How a Performance Marketing Agency Built a Scalable Paid Media Team
Scaling a performance marketing agency isn’t just about winning more clients.
It’s about building the right team fast enough to support demand without breaking delivery. As Clever Digital Marketing scaled its paid media operations across search, social, creative, and account management, talent became the bottleneck.
This case study breaks down how Clever built a full-stack paid media team with specialists who could manage high-spend, lead-driven campaigns and sustain growth without sacrificing performance or client outcomes.
Where Speed Meets Quality
Retention
Retention Rat
Partnered
Ongoing Partnership
Departments
Supported and 10 + Successful Hires
Clever Digital Marketing is a performance marketing agency focused on serving home improvement companies across North America.
Since 2020, they have managed over $74M in ad spend, generated 400,000+ high-intent leads, and driven more than $350M in client revenue.
Their expertise spans paid search, paid social, TikTok, Google, and emerging channels tailored to a highly competitive vertical where lead quality and predictable growth matter most.
Clever Digital Marketing was Growing... Rapidly
As Clever scaled from managing millions to tens of millions in paid ad spend, they faced key talent challenges:
They needed specialists with proven paid media performance experience
They required candidates familiar with lead generation dynamics in home improvement
They needed talent who could navigate seasonal demand, complex funnels, and multi-platform strategies
Traditional recruiting channels were failing to deliver candidates with the right technical and strategic experience
Finding high-impact paid media professionals who could immediately own campaign performance and contribute to strategic growth proved difficult without a specialised hiring partner.
“The hiring team understands the nuance of performance marketing.
They don’t just send resumes, they send people who’ve actually managed budgets at our scale and understand the metrics that matter. That’s rare in recruiting.”
Clever Digital
Leadership Team
How did Our Team Help Secure Paid Talent for Clever Digital?
To solve Clever’s recruiting bottleneck, we deployed a targeted, performance-focused talent strategy:
Tapped a deep recruitment network of paid media experts
Prioritised candidates with $500K+ monthly campaign management experience
Evaluated lead quality optimisation skill sets and funnel strategy strength
Assessed candidates for strategic thinking and cultural alignment with Clever’s data-driven objectives
Our vetting went beyond resumes.
We verified actual campaign outcomes, evaluated hands-on optimization skills, and matched personalities who could thrive with a high-growth team.
How did RizeUp Media Benefit from Our Services?
Cleared critical talent gaps that were slowing growth
Enabled Clever to scale paid media operations without bottlenecks
Built a specialised team capable of managing large-scale, high-ROI campaigns
Improved strategic execution across platforms and audiences
Why Our Hiring Solutions Worked Well
Over 9 months of partnership:
Placed 10+ specialised professionals across Clever’s organisation
Supported key areas including:
Paid Search: specialists and associate directors managing Google Ads lead gen
Paid Social: Meta and TikTok experts
Creative: video editors focused on performance creative
Account Management: client-facing hires to manage contractor relationships
Strengthened internal capability across 4 departments
Sourced talent in Canada’s competitive paid media market
Achieved a 90%+ retention rate, underscoring strong role fit and long-term value
Looking to Scale Your Team?
If you are an agency owner or hiring manager looking to build high-performing SEO and search marketing teams, we help you:
Design outcome-driven roles
Access passive, senior-level talent
Build layered teams (not just single hires)
Move fast without sacrificing quality
Book a call with our team to map out your next strategic hire and see how we can support your growth.
FAQs
How Does SEO For Hire Find the top 1% of Paid talent?
We’ve built the largest global network of search marketers—over 52,000 strong—curated through events, content funnels, and referrals. Our vetting process tests real-world skills, communication, and adaptability.
What Roles can SEO For Hire Help Fill?
We recruit across the Search spectrum—from Juniors to VP and even CEO, covering technical, content strategy, and product management.
How Fast can You Fill a Role?
95% of our roles are filled within 28 days. We often deliver pre-vetted candidates for urgent roles in under 10 days.
What Makes Your Candidates Stick Around?
We ensure long-term alignment on values, goals, and team fit—leading to a 30% boost in retention. All placements include a one-year satisfaction guarantee.
Do You Work with Startups or Large Enterprises?
Both. From nimble startup teams to global operations, we tailor our approach to suit your scale and culture.