How we work

Services

Two focused engagements, one senior operator. End-to-end management of your paid channels, or the measurement layer for a team that already runs media in-house. Book A Strategy Call and we'll figure out which model makes sense for you.

Safemode works with brands spending $50,000 or more per month on paid media. Below that, the math on a senior consultant usually doesn't pencil out.

Ongoing partnership
Ongoing

Monthly retainer · $50k+/mo spend

Hands-on management across Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, Reddit, programmatic display, and connected TV. Channel mix matched to where your audience actually converts, with strategy and execution by the same senior person.

Onboarding opens with a full diagnostic of your account: structure, tracking, channel mix, attribution, and reporting, plus the measurement setup that makes performance provable. That work is built into getting started, not billed as a separate project.

  • Onboarding audit and measurement setup, included
  • Strategy, build, and ongoing optimization across channels
  • Reporting validated against your own CRM and analytics
  • Coordination with your tracking and analytics team
  • Weekly ops, monthly reviews, quarterly planning
Senior account work, not a junior buyerAudit + measurement built into onboardingMonth to month, no lock-in

Best for: Brands spending $50,000+/month that want senior-level account work, where the person setting strategy is the person in the account, not a junior buyer at an agency.

Investment: $5,000 to $15,000+ per month, by spend volume and complexity.

See this on a multi-state homebuilder

Tune the mix Performance
Tuned to where you convert
Measurement engagement
Project or ongoing

Measurement & Incrementality

Project or ongoing · advanced analytics

Design and run the causal-measurement layer for your program: matched-market geo-lift tests, Bayesian media mix models with macro and seasonality controls, CRM validation, and holdout designs that separate incremental contribution from credited platform conversions.

It runs on reporting infrastructure built in your own cloud: custom BigQuery pipelines, GA4 configuration, automated ingestion from Google Ads and Meta, and dashboards your team and stakeholders actually use. Code and methodology documented for your team, with no dependency on us.

For teams with media already in-houseDefend budget to a CFO or boardReporting built in your own cloud

Best for: Teams that already run media in-house and need the measurement layer on top: brands at $100,000+/month asking not whether the ads work but how much would have happened anyway, teams defending paid budgets to a CFO or board, and regulated or long-cycle businesses where last-click attribution doesn't fit the journey.

Investment: $15,000 to $50,000 per project. Ongoing quoted alongside.

Read the measurement methodology

Illustrative geo-lift result test starts incremental baseline test period Treatment market Expected without spend
Illustrative. Not client data.
Common questions
How are your fees structured if they're not tied to ad spend?

Flat project fees for builds and audits, and fixed monthly retainers for ongoing work, scoped to the complexity of the engagement, never a percentage of your media budget. A percentage-of-spend model rewards an agency for spending more of your money. A flat fee keeps our incentive on performance, not on inflating budgets.

How are you different from a traditional agency?

Three ways. A senior operator does the actual work, not a junior buyer handed the account after the pitch. Your reporting and data warehouse are built in your own cloud and analytics accounts, so the data stays yours with no lock-in. And there are no long-term contracts. We keep clients through performance, month to month.

What are your minimum terms and contract length?

Ongoing management is month to month with no long-term contract. Project work is the exception: a matched-market test or incrementality study runs for a fixed, committed window, because the methodology requires it. A geo-lift test needs its full baseline, treatment, and recovery periods to produce a valid causal read, so it can't be cut short partway through. Ongoing management is for brands spending $50,000 or more per month, where senior-level work pencils out.

Do I keep my data, dashboards, and accounts if we stop working together?

Yes. Everything is built in your own Google Cloud, analytics, and ad accounts. If we part ways, your pipelines, dashboards, and historical data stay with you, with no dependency on Safemode.

Is the audit a separate cost?

No. A full diagnostic of your account, structure, tracking, channel mix, and reporting, is the first phase of onboarding for Paid Media Management, not a separate line item. If you only want the outside read without ongoing management, we can scope it as a standalone project.

What's the difference between the two engagements?

Paid Media Management is hands-on ownership of your paid channels, end to end, for teams that want a senior operator running the accounts. Measurement & Incrementality is for teams that already run media in-house and need the measurement layer on top: geo-lift tests, media mix modeling, CRM validation, and reporting built in your own cloud.

What ad platforms do you manage?

Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, Reddit, programmatic display, and connected TV. The mix is matched to where your audience actually converts.