Provide thorough, easy-to-understand reports for clear ROI.
If they don’t, look elsewhere.
What are the possible consequences of having an agency manage your Google Ads?
Of course, there are cowboys in every industry. You probably can name one in your own who you cringe when a customer tells you they’ve used in the past. The same goes for digital agencies. As long as you thoroughly investigate your choice of agency before beginning a relationship, there are very little consequences, as they’ll be trained to make the right decisions.
What to keep in mind when looking for a Google agency:
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- Do they have a Google Premier Partner badge?
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- Are they Australian based with a team who know your area?
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- How regularly do they offer reports on your results? Are they easy to read?
- Can they offer other digital services, such as web design, development and content to improve your SEM foundation?
These are just some of the many thing you should ask your digital agency before they start work on your campaign.
How to make working with an agency account manager easy.
Okay, so you now know the pros and cons of looking after your own Google Ads, the benefits of using an agency, and how to avoid a not-so-great one. Even if you do go with a Google agency, there are some things you can do to make sure your campaigns run as smoothly and successfully as possible:
Trust the experts
You’re hiring a Google account manager because they are the expert in running successful campaigns. Trust their advice. Let them do what they do best, without controlling their every move. Afterall, it is a relationship, so there will be some give and take on both sides.
Provide enough information
You know your business best. When the agency asks about your business, be as detailed as possible. What’s your unique selling point? Have you been in business for more than 50 years? Are your staff award winning builders, hairdressers, chefs, etc? What is your most popular product or service? And what’s your least popular? Your account manager will do their own research, however, if it can save both of your time and money, offer the information to them.
Have a clear vision of what you want
Are you wanting more new customers? Or do you need a hand retaining the ones you already have? Do you want to become known for your expertise in a particular service? Having a clear goal for your business, or an area you know you need to improve, will help your account manager work in-line with your vision.
Learn from each other
As mentioned, a good Google agency will provide thorough, easy-to-ready reports on your SEM results. Read them. Ask questions. Learn from your account manager. See something you don’t think is quite right? Let them know and see what their expert advice is on that topic.
Hanging your Google advertising to an agency (or a complete digital marketing service such as Localsearch) doesn’t mean losing control. If you want to learn more about how working with a Google Ads specialist can help your business, please get in touch with us. We can have a consultant come and sit down with you, address any concerns and walk you through the process of what to do next.