Convince me I need a professional PPC service provider

[frankthetank2]

Very new to SEO and somewhat new to PPC but I have managed a few campaigns before for an old website.  I am very good with numbers, calculating ratios, conversions, etc.  I have a strong analytical and business mind and the theory behind PPC makes sense to me.

I know my target audience very well.  I am an expert in the that field but I am not an expert in PPC.   I am just starting out with a very small website advertising myself as a professional consultant in my field.  The thought of spending extra money on a PPC guru when that money could go into my site or pay for visitors is a little scary.

Do you think I can learn and teach myself all the tricks of PPC or is this an area where it really makes sense to hire an expert to do the work for me?  My budget would be small at first ($500 or less per month) so every little dollar helps.

Thanks.

[SEOExecutive20]

Yes, I'm the same way.  If I am passionate about something then I will usually do it myself.  Although, it may not always be the best way to go about it, because sometimes it ends up pushing the higher priority things I should be attentive to behind.

Unfortunately for us passion doesn't always = priority

[EGOL]

I agree.

I pay to have a lot of jobs done and do a lot of jobs that I could easily pay someone else to do who is already on my staff.

Part of the decision has to do with which jobs I enjoy.

We sell a product that I am fascinated with.  All of my employees know how to prepare that product for sale and they do that work part of the time.  They do an excellent job.  It's honestly boring work.  However, I spend more time on that task than they do - because I enjoy doing that job.

[SEOExecutive20]

EGOL's point is valid

Pashmina's point is valid

At the end of the day, one or the other is only valid after knowing your full situation.  What do I mean by that?

Nobody can give you the right answer because we don't have all the information needed to make an accurate decision.

We don't know how much time you have to teach yourself, spend on setting up your campaigns and, monitoring your campaigns.

Don't forget that quote "Time Is Money"

It's like asking if you should hire a lawyer, handyman, painter, mechanic, movers and etc...

A lot of things that these professionals can do, you maybe able to do better for yourself but:

You need to determine how much time you have to put aside on it, how quickly you need it done and etc..

In other words based on everything that people have answered, only you can make the final decision.

[flowsimple]

While I agree with EGOL, that no one will be able to do it as well as you given your depth of knowledge on your business and audience, I still think it makes sense to hire an expert.

(I'm over generalizing in a preachy dramatic way to make a point, so take it for what it is.) Smart capable people; we all have the same problem. We think: "Well, no one else can do it better than I can, so I'll just do it myself." But if we don't learn to accept support, and play to our strengths, we can only go so far in our ambitions to build something big.

One of the best decisions I made at 26, was to outsource my house cleaning. Seriously. It's a blessing. And now I just embrace it in every aspect of life, and business. Hiring others to do services, has given me space and capacity to build a better, and bigger business. I can build my own website, do my own taxes, and etc. I can probably build a really good website. But I don't want to be a good web designer. I want to be a PPC expert, and continue to develop that strength more deeply. So I outsource my website and taxes to a professional.

In that same vein, you need a professional PPC manager. Let it be their focus to maximize your campaign's effectiveness, and stay on top of the ever-changing PPC landscape. And you focus on being more you. I bet if we look at the numbers, then just one more extra conversion/sale/client per month would more than pay for the expertise, (not to mention the time you would save).

[AlanMosley]

I'm with Egol, you seem to be clued up, and no one is going to care as much as yourself. so start learning.

i would look into your SEO as a more long term solution PPC does not work for every one.

[DenverKelly]

I'll second EGOL's recommendation on several fronts.

Even if you decide to turn it over to a PPC pro in the future I'd recommend managing your PPC campaigns at the beginning. If you decide to turn the management of the campaign over to an agency later, you will be much better equipped to make that decision.

Definitely read Brian Gedde's Advanced Google Adwords. Brian Geddes provides tremendous insights and very clear instructions and methodologies. I had been managing my own campaigns for years and changed everything after reading this book.

The only caveat is time. It can be time consuming to manage, especially at first, or if you aren't seeing the results you expect. Honing in on your best results may include trying different ads, A/B testing, geo-targeting and as you already mentioned, a good bit of data analysis. If you have a handful of pages or products that may not take too long. And you're going to burn through some Adwords dollars during this phase.

Good luck - it's a great tool and it's brought plenty of business my way.

[frankthetank2]

Thanks Egol.  I don't mind paying people if they can provide a valuable service but I am often let down by the so-called "experts" in various fields.   I think PPC consultants make sense if you have a large site with hundreds of products but I only have one site and am just selling one thing (myself).   Cheers.

[EGOL]

After reading your question... I came to the conclusion that you are the type of person who should bet on himself.  You know your biz, know your audience, embrace numbers, know how to calculate and enjoy it, maybe you enjoy a little competition.

If that is the case and if you can spare a few days up front for learning and a few hours per month at first (which may decrease over time), then I encourage you to consider doing the PPC yourself.

Not trying to bash the PPC pros... but for doing the PPC for your business, I would put my money on you.  You have the analytical skills and the biz knowledge plus you are the one with skin in the game.

I suggest that you do what I did....

First, start practicing a bit with PPC..... then read Advanced Google AdWords by Brad Geddes... then attend one of his Adwords Seminars. http://certifiedknowledge.org/adwords-seminars/

If you do that your competitors will be in trouble.