A Guide to Establishing and Handling PPC Expectations for Teams and Stakeholders
Have you ever been in a situation where not everyone was on the same page? It happens often in the workplace and usually is caused by different expectations among stakeholders. Setting and managing expectations for PPC clients and agency teams is crucial for success. Here are some ways to do it effectively.
Outline expectations during the sales process
Setting expectations at the beginning of a client engagement or project is crucial for success. For advertising agencies, the time to set expectations is before the advertiser even becomes a client – during the sales process. Giving the client an idea of how your team operates will help you both decide if the relationship is a good fit.
Agree on parameters in the statement of work
It’s critical to lay out the engagement parameters in the statement of work. The clearer you can be about the parameters of the relationship and how it will operate, the better you can manage expectations once you’re actually doing the work.
Agree on what work will be performed
Clearly define the services your agency will provide to the client. This can include paid search, paid social, SEO, programmatic and display advertising, traditional media, website or landing page development, analytics, strategy development, revenue operations/CRM work, organic social management, and creative design. Be detailed and specific about what work is in scope and what isn’t.
Meeting and reporting cadences
Establish how often you will meet with the client and what types of reporting will be provided and on what cadence. Determine if meetings will be held online or in person and who from the agency will attend. Be thoughtful about making meetings efficient for both the agency and the client.
Response times and client communications
Agree on how day-to-day communication will be handled and what response times should be expected. Consider using email, instant messaging platforms like Slack or Teams, project management boards like Asana or Trello, or a combination of these. Set expectations for regular communications to be responded to within 24 hours and establish response times for urgent messages.
Account staffing
Include a staffing plan in the statement of work, listing the roles and percentage of time each role will be allocated to the engagement. This helps clients understand who their key contacts are and how much time they will spend working on the account.
Dealing with unexpected issues
Outline in the statement of work how you’ll handle issues that would normally be out of scope. Will you charge an hourly rate or require a change order or new statement of work? While good agencies often help without compensation, it’s important to set expectations on out-of-scope work to ensure the engagement remains profitable.
Managing expectations during the engagement
Once the contract is signed, it’s important to manage expectations. Establish rules of engagement during kickoff calls or meetings. Reinforce how you will communicate, meeting cadences, turnaround times, and other key service-level agreements. Get agreement from the client and buy-in on both sides.
How to deal with issues during the engagement
Address any issues that arise during the engagement by reviewing the statement of work. Consider whether to accommodate the client’s request or push back. If necessary, renegotiate the contract to add staff or charge hourly rates.
Clear expectations make for profitable relationships for everyone involved. By following these guidelines, you can establish and handle PPC expectations effectively for teams and stakeholders.
