FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is search advertising the same as SEO?
No, it is not. This is one of the few answers that we don't start by saying "it depends".
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Search engine optimization (SEO) and search advertising both fall under the search marketing umbrella, but SEO refers to the practice of getting your site show up in the organic results. Contrary to how some people make it sound, SEO is not "free" either; it takes a lot of time, work, and expertise to do well, like any other aspect of marketing. Many end users don't notice the difference between paid vs organic listings, as the markers are subtle and the content may look identical, but organic listings are separate and unaffected by paid listings.
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They have the same goal of being discovered by people searching, but search ads (often referring to as PPC, short for pay-per-click) have more control and often allow you to elbow your way to the front faster than SEO. Search is just one of the many advertising channels available - to learn more about the services we provide, click here.
How much should I spend on advertising?
The short answer to this question and many others in the industry is: it depends!
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Coming up with an advertising budget involves identifying a measurable outcome we're looking for, such as click or conversion volume, and examining market conditions to come up with an estimate for an effective amount to spend. It's also important to note that budgets are flexible and can be scaled up and down as needed. That means sometimes it makes sense to start small to gauge the waters, and other times you want to start with a bang because you need a more immediate impact.
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To go more in-depth on how we approach ad budgets, click here.
When will I start to see results from my ads?
This is a classic case of "it depends" because results are largely tied to budget. One analogy we often use is that a small budget is like going to the gym and walking for 2 minutes on the treadmill - you didn't do much, so don't check the mirror yet! Of course our goal is to get your campaigns running as efficiently as possible, to get the maximum return on whatever budget we are working with, but it also depends on your industry, seasonal consumer behavior, and so on.
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To learn more about when to expect results from advertising, click here.
What advantage does digital advertising have over traditional?
With traditional advertising, you buy a fixed space and hope the right people pass by. The main advantage of digital advertising is that you can save money by only showing your ads to the people you want to target, with a message relevant to them. Going digital also means data - lots of data - which we use to your advantage. We analyze the numbers to see what appears to be working, then make informed decisions to predict what will work even better. Sometimes that means personal opinions taking a back seat in pursuit of actual results!
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For more information and a case study on using data, click here.
Which ad platform is right for me?
Deciding the right platform for you largely involves going where your ideal audience goes. If your produce/service is something people look for with high-intent in their moment of need, you may want to go with Google for its famous search engine. If you are selling something that requires more explanation or demonstration, you may want to go with Meta to engage curious people on Facebook & Instagram.
Most of our clients advertise on multiple platforms so that they have more options based on how their campaigns are performing, but there are cases where it makes sense to stick with just one.
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For some example scenarios of each case, click here.
What do I need to do before I begin advertising online?
Many businesses start advertising, before they are ready, and that is not something we recommend. Occasionally, a campaign will have success despite itself, but typically you want the fundamental elements prepared and working together, including a functioning website, an attractive offer for your products/services, a system ready for handling leads/orders, and so on. By avoiding putting the cart before the horse, you give your advertising a fighting chance.
For more information about being ready before you start advertising, click here.
What can I expect after signing up with you?
The first few days after you officially become an IBA client are some of our busiest behind the scenes. We set up ad accounts, build a campaign structure, define targeting, synchronize inventory feeds, design & write ads, implement audience & conversion tagging, and more. As we approach the go-live date, you will be shown the customer-facing ads to ensure everything is in alignment, we make any finishing touches, then you give the green light.
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After ads are live, we keep an eye out for any system approval errors or content flags (happens more than you'd think), then the fun begins, where we start gathering data to work with and inform our continuous improvements. We keep you in the loop with how things are performing, and what the early report metrics are telling us. We then apply best-practices and optimizations on an ongoing basis, with the goal of making every month perform better than the last.
From there, most clients opt for a monthly check-in call to review how things are going and brainstorm new promos they want to introduce, plus we share our insights and interactive report dashboards to peruse. You'll be as informed and involved as you want to be!​
How do I know if my ads are active?
Because digital advertising isn't like a billboard where you can plainly see it displaying to the world, this sometimes causes confusion for newer clients wondering where and when their ads are showing. We can gladly answer that question with reports and real-time data, and it can be helpful to use tools such as Google's Ad Preview or Meta's Ad Library. However, the fact that you don't see your ad "in the wild" doesn't mean it's not running, it just means the platform opted not to show it to you at that time, and the reason could be anything from daily budget pacing to the fact that you aren't the ideal customer.
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To learn about why you don't always see your ad when you go hunting for it, click here.
How do you know if my ads are working?
Once your ads start showing, generally we want to see engagement from your audience, and for clicks to turn into conversions (valuable actions such as phone calls or lead forms submitted). If your campaigns are more awareness-based, we may not have conversions to track, but we look for a lift in activity from other sources, such as an increase in organic searches in your website analytics, as that would indicate more people are evidently hearing about you and looking you up.
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Effective advertising should ensure that paid traffic does not cannibalize organic traffic, but increases overall activity. It's also two-way conversation for us to understand how things are going on your end, as the metrics we see are just one side of the story. We report what we can observe from the data, but you know your business best, so that feedback is valuable!
Which metrics should I be paying attention to?
It can be overwhelming to keep up with what all of the available marketing metrics are, let alone what they mean. That is why we recommend evaluating a campaign in the context of its purpose. For example, if a campaign's job is to generate as many leads as possible on a given budget, an important metric would be cost per lead (where a lower number is better than higher). Other metrics still inform how that same campaign can improve and scale, but if you're looking to summarize how something is performing, start with identifying its job and look at metrics related to that outcome.
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"If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree..."
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To learn about more about evaluating campaign performance in context, click here.
How do you determine which best-practices to follow?
The marketing industry is constantly evolving, yet there are endless people out there all claiming their way is right. For us, the practices we adopt are those which provide the best outcomes for our clients. That's not a cop out, by the way, it's understanding that what works for one client may not work for another, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Of course we have our preferred methods, and for every strategic choice we make, there is a reason based on experience. But we also leave room for the possibility that we should adapt to what the client says they need, and not tell them what is best.
The ad platforms themselves love to push their own "best-practices", but quite often those things are best for them, not you. Our job is to work for your success.
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For some examples of how we discern which practices are worth adopting, click here.
What do you charge for your services?
With digital advertising, there is essentially a "parts and labor" system, where the "parts" is the amount spent on ads which goes to the platforms (Google, Meta, etc), and the "labor" is the fee charged by the agency. Some use a flat amount, others use a variable which could depend on something like time requirements or budget fluctuation.
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At IBA, we provide custom packages balancing predictability and flexibility, ensuring a base service level and scaling involvement as needed.
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To learn more about the various fee models in the industry, and pros & cons of each, click here.
