UK's Ultimate Guide to Hiring a Paid Ads Consultant

Let's be brutally honest. Finding a decent paid ads consultant in the UK feels like a proper minefield. You're a small business owner, you're already spinning a dozen plates, and every other bloke with a LinkedIn profile is calling himself a "growth hacker" or a "marketing guru". They flash impressive-looking slide decks, promise you the earth, and then six months later you're thousands of pounds lighter with nothing to show for it but a confusing analytics report and a bitter taste in your mouth.

The problem is, you're probably looking for the wrong things. You're being sold on vanity metrics, vague promises, and a friendly sales pitch. You need to stop buying the sizzle and start inspecting the steak. A genuine expert isn't interested in dazzling you with jargon; they're interested in your buisness model, your margins, your customer lifetime value, and the one or two levers that will actually drive profitable growth. They should be challenging your assumptions, not just nodding along.

This isn't another fluffy guide on "how to hire an agency". This is a no-nonsense breakdown of how to spot the real experts from the charlatans, based on years of being in the trenches, running campaigns, and seeing what actually works for UK businesses. Forget the sales pitch. It's time to start asking the right questions.

So, how do I spot the real experts?

It all starts and ends with proof. Not testimonials that could've been written by their mum, but hard, verifiable proof of their expertise and process. The first place to look is their case studies, but you need to look at them with a cynic's eye.

Don't just be impressed by a page full of logos from big companies. Who cares if they worked with a massive corporation? That has zero bearing on what they can do for your small business. Their process, budget, and teams are completely different. You need to find case studies that are genuinely relevant to *you*. Are they in a similar niche? A similar business model (e.g., eCommerce vs. SaaS vs. local service)? Did they face similar challenges?

I remember one B2B software client we worked with. They came to us after burning through cash with an agency that only had eCommerce experiance. The agency was applying the same logic, and it was a disaster. We had to rebuild from the ground up, focusing on LinkedIn Ads to target specific decision-makers. We ended up getting them qualified leads for around $22 a pop, but the first agency didn't even know where to start. Look for that kind of specific, relevant success.

A good case study isn't a victory lap; it's a story. It should clearly outline:

• -> The Problem: What was the specific challenge the client was facing before they started? E.g., "CPA was over £100 and un-sustainable."
• -> The Strategy: What was the actual plan? Not "we ran some Facebook ads," but "we identified that their ideal customer was on LinkedIn, so we built campaigns targeting specific job titles in the financial services industry, using a Lead Gen Form offer to reduce friction."
• -> The Results: The real, hard numbers. Not "we increased leads," but "we reduced CPA from £100 to £7," or "we generated £107k in revenue at a 618% ROAS." If the numbers are vague, so is their expertise.

If you can't find this level of detail, be suspicious. If all they show you is fluffy metrics like "10 million views", that's an awareness metric. It doesn't tell you if they actually made the client any money. I recall one campaign we ran for a luxury brand launch where that was the goal. But for a small business, it's a vanity project that'll send you broke.

What should I ask on the 'free consultation' call?

Right, so you've found a consultant with some promising case studies. Now comes the real test: the initial call. This is not a sales pitch for them; it's an interview for you. Your goal is to cut through the fluff and figure out if they actually know what they're talking about. A good consultant should give you so much value on this free call that you feel like you should have paid for it.

Don't let them control the conversation. Go in with a list of sharp, direct questions. Here are a few to get you started:

• 1. "Talk me through a campaign for a business like mine that *failed*. What went wrong, and what did you learn?" This is my favourite. It tests their honesty and humility. Anyone who claims they've never had a campaign fail is either lying or inexperienced. A true expert has failed many times and, crucially, has learned valuable lessons from it. Their answer will reveal their problem-solving process.


• 2. "Forget what I've told you I *think* I need. Based on my business model and goals, what platform would you start with and why would you AVOID the others for now?" This cuts through the "we do everything" nonsense. You're looking for a strategic reason. A bad answer is, "We'll do Google, Facebook, TikTok...". A good answer sounds like, "You're a local electrician, so people need you *right now*. We'd focus 100% of the initial budget on Google Search Ads for keywords like 'emergency electrician Cambridge' because that's where the urgent demand is. Facebook would be a waste of money because no one scrolls their feed hoping to see an ad for an electrician." This shows they understand intent.


• 3. "Who, specifically, will be working on my account? Can I speak to them?" This is a big one. Many larger agencies use their top people to win the business, then pass your account to a junior account manager who's fresh out of uni. You need to know if you're paying for the expert or their intern. Insist on knowing who is doing the actual work.


• 4. "What's your exact process for testing new ad creative and finding new audiences?" You're looking for a system, a methodology. A vague answer like "we test different things" isn't good enough. A good answer is, "We start with 3 distinct ad concepts based on different pain points. Each concept has 2 image variations and 2 headlines. We run these to 3-4 initial audiences based on your customer data and our research. After 7 days, we analyse the data, kill the losers, and re-invest the budget into the winning combinations." This shows they have a repeatable process, not just throwing spaghetti at the wall. If you want to get this right, you can read our guide on performance marketing strategy.

Tbh, if someone asks us for references to call one of our current clients after we've shown them detailed case studies and given them a free, in-depth strategy review, it's a bit of a red flag for us. It signals a fundamental lack of trust that probably won't get better. A consultant-client relationship has to be a partnership built on mutual respect and trust. If that's not there from the start, it's best for both sides to walk away.

But how much should I actually pay?

This is the million-dollar—or rather, thousand-pound—question. The cost of hiring a consultant in the UK varies wildly, and it's easy to get ripped off. You'll generally see two parts to the cost: the ad spend (the money that goes directly to Google, Meta, etc.) and the management fee (the money that goes to the consultant).

For a small business in the UK, a realistic starting ad spend is probably somewhere between £1,000 - £2,000 a month. Anything less and it's very difficult to get enough data to make smart decisions. Management fees can be a flat monthly retainer (common in the UK, maybe £750 - £2,500+ per month depending on complexity), a percentage of ad spend (more common with larger budgets), or even performance-based.

But here's the contrarian truth that most consultants won't tell you: you're asking the wrong question. The question isn't "How much does it cost?" The real question is, "How much can I afford to spend to acquire a profitable customer?" To answer that, you need to stop thinking about cheap leads and start thinking about Lifetime Value (LTV).

Most buisness owners get obsessed with a low Cost Per Lead (CPL). But a £5 lead that never converts is infinitely more expensive than a £100 lead that turns into a £10,000 customer. You need to do the maths on your own business. It's the only way to know if your ad spend is an investment or an expense.

Here’s the simple calculation:

LTV = (Average Revenue Per Customer Per Month * Gross Margin %) / Monthly Customer Churn Rate %

Once you know your LTV, a healthy business model can typically afford to spend up to 1/3 of that value to acquire a new customer. This is your target Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC).

Once you have this number, the conversation changes. Suddenly, a £250 lead from LinkedIn doesn't seem so expensive if you know your average customer is worth £10,000. This is the maths that unlocks aggressive, intelligent growth. Any consultant who doesn't ask you about these numbers isn't a strategist; they're a button pusher.

My ads aren't working. Is it the consultant or my business?

This is the elephant in the room. It’s easy to blame the agency when leads aren’t flowing in. And sometimes, it is absolutely their fault. They could be targeting the wrong people, writing lazy ad copy, or structuring the campaigns poorly. We often see new clients whose previous agency was simply running "Brand Awareness" campaigns on Facebook, which basically tells the algorithm to find the people *least* likely to ever buy anything because their attention is cheap. To actually get customers, you need to optimise for conversions, like leads or sales.

However, and this is the part many business owners don't want to hear, often the problem isn't the ads. The ads are working just fine; they're bringing people to your website. The problem is what happens next. A paid ads consultant can't fix a fundamental business problem. No amount of ad spend can salvage:

• -> A weak offer: If what you're selling isn't compelling, or doesn't solve an urgent, expensive problem for a specific group of people, no one will buy it, no matter how great your ads are.
• -> A terrible website: If your site is slow, confusing, looks untrustworthy, or doesn't make it blindingly obvious what you want the visitor to do next, you'll lose them. I've seen client websites that look like they were built in 1998. It's a miracle they get any business at all.
• -> Uncompetitive pricing: If you're twice the price of your competitors without a clear reason why, your conversion rate will be on the floor.

A top-tier consultant's first job is to be brutally honest with you about these things. If, on the initial call, they don't ask to see your website or question your offer, that's a huge red flag. If they promise you the world without diagnosing the potential problems first, they're just desperate for your business. The right partner will tell you, "Look, before we spend a single pound on ads, we need to fix your landing page and clarify your offer. Otherwise, we're just setting your money on fire." Finding a consultant who can help you solve the problem of your UK ads not converting is about finding someone who looks at the whole picture.

My Final Advice

Hiring a paid ads consultant is a massive decision for a small business. Get it right, and it can be the engine for your growth. Get it wrong, and it’s a fast track to the bone yard. You need to switch your mindset from "hiring a supplier" to "finding a strategic partner." This person or agency needs to be as invested in your business metrics as you are.

Don't be swayed by a slick sales process or promises of guaranteed results – you can't really promise anything in paid ads. Demand transparency. Demand a clear process. And most importantly, demand relevant proof. Do they have experience driving actual, profitable results for businesses like yours in the UK market? For many founders, deciding between an ad consultant or going DIY is a huge crossroads, and making the right choice depends on this rigorous vetting.

This is the main advice I have for you, all boiled down.

If all this sounds like a lot of work, it's because it is. But doing this diligence upfront is the single biggest factor that will determine whether your foray into paid advertising is a success or just another expensive lesson. For businesses across the UK, from London to Manchester, the principles are the same, and navigating the world of vetting paid ads agencies is a skill in itself.

If you'd rather just get an honest, expert opinion on your current situation without the sales pitch, consider getting some help. We offer a free, no-obligation strategy session where we'll dive into your business, look at what you're doing now, and give you a straightforward plan of action. You can take that advice and run with it yourself, or you can decide if we're the right partner to help you implement it. Either way, you'll walk away with more clarity than you came with.

Hope that helps!