3 questions people forget to ask when looking for a freelance PPC manager
Just like when you're hiring an in-house employee, it's important to find someone who's the right fit when you're looking for a freelancer PPC Advertising Manager to work with.
You don't want to realise 6 months down the line that you aren't getting the information you need to make decisions or you're constantly clashing. The best way to avoid situations like that is to ask as many questions as you can upfront to make sure you're happy with their ways of working and how much information you'll receive.
It can help to chat with the candidates over the phone or meet them in person or via Zoom to get a feel for their personality and a general sense of whether you'll enjoy working with them.
During these conversations, most ask the sort of questions you'd expect: how much experience they have, have they worked with B2B or B2C clients and what’s their background in PPC advertising. Those are all vital questions, however, going beyond them to find out more about each freelancer’s ways of working right from the start can help you make the right choice.
To help you next time you chat with a freelancer about running your Google Ads or social media ads campaigns, here are a couple of questions that people forget to ask.
How do they work with their PPC advertising clients?
How collaborative are they? What's the briefing process like? Do they mainly communicate over the phone or via email, and so on. You get the idea. Ways of working can vary widely between different freelancers. Asking this question will give you an insight into what it'll be like to work with that person and let you check whether their style will complement or clash with yours.
Of course, ways of working tend not to be set in stone. You may find that the freelancer is willing to be flexible if you're upfront about your preferred style of working and what you need from them during the project.
It's OK if PPC advertising seems like an alien concept - that's why you're working with an expert. It's their job to make the results make sense.
Will you get to review your ads before they go live?
This is an important question that a lot of people assume they know the answer to, but they can be in for a shock if they guessed wrong. I include an ad review process in my PPC management retainers as standard so my clients always know what ads are running and when. Most freelancers I know do the same, however, there are exceptions.
I always, always, always think that clients should be able to approve their ads before anything goes live, but recently I've been hearing stories from business owners who had to switch account managers because the person wasn't willing to show them their PPC ad copy or creative.
Don't leave it to chance. Check that you'll be able to see your ads before they go live and find out how the person will share that information with you e.g. via Google Sheets, DropBox, etc.
Do they provide regular performance reports?
It's OK if PPC advertising seems like an alien concept - that's why you're working with an expert. It's their job to make the results and statistics make sense. The industry norm is to share a monthly performance report with clients - although I have heard of it being reduced to quarterly reports in certain situations - and on request, a report after significant campaigns such as a Christmas Google shopping campaign.
My clients receive a monthly performance report that's a mix of performance statistics and analysis so they know exactly what’s happening in their accounts and can use this information to make decisions.
Most businesses will probably receive something similar, but it isn't guaranteed so you should check if the freelancer will provide you with some type of regular reporting. Generally speaking, freelance PPC managers will have a standard reporting template that they use so they should be able to tell you upfront exactly what kind of information they will share and how they will share it. Also, don't be afraid to ask if there's a particular stat or type of information that's important to your business - even if they don't usually report on it, they may be able to include it in the report for you.
If you're looking for a freelancer to manage your PPC accounts, why not put your new-found questioning skills to the test and get in touch for a chat? I can help whether you need a hand with managing your Google Ads or social media advertising accounts or if your existing accounts are in need of an audit or strategy.