How to Hire Amazon PPC Management Experts for Your Company
Want to hire Amazon PPC management experts to manage your Pay-Per-Click campaigns? It is a smart business decision and can help focus on your core business, while they deliver measurable PPC results. Amazon PPC experts have in-depth domain expertise and can implement proven strategies to get more clicks, increase leads, and improve your conversions.
However, hiring an inefficient Amazon PPC consultant can be counter-productive for your company. No two Amazon PPC agencies are the same. They have different levels of expertise, tools & methodologies, and scope of service. Therefore, you must find the “Best Fit” for your company – one that matches your PPC goals and expectations.
Only the right Amazon PPC management agency can help generate maximum CTR, get quality leads, and reduce your ACoS.
Let’s get started to understanding how to hire the right Amazon PPC partner for your company.
What is Amazon PPC?
Amazon, the largest online retail business with over 206 million visitors every month, is one of the top advertising platforms today. Amazon Advertising is a powerful PPC tool that sellers can use to improve brand awareness, generate more Amazon Store visits, and increase sales.
It may trail behind market giants like Google and Facebook in terms of ad revenues, but poses a tough competition to the leaders. Ad revenue from Amazon grew by a whopping 250% during the 3rd quarter of 2018 and is poised to increase rapidly in the years to come. 89% of shoppers agree they would buy products from Amazon than any other ecommerce site. This further paves lucrative advertising opportunities for businesses.
But generating optimum pay-per-click results on Amazon can be complex. You need dedicated Amazon PPC help that aligns with your needs and achieves quality results.
So, let’s understand the important factors to consider before hiring a professional Amazon PPC management service.
Hiring an Amazon PPC Specialist? Here are 8 Vital Questions You Should Ask
Are you ready to engage Amazon PPC management experts? Ask these eight important questions to ensure they are the best fit for your company.
#1: Do you have the expertise and time to handle our Amazon PPC needs?
All the knowledge and experience in Amazon PPC would go in vain if they do not have the technical expertise and time to deliver quality results. Make sure the agency has proficiency in Amazon PPC advertising and have several successful projects in their portfolio. It is also crucial that they are not overloaded with work and dedicate optimum time to make your campaign successful.
If you choose a monthly-retainer program or hire them on ad-hoc basis, make sure the agency is clear about how much time they would spend in your campaign. If possible, get it in written. Set KPIs against deadlines and follow-up regularly.
#2: Are you transparent in what you do?
When you hire expert Amazon Adwords optimization service, make sure the agency is transparent in its operations and reporting. Do not fall for vague terms and jargons that many of them will often use to ensure what effort they are giving to achieve best results. Ask for a clear and concise list of actions they are taking for Amazon PPC management and optimization. Insist incorporating the outcomes against these actions in monthly/weekly reports.
#3: Do you know how Amazon PPC ads work? How up-to-date are you?
Merely having experience as a PPC agency is not enough; it is imperative to have skills in Amazon Advertising. One who is a certified Google Ads Partner may not necessarily have prowess in Amazon PPC management. Therefore, you should ensure:
- Whether they have in-depth of how this platform works for advertisers
- Different forms of Amazon PPC advertising they can leverage for your business
- Do they know how to select the right keywords and optimize the ads
- Can they write descriptive and compelling ad copies that convert
- How efficient they are in audience targeting on Amazon
At the same time, make sure they continuously update their knowledge and expertise based on the latest developments and trends.
#4: What should be the flow of communication?
This is an important question you must ask your Amazon PPC consultant or you will end up in deep waters once they become unreachable. The channel of communication and frequency should be clearly stated in the contract. Are they readily available over phone, email, chat or VoIP? Organize regular meetings, at least once in a week. Perform an up-to-date Amazon PPC analysis to ensure all KPIs are aligning with the goals.
Effective communication with your PPC partner will help brainstorm new strategies, ensure better targeting, and achieve improved results.
#5: Can I evaluate your service portfolio?
When you invest in Amazon PPC optimisation, you would want an agency that is trustworthy and have reputation delivering outstanding results. And the best thing that shows their service excellence is the portfolio of clients they have served. Do not shy away from asking who their clients are. How the agency has helped the clients achieve business success through Amazon PPC management? What strategies, tools, and methodologies did they implement?
However, do not take every word they say. Do your own homework and check the credibility of your PPC partner? Read their client testimonials and if possible, talk with few of them for their reviews. Check review sites to gather valuable information of how specialized the agency actually is.
#6: How can I hire you?
The simpler and hassle-free the process is, the better it is for your company. Evaluate their engagement models and choose one that best fits your requirements and budget.
Typically, a PPC agency provides three different hiring models – onsite, offshore, and ad-hoc. An onsite model is one where dedicated PPC expert/experts will work from your office and as an extension of your in-house team. In the offshore model, specialized Amazon PPC management experts will work remotely on your campaigns and deliver a quality basis. The onsite model ensures better control over your project, while the latter does not involve any set-up cost or training.
You can also hire a PPC team on an ad-hoc basis, i.e. only when you require. Amazon PPC experts can be hired on a monthly-retainer, hourly, or project-wise basis. For ad-hoc project requirements, some agencies also provide the option to hire an Amazon PPC freelancer with a flexible work approach and cost-effective pricing.
#7: What is your pricing structure?
This is another vital question you should ask before hiring an Amazon PPC agency. How do they price PPC optimization services? While some charge a certain percentage of your total ad spend, others might have a fixed fee system. Some agencies also bundle add-on services and charge higher.
You should evaluate how the pricing structure will affect your company in the long run. For example, fixed fee sounds simple and straightforward now, but may become complicated in the long run. Similarly, a fixed percentage of your ad spend may seem costly in the short run but in the long run, it can provide more flexibility as your business scales.
Therefore, it is crucial to analyze their pricing structure carefully and how it may affect your business.
#8: Do your reports include actionable insights?
Most Amazon PPC expert provides regular weekly/monthly reports. But does the report only show charts and graphs that you do not understand? Beware. Rather, choose a company that provides campaign performance reports with actionable insights. Only then you would have clear understanding of where your campaign is heading to.
Getting genuine and satisfactory answer to these questions will help you choose the right Amazon PPC management company.
How to Hire an Amazon PPC Management Agency – The Process
Once you find your “right” PPC partner, what’s next? Most Amazon PPC agencies follow the below process to get started with your project:
1. Project Discussion & Strategy Planning: In the initial discussion, provide clear and comprehensive knowledge about your business, target audience on Amazon, competitors, and PPC goals. Together with your partner, set a definitive Amazon PPC optimisation strategy with actionable KPIs and timeline.
2. Choose a Hiring Model: Depending on your PPC requirements, flexibility and budget, choose an engagement model. Mention the team size and skills you would want to have. Discuss the pros and cons of each model for your company. How will it pay-off in the long run?
3. Setting up a Team: Whether you want only one PPC consultant working on your campaign or an entire team, the agency will interview them or analyze their skillset to find the perfect fit for your needs.
4. Make Payment: Most agencies would want you to make an advance payment before they get started with your campaign.
5. Team Starts Working on Your Project: Once the payment is done and all KPIs set, the Amazon PPC management experts will kickstart your campaign.
Hope this blog provides you a detailed understanding of how to hire an Amazon PPC consultancy that is most suitable for your company. Make sure their strategies are well-aligned with your Amazon advertising goals.