Marketing Insights
Media Strategy
If your main internet marketing goal for your PPC campaign is to drive traffic to “website.com,” are you happy with your results? Are visitors spending time on your site? Are they taking actions you want them to take? If not, consider this – are you matching your visitors’ intent to the purpose of the landing page?
Sending visitors to the home page is all too common. It’s an easier, one-size-fits-all option. However, the average person bounces immediately if they do not get the information they were expecting. Most will go no further on the site. There are always exceptions, but most people aren’t willing to put in extra work. They know that in the easy world of search browsers, someone else will provide the information they need in a simpler, more accessible fashion.
Define ad campaign goals
So, where should you start? First, set goals. What is the purpose of the campaign? What’s your measure of success? Are there other stakeholders to satisfy, and what are their expectations? You want to drive traffic, but to do what? Buy your product? Learn more about competitive differences? Drive leads to contractors?
If it’s all of the above, we have some work to do.
Ask yourself: what obstacles stand in the way of visitors completing desired actions on the site? Do you need to provide more information? Does your product carry a larger learning curve, necessitating a page or two of product options, features and benefits? A white paper? Or will shopping ads that drive them straight to the online checkout line do the trick?
Set up ad and content targeting
Once you have answered these questions and have landing pages in place to provide the appropriate journey and information, it’s time to set up your ad and content targeting to match the journey. Before you say, “I don’t have the time, staff or budget for this,” consider that you can’t afford not to address it. You may already be wasting time and money on your current campaign. It’s time to do something about it, even if you start with baby steps.
Keywords within programmatic and paid search targeting provide clues to the buyer’s intent and stage within their customer journey.
For instance, if someone searches the term “bathroom interior design ideas” or consumes content containing those keywords, it’s a safe bet that he or she is in the early stages of making decisions on a room redesign. A page with visual inspiration and a little information about your product is the perfect place to send them after they click your ad. Ideally, at the next stage you’ll provide actionable opportunities such as ability to purchase, lead generation or click-throughs to features, pricing and benefits pages.
However, if the keyword is “plumbing contractor,” that suggests intent that is much further along the buyer’s journey. This may be the perfect time for shopping ads for bathroom fixtures, paint or flooring that drive the user straight to checkout or opportunities for additional shopping. If you happen to also have a network of preferred contractors, you should provide the opportunity to capture leads or provide a click-to-call-contractor option in your ad.
Do you see where this might provide a better experience for your visitors? Net better, quicker results? Provide opportunities for improved customer retention and loyalty?
Test, measure and track your campaign
An ad, like a landing page, is not one-size-fits-all. Make sure your ad messaging fits both the visitor intent and content expectations or the purpose of the landing page. You want your visitor to know what to expect when they arrive. Don’t be afraid to test various messages to see what resonates with your customers. Messaging should contain language your customers use and understand. This is especially effective in paid search campaigns. The best words may not always match your branding language, so take time to consider and test options.
Connect your online campaigns to analytics or implement tags. This will allow you to see which keywords or ad versions are providing the desired visitor purchases, actions or leads. Make adjustments and prioritize based on results.
An internet marketing campaign with intent and purpose looks like this:
Targeting (Visitor Intent) + Relevant Ad Messaging (Content Promise) + Effective Landing Pages (Purpose) = Goals Achieved (Tracking)
Happy campaign planning! We’re here to help when you need it. Contact Us
You might also like:
