Advertising is necessary nowadays because it is one of the most effective ways to quickly reach a large number of people. It can help you create awareness for your product or service and can also help you boost sales. Additionally, advertising can help you build a brand image and create customer loyalty.
There are many different types of advertising, including television, radio, print, and online. The last one is the most popular nowadays, with billions of people already accessing the internet, having a presence on various social media platforms, and visiting at least one website a day.
There are tons of digital advertising options available today, and it can get confusing and overwhelming, which is why we made Brax. Brax makes it easier to monitor your marketing campaigns by giving you a single dashboard to manage multiple platforms.
Like any other advertising method, you have two options when managing your online advertisements: you either take care of them yourself or let someone else do it for you.
In this article, we'll explore the pros and cons of both self-service and managed services when it comes to social media and native advertising. The goal is to help you determine which is the right one for you so you can start your digital marketing immediately.
Self-Service Ad Management
Self-service ad management is a term used for the process of creating, managing, and optimizing digital ads by oneself.
The term is used for almost all digital kinds of digital ads since almost all advertising platforms have a DIY approach to advertising.
There are a few reasons why someone might choose self-service ad management. Perhaps the most common reason is that people want to save money and believe that they can create better ads than an agency.
Additionally, some people enjoy the challenge of creating and managing their own ads or feel that they have the time to do this effectively.
Finally, some business owners may not have the budget to hire an agency but still want to run ads.
In self-service ad management, the business owner is responsible for all aspects of the ad campaign, from creating the ads themselves to measuring and analyzing the results.
They also need to have a good understanding of how each social media network works in order to create effective ads. Additionally, they need to be familiar with advertising concepts such as targeting, bidding, and budgeting.
Pros of Self-Service Ad Management
Let us further discuss the advantages of using self-service ad management:
1. It's Cost-Effective
One of the main advantages of self-service ad management is that it's much more cost-effective than hiring an agency. This is because you're not paying for the agency's time or services but rather only for the ad space itself. So you can spend all your budget on the actual ads.
2. You Have Control Over the Ads
You have complete control over your ads with self-service ad management. This means that you can change them or delete them whenever you want, and you can target them to specific audiences based on their demographics and interests.
3. You Learn More About Advertising
By managing your own ads, you'll learn more about advertising in general and how it works. This can be beneficial if you decide to hire an agency in the future, as you'll have a better understanding of what they're doing and why.
4. You Can Test Different Strategies Quickly
You can test different ad strategies quickly and easily with self-service ad management. This is because you're not working with an agency, so there's no need to coordinate schedules or wait for the approval. You can simply create a new ad and see how it performs.
Cons of Self-Service Ad Management
There are also some disadvantages to self-service ad management:
1. It Takes a Lot of Time
Managing your ads takes a lot of time, especially if you're not familiar with the advertising process. You need to create the ads, target them to the right audience, measure their performance, and make changes as needed. This can be a lot of work, especially if you're trying to run multiple campaigns simultaneously.
2. You Might Not Create the Best Ads
Although you can create your own ads, this doesn't mean that they'll be the best ones possible. You may not have the same level of expertise as an agency when it comes to creating effective ads.
3. It's Hard to Scale Up
If you suddenly experience a lot of success with your ads, it can be difficult to scale them up using self-service ad management. You'll need to create more ads, target them more accurately, and measure their results. It can be challenging to do all of this on your own.
Furthermore, if you have a narrow understanding of how to scale, the scope and reach of your ads will still be limited.
4. You're Limited by What the Ad Networks Allow
Social networks often change their rules and regulations for ads, limiting what you're able to do with your self-service campaigns. If they change a rule one day and you fail to keep yourself updated with the changes, you may end up getting banned from advertising.
Facebook/Meta Advertising is very strict in this aspect. If you get banned, you'll lose not just access to advertising but also all the data that your pixel has collected will be for naught.
An agency will be up-to-date on all the latest changes, whereas you may not be.
Managed Services on Social Media and Native Advertising
If you decide that self-service ad management isn't right for you, then you may want to consider hiring an agency to manage your social media and native advertising campaigns.
But what do managed services mean?
Managed services is an umbrella term that encompasses a wide range of services, such as social media ad management, PPC management, and SEO.
Essentially, it refers to services managed by a third party rather than by the business owner themselves.
Pros of Managed Service
When it comes to social media and native advertising, there are several benefits to using a managed service:
1. You Don't Have to Worry About the Ads
One of the biggest advantages of managed services is that you don't have to worry about the ads at all, and you can simply focus on running your business. This is because you're not managing the ads yourself, but rather, an agency is doing it for you.
The agency will create them, target them correctly, measure their performance, and make changes as needed. This can be a relief if you're not familiar with advertising or don't have the time to manage your ads.
2. You Get Expert Advice
An agency will provide you with expert advice on best reaching your target audience and generating the most leads. They'll also be able to advise you on the best platforms to use, the type of content to create, and the best way to measure results.
3. You Get High-Quality Ads
You can be sure that you're getting high-quality ads when you hire an agency, and this is because they have the experience and expertise to create effective ads to reach your target audience.
4. The Ads are Compliant
Agencies know the rules and regulations for social media and native advertising, and they'll make sure that your ads are compliant with all of them. This is important, as you can face penalties if your ads are not compliant.
Cons of Managed Service
Although there are many advantages to using a managed service, there are also some disadvantages to consider:
1. It Can be More Expensive
Managed services usually come with a higher price tag than self-service ad management. This is because you're paying for the expertise and experience of the agency. However, it's important to remember that you're getting what you pay for—high-quality ads and expert advice.
2. You May Not be Involved in the Process
When you use a managed service, you may not be as involved in the process as you would be with self-service ad management. This is because the agency will be doing most of the work.
If you want to be more involved in the process, then you'll need to communicate with the team at the onset that you want to be a part of everything.
3. You May not be Able to Make Changes Quickly
If you want to make changes to your ads quickly, then a managed service may not be the best option for you. This is because the agency will need to make the changes, which can take some time. More so if you can only contact the ad management team during business days and business hours. If you're in a different timezone, you may have to wait even longer.
4. You May Not be Able to Measure Results as Easily
It can be difficult to measure the results of your ads when you're using a managed service. The agency will be doing most of the work so that you won't have as much control over the process.
However, the agency should be able to provide you with reports so that you can see how the ads are performing.
If you want to thoroughly understand how everything works and what is the status of the advertising campaigns, you would need to be in contact with the ad management team regularly.
Furthermore, it would help if you were clear and concise with your goals and expectations. The team will discuss with you what kind of results you should expect, so make sure to keep communication lines open. As with anything, communication is the key.
The Bottom Line
When it comes to social media and native advertising, you have two main options: self-service or managed services. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages. Ultimately, the decision comes down to what you value most and what will work best for your business.
Consider all of your options first. While self-service ad management is cheaper at the onset, you may end up spending more if you don't know what you're doing. With managed services, you're paying for the expertise and experience of the agency.
If you want high-quality ads but don't have the time or expertise to create them yourself, then managed service is the way to go. However, if you want to be more involved in the process, then self-service is a better option.
Finally, if you want to be able to measure the results of your ads easily, then you should consider using a managed service as they can help interpret the data for you.
If you're finding it hard to decide, why not book a demo of Brax first? We'll show you how the platform works and how it can make your ad management tasks so much easier.
You can decide whether you want self-service or managed services after you've seen everything that we can offer. Book a demo today; it's free anyway!
If you liked this article, you might also be interested in these:
- Digital Marketing Fundamentals: What Every Pro Advertiser Should Know
- What is Social Media Marketing? A Comprehensive Guide
- How to Advertise on Facebook: Everything You Need to Know
- How to Advertise on Instagram: A Complete Guide for Beginners
- How to Create High Converting Native Advertising Campaign
