Paid Ads: Should You Outsource Or Do It Yourself?

Paid ads are an excellent marketing tool to gain great ROI for all kinds of businesses. But, only if they are done correctly.

Now, if the gurus are to be believed, you click a couple of buttons, pop in some words and a pretty picture and the dollars will start rolling in from Facebook, Google, Instagram or LinkedIn.

The reality is quite different. Paid ads need to be set up correctly and used within a larger marketing strategy with clear objectives.

So, the obvious question is whether or not this is something you can do yourself or whether you should outsource the entire process to an expert. Let’s answer that question right now.

Paid Ads: Should You Outsource Or Do It Yourself?

Why Use Paid Ads?

Before we delve into the question of DIY or outsourcing, it’s helpful to know what paid ads can do for your business. Paid ads are a great complement to your organic marketing efforts. They are particularly good for:

• New businesses who want to hit the ground running
• Businesses in competitive areas or niches who want to boost themselves over competitors
• Businesses who want to boost promotion of a service either on an evergreen strategy or at particular times (such as a seasonal service)

You can run paid ads on a number of platforms such as Google, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Whether you choose to target just one or multiple platforms depends on where your customers are and what suits your business style.

Paid ads don’t have to be a standalone marketing method. They can actually be even more powerful when combined with traditional media methods like printed marketing materials, radio or tv spots, billboards and referral partnerships.

In today’s digital world, there are many agencies and ads management companies that assist with running ad campaigns. But some business owners choose to go it alone. Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages, there is no one size fits all.

Pros And Cons Of Running Ads For Yourself

It is possible to set up and run ads campaigns on any platform yourself. But, like with anything, there are advantages and disadvantages to this.

Running your own ads gives you total control over what you do – from how much you spend to the demographics you target to the wording of your ads. It also allows you to be more reactive. If something changes in your business, then you can adjust your ads as soon as you need to – no waiting for your manager or agency to do the job.

And because you know your customers best, you have the best idea of the target market that your clients sit in to target your ads more closely to the right audience.

The big drawback of managing your own ads is the time and energy it takes. If you haven’t done it before, there can be quite a steep learning curve, especially if you want to run ads in more than one place. And once you are started, it’s not a case of ‘set and forget’. It takes time to create a solid campaign in the first place and then you need to set aside regular time to monitor the results and tweak if necessary. If you get it wrong, it could also cost you a lot of money in wasted campaigns.

Not to mention the world of paid ads moves very quickly and there could be background changes implemented that impact your ads. You need to constantly stay across what’s happening on each of the platforms you advertise on to ensure your ads are still operating effectively.

Pros And Cons Of Outsourcing Your Ads

Outsourcing your ads gives you the chance to benefit from paid advertising without sacrificing time that you could be spending on other parts of your business or outside work.

Outsourcing also gives you the benefit of help from someone dedicated to keeping up with the latest knowledge. That means if things change on a platform, they’ll be up with the changes and ready to adapt your campaign.

You also gain access to their connections to other more traditional media methods. Some Ad Managers, like the team here at So The Story Goes, are well connected with amazing NZ businesses, PR contacts, printers, and people within the media so that you can extend your marketing reach on other platforms.

While there will be additional costs in agency or manager fees, the actual spend on your ads should bring you a better return and offset some of those costs.

What ads managers can’t do, though, is perform miracles. Outsourcing your ads doesn’t guarantee immediate success, so you will still need to be patient. There will be a period of testing and tweaking to ensure all elements of your ad are hitting the sweet spot.

To get the best results, you’ll also need to have some input as your ads manager will need to know some details about your business and target market.

Whichever Path You Choose, Get Expert Help

Whichever option is best for you, I can help you along your chosen path.

If you’d like to manage your own ads but would like someone to get you set up and show you the ropes, I’m here to help you learn. We’ll start by identifying the right ads channels for you, and I’ll give you all the technical and analytical knowledge you need to set up and run your campaigns successfully.

Want it done for you? No problem. If you’d rather put your ads management in someone else’s hands, I can help with that too. My team and I can leave you to implement your campaigns but help you keep an eye on them with weekly monitoring, or we can do the whole thing for you.

We can also help you strategise about how to maximise all the platforms available to you. While paid ads are amazing, they work even better when used in conjunction with traditional media methods.

Whichever option you choose, it’s important to work with someone who you feel comfortable with and trust with your business’ success. Take the time and get to know them and make sure they know your business.

If you’d like to see how we fit together, book a discovery call and let’s chat.