There are many reasons why you may be considering hiring a Facebook Ad Manager or Ads Agency. Most prospective clients come to me because they're not getting the results they want on their own, and/or they have no interest in learning how to run their own Facebook Ads.
In the early days of entrepreneurship and business building, it makes sense that one person is trying to do all the things – including Facebook marketing. As the business grows, delegation and outsourcing becomes increasingly important so that you can focus on working IN your business, not ON your business.
One word of caution here – when the time comes to outsource your marketing, I highly recommend playing an active role in the process. Have regular meetings with your Ads Manager and ensure that the messaging, strategy, and results are aligned with yours.
What does a Facebook Ads Manager do
Strategize – Your Ads Manager will talk to you about your business goals, sales funnel, target audience, advertising budget and more. They'll make recommendations regarding a Facebook advertising strategy.
Execute – Once the strategy has been approved, the Ads Manager will execute the advertising plan. When you outsource to a reputable agency or freelancer, they will know how to navigate Ads platform like the back of their hand – navigating the advanced settings to ensure your ads are delivered in the best way to meet your business goals.
Certain aspects of successful ads management, like Facebook Pixel installation and management can be overwhelming for the average business owner, so having an expert on your team to handle this aspect of ads can be very beneficial.
Troubleshoot – If you've ever run Facebook Ads before, you know that the algorithms can be temperamental and it's not uncommon to have ads disapproved, and no idea why they were disapproved.
With an Advertising Agency/Manager, you'll be prepared to troubleshoot disapprovals or ad errors more efficiently than trying to Google your way through it.
Optimize – Your Facebook Agency/Manager should provide Weekly Reporting that lets you know how your advertising campaigns are performing with a focus on conversion rates and lets you see your Return on Investment (ROI). Note: ensure that you're adding the Ads Agency Rates in with the Advertising Costs to ensure a true ROI.
Prices May Vary
There are many reasons why the cost of advertising services varies from one provider to another.
Ads Consultant Rates may be based on their level of marketing expertise. You're more likely to save money if you hire someone in their first 1-3 years of business. Spending more money with a more seasoned marketer means they have more experience and may be more likely to deliver the results you want.
What is included in the management package can also have an impact on price. Will they be focused only on ads, or organic posting as well? Just Facebook, or other social networks? Are they providing the ad copy? Graphic design? It'll be helpful to be clear about exactly what you need, and what you don't, so you can find the best fit for your needs.
Pricing Structures
There are a wide variety of pricing structures you may encounter when shopping for ad management services.
1. Agency management fees – an agency will charge a set monthly flat rate for their services, regardless of the spend and may or may not charge a separate set up fee. (aka. flat rate)
2. Percentage of spend – often ranging between 10% – 50% of total ad spend would be paid to the agency. (aka. agency rate)
3. Flat Rate + Agency Rate – this combines the first two models and often includes a lower management fee and lower percentage of spend.
4. Performance based – In this structure the business pays the advertising expert based on the performance of the ads. For example, they may offer $20/lead and if the ad expert is able to generate the lead for less money, they keep the difference.
5. Monthly Retainer – some marketing agencies require businesses to pay a flat hourly rate for services, and pay for a block of hours in advance every month – and if they need more, they add those on as needed.
Price Ranges
Worldwide rates vary greatly with hourly rates ranging from under $50 to over $500 – and monthly retainers ranging from less than $1000 to over $5000. And when we narrow down the focus from worldwide to US-based the US averages are on the higher end of those ranges.
Overwhelmed? Don't be.
Social Media Advertising is valuable and the cost varies significantly from one agency/expert to another – but that is no reason to throw in the towel. The best way to meet your advertising goals is by partnering with a marketing expert who will navigate all the strategy, execution, troubleshooting, and optimization for you. Learn more about partnering with me at EIEIOMarketing.com.