How to Confidently Manage Paid Ads with an In-House Team

For many business owners, handing over paid ads management to an agency might feel like the only option. James invites TeachTraffic.com’s Ilana Wechsler to explore the alternative: how business owners can learn the ropes and confidently handle their paid ads in-house.

Podcast: Download (Duration: 29:09 — 27.0MB)

When it comes to managing paid ad campaigns, many small business owners are challenged: should they hire an expensive agency or try to manage their paid ads in-house?

Ilana Wechsler from TeachTraffic.com specializes in helping small business owners take control of their paid advertising strategies. In James’s most recent podcast episode, he and Ilana explore a real-life case study of one of Ilana’s clients, offering insights on how businesses can effectively manage their paid ads in-house.

James and Ilana discuss how SEO challenges led to the client seeking help with paid campaign management.

They look at some challenges and misconceptions around small business advertising.

And they talk about what’s needed for successful in-house paid ad management, like a regular ad account audit.

Does the path from $300K+ to $1M seem complicated? Let James simplify it for you.

Table of contents:

1. The SEO challenge and shift to paid ads
2. Why you don’t always need an expensive agency
3. The benefits of understanding paid ad management in-house
4. The case for small, incremental testing
5. The importance of regular ad account audits
6. Conclusion: take control of your paid advertising strategy

The SEO challenge and shift to paid ads

Ilana’s client had relied heavily on SEO to drive leads for her established business. When the SEO gods stopped favoring her, she lost most of her traffic overnight. This sudden drop put her business in a precarious position.

With a well-trained sales team but no leads, the client needed a quick solution. She had a limited budget and didn’t want to spend thousands on an agency, so she turned to Ilana for help with paid ad management.

The first step was to audit the client’s existing Google Ads account to identify what was working and what wasn’t.

The audit let them focus on optimizing profitable campaigns rather than wasting money on ineffective ones. This step is crucial for anyone looking to manage paid campaign management internally; knowing where the ad spend is going and understanding what brings in leads can make all the difference.

Download 15 Pointers for Effectively Managing Your Paid Ads In-House (and the PDF transcription)

Why you don’t always need an expensive agency

Many small businesses believe that effective paid ads management requires a high-budget agency.

As Ilana points out, however, spending thousands of dollars on agency fees doesn’t always make sense, especially when the ad spend itself is modest.

Good agencies typically work with larger budgets, where their fees do not significantly impact the overall expenditure. For smaller budgets, it’s often more cost-effective to learn how to manage campaigns in-house.

Ilana stresses that much of the value an agency provides comes from the initial setup and strategy development. Ongoing management often only requires a few hours per month. Small businesses can handle this maintenance themselves, provided they have a solid foundation and understanding of their ad strategy.

Ilana’s approach at TeachTraffic.com is to teach businesses how to “fish” rather than just catching the fish for them. This hybrid model involves setting up campaigns, providing strategy insights, and guiding clients through the process so they can confidently manage their ads in the future.

The benefits of understanding paid ad management in-house

One of the major advantages of managing your paid search management in-house is control.

Business owners know their products and services better than anyone. By understanding the basics of ad management, they can leverage their industry knowledge to create highly effective campaigns.

This knowledge becomes invaluable when dealing with an agency, allowing business owners to ask the right questions and better understand the strategies being implemented.

Ilana’s client, for instance, was able to apply lessons from her original campaigns to a new market with a different product. Because the client was deeply involved in the setup and strategy phase, she could replicate success in a new domain. This kind of adaptability is key for businesses looking to scale their marketing efforts.

The case for small, incremental testing

Ilana advocates for starting with small, highly targeted campaigns and expanding based on results. James agrees – he learned the same approach years ago as applied to product creation. Testing small and scaling big lets businesses minimize risk while maximizing the potential for success.

For example, Ilana’s client started with a budget of $100 per day, focusing on “solution-aware” campaigns targeting customers ready to buy. This strategy helped identify potential bottlenecks in the conversion process, such as landing page issues, which they addressed by adding testimonials and improving page design.

This iterative approach is basic to successful paid ad management. By making data-driven decisions and gradually expanding campaigns, businesses can optimize their ad spend and ensure a positive ROI.

The importance of regular ad account audits

One crucial takeaway from James and Ilana’s discussion is the value of regular ad account audits. Whether managed in-house or by an agency, ad accounts call for frequent checks to ensure campaigns are performing as expected. Audits can reveal areas where money is being wasted, opportunities for improvement, and potential issues with tracking or targeting.

Ilana offers an ad account audit service through TeachTraffic.com to help businesses understand whether their accounts are optimized or if there are areas for improvement. In her experience, many business owners are shocked to discover how poorly their campaigns have been managed by previous agencies, leading to lost revenue and wasted ad spend.

Conclusion: take control of your paid advertising strategy

Managing your own paid campaign management offers several benefits, including greater control, cost savings, and the ability to leverage your unique business insights.

While agencies have their place, especially for larger budgets or businesses without the time to manage ads, small and medium-sized businesses often benefit from a hands-on approach.

By learning the fundamentals of paid ad management and leveraging resources like TeachTraffic.com, business owners can confidently run their own ads, making sure every dollar is spent effectively.

As Ilana’s case study shows, the key to success lies in understanding the strategy, conducting regular audits, and being willing to learn and adapt along the way.

If you’re unsure whether your ad campaigns are being managed optimally or want to take control of your paid advertising strategy, consider reaching out for an ad account audit or consulting service to ensure you’re on the right track. Ilana and her team can be found at TeachTraffic.com.

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