From Good to Great: Why You Need an Account Manager on Your Agency Team
August 12, 2024
Aimers’ very own Veronika Markovskaya shares why an account manager is your best ally and advocate on the agency side, capable of building a powerful, results-driven collaboration and elevating your campaigns from mere existence to extraordinary success.
Some marketers may see the account manager as merely a middleman between the client and the agency, whose role is low-value. However, this view is shortsighted. An account manager’s job is more complex and instrumental than it may initially appear. In this article, I’ll delve into why an account manager acts as the client’s “devil’s advocate” and how they significantly impact the outcomes of agency-client cooperation.
What Is an Account Manager’s Role?
An account manager (AM) acts as a crucial bridge between the client and the PPC agency. Their role extends beyond mere communication; they are strategic partners and advisors who bring clarity and direction to a project.
Here’s why their presence can elevate an agency-client cooperation from good to great:
1. Strategic Guidance
Account managers provide strategic insights that align with the client’s business goals. They understand the nuances of digital marketing and can even help PPC managers adapt strategies accordingly, ensuring that the campaigns bring value to the client’s business.
2. Communication and Clarity
Effective communication is central to the success of any PPC campaign. Account managers facilitate clear and consistent communication channels between the agency and the client. They ensure that all parties are aligned with the campaign goals and strategies, preventing misunderstandings and fostering a transparent working relationship.
3. Problem Solving and Innovation
Account managers are adept at identifying and resolving issues that may arise during the project. Their proactive approach to problem-solving ensures that potential challenges are addressed promptly, minimizing their impact on the campaign’s success.
4. Client Advocacy
Perhaps the most critical role of an account manager is that of a client advocate. Their main goal is to make sure that the client’s interests are represented within the agency. By understanding the client’s industry, competitors, and unique challenges, account managers can effectively advocate for solutions and strategies that best meet the client’s needs.
5. Long-Term Relationship Building.
Account managers focus on building and maintaining long-term relationships with clients. This relationship management is key to understanding the evolving needs of the client and adjusting strategies accordingly. A strong client-agency relationship leads to better collaboration and sustained success over time.
Reach Out to Aimers for Expert Advice
Contact our team for a FREE audit of your ad accounts – no strings attached
Get StartedHere’s How We Build AM-Client Collaboration at Aimers
1. Initial Steps
As soon as you sign the contract, a sales specialist introduces you to the team, the primary contact being the Account Manager. The AM immediately ensures that you feel at ease during the onboarding process at the agency. They will provide you with the necessary information and ask all the questions the team needs to launch campaigns. This step is crucial. It sets the tone for the collaboration and ensures that both parties have a clear understanding of the project requirements and expectations.
2. Kick-off Call
Our team values communication through calls, as we believe that consensus is best achieved through personal interaction. At the project’s outset, the Account Manager will schedule an introductory call with you. During this call, they will explain the forthcoming strategy in detail and establish a process for ongoing communication. This step is designed to build a strong foundational relationship and align strategic goals, ensuring that both parties are on the same page.
3. Campaign Launch and Project Process
Once all organizational questions are settled and settings are finalized, we launch the campaigns. From this point onwards, the Account Manager ensures that you receive timely and regular reports, and are immersed in the project’s details and results. And, of course, the goal of AM is to ensure that the agency’s efforts bring value to your business. Feel free to ask questions or express any concerns to your Account Manager! After all, your agency is there for one reason: to improve your business results.
4. Always Welcome to Reach Out
While we always aim for long-term relationships with our clients, there are projects where, at some stage, we may have to part ways. You might decide to pause the advertising because it’s no longer relevant, or you may want to try other promotion methods. In any case, the Account Manager won’t let you leave empty-handed: you will have reports with results and statistics for the project duration and as well as a report on the outcomes achieved. Moreover, your Account Manager stays as your contact person at an agency and is always open to hear from you, even after you have set off on your own. This final step underscores our commitment to ongoing support and ensures that the end of a project is as well-managed, as its initiation.
A Client Story From My Personal Experience
Parseur’s Path to Enhanced Revenue
AI data extraction tool Parseur has a strong organic SEO, but also has aimed to expand further and secure paying software subscribers via Google Ads. Through regular calls and constant communication via Slack, we focused on ensuring that Parseur’s advertising investments yielded a high return. Our efforts culminated in a nearly 70% increase in paid subscriptions from the first month of collaboration to the most recent. This success has set the stage for ambitious future goals, with a larger budget to further optimize and ensure a positive return on investment. The client’s testimonial on the Design Rush platform reflects their satisfaction with our work and communication:
For our team, the key metric of success is ensuring our clients’ investments are justified by tangible results. It’s not just about numbers and briefs; our account managers prioritize understanding the nuances of each client’s needs and aspirations. They use both hard data and intuition to identify additional growth opportunities, making sure that every aspect of the client’s goals is addressed and achieved.
Takeaways
Choosing a PPC agency with an Account Manager offers a significant advantage. The account manager’s role as a strategist, communicator, problem solver, data analyst, client advocate, and relationship manager, is indispensable. They provide the necessary leverage to maximize the effectiveness of PPC campaigns, ensuring that the client’s investment yields the best possible returns.
In a digital marketing landscape that’s constantly evolving, having an Account Manager on your side can make the difference between a campaign that merely functions and the one that flourishes.
Would you like our experienced PPC team to help you with your campaigns? Drop us a line, and we’ll get back to you shortly with a free audit of your ad account and possible avenues for cooperation!
Veronika Markovskaya, as an Account Manager, provides strategic guidance and effective solutions for managing client accounts, leveraging her expertise to build strong relationships and drive project success.