How much do you really know about your paid search partner? Here are the questions to ask if you want to get the most bang for your campaign buck.
As search engine marketing becomes more ingrained as part of the media mix, the debate over whether to handle paid media campaigns in-house or outsource to an agency continues to rage. Any number of factors can motivate marketers to go the latter route. Issues surrounding scale and efficiency often drive brands to seek outside help, and in many cases, marketers prefer to entrust their campaign to a specialist, much as they do with other aspects of their marketing communications.
Unlike the case with unscrupulous SEO consultants, the subject of a recent iMedia article, clients are in little danger of being "ripped off" by an agency handling their paid search campaign. Paid search is fairly unique in that ROI can be tracked down to the keyword level in many cases, meaning that you can keep a close tab on what you are spending at any given time.
However, you do need to ensure that you are getting sufficient value for your money when you work with an agency. Choosing an agency is no small decision given what's at stake for your company and the fees you'll be paying the agency to create and manage your campaign. The field of agencies that provide paid search services is a crowded one, so you want to ensure you select a partner that best matches your requirements.
You will be best served by doing some internal homework first, specifically in assessing your needs, goals and budget. Consider the nature of the relationship you want to develop: Are you looking to build a long-term partnership or are you working on more of a one-off project? Bear in mind that most agencies, even search specialists, are more interested in the former because they regard themselves as a strategic partner and want to be in it for the long haul. By going the long-term route, you're more likely to command the agency's full attention and have access to its best people. That said, if your project is short-term, make sure you clearly define the scope and scale of the work so the agency knows what to expect.
Consider also the "quality" of the agency. It goes without saying that you want to work with the best, but what does that mean to you? Some marketers feel most comfortable working with an agency of similar scale, but the biggest agency isn't necessarily the best for everyone. Do you want to be a big fish in a small pond, or a small fish in a big pond? Each approach has benefits -- whether it's contact with senior resources or access to improved technology and more capabilities. Be sure to take into account qualities that are important to you in an agency partner, such as the size of the firm, the number of offices it has, the proximity of those offices to yours, your need for face-time and so on.
Any partner needs to understand not only your business and brand, but also your industry. However, the most important consideration is this: Does the agency have experience in solving your specific challenges? If you're in financial services, you might easily find an agency that has done great work in that space, but does that agency have enough experience in solving your specific goals? It might be that another agency without that same vertical expertise has a better understanding of how to solve a specific challenge. Go with an agency that brings solutions to the table, not just an understanding of your space.
Put some forethought into the goals of your search marketing campaign. The more specific you can be about the target audience you want to reach, key milestones you expect to achieve, any pain points you have and messaging and tactics you would like to use, the more you are going to get out of your agency relationship.
Finally, examine the coffers; how much do you have to spend? It's worth being honest with yourself about this because it will help prevent you from overreaching. Many agencies may have minimum spend requirements, so there's no sense in pricing yourself out of the market.
With the answers to these questions firmly in mind, you can begin drawing up a list of potential agency partners that meet your criteria. Cast a wide net at first -- you can always winnow down the list, and you don't want to be scrambling at the last minute to find the one firm you left off but should have included in the consideration set. Once you have a list of potential candidates, you can begin to narrow the field. Make sure the following 10 questions are on your checklist when evaluating the candidates.
Next page >>