What does a performance marketing consultant do?
A performance marketing consultant decides where your ad budget should go, how much to spend and how to judge results by profit rather than the return each platform reports. Ralph sets the channel plan, places the right media buyer or agency for your spend level, and reviews their work so wasted spend gets cut fast.
Signs your paid media needs a second opinion
- ROAS looks fine in Meta, but the bank account disagrees.
- Cost per purchase keeps rising and the agency's answer is always "more creative".
- You pay a percentage of spend, and the fee is growing faster than revenue.
- You've never properly tested a channel beyond Meta and Google.
- You can't tell which campaigns bring new customers and which just retarget old ones.
Channels covered
Meta (Facebook and Instagram) · Google Search, Shopping, Performance Max and YouTube · TikTok and TikTok Shop · Amazon Ads · Connected TV · Affiliate and creator programs
How Ralph runs paid media consulting
- Audit. Account structure, spend, creative, tracking and what you pay your current partner.
- Plan. Channel mix, budget by channel, a test plan, and the numbers that matter: cost to win a new customer, payback period and contribution margin.
- Place. A media buyer or agency sized to your spend. A $15,000-a-month account and a $200,000-a-month account need different partners.
- Oversee. Monthly reviews against the plan. If results slide, Ralph pushes for fixes; if they keep sliding, he finds you a better partner.
Agency or freelance media buyer?
| Freelance media buyer | Paid media agency | |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | Senior hands on your account, lower cost | Team depth, creative and reporting |
| Watch out for | One person, limited capacity | Junior account managers after the pitch |
Questions to ask before you hire a media buyer or agency
- Who will run our account day to day, and how many other accounts do they manage?
- Do you judge success on platform ROAS, or on new-customer cost and contribution margin?
- What does the fee include, and what costs extra: creative, landing pages, reporting?
- Who owns the ad accounts, pixels and data if we part ways? (The answer should be: you do.)
- What's the notice period, and what happens in the first 90 days?
What you get
- A clear view of what your ads actually return, measured against margin
- A channel and budget plan you can defend
- The right media buyer or agency, with fees agreed before you sign
- Monthly oversight, so wasted spend gets caught early
Proof
BANDI Wear. From Ralph's agency years: TikTok ads built on creator and customer videos introduced the brand to new audiences, and Meta followed up. The brand went on to its biggest revenue month ever. Read the story
Questions about performance marketing
How much should I spend on paid ads?
It depends on your margins, how fast you need to grow and what a new customer is worth over time. Ralph works back from your contribution margin to a budget you can afford to scale, then tests before committing more.
Should I pay my agency a percentage of ad spend?
Percentage-of-spend fees reward an agency for spending more, not for spending well. Flat or tiered fees often fit better once spend is stable. Ralph will tell you what a fair fee looks like for your account.
Does Connectwright run the ads?
No. Connectwright advises, places and oversees. Your ads are run by a media buyer or agency chosen for your spend and channels.
Can you review my current agency?
Yes. Ralph reviews account structure, results and fees, and tells you honestly whether to fix the relationship or replace it.
Which ad channels do you cover?
Meta, Google (including Shopping, Performance Max and YouTube), TikTok and TikTok Shop, Amazon, connected TV and affiliate programs.
Related services: Tracking, profitability and tech stack · Creative, brand and website · Agency and freelancer selection