Sean Lang Sean Lang

Whats the difference between an account setup and a full strategy?

Setups. Strategies. Two very important elements of successful marketing. But very different!

A setup is…just that: the act of setting up your marketing. From onboarding, to asset gathering, to ad creation, campaign building, audience targeting, etc etc etc….
In a nutshell, the setup is the technical getting-your-ducks-in-a-row part of your marketing, in the short term.
If you’re curious to learn more about what goes into a setup, see our article here.

A strategy on the other hand: the gameplan/blueprint/roadmap/whatever you want to call it. A strategy is created based on your business data, goals, industry and competitive metrics. A strategy pre-emptively outlines opportunities and identifies tactics. Its a long-term plan for marketing success.
If you’re curious to learn more about marketing strategy, learn more here.

In summary:

  • A setup is required for any successful marketing engagement, but it does not gaurantee long-term results.

  • A strategy is highly recommended to maximize the effectiveness of all marketing assets, efforts, and opportunities.

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Sean Lang Sean Lang

Why do agencies charge for setup and onboarding?

ONBOARDING

To understand why agencies charge for onboarding, you must first understand what it is. In a nutshell - it is the initial collection of information and assets needed for the marketing agency to be successful on behalf of the client. Things like:

  • Billing information

  • Short term & long term goals

  • Key contacts and stakeholders

  • Marketing workflow

  • Team introductions

  • Research

SETUP

Depending on the scope of work involved - that is, number of campaigns, ad groups, ads, unique offers, ad spend budget, etc…it can be a lot of work to properly set up an account with campaigns that are ready to launch. Typical tasks performed in an account set-up:

  • Asset organization

  • Ad copy creation and/or approval

  • Ad creative creation and/or approval

  • Ad creation and approval

  • Audience setup

  • Traffic segmentation

  • Campaign structure setup

  • Tracking pixel validation

  • Bid strategy setup & Budget allocation

And this is all before the campaign can launch! Many items must be set up, checked, and double-checked for accuracy before the campaign can safely see the light of day and begin showing ads to potential buyers.

Taking on a new client can be a costly and time-consuming undertaking for a marketing agency, and it is why it is the industry standard to charge a setup fee. The fee will vary from agency to agency, based on a number of factors including the size of the account being onboarded, the desirability and/or capacity of the agency in question, and the value created by the setup.

Have questions about how we do on-boarding?

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