What does it take to effectively manage a large-scale paid media campaign? Every enterprise program has unique needs and may manage their programs differently. But, one thing that doesn’t change across organizations is the need for a team of talented people to accomplish paid media success.  

Building that team and stacking it with the right skills plays a big part in the outcomes of your PPC projects.

When building your paid media team…

• Leave it to professionals.  There are some roles within PPC that can be done by an entry-level marketer but there are also many that can’t. Managing ad spend, and media budgets are tricky and the costs of errors and mistakes can be devasting to your business goals in the wrong hands.
• Diversify your team’s skill sets. There’s a misconception that paid media only requires an analytical mindset.  In reality, it’s as much analytical as it is creative. You’ll need a blended team of creatives, strategists and yes, analysts too.
• Don’t be afraid to outsource. Enterprise paid media programs have a lot to accomplish in regard to paid media. Meaning, you’ll need to properly plan out which projects your team can handle on their own and also map out your plan for outsourcing the rest.

What internal roles does your organization have for managing PPC campaigns? And, is it enough to accomplish your company’s goals?

If any of the below roles are missing, then there’s a chance that your organization can benefit from adding outsourced help to your team.

1.Data analyst

A data analyst is the backbone of your paid media campaigns.  They are technically sound and able to compile and manage data in a number of systems essential to your business such as your CRM, Google Analytics, or reporting tools.  They also have the deepest knowledge of how to dig up insights on your target customers and provide actionable data findings from cross-channel data analysis.

Their average salary for a Data Analyst in the USA is $67,377 per year if you’d like to hire an internal resource for this role.

2. Paid search strategist(s)

Learning Google Ads, Bing Ads, plus emerging paid search channels like Amazon Ads best practices is no small task. Each has certification programs that your team should complete, and are robust platforms for marketers to understand.  Having team members who are well versed in all search engine marketing best practices across many channels is the key to getting your ads approved, and maximizing their performance.

Paid search analyst average a salary of $51,630 per year  in the USA.

3. CRO strategist(s)

The roles and responsibilities of a CRO strategist align well with your paid media team. Without high-converting landing pages to send traffic to, your ads will fail, making this another essential role for your team.

US-based CRO analysts average a salary of $76,157/yr per year.

4. Copywriter

Writing keyword optimized ad copy, and high-converting landing page and website copy is an art form.  It takes a talented writer with ad experience.

The average earnings of a US-based copywriter are $60,296 per year.

5. Web developer

You’ll need someone technically savvy who can implement landing pages, and also handle some backend data management by creating forms, and ensuring all tracking is implemented for automation systems and conversion tracking.  

The average salary for Web Developers in the US is $87,498 per year.

6. Graphic designer

A developer isn’t always the person who creates the creative for your website or landing pages, requiring you to enlist the help of a designer.  They will also be responsible for all ad creative ideation, and execution.

Sr. Graphic Designers in the US earn Graphic designer $56,256 on average per year.

The Cost Can Add Up

To stack your PPC team you may need to invest nearly $400,000 per year to pay the salaries of a small PPC project management team. If you decided to hire all of these roles internally, not including benefits, cost of recruiting, or training costs, that’s a large investment for most organizations and depending on your company size, the costs can add up far beyond that very quickly.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of hiring one point person on PPC for your organization who can “do it all.” But, managing PPC and CRO campaigns that successfully generate ROI for your business isn’t a one-man job and depending on the size of your company a small team may not be enough to drive the results you need on their own.

Scaling up Paid Media Resources

For any company, it can be difficult to scale up resources quickly—you may have team members with one or two essential skills, but you’ll still need to fill in the gaps.

That’s the key reason enterprises seek PPC project management help from an agency.  The benefits of outsourcing include:

• Lowering overhead costs to your organization, and taking control of your budget
• Reducing downtime  turn-over or training
• Scaling your team and speeding up the execution of your projects to meet key timelines
• Accessing a variety of skill-sets and resources without needing to invest in recruitment initiatives

Building a PPC team is hard, but it doesn’t have to be.  Give your team the resources they need to be successful and, if needed, outsource help to maximize your PPC results.