Why PPC Managers Don't Care

I have moved away from the agency world and now manage my own clients under the corporate name Pay Per Click Helpers Inc. As a search manager in two different agencies I found myself doing just about everything to ensure the success of a new client. I managed the relationship as well as any sort of production that needed to happen on accounts. I did this across 15-20 accounts at any given time before moving into an Account Strategist role. A PPC account strategist would basically work with unmotivated Account Managers to try and build out accounts that were not maximized. I would provide ideas and help restructure the account to get them performing optimally. A question I would ask myself while at agencies was: Why are AM's not doing a good job?

As with most things in this world it comes down to money. PPC is an incredibly transparent form of advertising. Account managers are handling every piece of the relationship except the accounting. Once your at an agecny for a while you figure out the rate structure and realize the amount of revenue your managed accounts bring in, then you look at your salary and you confide with a cowo over IM with a WTF.

The worker bees read all the news, blogs, etc. They hear stories of how much affiliates are making selling ringtones, chat rooms, and anti snoring devices. A somewhat experienced PPC account manager would be foolish not to take on freelance work if an opportunity arises. A company could pay an employed freelancer a $500 dollar a month retainer and would get the same level of service they would at a PPC agency.

Bottom line is agencies and companies need to get the joke. Account managers know the revenue being brought in by their work. A salesperson will get a commission for bringing in a deal, yet the person responsible for the life of that client is not fairly compensated? The agency and sales guy gets paid oodles of money every month. However the clients success is dependent on the account manager.

I am too young to know old school business methods, but I feel as if the same old rules of business are being applied to an entirely new line of business. Some people chalk up low pay in this industry to it being in the advertising bubble. That is BS. To implement paid search across a website requires a skillset in many areas. This is not a dream job by any means, but for those who value seeing results in their work, it is a great place to be. After a while though of producing results it becomes discouraging to not be rewarded for your efforts.

My proposal? Treat PPC account managers like stock brokers. They make decisions that can make or break accounts and should be rewarded when the keywords, structure, and approach they take works. If they get paid on performance than it will most likely stop any wandering eyes or pent up resentment they may have. A byproduct of this would be improvement to the quality of their work, a happier employee, and a longer client life.

If you are an account manager think it over. If your a customer of an agency maybe you should ask how your account manager is compensated on your next monthly call.