If you want BIG ROI from Paid Search, YES!

This is a common question with almost every small business or individual that runs their own web based business asks and a very common question for medium and large businesses. There are a LOT of key things to consider when making the decision to do in-house or outsource.

PPC Budget

Your companies budget is always a concern. We all have one. And have to stick to it if we want to stay in business. If your a start up with low funds you DON’T need to be gambling with your capital by outsourcing from the start. A quality campaign does not happen over night.

My experience is 3 to 6 months till the performance is in top gear with enough data to be predictable. If cash flow is tight educate your self and do it for a while on your own. This way you will know how to communicate with your paid search manager down the road when you do outsource or have a consultation.

The more data you have and build the better. Even if there is a fair amount of waste and low results it can be refined upon by a full time professional Paid Search Manager.

Keeping PPC in House

A close friend of mine who is cleaning up with SEO and paid search says, “those that are good do it for themselves.”

If you have an in house sales or marketing person that is getting incredible results with PPC for your company, be willing to risk them leaving if you aren’t going to reward appropriately. If that person is money motivated, you will have to pay to keep their attention.

Make sure you invest in the proper education for paid search if it is done in house. Training, books, CD’s, and networking events are all great resources in gaining the necessary knowledge for top performing Pay Per Click Advertising.

If you have an individual that can focus time, energy, and passion to PPC marketing that will stay with you long-term that’s good as gold. I would still suggest an occasional audit from an outside source just to make sure that nothing is being overlooked that could increase ROI even more.

Outsourcing PPC

When you take the plunge and make the decision to have a full time pro take over your paid search accounts, do your home work before you hire someone. Certified Professionals have proven skills. The most common search engine stamps of approval are:

• The “Certified Google Advertising Professional (or Company)”
• The “Yahoo! Search Marketing Ambassador”
• The “Microsoft adExcellence Member”

Make sure you get quality referrals from current or past customers. However, just because an individual is certified at a big company doesn’t mean they are quality. If a big company or even a small company with current clientele wants to get an individual certified quickly with out proven success it’s very very easy to do.

Unlike a company who may put a rookie on your PPC campaign, an individual that has built their own clientele over time has earned and worked for their reputation. They can’t get the referrals and new clients if they don’t. Make sure that there is a real individual reviewing and overseeing your account. There are great robots that can manage things but a truly effective PPC strategy requires a human touch!

In closing, I do believe that there are times when you shouldn’t outsource PPC and times when you should. Use this post as a thought card in your considerations. It is always great to consult an outside expert periodically - and for serious ROI, almost necessary to fully outsource.

Noah @ LookToTheRight

Tags: Pay Per Click Advertising //