A full funnel PPC marketing strategy is incredibly important.
But do you understand how to implement this strategy in your accounts?
This article will take you step-by-step through the marketing funnel, giving you tactical recommendations on how to consider the marketing funnel when creating your PPC strategy and some recommendations on how to measure your success.
We’ll use the hot tub industry as an example. I will divide each section into three parts:
Keyword research. Creating ads. Landing page optimization.
Awareness stage
Top of the Funnel (TOFU) campaigns target consumers in the awareness stage, when they haven’t yet entered the market for your product or have identified a problem that needs solving.
Awareness campaigns are designed to do exactly what they say they do: get customers to know your brand so that when they finally enter the market, you’ll have an advantage thanks to brand recognition.
A perfect example of this is insurance companies. People don’t need insurance often, but when they do, it sure helps that the Geico gecko is one of the first things you think of.
Keyword research
Identify informational keywords that align with your brand offerings and the interest of your target audience. Use Google Keyword Planner or any other keyword research tool to come up with a list of those keywords with decent search volume. A couple of examples of search queries that enter the awareness phase: “Are hot tubs good for you?” “Are hot tubs worth it?” “How much are hot tubs?”
Creating ads
Display advertising is an important part of an awareness-based strategy, so it’s important to create ads that are visually appealing and effectively showcase your brand value. Video ads are another great tool for building awareness. Use videos to introduce your brand and highlight the key features of your products. The goal is to entice users to learn more, so use eye-catching headlines that focus on the user’s search for more information.
Landing page optimization
Design your landing pages to match the messaging and visuals of your ads. Inconsistent branding and messaging only make the user journey confusing. Focus your landing pages on providing valuable content that educates the user about a specific product or your industry as a whole. Relevant blog posts are a great option for awareness-based campaigns. Include clear calls to action (CTAs) to encourage readers to continue down the purchase funnel. CTAs like “download brochure” or “learn more” are great here.
Deeper: Guide to PPC Top of the Funnel Reporting
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Consideration phase
Middle of the Funnel (MOFU) campaigns are targeted at consumers in the consideration stage, where they have officially entered the market for a product. Still, they haven’t found a solution or product that fits their needs.
Consideration campaigns are meant to give customers the information they need to make a purchase. This could be many different things, such as information about the product or service or sales information that could entice the customer to eventually buy.
Keyword research
Identify keywords related to your products or services that indicate user interest. Users in the consideration phase often use keywords like “best” or “review” to help find the best brands and products. Use Google Keyword Planner or any other keyword research tool to come up with a list of those keywords with decent search volume. A couple of examples of search queries that enter the awareness phase: “hot tub sales” “Best Hot Tub Brands” “Hot Tub Shop” “Hot Tub Comparisons” “Hot Tub Reviews”
Creating ads
Focus on ad copy that provides valuable information to the consumer while specifically showcasing your brand value. For hot tub sales, this could include “One year free service with purchase” and information about the hot tubs. Create engaging remarketing ads that keep users engaged after they’ve engaged with your content.
Landing page optimization
Design your landing pages to match the messaging and visuals of your ads. This is consistent across all stages of the funnel. (Branding matters, people!) Highlight social proof of your business and products, such as reviews, testimonials, case studies, etc. These build brand credibility and are incredibly important in building trust with new customers. Include clear CTAs to encourage users to go to the end of the funnel. CTAs like “Start your free trial” or “Subscribe to our email list” are perfect for the consideration stage.
Conversion phase
Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU) campaigns focus on consumers in the conversion stage, where they have identified what they want and are ready to buy.
Conversion campaigns are designed to get users to convert right now. If users aren’t converting, the rest of the funnel is meaningless, so it’s important to make sure your conversion campaigns are working as effectively as possible.
Keyword research
Identify keywords that are based on transactions or purchases. These are usually longer-tail keywords and can include the product name, model number, or words like “buy.” Use Google Keyword Planner or any other keyword research tool to come up with a list of those keywords with decent search volume. A couple of examples of search queries that are in the awareness phase: “Buy jacuzzi jacuzzi” “Jacuzzi J-LX Smart Tub” “Jacuzzi jacuzzi store near me”
Creating ads
Focus on ad copy that uses clear, purchase-oriented CTAs, as well as any promotions you currently have running. “Buy Now” or “Request a Quote” CTAs are great here. Dynamic remarketing ads that target people who have added items to their cart but haven’t converted can be a great tactic to get people to finally convert.
Landing page optimization
Landing pages for conversion campaigns should be as streamlined as possible so that no friction prevents the user from converting. Many conversion-based landing pages will even remove the top navigation from the page, so the user can only convert or leave the page. Include any promotional items on the landing page, such as discounts, limited-time offers, or free shipping. This applies to all landing pages, but make sure your page load times are fast and work well on mobile. There is nothing worse for a user than slow landing pages.
Measurement tips for your full-funnel PPC strategy
So, now that we have our campaigns set up and optimized for each stage of the conversion funnel, how do we determine if our campaigns are performing well?
Here are some tips for measuring progress and success in your marketing funnel:
Set up conversion tracking
Make sure conversion tracking is set up on your site so you can track user interactions at all stages of the conversion funnel. I recommend using Google Tag Manager for all conversion tracking purposes. Define and create conversion actions for each stage of the marketing funnel so you can determine success. Here are some examples of conversions for each stage:
awareness: blog views, downloads of brochures/case studies.
Consideration: Email list subscriptions, free trial registrations.
conversion: Purchases, budget requests.
Analysis of key performance metrics
Continuously monitor your KPIs to see improvements over time. Metrics like click-through rate and conversion rate can help you determine if your campaigns are reaching a qualified audience or if you need to change. In Google Ads, look at your different audience segments to see when and where people interact with your brand the most, and focus on those high-quality segments.
Test, test, test!
PPC is not a set-it-and-forget-it marketing strategy. As marketers, we should always be A/B testing something to see if we can improve our performance. Whether it’s ad creation, landing pages, or targeting, there’s no shortage of levers to try to improve your campaigns. Optimize your campaigns based on the data you see to continue to improve targeting and ad performance over time.
Deeper: Setting PPC Goals: How to Tailor KPIs and Metrics for Each Stage of the Funnel
The views expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
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