If you’ve taken a stab at LinkedIn Ads, you’ve likely found that the platform “doesn’t work” or it’s “too expensive.” Maybe you feel you lack the expertise to make it work. Or maybe you don’t feel like you have the time to manage it all on your own.
The problem is, LinkedIn is filled to the brim with opportunities for B2B marketers. The reason you likely invested in the platform in the first place is because you identified it as a place where your audience spends their time. It’s where you can connect with them and introduce them to your brand.
You want to keep investing in LinkedIn Ads, but need some outside help. This is where a LinkedIn Ads agency comes in.
It’s important to note here that you don’t have to hire a LinkedIn Ads agency specifically. You could hire a full-service agency. That said, we may be a little biased, but we wouldn’t recommend hiring a full-service agency if you have a LinkedIn Ads-specific problem.
But how much does it cost to hire a LinkedIn Ads agency?
LinkedIn Ads agencies charge anywhere from $650 to $3,000 per month on average, and that’s just in management fees.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the factors that affect how much LinkedIn Ads agencies charge for their management services and what you can expect, so you can find the agency that’s right for you and your budget.
Types of Payment Plans
There are many different ways LinkedIn Ads agencies charge for their services. The good news is that there’s a wide array of options, which makes it easier to find the one that’s right for you.
Packages
The most common pricing model you’ll find is when an agency offers different package deals. Each package varies in price and in services provided. Often, the higher the tier, the more expensive it is, but also the more services that are offered.
Packages are great because they give you, as the buyer, a lot of options to choose from, so you can find the one that best fits your budget and needs.
Percentage of Ad Spend
Another common pricing model (not just in the LinkedIn Ads agency sphere, but with advertising agencies in general) is when an agency will charge you in management fees a percentage of your monthly ad budget.
On average, you might expect agencies to charge anywhere between 15 – 30%. This option is usually best for those with large ad budgets because agencies will often give you a discount (i.e. reduce the percentage charged) as you increase your budget.
“Contact Us for a Quote”
In other words, the “it depends” pricing model. Some agencies don’t publicize how much they charge because the cost is variable. Most of the time, it’s dependent upon the amount of work required to manage your account, or how much work you’re wanting to be done.
The only way to truly know how much you’re going to be charged is if you reach out to the agency directly or hop on a call with their sales team for a quote.
Our advice is, if there’s an agency with this pricing model that you really want to work with, schedule a call with them to find out more about how much they charge. If you’re on the fence, though, and aren’t ready to talk to a salesperson, keep shopping around.
Other Factors That Contribute Towards Cost
Outside of just management fees, there are other factors worth considering when it comes to analyzing the cost of an agency. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Monthly Ad Budget
In addition to the fees you’ll be paying to your agency each month, you’ll need to budget how much you plan to actually spend on advertising. Be sure to take both into account when budgeting for LinkedIn Ads.
Contracts
Generally, a contract is signed by both parties before services are exchanged. How contracts relate to pricing, though, is that some agencies will contractually require a customer to buy in for a certain amount of time.
Even if a customer backs out early, agencies can still charge for the remainder of time detailed in the agreement.
When signing with an agency for a specified length of time, it’s best to take into account how much you’ll be charged in total during that time frame and budget accordingly.
Setup Fees
Some agencies charge one-time setup fees. These are to compensate the agency for the front-end costs of setting up your LinkedIn Ads account.
If an agency is listing any setup fees in their pricing model, take note and budget accordingly.
Pricing in Practice
You’ll find that many LinkedIn Ads agencies may price their services using a combination of methods.
For example, at B2Linked, we offer three different packages: An ABM/Retargeting package (Tier 3), a White-Glove Package (Tier 2), and an Enterprise Package (Tier 1).
Each package offers a combination of different services and, the higher the tier, the more services that are included.
To get an idea of what this looks like, our White-Glove Package (which is our most popular), includes up to 16 campaigns created, unlimited ad formats, up to 5 ads created per campaign, copywriting services, weekly ad performance reports, and more.
But building off of that, our Enterprise Package includes all White-Glove services plus ad scheduling, unlimited campaigns created, our signature audience segmentation strategy, and more.
Each package is also priced differently to fit those with different needs and budgets.
Our ABM/Retargeting Package is $2,000/month in management fees, with our White-Glove Package at $3,000/month.
Our Enterprise Package is priced a little differently, though. Instead of a fixed price, we charge a percentage of ad spend for those who are budgeting over $15,000/month. It starts at 20% and can go as low as 9.5% the higher the budget.
We also require a one-time setup fee for each package, ranging from $750 to $1,000 depending on which package you choose, and a 3-month contract, with the option to go month-to-month after that.
The reason for this is because the LinkedIn Ads platform can’t be easily tested in a timeframe shorter than that. Time is required before seeing success on the platform, so we encourage our clients to invest for at least 3 months to give our efforts enough time to start bearing fruit.
If you want to see our pricing options in more detail, check out our pricing page.
You Get What You Pay For
When you’re considering which agency to partner with, remember that you often get what you pay for.
For example, agencies that price themselves lower will often need to manage a higher volume of clients in order to be profitable, leaving them less time to devote to strategic thought on your account as opposed to just pushing buttons.
They may also be outsourcing your account management overseas, which is why they can justify offering lower costs.
On the other hand, agencies that charge more can afford to pay for more experienced talent. Though the costs to you are higher, you get more senior marketers overseeing your account and can give more time to strategy.
This is why we, at B2Linked, hire close to home and give our Account Managers fewer accounts to manage, allowing them to devote more attention to your account.
And for many that we work with, that extra bit of time on their account is what makes the difference between a high multiple on their ROI versus mediocre performance.
Now What?
Now that you have a better understanding of how much LinkedIn Ads agencies charge and why they price their services the way they do, what’s next?
If you need help managing your LinkedIn Ads, we encourage you to research different agencies. Get a feel for your options to find the best combination of pricing and services offered that’s right for you and your budget.
Check out this list of the best LinkedIn Ads agencies, if you’re not sure where to start.
At B2Linked, we understand that you need to be as efficient with your advertising budget as possible in order to see a return (and remain in good standing with your boss).
Most ad agencies, freelancers, and in-house marketing teams talk about maximizing a return from their digital advertising efforts, but after auditing hundreds of LinkedIn Ads accounts, we’ve seen a lot of unnecessary waste.
What B2B companies need is a LinkedIn Ads strategy that will cut wasted spend from poor targeting, bidding, and campaign setup, which can increase profit margins.
B2Linked is the only agency with the proprietary software and framework to help B2B companies maximize profit by minimizing waste.
If this all sounds important to you, consider booking a discovery call. We’d absolutely love the chance to get to work with you!
Written by Eric Jones
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