There are roughly 7,040 marketing technology providers out there at the start of 2019. That’s just marketing technology alone; think about the sheer volume of SaaS providers in all industries. And yet, it’s still challenging to find a PPC agency that fully understands the needs of SaaS companies.
It’s something that we see time and time again. Poorly optimized campaigns, inefficient spending, and dishonest reporting. It’s disheartening as a PPC provider to see so many horribly run paid media campaigns by companies that simply don’t understand the SaaS advertising model or the unique needs of tech providers.
So, what should you look for in a PPC agency for your SaaS product? Let’s cover some must-have characteristics of an agency built for managing SaaS advertising projects. If you’re a SaaS marketing leader looking for growth look for…
Advanced tracking capabilities
Your PPC agency shouldn’t be reporting based on vanity metrics. Ensure that all spend can be accounted for, and you are provided full-funnel tracking capabilities. Don’t be fooled into thinking more frequent reporting is better reporting either, oftentimes the best PPC reports are based on a lot of data and should only be provided when there are actionable takeaways.
Questions to ask your provider:
- How do prove value at each stage of the buyer’s journey?
- What CRM and automation tools do you have experience working in (HubSpot, Marketo, Salesforce?)
- What tools do you use to track website performance? How do you track conversions post-website conversion?
- How do you set goals and benchmarks for performance?
- How do you plan to improve our cost per acquisition?
No fear of strategic challenges
When advertising for SaaS the worst thing an agency can do is try to fit you into a rote process that “works for everyone.” Yes, there are certain optimizations that often work across every industry; but there is also a lot of variation by industry that must be accounted for. Look for an agency that has a process, and a scientific method to their work but that aren’t unwilling to be flexible to meet your industry’s needs.
Questions to ask your provider:
- Tell me about an industry that you’ve advertised for that was particularly challenging, and how did you rise to that challenge?
- How do you cater your strategy to unique industries?
- What’s your strategy to drive sign-ups/trials?
An “always be testing” mentality
PPC is not a set-it-and-forget-it tactic. The only way to optimize campaigns is to never stop testing. Your paid media agency needs to be a proven process for recognizing opportunity for improvements, testing variations of ads, and optimizing paid programs.
Questions to ask your provider:
- How often do you update campaigns?
- What is your process for testing keywords, landing pages, ad copy?
Your SaaS PPC needs are unique…
Recognize that not all agencies are built for supporting SaaS growth. Look for an agency that puts your goals of growing average monthly users, and reducing the CPA of your customers. It may seem like you can go with a generalist agency and get the same results, but you’ll be disappointed with the lack of tracking capabilities, poor strategic adaption and limited focus on continuous testing.
Recommended Articles: https://www.megethosdigital.com/making-money-with-ppc/
