Several months ago, I authored a blog post about information I wish I possessed when I embarked on my PPC career. There was….a significant amount, and one key area I emphasized was the unexpected role of becoming a business consultant in addition to a PPC consultant.

When clients pose inquiries unrelated to PPC… It appears that other PPC professionals resonate with this experience as well. Therefore, I decided to delve deeper into this subject, exploring common (and often challenging) business-related questions clients ask me and providing insights into my approach to addressing them.

Unveiling 9 Questions Your PPC Clients Will Pose

Here’s a compilation of nine frequent questions I encounter as a PPC expert, along with my typical responses. Disclaimer: These answers aren’t exhaustive but reflect what has proven effective for my clients and facilitated progress.

1. Determining the Ideal Budget

This topic has gained increasing relevance over time. Initially, primarily small businesses inquired about their advertising expenditure, but now, larger enterprises are expressing similar curiosities. Thankfully, platform planning tools have simplified addressing this query.

Take Google Keyword Planner, for instance. This keyword research tool offers built-in functionality to project the overall expenses associated with your prospective keywords and geographical focus. Similarly, when defining audiences on LinkedIn, you’ll find size estimations and CPC projections based on your criteria, offering a spending range. Additionally, Google Ads provides a budget report illustrating your present and anticipated expenditures based on your daily budget. It’s essential to use these tools as guideposts. I perceive these figures as suggested ranges to initiate discussions, mere starting points. I refrain from presenting these tool-generated spending suggestions as definitive budget requirements to my clients, as it’s impractical. Sometimes, the estimated expenditure falls short, while at times, it’s excessive. Beyond potential, realistic performance expectations are paramount. Clients often have lead or revenue targets for their campaigns. I collaborate with them to establish attainable CPA or ROAS objectives and then work backward to determine the appropriate budget. For example, if the goal is 100 monthly leads with a realistic CPL target of $200, a monthly budget of at least $20k is necessary. Anything less would be unrealistic.

2. Identifying the Right Audience

I emphasize to my clients that they are the experts on their business, while we specialize in ad channels. When questioned about target audiences, I redirect the inquiry back to them. Who constitutes their ideal customer? I request a detailed persona: age, location, company type, weekend activities, etc. While not all these questions apply universally, the more information we gather, the better equipped we are. Armed with these characteristics, I conduct targeting research across various ad channels, exploring their presence on platforms like LinkedIn, Snapchat, Google, and Facebook.

My response usually comprises a breakdown of targeting options across multiple channels, serving as a foundation for a multi-channel or cross-channel customer acquisition strategy.

3. Decoding Competitors and Differentiation

PPC competitors often differ from general market competitors. When clients inquire about competitors, they typically seek information about their market rivals. However, my expertise lies elsewhere. I shift the focus to what defines a PPC competitor: companies vying directly for the attention and clicks of the target customer. In search, this could encompass brands offering similar products/services or those misplaced. The approach to crafting advertising needs to factor in these competitors. I leverage several tools for this identification process. First, if search campaigns are already operational, I utilize the Auction Insights tool. The domains appearing here are actively bidding against you. This can provide a list for further investigation or necessitate a keyword list revision if numerous listed brands are irrelevant to your company.

Image source Furthermore, competitor keyword tools like SpyFu, SEMRush, and iSpionage prove valuable. While not infallible, they assist in identifying keywords targeted by certain brands, offering insights into keywords to prioritize or avoid based on competition. Irrespective of the competitor list, I strive to deliver a report encompassing insights on keywords, ad copy, calls to action, and landing page analysis for the top 5-10 competitors, offering my clients a clear understanding of their SERP landscape.

4. Prioritizing Customer Growth vs. Existing Customer Service

There’s no universally correct answer here. I often initiate the conversation by inquiring about customer churn. If the rate of customer loss exceeds acquisition, retaining existing customers takes precedence. Failing to do so renders acquisition efforts futile.

Image source However, solely focusing on existing customers can be myopic. Neglecting to engage new users hinders the development of a future customer pipeline. Even with a need for improved retention, I’d hesitate to advise against ALL prospecting activities. Otherwise, the business might lack direction once the retention strategy is implemented.

5. Exploring New Geographic Markets

I appreciate companies aiming for expansion, but ensuring its viability is crucial. My initial focus is on demand: is there sufficient search volume or a substantial enough target audience to support expanded service coverage? Ideally, benchmark performance statistics are available, but such information is often scarce. Next comes assessing business fundamentals.

• Do shipping costs escalate?
• Can service timing promises be maintained?
• Can a dispersed customer base be supported without compromising service quality?
• Can increased production demands be met?
• Are there other factors to consider with expanded coverage? If all signs are green, I recommend a controlled test targeting high-performing audiences from existing locations or those best suited for new areas. This test should have a defined timeframe and budget. These restrictions are vital to allow sufficient time for optimization and provide a fair chance for the new area to perform. Securing approval for these elements is crucial for evaluating the long-term potential of expansion.

Image source

6. Evaluating Product or Service Line Extensions

Similar to geographic expansion, PPC professionals can contribute in multiple ways:

• Keyword research
• Target audience analysis
• Competitor insights The key questions are whether existing demand for these new offerings exists or needs to be generated and whether other companies are already operating in this space. If so, how would the client’s offering compare in terms of cost and quality? I’ve encountered situations with significant demand but where the client couldn’t match the competition on either quality or cost. To displace an existing player, excelling in one of these areas is usually necessary. Otherwise, expansion might be ill-advised.

A SWOT analysis template could prove beneficial here.

7. Deciding on Holiday Sales

For brands I’ve worked with, holiday sales typically serve two purposes: meeting yearly revenue targets or acquiring new customers at a reduced cost, anticipating future returns. Holiday sales are generally NOT the period for maximizing ROAS.

When asked about this, I first clarify the primary objectives of holding a sale. What are they aiming to achieve? I then work on estimating performance during the holiday season to determine if their goals are realistic with a sale or if it might hinder campaigns. Planning tools can be useful, but historical data, if available, is ideal. Reviewing the past couple of holiday seasons can reveal trends and shifts, aiding in assessing if a holiday sale aligns with achieving their goals for the current year.

8. Identifying Company Strengths and Areas for Improvement

In my experience, this question is nearly impossible to address beyond a campaign perspective. While I may not know how customers perceive their products or services, I can provide insights into which ad copy messages, calls to action, or keyword groups are garnering the most attention within the account, both in terms of volume and engagement. Examining different account components can be revealing. Which campaigns/products/services are driving the most volume? Which boast the highest CTR, conversion rate, ROAS, or lowest CPA?

Our latest online advertising benchmark data can be found here. These performance insights might uncover unexpected strong performers for the client, guiding them towards potential areas of expansion.

9. Learning from Engaging Brands and Applying Best Practices

Admittedly, this question is subjective. I strive to identify brands I personally find engaging and those excelling in specific areas. Examining ad libraries to understand the types of ads high-spending brands utilize can offer valuable takeaways for clients. I gravitate towards the Facebook Ad Library and the TikTok Ads Inspiration sections, while others might find resources like MOAT useful for uncovering display ads.

Regardless of the source, presenting actual ad examples rather than just discussing them is impactful. Visuals resonate better with clients and can be easily shared with their creative teams as future campaign direction.

In Conclusion

Many PPC professionals, myself included, find ourselves assuming the role of business consultants for our clients, extending beyond our core PPC responsibilities. This exploration of my research and process-driven approach to addressing client inquiries aims to empower fellow professionals to confidently embrace this additional role and continue delivering exceptional value to clients.