Understanding Your Investment in Digital Marketing
When you're exploring digital marketing services, you'll often see two types of fees: a one-time setup fee and an ongoing management fee. But what exactly do these cover, and why are both necessary? Let's break it down.
🔧 What is a Setup Fee?
The setup fee is a one-time investment that covers all the foundational work required to launch your digital marketing campaigns or services. Think of it as building the infrastructure that everything else will run on.
What Setup Includes:
- Initial Strategy & Planning – Comprehensive analysis of your business, competitors, and target audience to create a customized strategy
- Platform Configuration – Setting up accounts, installing tracking codes, configuring integrations with your website and other tools
- Campaign Structure – Building out campaign frameworks, ad groups, keyword research, and targeting parameters
- Creative Development – Designing templates, writing initial ad copy, creating email sequences, or developing content calendars
- Technical Implementation – Installing conversion tracking, setting up analytics, configuring automation workflows
- Quality Assurance – Testing everything to ensure it works correctly before launch
Example: For Google Ads, setup includes keyword research, campaign structure, ad copywriting, conversion tracking setup with GA4 and Tag Manager, and initial optimization.
📊 What is a Management Fee?
The management fee is an ongoing monthly investment that covers the continuous work required to maintain, optimize, and improve your campaigns after they're live.
What Management Includes:
- Continuous Optimization – Regular adjustments to improve performance based on data and results
- Performance Monitoring – Daily or weekly monitoring of campaigns to catch issues and identify opportunities
- A/B Testing – Testing different approaches to find what works best for your audience
- Content Creation – Creating new ads, posts, emails, or other content on an ongoing basis
- Reporting & Analysis – Monthly performance reports with insights and recommendations
- Strategic Adjustments – Adapting strategy based on market changes, seasonality, and business goals
- Account Maintenance – Keeping everything up-to-date, secure, and running smoothly
Example: For Google Ads management, this includes bid adjustments, negative keyword additions, ad copy testing, budget optimization, and monthly performance reports.
💡 Why Both Are Necessary
You might wonder: "Why can't I just pay for setup and manage it myself?" Here's why both are important:
Setup Without Management:
Without ongoing management, your campaigns will gradually decline in performance. Markets change, competitors adjust their strategies, and platforms update their algorithms. What worked at launch won't work forever without optimization.
Management Without Proper Setup:
Trying to manage poorly set up campaigns is like building a house on a weak foundation. You'll spend more time and money fixing fundamental issues instead of optimizing for growth.
🎯 Real-World Analogy
Think of it like buying a car:
- Setup Fee = Purchasing the car, getting it registered, insured, and ready to drive
- Management Fee = Regular maintenance, oil changes, tire rotations, and tune-ups to keep it running optimally
You need both the initial purchase AND ongoing maintenance to get the best performance and longevity from your investment.
💰 Typical Pricing Models
At MarketKings, our pricing reflects the value and work involved:
- Google Ads: €250 setup + 20% of monthly ad spend for management
- Email Marketing: €300 setup + €200/month management
- Social Media: €350 setup + €300/month management
- Google Business Profile: €300 setup + €150/month management
📈 The ROI Perspective
When evaluating these fees, consider the return on investment:
- Professional setup ensures campaigns start strong and avoid costly mistakes
- Ongoing management typically improves performance by 20-40% compared to "set and forget" approaches
- Expert optimization often pays for itself through reduced wasted ad spend and increased conversions
- Your time saved can be invested back into your core business
🤔 Common Questions
Can I skip the setup fee if I already have campaigns running?
We typically still recommend a setup/audit fee to review your existing campaigns, identify issues, and restructure them for optimal performance. However, this may be lower than a full setup from scratch.
What happens if I stop the management service?
Your campaigns will continue running with their current settings, but performance will likely decline over time without optimization. You'll retain access to everything we've built during setup.
Is management really necessary every month?
For best results, yes. Digital marketing requires consistent attention. Markets shift, competitors change tactics, and platforms update algorithms. Monthly management ensures you stay ahead and continue improving.
✅ Making the Right Choice
Both setup and management are investments in your business growth. Setup builds the foundation, while management ensures you get maximum return from that foundation over time.
If you're ready to invest in professional digital marketing that delivers real results, understanding these two components helps you make an informed decision and set realistic expectations for your investment.
Ready to get started? Contact us today to discuss which services are right for your business and get a customized quote.