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How can I tell if a new firm is any good?
I am looking for a new PPC management firm. My current firm is not doing what is needed to succeed. How can I tell if a new firm is any good? What are the telltale red flags?
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3 Replies
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A few case studies are nice to see on a site but should not be the only thing to look for. Look for an agency that asks you about your business and revenue goals for 2020. What your CPA/ROAS… KPIs are for the year. You want an agency that shows they care about your business and what success looks like. Someone you get along with and have a good feeling about matters. Trust your gut.
Ask about their processes and how they work. Any agency worth their salt has their processes down and can tell you what they are without missing a beat. A great agency will do an audit on your ad account and Google Analytics account as part of on boarding you as a brand new client. They should want to double check everything is setup correctly. We see so much broken when we on board new clients, and few agencies go this extra step to make sure you have the best setup possible.
Make sure you own your ad account and Google Analytics account. Any agency that won’t run ads out of your ad account should not be trusted. You should always own your data and your ad account. No matter what the agency says. Make sure you get access to regular reporting on performance as well.
If it sounds to good to be true, then it probably is. Agencies that are super cheap will put a junior…jut out of college.. person on your account. They will do very little work and just push you enough to not fire them.
I run my own agency, [Take Some Risk Inc.](https://www.takesomerisk.com/), and we work on ecom and SaaS. If you want to chat, feel free to reach out and chat. Worked on cool brands like ASOS, Jack Wills, Unbounce, WooCommerce and Walmart.
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PPC agency owner here.
In terms of finding a new firm, look for the following:
1. Experience, have they been around for a while, how many clients do they currently work with, have they worked in your niche
2. Credentials – any decent PPC agency will be badged for the services they provide (notwithstanding Google’s upcoming Partner program changes)
3. Client Satisfaction – portfolio, case studies, testimonials, references if you ask
4. Transparency – you should have control over your own accounts and you should try to avoid a long term contract
5. Fees – this is my personal feeling but value-based pricing usually makes more sense than hourly, get an agency that works smarter, not harder
6. Rightsizing – choose an agency that’s accustomed to working with budgets of your sizeFathom53 also covers some good points about a complimentary audit, solid onboarding process, and avoiding inexpensive solutions as you get what you pay for.
Here’s my company: [https://www.tenthousandfootview.com/](https://www.tenthousandfootview.com/)
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10 Year Agency Veteran Here…
1. Echoing the previous comments about a complimentary audit and clarity in process/approach
2. Pick an agency that is the appropriate size for you account is key. Be transparent on what you will realistically spend and your expectations.
3. If you can, meet or talk to the team that will actually be managing your program before you commit. New biz teams are great and agencies that have them means practice teams focus on your program and not biz dev, BUT…. sales teams promise the world and are not responsible for delivering on it. When my agency takes over an account, one of the most common complaints we hear about the previous agency was that there were all junior people working on the programs and no senior person to drive strategy.
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