After some tremendous wind and rain in Florida these past few days, as a result of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Isaac passing through, there are many homeowners with roof leaks and therefore facing repairs or replacements. So what does this have to do with paid search or CPC ad campaigns you ask? Well, it got me thinking that typically when people are faced with a problem they seek the advice and guidance of experts. Although at times it may be possible to resolve the issue on your own, do you really want to test your roof-patching skills the next time a Hurricane comes through? I think not. The same principle applies to paid search advertising and the managing of those SEM Campaigns.
Often times at MoreVisibility we speak to individuals who are deciding if they should outsource their search efforts to an agency or manage in-house. I am always surprised by this consideration by a company given how important the ROI on those marketing dollars will be. Even if you can employ an experienced SEM Campaign Manager, it is nearly impossible to rival the efforts, tools, support and resources that an agency can provide. At first glance, especially when looking at the numbers, a single employee with experience may seem appealing and possibly even "a deal" when compared to an agency. However, I'd caution you to look beyond the dollar signs and consider some of benefits associated with having an agency run your SEM. These include:
- Advanced and sophisticated programs and tools for reporting, plus campaign and bid management. Most credentialed agencies leverage API's (automated protocol interface) from each of the major Engines and Ad Networks for custom reporting and effective campaign management. To use an API efficiently, experienced programmers and developers will need to be available for regular updates and enhancements, as well as obtaining the initially desired data.
- Staying current or ahead of the curve! Your employee will be immersed in your business, industry and data. An Interactive Agency is solely focused on what's happening online and learning about changes and enhancements in real-time, typically hearing it, and at times receiving training on it, directly from the source. (Thanks to Google for visiting to our office again last week!)
- "It takes a village … ". As the saying goes, a huge job is better suited to be performed by a team of many versus just one. An agency should have several team members familiar with your account and able to perform similar campaign management tasks. When someone is ill, on vacation or unexpectedly out of the office – there is always a Plan "B" which should be as effective as "A". In your organization, what will your back-up plan be? Does it pass the roof test I mentioned above?
- Expertise, period. An agency is held to a higher standard of performance and client satisfaction; at least if they value their clients and have client retention rates to be proud of. Do your research and homework on the agencies out there and find one who will meet your needs – both from service, performance and price. Most often, you really do get what you pay for, good or bad.
So as I look up at the water stains on my ceiling, there is no question I want an expert to repair my roof. Not the cheapest vendor, nor the most expensive. I want the company who I can rely on to fix it right the first time, that does this all day long, every day and knows the best methods and techniques available. So to answer the question I started out with – NO, I will not be fixing my own roof. Hopefully, I will be too busy running your SEM Campaigns.
If you are in the market, let's discuss how MoreVisibility does a great job managing paid search campaigns for our clients.
