Paid Media is complex. Many organisations will already have PPC and/or Paid Social accounts, which were set up in-house or by an agency. There’s no doubt that the specialists working on these accounts will be working in line with best practices, however, when you’ve been working on an account for a while it’s easy – and common – to let some areas slip. Things can get missed and go unnoticed, but over time, these can turn into significant issues if not spotted.
To make matters more difficult, things change so quickly in the Paid Media landscape, so what might have been your suggestion a few weeks ago, may not be something you’d recommend today.
In the time we’ve been working in the industry (a combined total of 20 years!) we have audited many accounts and have seen a wide range of results off the back of them.
Our thorough Paid Media audits will provide you with an insight into the true performance of your account, as well as highlight any key areas of opportunities, and ways to be more efficient.
Below are some reasons as to why it is important to have your Paid Media accounts audited:
- Identify areas of wasted spend – Every penny counts, so why would you want any of it to go to waste? Regardless of your monthly spend, an audit is an opportunity to identify any problematic areas where you are potentially hemorrhaging budget. The audit will also provide recommendations and ways to put that budget to better use, with different campaigns or techniques.
- Identify areas of opportunity and growth – One of the real benefits of having an audit is uncovering areas for improvement that will drive additional revenue for the business. We look for areas to push for growth such as keyword expansion, broadening audience targeting, different ad formats, new campaign types, additional placements, and whether there’s a more innovative way of working.
- Review the account through a commercial lens – It’s easy to simply use the data you are given from a platform, be that Google or Facebook, and take the numbers at face value. At CreativeRace we pride ourselves on the “so what?” and “what else?”. Businesses are intricate, and platforms do not take into consideration the wider business metrics, such as your true profit, margins, shipping cost or returns. It only looks at “we spent X and it drove Y”. We will understand your business and look at ways we can improve and drive performance, with a profit-first mindset, working to true commercial goals.
After an audit has been completed, you will have a clear list of which areas of the account require improvements. This can be built into a strategy, from which you can set short and long-term goals, to help you to work towards your business KPIs and objectives.
Are you thinking, “I’m happy with my ad account performance, so there’s no need to have an audit done”? If so, we believe it never hurts to take a periodic review of your activity. The best case scenario is that there’s absolutely nothing to improve on, and you will have that peace of mind. On the other hand, we may dig up something that is stopping your ads from performing at their best, in which case, we can help provide recommendations on how to make improvements.
If you think an audit is long overdue and you want a fresh pair of eyes on the account, get in touch to see how we can help.
About the authors:
Meg heads up the Paid Social team at CreativeRace and has over 10 years experience spanning both agency and in-house roles. Past clients include ASDA, TK Maxx and ScS.
Bhavisha heads up the PPC team at CreativeRace, with 10 years of experience in PPC working across sectors such as retail, leisure, finance and property. She has worked on local and global brands including TK Maxx, Euro Car Parts, Topps Tiles, Mobiles.co.uk and Jabra.
