The Time Trap: Why Your Focus Should Be on Results, Not Hours Spent

One of the most common questions I get asked by potential clients is, “How much time will you spend on my campaign?”

It's a logical and understandable question, but the answer isn’t as straightforward as you might think.

It’s not necessarily about the amount of time spent on a campaign but rather about the objectives set for the account and the desired results.

Understanding Your Business and Customers

Before starting the campaign setup, a crucial step is to thoroughly understand your business, your target audience, and your competitors.

This initial research lays the foundation for a successful and efficient campaign.

1. Business Analysis: This involves understanding your business model, value proposition, and unique selling points. What makes your business stand out from the competition? What problems does your product or service solve for your customers?

2. Customer Analysis: Understanding your target audience is key to a successful campaign. Who are your customers? What are their pain points? What are their online behaviours? The more you know about your customers, the more you can tailor your ads to resonate with them. You can read more about this in my blog post "Customer Personas: how well do you know your customer?"

3. Competitor Analysis: Analysing your competitors' online presence and advertising strategies can provide valuable insights into what works and what doesn’t in your industry.

Laying the Foundations

With a solid understanding of your business, customers, and competitors, the next step is setting up the campaign. This involves selecting the right keywords, creating compelling ad copy, and setting up the campaign structure.

1. Keyword Research: Selecting the right keywords is crucial for the success of your campaign. This involves identifying the keywords your potential customers are using to search for your products or services and understanding the search intent behind those keywords.

2. Ad Copy: Creating compelling ad copy is essential to attract the attention of your target audience and encourage them to take action.

3. Campaign Structure: Setting up the campaign structure involves selecting the appropriate campaign type, setting the budget, and organizing the ad groups and keywords.

Let's break it down with an example:

Imagine you have a monthly ad spend of £4000 and are currently getting 20 leads a month at £200 a lead.

You want to reduce the cost to £100 a lead to make your campaign more profitable.

It’s only natural to wonder how much more time it will take for you or a Google Ads Manager to get you to that target.

The answer, however, is not as clear-cut as "a few hours" or "a few days" a month/week. It’s more about assessing whether achieving that target in the first place is realistic.

More time does not always equal better results.

It's about the quality of the time spent on the campaign and the expertise of the person managing it.

Quality Over Quantity

A more experienced Google Ads manager might be able to achieve better results in less time compared to someone with less experience.

It’s not just about tweaking the ads but also about understanding your business, your target audience, and the Google Ads platform.

For example, increasing the bid for certain keywords might increase visibility and get more clicks, but it could also lead to more expensive, yet not necessarily more qualified, leads.

On the other hand, a well-thought-out negative keyword list or a well-segmented audience might lead to a significant decrease in cost per lead without a proportionate increase in time spent managing the campaign.

In conclusion, it’s important to focus on the results rather than the time spent on your Google Ads campaign.

An experienced Google Ads manager will not just spend time tweaking your campaign but will also strategically plan and execute changes to make your campaign more profitable, while also providing valuable insights and recommendations for your overall marketing strategy.

Ultimately, the goal is to achieve better results, not to necessarily spend more time on the campaign.

I'm an experienced Google Ads professional with the aim of helping you get the most out of your campaigns and see improved results. I have over 10 years of experience in the Google Ads platform and can help you achieve your marketing goals. If you're interested in learning more about how I can assist your business, don't hesitate to reach out to me.