What an account manager does
An account manager starts with the business, not the ad platform: what a good month looks like, the revenue target, the acceptable cost per lead, and which metrics the team actually tracks.
From there the job is to keep every campaign pointed at those goals: agreeing targets, coordinating the people who build and design, reviewing creative, and reporting back on what worked.
- Sets business targets: revenue, CPL, ROAS or ACoS
- Is the main point of contact for strategy and performance
- Coordinates media buyers, designers and analysts
- Runs regular reviews: what worked, what didn't, what changes next
What a performance marketer does
A performance marketer builds and runs the campaigns: account structure, audiences, bids, budgets and creative testing, all optimised for a measurable result such as a lead or a sale.
The craft is in the details: separating prospecting from retargeting, testing one variable at a time, spotting fatigue early and moving budget to what converts.
Why it matters who owns both
When strategy and execution sit with different people, every problem has a handoff. The strategist blames the campaigns, the media buyer blames the brief, and the fix waits for a meeting.
When one person owns both, the person deciding the strategy is also the one answerable for the numbers. Fewer handoffs means faster fixes when something breaks.
How it works across 10+ accounts
I manage 10+ accounts across real estate, education, hospitality, wellness, e-commerce and Amazon, with ₹18L+ in combined monthly spend. Each account gets a clear setup: business goals first, then campaign structure, audience segmentation, creative review and regular reporting.
A team of 10+ handles day-to-day execution, and I make sure nothing slips through the cracks. Each client gets a strategy built for their industry; the same playbook is not reused across verticals.
Which one should you hire?
- One platform, small budget, clear goal: a performance marketer is usually enough
- Several platforms, several stakeholders, or a business target the ads must hit: you need account management too
- Agency already running the ads but nobody owns the outcome: add an account manager, or hire someone who does both