Table of contents

1. What performance marketing is (and what it isn't)
2. When it makes sense for your business in Cancun/Riviera Maya
3. KPIs that matter (and vanity metrics that lie)
4. Real agency checklist (14 points)
5. Traditional agency vs performance agency vs in-house (table)
6. Questions to ask on the first call
7. Common hiring mistakes
8. What to expect in the first 30 days
9. FAQs
10. CTA: request a performance diagnosis

1) What Performance Marketing Is (and what it's NOT)

Performance marketing IS…

A measurable growth system where decisions are made using evidence:

• You track what happens from ad → landing page → WhatsApp/CRM → booking/sale
• You optimize weekly with experiments
• You fix the whole funnel (not just ads)
• You report actionable KPIs (not vanity charts)

In Cancun + Riviera Maya, this matters because many businesses rely on:

• WhatsApp leads
• fast response times
• manual sales/booking teams
• seasonality (high/low season)

Performance marketing is NOT…

• Posting content without business impact
• Running ads without proper tracking
• Measuring success with likes and views
• Reporting only CTR/CPC while ignoring bookings and sales

Brutal translation: If you can't answer "What does a booking/sale cost?" you're not doing performance.

2) When does it make sense in Cancun & Riviera Maya?

Performance marketing is a great fit if you match 3 out of 5:

1. You have a clear offer (service/ticket)
2. You can respond to leads quickly (ideal <15 minutes)
3. Your margin supports ad spend + management
4. You can fulfill (capacity, schedule, inventory, staff)
5. You're willing to measure and improve (not just "try ads")

Best-fit local categories:

• Clinics (aesthetics, dental, wellness)
• Real estate (sales/rentals/developments)
• Tours & hospitality (experiences, concierge)
• Premium services (education, legal, architecture)

3) KPIs that matter (and the ones that lie)

Business KPIs (the real scoreboard)

• Qualified leads (not just lead count)
• Speed-to-lead (response time)
• Booking rate
• Show rate
• Close rate
• Cost per booking / cost per sale
• Attributable revenue / MER (when applicable)

Marketing KPIs (to improve the machine)

• CTR, CPC, CPM
• Landing page CVR
• CPL / CPQL
• ROAS (ecom)
• Frequency + creative fatigue

Vanity traps

• Followers without pipeline
• Impressions without intent
• Cheap leads no one answers
• "Great CTR" + zero bookings

4) The Real Checklist: How to Choose an Agency (14 Points)

Save this. It's the difference between "nice marketing" and "measurable growth."

A) Strategy & fit (4)

1. Do they ask for your numbers? (ticket, margin, capacity, response time, close rate)
2. Do they talk about the full funnel? (ads → landing → WhatsApp/CRM → sales)
3. Do they give 2 clear options? (e.g., Demand vs Revenue)
4. Do they disqualify bad fits? (a serious agency says "no")

B) Tracking & measurement (4)

5. Do they implement GA4/GTM events? (lead, whatsapp_click, booking, purchase)
6. Do they have a UTM + naming convention?
7. Do they deliver a weekly scorecard (6–10 KPIs)?
8. Can they connect leads to sales/booking outcomes? (even manually at first)

C) Creative & testing (3)

9. Do they ship creative monthly? (6–10 new ads minimum for Meta)
10. Do they test hypotheses? (not random changes)
11. Do they manage fatigue & frequency? (rotation plan)

D) Operations & accountability (3)

12. Do they have SLAs? (response times, delivery timelines, approvals)
13. Do they require an internal owner? (someone accountable for lead response)
14. Do they document the process? (SOPs, scripts, checklists)

If an agency fails on tracking + follow-up + operations, performance dies—even with great ads.

5) Traditional agency vs Performance vs In-house

6) Questions to Ask on the First Call (copy/paste)

1. Which GA4/GTM events will you track for my funnel?
2. How do we define a "qualified lead" for my business?
3. What happens if leads aren't answered fast? What do you automate?
4. What do I receive weekly (report + actions)?
5. How many creatives do you ship per month—and how do you test them?
6. How will you decide Meta vs Google for my case?
7. What results are realistic in 30/60/90 days?
8. What do you need from me for this to work?

7) Common Hiring Mistakes (Cancun/Riviera Maya)

1. Choosing based on portfolio visuals, not process
2. No internal owner to respond to leads
3. No landing page / unclear offer
4. No tracking, then blaming "Meta"
5. Expecting results in 7 days without baseline
6. Optimizing for cheap leads instead of bookings
7. Running multiple goals in one campaign with no structure

8) What to Expect in the First 30 Days (realistic)

If someone promises "your calendar will be full tomorrow" without reviewing operations, expect junk leads.

9) FAQs

10) Want a quick diagnosis for your funnel?

If you're in Cancun / Playa del Carmen / Tulum and want to find your biggest leaks (ads → landing → WhatsApp → booking/sale):

Or email us: strategylab@rivelcompanies.com