Whether it’s various ad platforms, clients, or PPC accounts, there are insights experts wish they had known beforehand. Host Julie F. Bacchini explored these and more in this week’s PPCChat discussion.
Q1: What are things you wish you knew sooner when it comes to working in actual accounts?
The biggest one is that so much of the data we collect makes us think there’s a link between things. It’s almost always horses, not zebras. @ferkungamaboobo
That attribution is mostly wishes and fairy dust with some data mixed in, but it is treated as gospel. @NeptuneMoon
I’d still answer the same questions 15 years later. But seriously, nothing beats real world experience certainly not reading Google help documents. @runnerkik
I’d also say that it’s OK to be wrong. Our job is to take what Google knows what we know about our client and we know about the platform and marry that with our experience to deliver the best results. @runnerkik
Google aren’t your friend, their primary objective is for you to spend money. @ChrisMurray
That some accounts cannot succeed. It could be for budget reasons, competition reasons or internal business reasons. We can’t make every advertiser successful. Great ad strategy cannot make up for a bad product or bad customer service. @NeptuneMoon
Platform owners (Google, Microsoft, Meta, Pinterest, etc.) are trying to maximize their profits & stock price. Default settings and new products/features usually are to achieve that goal. Be optimistic about the tools’ potential, but with a healthy dose of skepticism. @robert_brady
The need to constantly monitor search terms and whack-a-mole terms and match types that don’t convert. @JeffreyHain
This wasn’t my experience, but I do think that a lot of folks need to learn a non-antagonistic relationship with the platforms they’re running on. @ferkungamaboobo
Clients have no idea who their actual competitors are A LOT @NeptuneMoon
Also, that you can’t fix a bad product with paid ads. If ultimately either you’re not solving a problem or you’re doing so badly, burning more cash will not help. No amount of great ad copy and landing pages will retain customers or drive repeat purchases. @ChrisMurray
If you’re running two clients in the exact same industry, you can’t just take strategies from one client and universally apply it to the next client the business…how they run the business makes a difference as well as Geo considerations, etc. @runnerkik
Yeah that balance of “what does the client know that tools won’t show them” and “tools tell you things you didn’t know before” is a real challenge and one of the hardest things @ferkungamaboobo
Thank you for mentioning that @NeptuneMoon The disconnect between client competitor sets and actual auction competitors is vast. @robert_brady
@runnerkik I’ve worked in agencies that pushed for that [insert brand name here] approach, you’re so right it just does not work out. @ChrisMurray
The question isn’t usually between whether a decision is right/wrong, but what are the tradeoffs and which ones are you most comfortable making. @robert_brady
@robert_brady I also think they don’t conceptualize that they might have different competitors in the digital space than the non-digital space too. And of course, you will get those who answer the competitor question with “Well, we don’t really have competitors. To which I say “Well, for potential customers, you do” @NeptuneMoon
- How terrible the Google Ads exams are
- The relationship between metrics. Eg. How CPC / CVR = CPA
- How supportive and amazing this community is
- How important a mentor/support is in becoming success and good at running ads @ChrisMurray
I remember seeing April Dunford presenting years ago about positioning and she said “you know one of your competitors is the potential customer doing nothing” @NeptuneMoon
Also that none of this is special. The digital part of digital ads is miniscule compared to the ads part, from a knowledge perspective. @ferkungamaboobo
BTW April’s book “Obviously Awesome” is a great read and will probably change the way you look at your clients’ businesses and competitive markets. @NeptuneMoon
That a brand’s brand & a brand’s product is more important than any account structure, strategic ninja PPC mastery, or complete immersion in a client’s industry. @timmhalloran
I feel like everyone covered the ones that I had, but to add to the “Google is a business” one – Google Reps are just trying to get their payout, not yours. @adwordsgirl
How about one of my favorites:Search advertising captures demand, it does not generate it. @NeptuneMoon
Regarding relationships with platform reps: If you know your numbers, you can push back against some of their suggestions. @JeffreyHain
Also, perception is sometimes more important than results. This has been a hard one to come to terms with. Especially when you come at your work with a “if I do awesome PPC work, know the industry, know the KPIs, work to achieve them in any way possible, then they’ll see the hard work and understand their account is in good hands” — when in reality, they may just want to be kept in the loop. Know what’s going on. Have ammo in their back pocket if they’re required to defend or promote the work that’s being done in marketing and being done by their vendors. Also, flashy visuals and consistent report deck branding is underrated. @timmhalloran
I realize as much as a Google rep will pitch new optimizations or campaigns types, you want to take it with a grain of salt. It’s not always in the best interest of the client as we all know that Google wants to get the most clicks out of the account regardless what it takes. On the other hand, I have met reps that will help you guide the right strategies for the right client and tips in tricks that are beneficial. Usually, those reps have been on the agency side prior. @AmberDeedler
Q2: What are things you wish you knew sooner when it comes to how different ad platforms work?
That all platforms use dark patterns to try to get advertisers to do what is best for the platforms. And that those things may or may not be what is best for the advertiser. @NeptuneMoon
The biggest one is that they’re all looking for scale over quality. They want a bunch of zeroes behind their estimates, because that’s how they can get money. So they do that, irrespective of making their product actually real. @ferkungamaboobo
And by dark patterns, I mean money wasting default settings, hiding important things like auto generated assets 4 levels down, removing exclusion categories so it is more arduous to exclude things, etc. @NeptuneMoon
Mm. I largely mean inventory and metrics being inflated and marked down. 10000 impressions at 0.25CPM vs 100 good impressions at 25CPM. @ferkungamaboobo
You shouldn’t just import Google Ads into Microsoft Ads. There’s so much more to it. Paid Social is a completely different kettle of fish. @C_J_Ridley
@NeptuneMoon I was literally just talking about this yesterday to one of my ops specialists. So much time and energy is spent creating UI’s that make it harder to turn off default settings. And defaults can change based on how close to quarterly targets they are. @timmhalloran
@timmhalloran Or when they turn stuff on that you already turn off. I keep having this happen with Optimized Targeting in Google for a display campaign. I turn it off, it mysteriously turns back on. Rinse and repeat. @NeptuneMoon
IMO, the one lesson I wish I could convey to everyone is that platforms take your money+ people make you money. You can’t serve both masters perfectly, so err on the side of doing right by your audience, even if that comes at the expense of annoying/violating the platform’s preferences. @DigitalSamIAm
Platforms interests and advertiser interests can never be 100% aligned. They just can’t. So making that clear from the beginning in a client relationship can help a lot. Like I am looking out for you and sometimes that is going to mean I am going against “what Google says” (or Meta or Microsoft, etc.). @NeptuneMoon
Platforms make changes without input from the majority of their advertisers. They do it based on what is good for the company first and foremost. And sometimes it is with input from MAJOR advertisers. But know that the product teams are not working in the product nor are they actively seeking to understand how users work in the product either. When you finally realize this, the crazy stuff they do is easier to “understand.” @NeptuneMoon
Q3: What are things you wish you knew sooner when it comes to working with clients or stakeholders?
Hardly anyone will actually read your reports. @NeptuneMoon
Sometimes clients don’t know how to run their businesses. @JeffreyHain
That the way you communicate is one of the most important things you can do. Also, the metrics that you focused on in your reporting are the ones that they’ll focus on. @runnerkik
Ask clients, in plain language, what questions do you have to be able to comfortably answer from your boss regularly? And make sure they have answers for those questions that they are comfortable talking about. @NeptuneMoon
@NeptuneMoon But the clients who used to run their Google ads, but just don’t have time are super dangerous. Also that one was from you Julie @runnerkik
@runnerkik Oh you mean the “I’d totally be doing this myself if I wasn’t so busy” client. @NeptuneMoon
AVOID THESE TYPES OF CLIENTS. You can thank me later for that one. Lowering your price without adjusting the scope will only lead to you doing work at rates that make you angry. If you are starting to have stress every time your email chimes because of a particular client, fire them. @NeptuneMoon
Consultants are not employees and clients should not expect to treat you like one. Nor should you accept being treated like one. If a potential client is difficult in a proposal information gathering call, they will be even worse as a client. Decline to send that proposal. No amount of money is actually worth it to work with an abusive client. @NeptuneMoon
That they only want to know that revenue has increased!..and that you’ve found them a way to spend less. @TheMarketingAnu
@NeptuneMoon dropping truth bombs all over the place. @robert_brady
@robert_brady I have seen a lot of things in 25 years. @NeptuneMoon
Empathy and competence will be your primary tools for building strong (recurring) client relationships. Build empathy with active listening. It’s not about your small talk skills in the first 90 seconds of the Zoom call. It’s hearing what they’re saying, what their problems are, and coming back with solutions that you can try to fix those problems. Build competence (or trust in your logic) by convincing them that your plan is the right approach and then delivering on that promise – with results, leads, sales, etc. Whenever I’ve lost a client it usually boils down to: 1) They felt like they weren’t being heard (didn’t feel empathy)
2) They didn’t trust our ability to deliver results for them (lost faith in our competence)There are situations where trust is lost through no fault of your own too (ad platforms change without warning, misunderstood or misrepresented KPIs, budgets, goals, go-to-market that didn’t scale fast enough before the next funding round, etc) but on average, in situations I believe were foreseeable, I’d say it boils down to those two things. @timmhalloran
Trust your gut when it comes to clients. I had a client I worked with via a full-service agency. This client disparaged at least 2 people or teams every time we met with her. I told my agency contact – when this ends, it is going to end badly. She said – why do you say that? And I said because one day that ire is going to be pointed in our direction. Sure enough, it eventually was. We left a meeting and I said, well, we are fired. And she said – why do you say that ? And I said because she is pointing her crazy standards and irrational anger at us now. Friends, we were fired. It was confirmed the next day and ended in a lawsuit. @NeptuneMoon
Trusting your gut is a big one. I also like to “dig” a bit if I have a new biz lead that’s agency hopped a lot before they got to us. Usually, it means that same issue is going to find it’s way back to you. @timmhalloran
Oh, the “we have had 4 agencies in the last 4 years” is a GIGANTIC red flag. Which usually points to a them problem. @NeptuneMoon
The client need your consultancy, expertise and experience more than they need a “yes person” to execute the tasks they think need doing Once you gain the confidence and learn how to communicate with clients in a firm but professional manner, work becomes a lot less stressful. @C_J_Ridley
If I see an agency-hopper lead, I like to require a comprehensive ad channel audit that includes interviews with the person who will be my primary contact – helps me understand if their frustrations were valid. A lot of times, that’ll be enough of a crystal ball to see what the next 12 mo. will look like. @timmhalloran
Q4: What are things you wish you knew sooner when it comes to managing your career – whether as freelancer, consultant, agency or employee?
You absolutely cannot have enough language in your contracts. Cover all the things! @NeptuneMoon
No one cares about your skill or knowledge. It’s a lemon market, they cannot tell. And corollary – your skill and knowledge is largely irrelevant to getting a job. That’s not why people hire. @ferkungamaboobo
When a client goes radio silent on you 3 out of 4 times it has nothing to do with you or your performance. Have language in your contracts about communication lapses. You may never need it, but have language that allows you to pause work if you cannot get ahold of your contact for an extended period of time. @NeptuneMoon
Build/join a community Whether you’re freelance, in-house or agency side, having people to bounce ideas off, sanity check you or seek advice from is invaluableIt’s also a great way for building a personal branding and realising how knowledgeable you’ve become. @C_J_Ridley
Define your working hours with time zone! This allows you to charge differently if a client wants you available outside of those hours. It is always at your discretion, but having clauses that protect you from things like having meetings at 9 PM your time is important! @NeptuneMoon
Learning to put your work-life balance first is a must. Schedules, scrips and rules are great for keeping your accounts running as planned during weekends @C_J_Ridley
Have a defined scope change process laid out in your initial contract. And use it! When a client is asking for out-of-scope tasks, always let them know it is out of the current scope. You can decide to do it for no additional charge, but make sure they know you did them that courtesy. Otherwise, they will expect out-of-scope to be absorbed by you without additional fees. @NeptuneMoon
Do your best to be consistent. Consistent reporting, timelines, showing up, etc. And build a pack of good clients. Especially the ones that move around and like to bring their favourite vendors with them. They can be a great source or recurring revenue. Find ways to make them look good. They’ll remember the agency that makes them look good. And lastly, I’ve said this before, but one of the best bits of advice came a few months into my first PPC job, “Don’t burn bridges. The industry is a lot smaller than you think.” And that’s been my experience. @timmhalloran
Great points @timmhalloran. Especially clients taking you with them to their new destinations (this is a huge way many get “new” clients). And the reminder about this industry being small. It really is. @NeptuneMoon
@NeptuneMoon So many pearls of wisdom today from you. @JeffreyHain
I love sharing my experience. Especially if it saves someone else from something hard. @NeptuneMoon
I did start a new channel here too called #the-business-of-ppc where we can talk about this kind of stuff. Seriously, bring your questions. And you can DM me too if it is kind of sticky to post in the channel. I have had to sue a client. Had clients stop paying. Dealt with physical inappropriateness, threats, You name it, I have probably experienced it. @NeptuneMoon
PPCChat Participants
- Julie F Bacchini @NeptuneMoon
- Jeffrey Hain @JeffreyHain
- Reid Thomas @ferkungamaboobo
- Chris Murray @ChrisMurray
- Robert Brady @robert_brady
- Ameet Khabra @adwordsgirl
- Sarah Stemen @runnerkik
- Amber Deedler @AmberDeedler
- Tim Halloran @timmhalloran
- Ameet Khabra @adwordsgirl
- Chris Ridley @C_J_Ridley
- Sam @DigitalSamIAm
- Anu Adegbola aka PPC Live founder @TheMarketingAnu
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