Craft a Winning PPC QBR for Stakeholders
▼ Summary
– Quarterly business reviews (QBRs) are often ineffective due to monologues and lack of engagement, but agencies can improve them to enhance client value and alignment.
– Improving readability in QBRs involves using clear slide titles, concise text, visual highlights, and practiced pacing to keep presentations brisk and focused.
– QBR content must be tailored to the audience, including executives, by providing high-level summaries of achievements, focus areas, and next steps.
– Building a narrative around the client’s business goals ensures that data and recommendations are tied to outcomes, rather than just reporting on shallow metrics.
– Establishing forward motion means turning past results into actionable recommendations and next steps, emphasizing growth opportunities for future quarters.
Quarterly business reviews often feel like a high-stakes performance for agency teams, meant to demonstrate value and align on future strategy. Too often, however, they become data-heavy monologues that fail to engage stakeholders. Having refined our approach through years of agency experience, we’ve identified key strategies to transform QBRs into dynamic, forward-looking conversations that drive real business impact.
Better readability is the foundation of an effective presentation. With so much ground to cover, clarity and pace are non-negotiable. In slide decks, use titles to state the main takeaway, not just the topic. For instance, “UGC on Meta drives 95% completion rates” is far more compelling than a generic header. Incorporate numbers and action-oriented language wherever possible. Replace dense paragraphs with bulleted summaries and use bold text or icons to emphasize critical stats. Presenters should practice thoroughly, limit each slide to under a minute, and use speaker notes or appendices for deeper detail without cluttering the main content.
Audience alignment ensures your message resonates with everyone in the room, including executives who may have different priorities than day-to-day contacts. Always include an executive summary covering achievements, focus areas, next steps, and performance against top-line goals. This allows senior leaders to quickly grasp what matters most and helps your regular contacts communicate upward effectively.
Building a narrative moves the conversation beyond superficial metrics. Clients often complain that agencies focus on clicks and costs without connecting them to business outcomes. Use the QBR to change that perception. Anchor every data point, insight, and recommendation to the client’s core objectives. Even if you achieved a major win, like reducing CPA through testing, it shouldn’t dominate the discussion if the client cares more about improving lead conversion rates. Instead, emphasize how your work supports their broader goals and outline how you’ll build on that progress.
Proactivity and forward motion distinguish exceptional QBRs from mere recaps. Avoid dwelling on past results without linking them to future action. Before the meeting, identify top-line goals for the upcoming quarter. Frame each insight as a recommendation, for example, instead of reporting a drop in average order value, highlight it as an opportunity to test value-based bidding. Introduce “tactical opportunities,” which are the resources or changes needed to act on those recommendations, such as requesting a dedicated CRM contact or faster feedback timelines. Maintain momentum during delivery by leading with key points, letting important stats sink in, previewing upcoming slides, and keeping each slide to 30–60 seconds.
When executed well, QBRs become growth opportunities rather than obligations. They align both parties on what’s been achieved and, more importantly, on how to drive future success. The goal is to leave stakeholders energized about the partnership and confident in the path ahead.
(Source: Search Engine Land)
