Performance Marketing Agency
Paid ads and everything after the click, judged on the sales they bring in.
We'll reply with a written proposal: the work, what we need from you and an estimated timeline.
Why your ad spend isn't turning into sales
Most businesses don't have an ad problem. They have a joined-up problem. Each channel is run on its own, ads go stale, clicks land on weak pages, tracking misses half the sales and every platform claims credit for the same customer. These are the six problems we see most.
Every platform claims the same sale
Google, Meta and TikTok each report their own results, and added together they claim more sales than you actually made. Nobody knows which channel really earned the money.
Ads go stale and costs creep up
The same few ads run for months. People stop noticing them, results slide and cost per sale climbs. Nobody is making or testing new versions on a schedule.
Good clicks land on weak pages
Ads send people to a general homepage or a slow page with no clear offer. You pay for the visit, then lose the sale on the page itself.
Tracking misses half the story
Browser privacy limits, ad blockers and phone or in-store sales mean many results never reach the platforms. They then learn from bad data and find the wrong buyers.
Each channel runs on its own
One person runs Google, another runs Meta and no one owns the full plan. Budget stays where it was last year instead of moving to what works.
Judged on clicks, not profit
Reports celebrate clicks, views and cheap leads, but nobody checks whether the spend made money after costs. A busy dashboard can hide a losing campaign.
What our performance marketing services include
Performance marketing is advertising you judge by results you can count, such as leads, sales and profit. As a performance marketing agency, we run your paid media across the right channels (Google, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok and others), test ad creative, improve the pages people land on, set up tracking that still works when browsers block cookies, and measure results across all channels together. You own every account and every number, and you see plainly what each dollar brought back.
Eight areas of work cover the whole path from ad to sale: your goals and numbers, the channels, the ads people see, the page they land on, the tracking behind it and the way results are measured and reported. Your proposal spells out the channels, creative and pages included.
Goals, numbers and profit plan
We agree what a customer is worth to you, what you can afford to pay for one and which results count, such as a booked call, a qualified lead or an order. Every channel and report is built around those numbers.
Channel mix across paid media
We plan and run ads on Google, Microsoft (Bing), Meta (Facebook and Instagram), LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube and others where they fit, choosing only the channels your buyers use and sharing budget by results.
Creative testing on a schedule
We plan, write and produce ad images, videos and copy, then test new ideas against current winners on a set schedule. Ads that fade are replaced before results slide.
Landing pages and CRO
We build or improve the pages people land on, then use CRO (conversion rate optimization: testing changes so more visitors buy or get in touch) to lift results from the same ad spend.
Conversion tracking that holds up
We set up GA4 (Google Analytics 4) and platform tracking, add server-side tracking (data sent from your website's server, so less is lost to browser limits) and respect cookie consent.
Offline and CRM sales data
Where your systems allow, we send phone, in-store and closed sales from your CRM (customer system) back to the ad platforms, so they learn which clicks became paying customers.
Measurement across all channels
We track CPA (cost per acquisition: what each new customer costs), ROAS (return on ad spend) and MER (total revenue divided by total marketing spend), and plan tests of what the ads truly added.
Budget moves and plain reports
Each month we move budget toward the channels, ads and pages bringing profitable results, and send a plain report showing spend, results, tests, changes and what we will try next.
How we run performance marketing: business results, not platform numbers
Ad platforms are good at reporting their own success. We judge our work by what reaches your bank account. Across all our client work, we have managed more than $12M in ad spend and helped bring in more than $28M in revenue, and the lesson is always the same: the ad is only the start.
We start with what a customer is worth
Before any spend, we agree what a customer is worth and what you can pay to win one. That number decides budgets, bids and when to scale or stop.
We look past the click
Ads, landing pages, forms, checkout and follow-up are checked as one path. A better page can lower the cost of every sale, so it is part of the job.
Creative is tested, not guessed
New ad ideas are tested against current winners on a schedule, and the lessons are written down, so each round of creative starts smarter.
Tracking is fixed before we scale
We test GA4, platform tracking, server-side data and offline sales first, so the platforms and you learn from real results, not gaps.
Results judged across all channels
We compare what each platform claims with your real total sales, and use MER and lift tests to check what the ads truly added.
You own the accounts and data
Ad accounts, analytics, pages and tracking sit in your business's name. If we part ways, everything stays with you and nothing is lost.
How our performance marketing agency works: seven decisions we make with you
Before we raise any budget, we work through seven decisions with you. Each one shows what we found, what we'll set up, who owns it and how we'll check it works.
Business goals, customer value and target cost per sale
We agree which results count and what you can afford to pay for each, before any money is spent.
Performance marketing only works when the target is a business number. If a customer is worth more over time than their first order, you may be able to pay more to win them and still make money.
Channel mix: Google, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok and more
We match channels to where your buyers are and how they decide, rather than running every channel at once.
Search ads catch people already looking. Social and video ads reach people before they search. Most businesses do best with two or three channels run well, not six run thinly.
Creative testing: the ads people actually see
We plan which ad ideas to test, make the versions and read the results on a set schedule.
On social channels especially, the ad itself often decides results more than targeting does, because the platforms now choose much of the audience. Fresh, tested creative keeps costs from creeping up.
Landing pages and conversion rate optimization
We check that every ad lands on a page that keeps its promise and makes the next step easy.
If more of the same visitors buy or get in touch, every channel gets cheaper at once. That is why CRO often pays off faster than adding budget.
Conversion tracking: GA4, server-side and offline sales
We test that every lead, call and sale is recorded once and shared correctly with each ad platform.
Ad platforms use your tracking to decide who to show ads to. Server-side tracking, such as Meta's Conversions API and Google's enhanced conversions, helps recover results that browsers now block, within consent rules.
Measurement: CPA, ROAS, MER and incrementality
We decide which numbers guide decisions and how we check that the ads truly caused the results.
Platform reports can count the same sale twice and give ads credit for buyers who would have come anyway. Incrementality means the extra sales the ads caused. Lift tests and holdout tests (pausing ads for a group or area to compare) help show it.
Reports, agency pricing models and what drives cost
We agree what you will see each month and explain how the fee is worked out before anything scales.
Agencies charge in four main ways. A percentage of ad spend is simple but can reward spending more. A flat monthly fee is predictable but may not grow with the work. A fee tied to results lines up goals but can push for cheap, low-quality results. A hybrid mixes these. Your proposal states the fee basis in plain words.
What changes after the first performance marketing cycle
First we map what you spend on each channel, what each platform claims, what your real sales show and where the gaps are.
- Spend and claimed resultsEvery channel's spend and reported results are listed side by side with your real total sales.
- The path after the clickAds, landing pages, forms, checkout and follow-up are walked through like a buyer would, with weak spots marked.
- Tracking you can trustGA4, platform tracking and offline sales are tested, and anything counted twice or not at all is written down.
Approved channels, creative, pages and tracking fixes go live. We check each one and note anything still waiting on the platforms to learn.
- One joined-up planChannels share one goal, one target cost and one budget that moves to what works.
- Creative tests runningNew ad ideas are made and tested on a schedule, with winners kept and losers cut.
- Tracking that holds upServer-side and offline sales data flow back to the platforms where your systems allow.
Monthly reviews, test results and sales feedback from your team guide a list of next steps that someone owns.
- Clear results viewSpend, CPA, ROAS and MER are shown by channel and in total, so you know what really made money.
- Steady improvementAds, pages and budgets are tested and improved, with every change dated and explained.
- Next stepsNew channels, lift tests or bigger budgets are ranked by value and how ready your business is.
Performance marketing for your type of business
An online store, a software company, a clinic and a home services business need different channels, creative, pages and ways to count a good result. Several industries also have strict ad rules. We fit the plan to how you really sell and work with your compliance or legal team where rules apply.
Online stores and ecommerce brands
Results depend on a clean product feed, real order values sent back to the platforms and knowing your margins, so a high return on ad spend actually means profit.
Software and SaaS companies
Free trials, demos and sign-ups all count differently. Paid trials need to be tracked through to paying customers, not just sign-ups.
B2B and professional services
Buyers take weeks or months to decide and several people are involved. Offline sales data shows which campaigns lead to real deals, not just form fills.
Home and on-site services
Most results arrive as phone calls, so call tracking and fast answering decide whether ad spend turns into booked jobs.
Clinics and healthcare providers
HIPAA (US patient privacy law) limits what tracking can collect and share, and health ads have extra platform rules. We work with your compliance team.
Law firms and lawyers
Legal clicks are expensive, so tracking calls and signed cases matters most. Ads must follow lawyer advertising rules (ABA Model Rules 7.1 to 7.3 and your state bar).
Real estate agents and brokers
Housing ads in the US fall under Fair Housing rules, and platforms limit targeting by age, gender and ZIP code. Creative and offers have to do more of the work.
Insurance agencies
Insurance ads must follow state rules and carrier approval, and calls or texts to leads need consent under the TCPA (US law on marketing calls and texts). We work with your compliance team.
Schools, colleges and course providers
Enrollment takes time and often involves parents. Ads need to reach the right age groups within platform rules and track inquiries through to enrollment.
Small and local businesses
With a smaller budget, focus beats coverage. We start with one or two channels most likely to bring customers and simple tracking you can trust.
Startups and new products
Early on, you need to learn which buyers, messages and channels work before spending big. Small, well-tracked creative and channel tests come first.
Nonprofits and charities
Eligible nonprofits can get free Google search ads through Google Ad Grants, which we manage. Paid social and search can run alongside them for donations and events.
Who does what in your performance marketing
We run the ads, creative tests, pages, tracking and reports. Your team approves claims and budgets, answers leads and fulfils orders. We share results both ways, so the plan keeps getting better.
The performance marketing work in your plan.
- Agree goals, customer value and a target cost per sale
- Plan the channel mix, budgets and the first tests
- Build campaigns and make and test ad creative
- Build or improve landing pages and run page tests
- Set up and test GA4, server-side and offline sales tracking
- Measure results across channels and send plain reports
The outside tools and people good results depend on.
- Work with Google, Meta, LinkedIn and TikTok support when needed
- Work with your web developer, store platform and booking tools
- Work with your customer system (CRM) and sales team on offline data
- Work with your designers or ours on images and video
- Work with your compliance or legal team on regulated claims
- Link up with SEO, email and follow-up work where it helps
Your business stays in charge of money and promises.
- Own every ad account, analytics account and page
- Approve monthly ad budgets and any budget changes
- Approve offers, prices, claims and ad creative
- Answer leads quickly and fulfil orders well
- Share sales and margin results so we can judge real profit
- Confirm consent wording and industry rules with your advisers
How long performance marketing takes: your first 12 weeks
Agreeing goals and checking tracking usually take one to two weeks once we have access. First campaigns, creative and pages often go live in weeks three to four. Ads can bring results within days, but the platforms need a few weeks to learn and creative tests need time to read. We can't promise exact numbers or dates.
Performance marketing, first 12 weeks
Goals, numbers and tracking check
Once we have access to your ad accounts, analytics and website, we agree goals and a target cost per sale, compare platform claims with real sales and test your tracking.
KPI Starting point agreedTracking fixes and plan
We fix tracking, add server-side and offline sales data where possible, and agree the channel mix, budgets and first creative and page tests.
KPI Plan approvedCampaigns, creative and pages live
New or rebuilt campaigns, ad creative and matched landing pages go live after your approval. We check every ad, link, form and checkout step on the live site.
KPI Campaigns liveLearning and first tests
The platforms learn from the new tracking. We read the first creative and page tests, cut what isn't working and fix any tracking gaps.
KPI First tests readFirst useful report
We compare spend, CPA, ROAS and MER by channel and in total, check results against your real sales and start the next round of tests.
KPI Results explainedGrow what works
We move budget toward the channels and ads bringing profitable results, plan a lift test if budget allows and set the plan for the next cycle.
KPI Next cycle readyOur full growth plan (all services together), month by month
Foundation and review
We review your whole website, where you rank and your competitors, agree how the site should be organized, and set up hosting, analytics (visitor tracking) and your GoHighLevel lead system. The first agreed pages start going live.
KPI pages liveBuild and launch
The site is built or rebuilt. Main, service and industry pages go live with on-page SEO, website labels and technical fixes. Your Google Business Profile is improved and lead follow-up automations are switched on.
KPI pages in GoogleEarly rankings, paid ads start
More pages built from templates (programmatic pages) start going live, paid ads and email follow-ups are switched on for early leads, and Google adds your pages to its results as the first rankings usually appear.
KPI search terms rankingMomentum builds
Rankings often start climbing, visits from free search begin to rise, ad spending is tuned to the return it brings (ROAS, return on ad spend), and groups of related articles and links from other sites build your reputation with Google.
KPI visits from searchResults start to show
Main search terms can move closer to page one, the first leads from free search often arrive, AI tools may begin to mention you, and testing improvements to your pages (CRO, conversion rate optimization) helps more visitors get in touch.
KPI leads from searchGrowth builds on itself
Pages that are working are protected and improved, template pages bring in visitors searching for very specific terms, and SEO, ads, email and automation work together to bring steadier leads and sales. Timing varies by market and competition, and no ranking is guaranteed.
KPI leads and salesSoftscotch vs a typical performance marketing agency
The difference is whether the agency looks past the click: the ads people see, the page they land on, tracking you can trust and results measured across every channel together.
- Runs each channel on its own, with no shared goal
- Keeps the ad accounts and data in its own name
- Reports each platform's claims as fact
- Leaves the same ads running until they fade
- Sends every ad to your homepage
- Relies on browser tracking that misses many sales
- Judges success on clicks, views or cheap leads
- Never explains how its fee is worked out
- Promises a fixed return on ad spend
- Sends a summary with no change log
- Runs every channel against one goal and target cost
- Keeps every account, page and record in your name
- Checks platform claims against your real total sales
- Makes and tests new creative on a schedule
- Builds and tests landing pages matched to each campaign
- Adds server-side and offline sales tracking where possible
- Judges success on leads, sales and profit
- Explains the fee basis and what drives it in writing
- Never guarantees a return, a cost per sale or lead numbers
- Dates every change and explains why it was made
Results from Softscotch client work.
These totals come from work for Softscotch clients across search, paid ads, websites and lead generation, as published on softscotch.com. Past results don't guarantee future results.
All six Softscotch client stories.
Every Quick Story currently published on Softscotch.com, covering education, ecommerce, healthcare and SaaS. Stock photography represents each client industry; the figures are reported historical results and do not guarantee future performance.
Education Ads + local SEO
183% more leads for an education consultancy
WordPress
Quora ads
Local SEOAn education consulting business in India needed to build its digital presence and lead flow from scratch.
- Built a new WordPress website
- Used Quora ads to grow daily lead volume
- Added Local SEO and community engagement
Home solutions Shopify + SEO
Home-solutions ecommerce growth
Shopify
Organic search
Amazon adsA home-solutions business was dependent on business-to-business (B2B) marketplaces, losing sales and recovering from a Google penalty.
- Resolved the Google penalty
- Revamped the website and online store
- Improved organic visibility and Amazon campaign performance
Health consultant $20/day
Five booked calls a day for a health consultant
Facebook ads
Google AdsA Houston lactation consultant needed to recover a malware-damaged website and rebuild local patient acquisition.
- Rebuilt the hacked site and migrated it to secure hosting
- Ran targeted Facebook and Google campaigns
- Reached top-three local Google positions
Ecommerce 10 months
315% organic growth for an ecommerce site
Content strategy
On-page SEOSoftscotch reports a 315% increase in ecommerce organic traffic over 10 months through focused on-page SEO.
- Optimized product and collection pages
- Improved the links between pages and the page addresses (URLs)
- Made the site easier for Google to explore and better matched to what people search for
SaaS platform Cold outreach
9% close rate for a transcription SaaS
Prospecting
Cold email
SMTPA transcription platform needed a qualified prospect list and a reliable email-sending setup for outreach we managed.
- Built a comprehensive prospecting list
- Managed the cold outreach campaigns
- Set up reliable email-sending servers (SMTP)
Healthcare 6 months
182% organic growth for a healthcare clinic
Healthcare
Off-page SEOA clinic in a competitive location needed to build organic search visibility from the ground up.
- Built the clinic's foundation for unpaid (organic) Google search
- Combined on-page and off-page SEO
- Reached top-five positions in Google Search
Teams that stopped leaving clicks on the table.
"The Softscotch team has been a solid partner as our business evolved over the last five years. Unlike most agencies, they have never charged us for work that falls outside the agreement. That is what sets them apart."
"Without their knowledge, we would be in a very different place than we are now. Whenever they find something that can be improved, they implement it quickly. I could not be happier with their performance and response time."
"Softscotch goes above and beyond the scope. The time, effort and dedication they put in is like having your own in-house marketing team. They are not just another marketing company."
"We are extremely happy with Softscotch, such an attentive team. No project is too small, and they give their 100%. We are extremely satisfied with their work."
"Softscotch is a great team to work with: transparent, reliable and genuinely invested in the growth of your company. They are good partners to have by your side."
"The Softscotch team has been a solid partner as our business evolved over the last five years. Unlike most agencies, they have never charged us for work that falls outside the agreement. That is what sets them apart."
"Without their knowledge, we would be in a very different place than we are now. Whenever they find something that can be improved, they implement it quickly. I could not be happier with their performance and response time."
"Softscotch goes above and beyond the scope. The time, effort and dedication they put in is like having your own in-house marketing team. They are not just another marketing company."
"We are extremely happy with Softscotch, such an attentive team. No project is too small, and they give their 100%. We are extremely satisfied with their work."
You'll always know exactly what we changed.
Plenty of agencies go quiet after the audit and you never quite know what you're paying for. We do the opposite. You get a live view of every change and what it moved, in plain language you can act on.
Live client dashboard
Every change, score and ranking in one place you can open any time, not a monthly PDF you wait around for.
Ready for your review
Weekly video summary
A short screen-recorded video (Loom) each week walking you through exactly what shipped and what it moved, so nothing is a mystery.
Before
After
Before/after score per page
See the exact lift on every page we touch, not a vague "it's improving" you have to take on faith.
Approved page updates are live.
Product details need a review.
Confirm the next priority pages.
Plain-English reporting
Clicks, rankings and revenue, explained in words you can act on, instead of a wall of charts about how often you were seen (impression charts.
Reports on demand
Ask for any cut of the data whenever you need it and get it, no waiting for the end of the month.
- ✓Proposed
Softscotch prepares the change.
- ✓Approved
Your team gives the go-ahead.
- ✓Published
Checked live and recorded.
Ethical, transparent, always on
One accountable team, strictly white-hat (only methods search engines and platforms allow), no shortcuts and no surprises. Support whenever you need it.
One Softscotch plan gives you access to the full service stack, coordinated around your priorities.
You do not need a separate agency or retainer for every channel. Your plan can draw from search, paid media, web, ecommerce, outreach, automation, lead generation, messaging, content, creative and operations. The agreed scope sets what is active, in what order and at what capacity.
Performance marketing agency FAQs
These answers cover what performance marketing is, how it differs from PPC and brand ads, channels, creative, tracking, the numbers that matter, pricing models, timing, ownership and how to choose a performance marketing agency.
What is performance marketing?
Performance marketing is advertising you judge by results you can count, such as leads, sales, sign-ups and profit, rather than by views or reach. It usually means paid ads on search, social and video platforms, plus the landing pages, tracking and measurement that show what each dollar brought back.
What does a performance marketing agency do?
A performance marketing agency plans and runs your paid ads across the right channels, makes and tests ad creative, improves the pages people land on, sets up tracking for leads and sales, and measures results across all channels together. Our performance marketing services do all of this in your name, so you keep the accounts and data.
What's the difference between performance marketing and PPC management?
PPC (pay-per-click) management is the weekly work of running ad campaigns: keywords, bids, budgets and ads. Performance marketing is wider. It covers PPC plus channel mix, creative testing, landing pages, tracking and measuring results across every channel. If you only need campaigns run well, see our PPC management service.
Is performance-based marketing the same as performance marketing?
Often, yes. Some people use performance-based marketing to mean any marketing judged on results. Others mean deals where you pay only for a result, such as affiliate sales or pay-per-lead. Performance marketing agencies usually run your ads and charge for the work, while results guide every decision.
Which channels do you use?
We plan and run ads on Google, Microsoft (Bing), Meta (Facebook and Instagram), LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube, and other platforms where they fit. Most businesses do best with two or three channels run well. We choose the mix by where your buyers are and what your budget can test properly.
Which numbers matter: CPA, ROAS or MER?
All three, for different jobs. CPA (cost per acquisition) shows what each lead or customer costs. ROAS (return on ad spend) shows revenue from ads divided by ad spend. MER (marketing efficiency ratio) divides your total revenue by your total marketing spend, so it can't be inflated by platforms claiming the same sale. We agree targets for each based on your margins.
What is incrementality, and why does it matter?
Incrementality means the extra sales your ads actually caused, as opposed to sales that would have happened anyway. Platforms can give ads credit for buyers who were already coming. Lift tests and holdout tests, where ads pause for a group or area so results can be compared, help show what the ads truly added.
How do you track sales when browsers block cookies?
We add server-side tracking, such as Meta's Conversions API and Google's enhanced conversions, which sends results from your website's server instead of the visitor's browser. Where your systems allow, we also upload phone, in-store and closed CRM sales back to the platforms. All of this respects cookie consent and privacy rules.
Do you make the ads, or do I need to supply creative?
We can plan, write and produce ad images, short videos and copy, and test them on a schedule. If you have a design team or existing footage, we work with them. You approve every claim and creative before it runs. Our ad creatives service covers larger production needs.
How do performance marketing agencies charge?
There are four main models. A percentage of ad spend is simple but can reward spending more. A flat monthly retainer is predictable but may not flex with the work. A performance fee, paid per lead or sale, lines up goals but can push for cheap, poor-quality results. A hybrid mixes a base fee with a results element. Ask any agency to explain its model and trade-offs in writing.
How much does a performance marketing agency cost?
Cost depends on how many channels you run, how much creative is needed, the landing page and tracking work, reporting depth and any industry rules. Your ad budget is separate and paid straight to the platforms. We don't publish a price list. Ask us for a quote and you get a scoped proposal that states what is and isn't included.
How long does performance marketing take to work?
Ads can bring results within days of launch. Useful results take longer, because the platforms need a few weeks to learn from new tracking and creative and page tests need time to read. Most businesses have a clearer picture of cost per sale within two to three months. We can't guarantee a return or a date.
Do I own the ad accounts, data and landing pages?
Yes. Ad accounts, analytics, tracking, landing pages and all data sit in your business's name. We work as users you can remove at any time. If we stop working together, everything stays with you.
How do I choose a performance marketing agency?
Ask who owns the accounts and data, how they track offline and server-side sales, how often they test new creative, whether they improve landing pages, how they measure results across channels, how they charge and how long the contract is. Red flags include a guaranteed return, accounts kept in the agency's name and reports that only show clicks.