Boris Beceric was nominated for a PPC spotlight profile in May of 2022.
How long have you been working in PPC?
I started working in PPC sometime in 2010.
How did you get started in PPC?
I kind of just got lucky. I got hired as a sales consultant by a travel company from the UK that was about to expand into mainland Europe. Launch got pushed back quite considerably, so I helped out with translations and prize comparisons among other stuff. When the time came to start doing marketing the CEO one day just told me to do their affiliate marketing and handle the Google Adwords (that’s what it was called back in the day) as well. What a legend.
If you went to college, what did you study? If not college, do you have any other degrees or certifications?
I went to college to study applied world business languages (a business degree with a focus on English and Mandarin) but never got my degree.
What was your first job that involved PPC?
That was at the travel company I mentioned. As I didn’t know anything about Google Ads and affiliate marketing they just flew me out to their HQ and gave me a crash course for 2 weeks. That got me kickstarted and I stuck with it – I’ll never forget the feeling when I got my first conversion for a nice holiday to Majorca through one of my campaigns.
What is your current position and how long have you been in it?
I am a freelance PPC Consultant and have been self employed since June of 2020.
What kinds of things do you currently handle or manage in PPC?
I work for a range of different clients – from local businesses to some rather big agencies. I enjoy the variety of work that comes with that a lot. Doing hands on work in the accounts will always be among my favorites, but I also get to align the tactics with the strategy while consulting with agency teams.
Has your career path had any hiccups or nontraditional aspects that you’d like to share?
Absolutely!
In my first career working in a bookstore, I got disrupted by you know who. My employer didn’t want to hear about it at the time, but I convinced him to let me set up a website so people could shop from the convenience of their home. It was just too little too late and he then shut down his business.
Also, years later when I already had a lot of experience working in PPC I almost got fired for telling the then CMO about marginal cost and that I strongly disagreed with just spending more instead of optimizing the landing pages and checkout etc.
I finally came to the realization that I didn’t care about being forced to come to an office during set hours and clock in and out anymore and that’s when I finally had the courage to go freelance.
What are you most proud of in your PPC career?
I think if someone told me 10 years ago I would one day be able to work from home on my own terms and provide for my family, I would have laughed them in the face. But that’s exactly what happened and I think I can be proud of myself for making that happen. I certainly took the path less travelled to get here, but that’s what I love about our industry.
What, if anything, do you wish you could “do over” in your PPC career?
Nothing much really as I believe the experience gained is invaluable. If anything I wish I realized earlier that I didn’t need to get picked by a company, work for a boss and be told what to do and where.
If you could give advice to someone either considering or just starting out in PPC, what would that be?
Always be learning.
With the rate of change we are currently seeing, I feel none of my years of expertise are worth much and we all need to stay on our toes in order to navigate this ever evolving landscape.
And of course, join #PPCChat.
Are you interested in speaking opportunities? If so, what topics are your jam?
I find speaking on a stage quite intimidating to be honest. I would consider it if it was the right (intimate) setting and my talk would probably be about the future of Google Ads.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Our job can get incredibly stressful at times, and I think it’s important to have the right perspective. Nothing we do is a matter of life and death, so cut yourself some slack and set the right expectations with your clients from the beginning.
Where can people find you to connect (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.)?
Twitter: @BorisBeceric
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/borisbeceric/
Web site: https://borisbeceric.com/