Finding the right person to run paid ads for a financial services company in the UK is a uniquely difficult task. You're not just looking for a PPC specialist; you're looking for someone who understands the immense pressure of FCA regulations, the sky-high cost-per-click for financial keywords, and the mindset of a high-net-worth individual. Most generalist marketeers will treat your budget like a trip to the casino and come back with nothing but expensive lessons. They don't understand that in this sector, one wrong word in an ad can trigger a compliance nightmare.
The truth is, your search shouldn't start on generic job boards. It starts by understanding what separates a genuine FinTech PPC expert from a generalist who just happens to have a financial client in their portfolio. It’s about vetting for a very specific type of experience, and knowing the right questions to ask that will expose their actual expertise, or lack thereof. This isn't just about finding someone who can set up a Google Ads campaign; it's about finding a partner who can navigate a minefield and deliver profitable growth.
So, why is this so bloody difficult?
Let's be blunt. The financial services market in the UK is one of the most competitive and heavily regulated advertising spaces in the world. When you're dealing with pensions, investments, mortgages, or insurance, you are governed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This isn't like selling t-shirts on Shopify. Every single ad, landing page, and call-to-action is considered a 'financial promotion' and must be fair, clear, and not misleading. One slip-up doesn't just mean a disapproved ad; it can mean hefty fines and reputational damage.
A specialist understands this. They know that promises of "guaranteed returns" are forbidden. They know the term "independent financial advisor" has a specific legal meaning. They know that risk warnings need to be prominent. This regulatory knowledge is non-negotiable. If a candidate can't speak confidently about the FCA's principles for financial promotions, they are a liability. Navigating the complexities of ad approvals is a skill in itself, and a generalist will waste weeks of your time and budget just trying to get ads live. We've seen entire accounts suspended because of compliance breaches from inexperienced managers. To get a handle on this, it's worth understanding the common pitfalls; we've actually written a complete guide on getting FinTech ads approved in the UK which details the process.
Then there's the cost. Keywords like "SIPP provider," "investment platform," or "wealth management UK" can cost upwards of £50 per click. At these prices, you can't afford to experiment with broad audiences or vague messaging. You need someone who knows how to target with surgical precision, using negative keywords to filter out time-wasters and focusing every penny on attracting clients who have the potential for a high lifetime value. This isn't about getting cheap clicks; it's about making expensive clicks profitable.
Who are you actually trying to reach?
Before you even think about hiring someone, you need to get brutally honest about who your ideal client is. And I don’t mean "High-Net-Worth Individuals aged 45-65 living in London". That's a demographic, not a customer. It tells you nothing about their motivations, their fears, or their problems. It leads to generic advertising that gets ignored.
Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) isn't a person; it's a problem state. It's a 'nightmare'. For a wealth management firm, the nightmare isn't 'needing a financial plan'. It's 'a 55-year-old tech founder who just sold his company for £10m and is terrified of making a mistake with money that represents 20 years of his life's work'. For a mortgage broker, it's 'a freelance creative in Manchester who's been rejected by high street banks because of her irregular income and is starting to panic she'll never own a home'.
Once you define the nightmare, you can find them. Where do they go for information? Do they read the Financial Times or MoneyWeek? Do they listen to podcasts like 'Meaningful Money'? Are they members of specific professional groups on LinkedIn? A true specialist will push you on this. They won't just ask for your target audience; they'll help you dissect the psychology of your ideal client to build a targeting strategy that works. A candidate who just talks about layering demographic data is still thinking like a generalist.
Should I hire an agency, a freelancer, or build an in-house team?
This is a common crossroads for many founders, and there's no single right answer. It depends entirely on your stage, budget, and how hands-on you want to be. Each model has distinct advantages and disadvantages, especially within the context of UK financial services. Choosing the wrong one can be a costly mistake, not just in fees but in lost opportunity.
An agency offers a team of specialists, broader experience from multiple accounts, and established processes for things like compliance checks and reporting. This can be a huge advantage when you're starting out. However, you might not always get the senior expert working on your account day-to-day. A freelancer or consultant can offer deep, dedicated expertise and a more personal relationship, but they might be stretched thin or lack the resources of a larger agency. An in-house hire gives you total focus and control, but it's a significant commitment in terms of salary, benefits, and management overhead. And finding that one person with the right mix of skills is incredibly challenging. Many founders struggle to decide between the flexibility of an agency and the dedication of an in-house team, so it's worth weighing the costs and benefits of a PPC agency versus an in-house hire carefully.
To help you think through this decision, here's a simple framework:
How do I actually vet these people?
This is where the rubber meets the road. Whether you're in London's Canary Wharf or running a remote-first startup, the vetting process is what will save you from a catastrophic mis-hire. Your goal is to find undeniable proof of relevant expertise. If you are based in London, there is a huge amount of competition, which is why we put together a specific guide to hiring a PPC expert in London to navigate this crowded market.
First, look at their case studies. Don't be impressed by big logos or vanity metrics like "millions of impressions." Look for detail. Do they have case studies specifically for UK financial services clients? Do they talk in pounds (£)? Do they mention the specific challenges they overcame, like getting complex investment products approved by Google? A good case study tells a story: "The client came to us with a £150 Cost Per Lead for mortgage applications. We rebuilt their campaigns, focusing on long-tail keywords for specific buyer situations like 'contractor mortgage broker UK', rewrote the ad copy to be FCA compliant, and brought their CPL down to £45 within three months, resulting in a 250% increase in qualified leads." That's specific. That's valuable. Anything less is just marketing fluff.
When you get on a call with them, your job is to test their thinking. A generalist will give you textbook answers. A specialist will give you nuanced, context-aware advice. Here are some of the questions you should be asking:
| Question to Ask | Good Answer (Signals Expertise) | Red Flag Answer (Signals Inexperience) |
|---|---|---|
| "Walk me through your process for ensuring ad copy is FCA compliant." | "First, we'd review your existing financial promotions approval process. Our copywriters are trained on CAP code and FCA guidelines. All copy goes through a multi-stage internal review, including a checklist for risk warnings and misleading claims, before we even send it to you or your compliance officer for final sign-off." | "We just follow Google's policies. We'll write some copy and see if it gets approved." |
| "How would you approach targeting high-net-worth individuals for our investment service?" | "We'd start with high-intent search keywords on Google, targeting queries that indicate sophistication, like 'inheritance tax planning' or 'EIS investment opportunities'. On platforms like LinkedIn, we can layer job titles and seniority with interests in financial publications. Demographics are a starting point, but intent and behaviour are far more powerful." Our guide on Google Ads strategy for high-net-worth clients goes into more detail here. | "We'd just target the top 10% of postcode incomes on Google Ads." |
| "Our cost per lead is high. How would you diagnose the problem?" | "I'd need to see the data. I'd start with the Search Query Report to check for irrelevant traffic. Then I'd analyse the conversion rates on your landing page. Is the offer compelling? Is the messaging aligned with the ad? A high CPL could be a targeting, an ad copy, or a landing page conversion problem. Without a full audit, it's impossible to say for certain." | "We can probably get it lower. We'll just test some new ads." |
| "Can you guarantee results?" | "Absolutely not, and anyone who does is lying. Paid advertising has inherent variables. What I can guarantee is a transparent, data-driven process where we test methodically, learn quickly, and focus relentlessly on hitting your commercial objectives like a target LTV:CAC ratio." | "Yes, we can double your leads in three months." |
Tbh, if someone asks us for references after they've seen our detailed case studies and had a free strategy review with us, it's often a red flag. It signals a fundamental lack of trust that probably won't get better. The proof should be in the demonstrated expertise and past results, not in a chaperoned phone call. There are a few different guides on how to hire paid ad experts out there, but they often miss the nuance of a high-stakes industry like finance.
What's more important than your CPL?
Many financial services firms get obsessed with one metric: Cost Per Lead (CPL). While important, it's a vanity metric without its counterpart: Lifetime Value (LTV). The real question isn't "How low can my CPL go?" but "How high a CPL can I afford to acquire a truly great customer?" A specialist lives and breathes this equation. A generalist barely understands it.
Let's do some simple maths. Say you're a wealth manager.
- Average Revenue Per Client (ARPC) per year: £5,000 (based on AUM and fees)
- Gross Margin %: 70% (after your direct costs)
- Annual Client Churn Rate: 10% (meaning the average client stays for 10 years)
The calculation for LTV is: (ARPC * Gross Margin %) / Annual Churn Rate
LTV = (£5,000 * 0.70) / 0.10 = £3,500 / 0.10 = £35,000
In this scenerio, each new client is worth £35,000 in gross margin to your business. A healthy LTV to Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) ratio is typically at least 3:1. This means you can afford to spend up to £11,666 to acquire a single new client. If your sales team converts 1 in 10 qualified leads into a client, you can afford to pay up to £1,166 per qualified lead. Suddenly that £60 click or £400 lead doesn't seem so expensive, does it? It looks like a profitable investment. This is the math that unlocks aggressive, intelligent growth. Any PPC person who can't have this conversation with you is not a strategic partner; they're just a button pusher.
To make this more tangible, you can use this calculator to estimate your own LTV and what you can afford to pay per lead.
What should I do now?
Finding the right PPC specialist in the UK's financial services space is a strategic project, not a quick hire. It requires you to do your homework, understand the unique challenges of your sector, and arm yourself with the right questions. Don't rush the process. The cost of hiring the wrong person—in wasted ad spend, compliance risks, and missed opportunities—is far greater than the time it takes to find the right one.
Your search is not just for a pair of hands to manage campaigns. You are looking for a strategic partner who can translate your business goals into a profitable advertising system, all while navigating one of the trickiest regulatory landscapes on earth. They exist, but they are rare. You'll find them not by posting a generic job ad, but by interrogating their case studies, testing their strategic thinking, and ensuring they understand the economics of your business as well as they understand Google Ads. Your next steps should be a methodical process of identifying and vetting these specialists, as getting this hire right can be transformative for your firm's growth.
I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:
| Action Step | Why It's Important | How to Implement |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Define Your 'Nightmare' ICP | Moves you from vague demographics to powerful, pain-point-based targeting that informs all ad copy and strategy. | Interview your 5 best clients. Ask them what specific problem you solved for them and what was keeping them up at night before they hired you. |
| 2. Create a Vetting Scorecard | Ensures you evaluate all candidates (agency or individual) against the same objective, FinTech-specific criteria. Check out our vetting framework for ideas. | Use the questions from the table above. Score each candidate on their knowledge of FCA rules, LTV:CAC maths, and UK FinTech case study relevance. |
| 3. Calculate Your LTV & Affordable CPL | This is the single most important financial metric for your paid ads. It turns your marketing from a cost centre into a predictable growth engine. | Use the interactive calculator in this guide with your own business numbers. This becomes the primary KPI you manage your PPC expert against. |
| 4. Audit Your Offer | A weak offer ('Request a Demo') will kill even the best ad campaigns. A strong, value-led offer makes acquisition much easier and cheaper. | Brainstorm a free tool, checklist, or short guide that solves a small but painful problem for your ICP. E.g., "The 5-Minute ISA vs. SIPP Decision Guide". |
If you're going through this process and feel overwhelmed, that's normal. This is a complex specialism, and getting it right has a significant impact on your business's trajectory. Working with an expert who has already navigated these challenges for other UK financial services firms can shortcut the learning curve and start delivering results faster. If you'd like a second opinion on your current strategy or want to discuss how a specialist approach could work for you, we offer a free, no-obligation initial consultation where we can review your goals and see if we can help.
