Paid Media / PPC Management

Service description

Paid media management plans, launches and optimizes paid advertising on search engines, social platforms and other networks. A provider typically sets goals and budgets, builds campaigns and ad copy, manages bids and targeting, tests creative, tracks conversions and reports on cost and return. The ad spend itself is paid to the platforms.

Common industries

Applies to any business buying online customers, from e-commerce to local services.

ROI

A skilled manager lifts return on ad spend and cuts waste; performance is measurable, which is why it's heavily shopped.

Benefit

Plan and manage paid advertising — search and social — to hit acquisition targets efficiently.

Why get it

Paid channels reach buyers on demand and show results quickly, but spend adds up fast without active management. A skilled manager keeps cost per result in line with targets, and keeps ads accurate and properly labeled.

When you benefit

Ongoing: campaigns are monitored and adjusted continuously, with a formal performance review each month.

What it costs

Typically a monthly retainer.

When you pay

Common structures are a flat monthly fee, a percentage of ad spend, or a mix with a setup fee. Ad spend is usually paid by the business directly to the platform, or passed through by the agency. Fees are normally billed monthly.

Other costs

The ad spend itself, creative production for ads and landing pages, tracking and reporting tools, and any pass-through charges from the platform or agency.

Risks to know

Ads that overstate results, bury material terms or aren't labeled as ads can be treated as deceptive under federal law, and the advertiser answers for them even when an agency wrote them. Spend can also drain on poor targeting or tracking errors before anyone notices.

When risks arise

Wasted spend builds daily from launch, so tracking and budget caps matter in the first days. A legal problem with an ad exists the moment it runs, and is cheapest to fix at review, before it goes live.

The process

The provider agrees goals and budgets, sets up tracking, builds the campaigns and ads, and launches. It monitors performance, adjusts bids, targeting and creative, and reports on cost and results on a regular schedule, recommending changes to budget or strategy.

Your commitment

The business sets its budget and acquisition targets, gives the provider access to its ad accounts, website and analytics, and says how a conversion is counted. It supplies the facts behind every claim in the ads and approves ad copy before it runs.

Documents to gather

• Access to your ad accounts, website analytics and conversion tracking
• Your monthly budget and the cost per customer you can afford
• Past campaign reports and any ad copy that performed well
• Support for any claims you plan to make in the ads

Helpful reading

• Advertising FAQ's: A Guide for Small Business — Federal Trade Commission
• Online Advertising and Marketing — Federal Trade Commission

Further research

• 15 U.S. Code § 45 — Unfair or deceptive acts or practices unlawful (federal)
• 16 CFR Part 255 — Guides concerning use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising (federal)
• FTC Policy Statement on Deception (federal agency guidance)
• .com Disclosures: How to Make Effective Disclosures in Digital Advertising (federal agency guidance)