I start each day by checking how our client accounts’ budgets are pacing for the month. Based on this, I make changes to keyword bids and daily budgets to ensure we’re staying on pace.

Another key task is making optimizations to client accounts to ensure they’re spending efficiently and getting relevant traffic to the clients websites. This includes:

• Checking ad rank and adjusting descriptions, headlines, assets, etc. to improve ad rank
• Reviewing where display ads are showing and blocking out poor placements
• Reviewing search term reports then adding negative keywords to block irrelevant traffic
• Keyword research to make sure that we are bidding on the right keywords for our clients

I also review overall performance on client accounts and pull highlights to update the client.

I usually have 1-2 client calls per day to go over performance reports, changes to accounts, and get ad approval.

For new clients, my role includes creating campaign structures, conducting market research for their industry/location, and requesting ad designs from our design department.

Pros

• Numbers don’t lie; you can see how your changes impact performance. Metrics such as cost per conversion & return on ad spend are great for clients.
• No day is the same. While some processes and maintenance might be similar, each day is different depending on what you see for the account
• If you work in an agency, you learn a lot about different industries once you build up a roster of clients. Most clients are very different which can make onboarding new clients challenging but exciting.
• Opportunity to be creative: While good campaign structures are normally pretty similar, ad copy and design varies greatly. There’s no secret formula to an ad everyone will love. You have to test wording and designs that will get the most clicks and conversions.
• Fun environment: Marketing agencies tend to have a more fun culture than a typical corporate office. Our agency makes every day exciting.

Cons

• Google is always changing how ads work, what’s allowed and what’s not. You can never stop learning and training or your accounts will become out of date and inefficient quickly.
• Client communication can be difficult, as it’s not easy to explain SEM to someone who doesn’t work in it daily. You sometimes have to be able to explain sudden drops in traffic or poor numbers for a period.
• The technology isn’t always easy—there is a lot of linking of accounts to have the most efficient and accurate information. Different platforms may be needed for reporting or tracking purposes, but there can be a lot of issues in linking that can be time-consuming and frustrating.
• Getting your work done on time depends not just on you, but also on your clients. You have to wait on client approval which can take time that you don’t always have for a campaign launch. This also applies to getting the correct photography, video, etc. for ads. It’s normally the clients’ responsibility to provide assets for ads and you do the rest to create the ad, but again that means working around someone else’s busy schedule as well as your own.

Advice to students interested in getting into Digital Advertising

For someone in school, I would recommend taking a basic marketing course as well as looking into courses focused on Digital Marketing Analytics. My alma mater offered this, which was my first real exposure to digital ads and Google analytics. For those looking to take it a step further I would recommend the Google Ads Certification courses. These courses are free and the certifications are required in order for an agency to be considered a Google partner. These courses also allow you to use a sandbox account where students can become more familiar with the platform.

Another course I recommend for those more serious about going into digital ads is Loves Data. These courses go into a lot of detail, as well as give you step-by-step instructions within the platform. They also make sure to stay up to date with Google’s updates.

In one (or two) sentence, what type of person do you think would suit to be a Digital Ads Associate?

I think a job in digital ads is for someone with a creative mind, but who still wants to see things in an analytical way. Someone has to enjoy problem solving and be open to trying new techniques. It’s also great for those who enjoy organization because the best digital ads campaigns are well structured and organized well from the beginning!

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