![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.karooya.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/PPC-Chat.png\")
<\/a>\nHere is the screencap of the discussion.<\/p>\n
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<\/h4>\n<\/h4>\nQ1: What types of work do you engage in right now \u2013 Google Ads, Bing Ads, Facebook, etc.?<\/h3>\n
Q1: What types of work do you engage in right now \u2013 Google Ads, Bing Ads, Facebook, etc.?<\/h3>\n
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Paid search (Google Ads & Bing). For clients where we’re already getting awesome results, we’ll add on other paid media \/ paid social.\u00a0@amyppc<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n All of the above! We do Google Ads, Facebook, Bing Ads, Amazon, LinkedIn, SEO, Web Dev, UX and Design. Digital marketing agency over here.\u00a0@<\/span>amaliaefowler<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n All of the above!\u00a0@NeptuneMoon<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Mostly Google Ads and Facebook.\u00a0@IamNextSTEPH<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Google, Bing, Pinterest, Quora and now we finally have 2 Amazon clients!!!! We also do some remarketing on Criteo for a client.\u00a0@duanebrown<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Google, Bing, FB, LI, Pinterest, Quora, YouTube, Twitter.\u00a0@SEMFlem<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Google, a bit of Bing, Facebook\/Instagram and LinkedIn right now. I’ve been thinking about Quora & Pinterest for a client lately but haven’t pulled the trigger yet.\u00a0@adwordsgirl<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n You can never go wrong with Google + Facebook Ads!\u00a0@MaverickAdverts<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n We engage in Google Ads and Facebook Ads currently.\u00a0@marccxmedia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Google and Bing Ads. I dabble in a bit of Facebook to self advertise.\u00a0@mindswanppc<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Google Ads, Bing Ads, Facebook and LinkedIn mostly when talking PPC but besides that we also focus on SEO.\u00a0@StephanieErne<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n We have a good chuck of one off projects. It’s great as it lets us work with brands like WooCommerce without need a long term contract. Most clients are on-going strategy + execution though.\u00a0@duanebrown<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Ongoing management or training, mostly. I’ve taken over a few accounts that hired someone for strategy only.” It’s never been good.\u00a0@amyppc<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Depends. Definitely prefer ongoing management for the sake of reliability, but I take on one offs too. The shorter the time commitment the higher the price is the rule for me. So even projects balance it all out.\u00a0@markpgus<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n We do all the different kind of engagement, depending on client needs. But I think for us most revenue comes from ongoing management.\u00a0@StephanieErne<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Grateful to say I do mostly strategy and tactic troubleshooting, and let the team get on with the PPC trench work. Having a slightly more detached perspective really helps.\u00a0@beyondcontent<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n For our PPC clients it is almost entirely ongoing management, although sometimes we have one off clients for product launches\/program launches.\u00a0@amaliaefowler<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Ongoing management is the bulk of what I do but I leave time for projects such as audits, consultation and custom reporting.\u00a0@scright<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Ongoing services including typically<\/p>\n (1) an initial account setup or overhaul,<\/p>\n (2) ongoing management,<\/p>\n (3) regular reporting,<\/p>\n (4) PPC related strategy communication.\u00a0@PPCKirk<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Ongoing management is ideal, but always depends. @MaverickAdverts<\/a><\/p>\n Generally strategy development, implementation and then ongoing management. Some audit work as well.\u00a0@NeptuneMoon<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Mostly ongoing management, but that comes sometimes after an initial project or audit.\u00a0@SEMFlem<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n On going engagements. We’ll do the random one off audit for a client too.\u00a0@adwordsgirl<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Our PPC engagements are on-going management with some initial strategy development if the client needs help there. This is usually with a 6-month retainer to start.\u00a0@marccxmedia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Various engagements based on what my clients need. Some I just do audits when needed and others I am part of their marketing team.\u00a0@<\/span>lchasse<\/a><\/p>\n When I was in an agency, it was almost all ongoing management after setup.\u00a0@ferkungamaboobo<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yes, but its not by platform or tactic. It used to be like that when I got here, and that was frustrating to me because it didn’t actually allow the strategists to adapt to changing business needs. Now its almost entirely tailored and not tied to ad spend at all.\u00a0@amaliaefowler<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Overall, it all boils down to hourly + profit on the agency side, even if you’re packaging it differently.\u00a0@ferkungamaboobo<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Our typical engagement is now consistent (see my answer to A2). If we were doing different types of services, we would absolutely charge differently. Same with platforms, etc. @PPCKirk<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I prefer to price the initial discovery and strategy as one project, implementation as the second phase and ongoing mgmt as a set monthly. This works great for search, not so much for social…@NeptuneMoon<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Hourly answer doesn\u2019t work for this one (I\u2019m already prepping my volley against hourly I have most of my ongoing mgmt clients on percent of spend. It’s just simpler (and most of my clients have fairly consistent budgets).\u00a0@robert_brady<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n We try to keep things simple as our pricing can be based on:<\/p>\n 1. Account Audit<\/p>\n 2. Strategy \/ CRO<\/p>\n 3. Strategy + Execution<\/p>\n We don’t do free “audits” aka account reviews and we never will. If WooCommerce can pay … y’all can to if you are a lead.\u00a0@duanebrown<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n We generally set a retainer based on how much they’re spending monthly (we just have brackets vs. % of spend since we all know I’m not a fan of that pricing model). For one off projects, we do hourly.\u00a0@adwordsgirl<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I currently work on a day rate and then there is discussion as to how many days are needed\/what the budget is. Agree with the time is money comment!\u00a0@mindswanppc<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n No. We just estimate hours for the project or for the monthly retainer. @SEMFlem<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n We have the set retainer price, but we do offer a slight discount if the client signs with an SEO and PPC package.@marccxmedia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Ongoing management will be value based pricing as well as most projects. On certain projects usually involving consultation I’ll work an hourly rate.\u00a0@scright<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Nope we just bill by the hour mostly. Although audits, initial set-ups etcetera usually have a fixed price.\u00a0@StephanieErne<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n My old agency did %age of spend with floor where I was there. The agency before that was tiered buckets of %age of spend. Still, that percentage was calculated based on an hourly expectation.\u00a0@ferkungamaboobo<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I am evolving my Facebook pricing structure, as using my search ad structure is not a great fit. Facebook campaigns require a lot more changing of ads & audiences more frequently than search does.\u00a0@NeptuneMoon<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n We moved away from charging per “tactic” – we had to renegotiate all the time. Before I managed the department we charged separately for “search” “remarketing” and “display” which was confusing and a lot of paperwork.\u00a0@amaliaefowler<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Tweaked our strategy fee to be palatable last year, which means we won more business. Otherwise, everything else is the same.\u00a0@duanebrown<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n We tried some things but are still doing hourly mostly. But we do keep asking ourself once in a while if this is still the best way or if we should shift. But that’s healthy for an organization I think.\u00a0@StephanieErne<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n That question implies I had a firm pricing model to begin with… There are always so many factors with each client. Most every deal is different somehow.\u00a0@robert_brady<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n We priced around the client’s budget (I know, I know not necessarily a good plan) in the past, now we’ve put a pricing bracket together that makes life a bit easier and also helps me figure out if the lead could potentially be a client.\u00a0@adwordsgirl<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I think separating “Setup” as its own profitable project on its own, not subsidized or affected by monthly maintenance, is a lot stronger position than having “setup” be a loss-leader in favor of getting the business.\u00a0@ferkungamaboobo<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n We haven’t changed the pricing structure much (if any) over the last two years. @marccxmedia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Audit and search work are locked down into a well oiled pricing structure for me. Landing page consulting is pretty straightforward too!\u00a0@NeptuneMoon<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Increasing my minimum monthly floor. The mental load of a client is real.\u00a0@robert_brady<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Getting clients to pay for strategy each month means we always talking about it and asking if we should do something. We are not just trying to cross off items on a to do list.\u00a0@duanebrown<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I think our audit pricing works really well, and the fact that we get fairly compensated depending on the scope of the clients work. I also feel like we don’t have to worry about recommendations for clients with spend, cause our retainers aren’t at all tied to that.\u00a0@amaliaefowler<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I like how we have it structured right now. I don’t think it’ll stay this way as we grow but it works for us right now.\u00a0@adwordsgirl<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Because we have a 3rd party verified, agreed upon \u201canchor\u201d (media spend) there is natural accepted growth in our agency fees as we perform well for a client. It also naturally covers holiday additional work since spend naturally rises as well.\u00a0@PPCKirk<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Our pricing structure tends to work well as is overall.\u00a0@marccxmedia<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Social advertising is still a work in progress for me, as I have mentioned in several earlier answers.\u00a0@NeptuneMoon<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Because we define the work up-front it is sometimes hard to switch to something else if we think it makes more sense for the client because they expect the work we told them. So we try to withhold from that more. But I guess that is more a quote issue than pricing.\u00a0@StephanieErne<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n As much as I tout our tailored pricing, I do think there’s something to be said for the amount of work that goes into it. I’d love to have some sort of system for smaller client so that every sales deal doesn’t have to go through me for pricing.\u00a0@amaliaefowler<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Our account audit fee can be a shock for clients that want the free reviews… I hold strong and tell them to come back when they want to level up. You get what you pay for in the end. There is a reason it is free.\u00a0@duanebrown<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Our pricing structure tends to work well as is overall. @marccxmedia<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Reporting can feel undervalued, especially the aspect of it that leads to refinement of strategies.\u00a0@NeptuneMoon<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n The dreaded weekly phone call. That’s 2-4 hours a month of my time. Some clients really want it and it makes them feel better but I feel like it actually hampers progress, constantly re-evaluating.\u00a0@amaliaefowler<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Thinking time, monitoring the campaign, creating good content for a landingpage.\u00a0@StephanieErne<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Communication. Communication is necessary, but can easily move from helpfully strategic (so we push the right buttons) into defensive or explanatory for the sake of a curious executive. Important to control this, somehow\u2026@PPCKirk<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Where do I start?!?! Account setup and structure, my CV vs factory shops, knowing what NOT to do and being able to predict how a choice today will affect your future around tech\/data flowing between ad platforms \/ tech. Things I know don’t occur to all clients.\u00a0@duanebrown<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Much like you, @neptunemoon<\/a>, we’re in agreement on some of the reporting aspects.\u00a0@marccxmedia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I think it’s the fact that I may actually know who their clients\/customers are better than them because I’m in the accounts adjusting things that only makes us more knowledgeable on who that person is.\u00a0@adwordsgirl<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Definitely reporting. And meetings and turn-around times for some requests. The seem to think things take 5seconds to do. SLAs are soo important.\u00a0@mindswanppc<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Because I’m in their search terms reports, running ad tests, LP tests, etc. I get a VERY good idea of who their customers are and what motivates them. As time goes on my intuition\/”gut” gets very valuable.\u00a0@robert_brady<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Reporting and Insights. It became a billable item at my previous agency due to how custom it became. I put a lot of upfront time into reporting that it can be charged in the setup process. However, had clients dispute this and what am I going to do.. Not report?\u00a0@scright<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n We do quarterly presentations and work so hard on them. I hate every single minute because they may appreciate them that day, but a week later it’s “what have you for me lately”. Then again I am an analyst. Not a client manager. @360vardi<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n When an agency has a bucket of hours at a set rate, but no reporting on which employees recorded those hours. If hours are getting billed at $100\/hr and most of the work is getting done by $15\/hr jr analysts I have a problem with that.\u00a0@robert_brady<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Not that we can recall!\u00a0@marccxmedia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Selling hours… is your value in the hours worked or the end result? We don’t sell hours..#<\/s>ppcchat<\/a> Google, Bing, FB\/Insta, Linkedin, Snap, Twitter and other random partners.\u00a0@JonKagan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nQ2: What do your engagements typically look like? One off projects, strategy only, ongoing management, etc.?<\/h3>\n
#<\/s>ppcchat<\/a> Long term play, so its full service for a long term program with a client, but their may be smaller sub projects within it.\u00a0@JonKagan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nQ3: Do you have different pricing models for different types of projects, work or platforms?<\/h3>\n
) because value provided differs greatly based on the type of service being provided. One of strategy consultation? Your hourly value is far higher than ongoing technical work.\u00a0@PPCKirk<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n#<\/s>ppcchat<\/a> We have consultative pricing for a 1 off project, everything else is FTE model: Hourly rate by person by rank, with x number of hours assigned to the work per person.\u00a0@JonKagan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nQ4: Has your pricing structure evolved over the past year or two in any significant ways? If so, how?<\/h3>\n
#<\/s>ppcchat<\/a> Last 2 years? no. Last 5-8 years, the exiting of % of spend to FTE became much better for work efforts.\u00a0@JonKagan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nQ5: Are there aspects of your pricing structure that are working really well?<\/h3>\n
#<\/s>ppcchat<\/a> It comes down to the margin by department, we find we get a good bang for the buck on SEO\/SEM management, but take a hit when it comes to meetings and analytics.\u00a0@JonKagan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nQ6: Are there aspects of your pricing structure that are NOT working very well right now?<\/h3>\n
#<\/s>ppcchat<\/a> Analytics\/reporting\/meetings, the clients always want more, and in these scenarios, skimping on the evidence to prove success is tough to say no to.\u00a0@JonKagan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nQ7: Are there things that you regularly do in the course of your work that you think clients undervalue?<\/h3>\n
#<\/s>ppcchat<\/a> ongoing QA. No one realizes the importance of it.\u00a0@JonKagan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nQ8: Are there pricing practices you\u2019ve come up against that you felt were problematic?<\/h3>\n