Let’s say you want to give Google AdWords a try but initially only have a budget of $1000 or less a month.
Should you hire an AdWords agency to manage things for you?
That’s actually a tough question. And one I’ve grappled with a number of times over the years when I was managing PPC accounts.
Here are my thoughts on this that will help you decide whether or not hiring an AdWords company make sense in a situation like this.
Avoid This “Generous” Offer From Google AdWords
First, if you’re not familiar with AdWords, DO NOT let Google’s friendly support team help you.
They make it sounds really appealing. They’ll have their team members help you through setting up your first campaign or even do it for you.
But, here’s the thing… their team members are out to make money for Google. And they don’t truly understand your business.
Some of the WORST AdWords campaigns I’ve ever come across were set up by Google AdWords employees.
So while this may sound good, just tell them “Thanks, but no thanks!” when they offer their PPC help.
Now that we’re clear on that, what about hiring a PPC agency to run things for you?
How the PPC Help an Agency Provides Can Be Invaluable
Well, on the one hand, if you don’t know what you’re doing, even managing a PPC campaign with a small budget will generally lead to you losing your money.
Even more, if the AdWords campaign doesn’t work, you might think it’s AdWords’ fault and it’s not a good fit for your business. The reality, however, may be that it just didn’t work because you didn’t know how the heck to properly manage a PPC campaign.
Investing some of your budget to hire a PPC agency will make sure your campaign is set up the right way and that you give AdWords a fair shot at working.
Thinking about things this way, even if you spend more on the agency’s help than on clicks, it may make sense.
When It Doesn’t Make Sense to Invest in Hiring a PPC Agency
That said, if you’re paying a PPC agency on a monthly basis to manage your AdWords account for you, the costs will start to add up.
It’s going to be really hard to find a quality PPC company that will manage things for you for less than a few hundred dollars a month. Sure, you may get lucky and find someone that’s good for cheap. Just don’t count on it.
And once you start paying $150 or $250 to an agency when your total budget is only around $500, it’s tough to make the math work out in your favor.
A Great Compromise to Hiring a Full-Time PPC Management Company
Here’s a potential solution for you if you want to run a small budget PPC campaign. It’s something I used to do for some companies when I was running a PPC agency and it seemed to work well.
See, the key is in the set up. So find a quality PPC company or freelancer who will set up you initial AdWords campaign for you.
Or, you can find a PPC expert who can coach you through the process and teach you how to do it yourself… the right way.
With the initial heavy lifting done, you might be able to work out a deal where they teach you how to manage things yourself and then just hire them for an hour or so every month (or two or three) to look over your account and make optimization suggestions.
Finding a quality PPC pro and working out a deal like this may be your best bet if you’re looking to get some help with an AdWords campaign that has a small budget.
