How to Hire a Social Ads Consultant
Finding someone to help with your social media ad campaigns can be challenging. Let’s be real, there are a lot of social ads consultants out there who claim to be “experts” and are all too eager to take your money and “figure it out”. You need someone you can trust, who treats your money like their own — someone who can help you reach your goals without flushing money down the toilet guessing which tactics will work.
Bottom line: you will get a much higher return on your investment when you hire a qualified social ads consultant from the beginning.
Having gone from the only employee wanting (and willing) to learn Facebook & Instagram Ads, to managing millions of dollars in ad spend — I can now quickly differentiate those who know what they are talking about and those that don’t. I created this created this guide so you can learn the right questions to ask when hiring a social ads consultant as well as evaluate performance of your current partners.
Why should I hire a Facebook and Instagram Ads consultant?
There are over 2.8 billion active users on Facebook and over 1 billion active users on Instagram which means there is a pretty good chance your target customer is on Facebook or Instagram. The biggest benefit of Facebook & Instagram advertising is the amount of data they have on their users and the ability to leverage that information in your ads.
You can target cold, broad audiences like people interested in haircare, warm audiences like people who have engaged with your brand on Instagram, or hot audiences of people who have gone to your website in the last 7 days, added an item to their cart, and initiated a checkout, but haven’t purchased yet. A Facebook Ads Consultant will help you understand the full capabilities of Facebook’s targeting options and help you set up a strategic funnel to reach your customers during all phases of their sales journey.
Hiring an advertising partner will ultimately save you time and money getting your ads launched the right way, the first time. They’ll show you how to create a social ads funnel that consistently drives new traffic to your website, converts strangers into customers, and drives repeat sales (all while staying up to date on the latest features).
Different Types of Ad Consultants
Which ad consultant is right for your business? That depends on which one makes the most sense for your needs, budget and goals. Here are a few types that you may come across when searching for or interviewing a social ads consultant.
1. The “I Do It All”
There are some ad consultants who claim they can “do it all”. You want to run ads on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn, and they respond with “no problem, we’ve got you covered”. Maybe they have experience advertising on all channels, but that doesn’t mean they can do them all well. Most social media advertisers are specialized in specific platforms (Facebook vs. LinkedIn) or business objectives (leads vs. sales). That’s because each platform has unique capabilities, user behaviors, and frequent updates. I recommend asking lots of questions and for case studies to further qualify this partner.
2. The Specialist
Typically, social ads specialists have experience and success on specific platforms or objectives. They’ve experimented with smaller budgets and often less intensive campaigns such as promoted posts, video views, or traffic. Their costs are affordable and the risk of working with them for these types of initiatives is low. If you’re just getting started, and want to dabble in more awareness-based ads, a specialist may be the right fit to get your brand set up and running on Facebook Ads.
3. The Strategist
A Social Ads Strategist (aka the expert) often has experience managing a wide range of small to large budgets, they know how to troubleshoot and optimize quickly, and they’ve had success setting up strategic funnels that scale. Because of their experience and industry knowledge, their services aren’t cheap. They have to be on their game all the time because Facebook ads are like cleaning dishes — once you think you’re done washing and have it under control, another dirty dish or platform update suddenly appears. You’re paying more because a strategist is someone who sees a new dish update and adapts rather than let new features and changes pile up. When you’re ready “go and grow” with social ads, this is who you likely want managing your money.
What to Ask Ad Consultants In The Interview Process?
It’s important to ask lots of questions when interviewing a social advertising partner. This will help you better understand their capabilities and whether they are a good fit for your business goals. But remember, an interview is NOT a strategy call. A candidate may be able to provide some general recommendations during the interview based on the limited knowledge you provide them, but the actual strategy will occur once they are hired and have had a chance to assess all of your data and information.
Here are some questions to ask potential advertisers:
What advertising platforms do you use most often?
What advertising channels would you recommend for our product/service?
Have you advertised for other products or services in our industry before? If so, how did they perform?
What types of monthly budgets do you typically manage?
How much budget do you recommend we spend in order to see positive results? And how would you allocate that budget?
We know it might take a while to see a return on investment, but based on the information we have provided to you, do you have any information on when we can expect to see a positive return?
What recommendations or actions do you take if we’re not seeing positive results?
How often do you optimize the ads or make changes to them?
What metrics do you look at to see if an ad or campaign is or isn’t performing?
How often do you update the campaigns including ad copy, creative, and targeting?
If we move forward, how long will it take you to set up the ads?
Do you help with pixel implantation and Business Manager set up? (if needed)
Do you manage the creative, copy, and execution?
What types of assets would you need from us to get started (audience lists, photos, emails, etc.)?
How often can we expect reporting updates on performance?
What Kind of Information Does A Social Advertising Partner Need?
The more specific information you can give them about your #1 goal of the partnership, your budget, historical performance, and current customer information, the better. This will help set clear expectations from the beginning about what you hope to accomplish and allow the consultant to determine whether or not they can actually help you.
It will help to know the size of your customer list, monthly traffic, average monthly sales, and revenue goals. Based on that information, a consultant may suggest a different budget or revised timeline. Remember, Social Ad Consultants are not miracle workers — if you are a brand new business with minimal traffic, newer social pages, and want to scale to lofty revenue goals in a short period of time, it may be unrealistic. A strategist will help you assess all of the data and information you give them, and help you create a realistic plan that will set you up for long term success.
What Are Typical Rates & Pricing Structures for Social Ads Consultants?
There are a few ways advertising partners charge for their services and it often depends on your advertising budget. Here are a few potential costs or pricing structures you should be prepared for.
Set Up Fee – You may be charged an initial set up fee for the advertiser to set up and onboard your account, review historical data, make sure the pixel and Conversions API are set up and working correctly, and more. This is often a one-time fee at the start of the partnership.
VIP Day – Some consultants offer a VIP Day where they will set your ads up in ONE DAY. This service is generally a one-time fee that includes a custom ads strategy, set up, and a dedicated day of support (ranging from 4-8 hours) to get your ads up and running. This is a fast, convenient and cost-effective solution for businesses who want initial help in setting their ads up strategically but want to save on a monthly retainer by managing the ads themselves after launch.
Monthly Retainer – This is an ongoing, monthly fee often independent of your advertising budget. This is for businesses who are looking to completely outsource their social ads management.
Percentage of Ad Spend – Some consultants or agencies will charge a management fee based on a percentage of your ad spend (usually 10-15% of your monthly or total budget). This is often seen with larger ad budgets spending above $5000/month.
Flat Fee – If you have a one off campaign during a set time period, some advertisers may charge a flat fee for that single campaign.
Hourly Rate – An hourly fee based on the number of hours a consultant spends managing your ads. (*Recommend adding an hours limit in the contract to protect you from overpaying.)
How Can I Help Help An Advertising Partner Be Successful?
A Social Ads Strategist is only as good as the team they are working with. You’re investing in both your business and in them, so it’s important to trust that they have your best interests in mind. There are times when they may need information, assets, support, or quick approvals to improve ad performance. It’s important to respond quickly and thoughtfully to ad updates so the consultant can make optimizations in a timely manner. As a reminder, it takes at least 24-48 hours for Facebook to start optimizing an ad and learn what’s working. Allow time for the advertiser to make adjustments and measure performance. Requesting too many changes too quickly will make it hard to know what’s working and what isn’t. Trust in the process and keep communication open at all times.
How Can I Evaluate My Facebook Ad Consultant’s Effectiveness Once They Are Hired?
With any partnership, it’s important to have an open line of communication and certain level of expectations. Depending on your goals, and scope of work, here are a few things your Social Ads Consultant should be providing on a regular basis (or great things you can ask them for!):
Have they showed you an ads strategy that outlines how they plan on using Facebook & Instagram Ads to achieve your #1 goal?
–> If not, ask for one.
Do you understand how the ads strategy actually works?
–> If not, go back and get clarification so you completely understand the process)
Have they ensured your pixel and Conversions API are set up and tracking correctly?
–> If not, ask them to double check so you don’t waste money with a pixel that isn’t firing correctly or worse — over-counting results)
Have they asked you for any relevant information in order to set up the ads such as photos, brand guidelines, copy guidelines, “do’s and don’t’s”, analytics access, etc.?
–> If not, ask what they need from you to ensure a successful campaign launch.
Have they sent you copy and images for approval? Or have they sent you ad previews?
–> If not, ask to see the ads before they go live so you know how your brand is being promoted.
Do they keep you involved in the optimization process?
–> If not, ask them to and make sure they are writing down what’s working, what’s not, and why so it’s available for future employees and ad partners! (No need to test the same thing that doesn’t work twice)
Have they scheduled a regular check in or reporting call?
–> If not, set something up so you’re aware of how your money is being spent.
Are they on track to achieve your goals?
–> If not, what updates can and will they be making? And by when?
The Pros & Cons of Hiring an Agency vs. an Individual Contractor
Hiring an agency vs. a contractor ultimately comes down to what you want and need from your advertising partner. When you hire an agency, you often get access to an entire team that includes an ads strategist, a designer or videographer, or an analyst — but it can be pricey. You’re paying more for multiple team members, tools, and credibility. If you hire an individual, you can likely expect a quicker response time, set up process, and lower cost. But they may rely more heavily on your team for things like photo or video creation. Both agencies and contractors are great options, but you have to decide which choice is right for achieving your goals.
Is there another way to handle social media ads?
The quick answer is, yes! You can learn to do it yourself, watch a bunch of online tutorials, and/or take a course so that you don’t have to pay someone to manage ads for you. If you have the time, will, and skill to tackle the always-changing world of Facebook Ads, go for it. There are some great courses out there that give business owners the information needed to do it themselves (you can take a look at our advertising templates and courses here).
Closing Thoughts:
Social ads can be complicated, but hiring a Social Advertising Consultant shouldn’t be. When you hire a trusted partner or learn the skills necessary to run your own campaigns, you open the doors to infinite growth. If you’re interested in getting started with social ads or need a second set of eyes on your ad campaigns, book a 1:1 call to get personalized tactics to help achieve your goals.
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