There are two very big considerations when taking on a new PPC client:
Will you make money by helping this client, and will you enjoy working with them?
Both of these questions factor into SQLing (sales qualified lead-ing) a prospective client. Yet they should be asked of existing clients, too.
Scope creep (being asked to do things outside the previously agreed upon agreement) can sour healthy and profitable relationships.
We’re going to look at:
How to determine your SQL criteria.
SQLing new customers.
SQLing existing customers.
It’s important to note that while this is written from a PPC perspective, there are lessons all vendors can take from the process.
How To Determine Your SQL Criteria
Let’s get the disclaimer out of the way: there is no “absolute” right answer to this.
All that matters is that you use data to justify your choices, and you don’t compromise on what you need as a business to happily thrive.
I intentionally divide Sales Qualified Leads (SQL) into two because if you only look at the money part, you’ll often burn yourself out on too much work.
Conversely, if you only look at the happiness part, you might undercharge and be left holding the debt bag.
As A General Rule Of Thumb, SQLing A PPC Client Should Factor In Some (If Not All) Of These Criteria
How much is the client willing to spend, and is that budget in line with industry standard?
Is the client expecting me to create visual content, and am I equipped to deliver?
What kind of communication cadence does the client expect, and is that in line with what I currently offer?
Do I currently have another client in the same industry, and are they paying me more or less than this new one would?
Are there any skills this client expects me to have/act on that I don’t currently have/can’t easily outsource?
Will the client need/want to be involved in management, and are you ok with that?
Are they ready to begin now, or is this discovery phrase for them?
These questions speak to your ability to operationally support the client, which is a critical part of any SQL process. Additionally, budget and skill needs speak to the probability of success.
If you’re embarking on a customer journey with a client who’s asking for leads/sales while spending a fraction of the industry-standard budget, there is a low chance of success.
Conversely, if the client is willing to spend whatever you tell them to but will be making all kinds of changes to the account, that can also set you both up for a bad time.
You will need to create a scoring system for how much each question matters to you. Additionally, it’s important to set a minimum score that all clients need to meet.
While it’s true what the client pays you should be the main determining factor, long/healthy relationships are more than money.
SQLing New Customers
Depending on how you’re set up, SQLing may happen before or after the sales team talks to the client.
If it’s before, odds are there will be an investigation into the existing ad account to find opportunities.
This will also confirm ad spend meets the required minimums.
If you SQL after the initial sales discussion, it’s important to ensure discovery questions collect the needed SQL information without making the prospect uncomfortable.
For example, if you’re trying to find out about ad spend, these are a few ways to ask about it:
How do you determine your budgets?
Should we look to your historical spends for a fair sense of your PPC budgets, or are you planning to grow/downsize?
Questions should be as open-ended as possible and come from a place of trying to help.
SQLing Existing Customers
When you hear an agency fired their customer, it’s because they failed the SQL test. This might be because of decreases in budget or scope creep impacting margins.
Don’t overstep communication boundaries (time/format/frequency).
Show appreciation for your partnership.
Other little things that make you love working with them and winning for them.
If a previously good customer starts to slip, be proactive and talk to them about what has changed in their business. often times, it’s a solvable issue and can be resolved with firm but polite conversation.
Where it’s a little tougher is if a client’s ad spend is in previously accepted ad spends, but your company has evolved past that style of management.
Smaller budget accounts often require more work, and unless the customer is low involvement (i.e., has acceptable margins), you’ll likely want to gently connect them with a new vendor.
Final Takeaways
SQLing your PPC prospects and clients is a critical part of operational success.
Keeping the criteria in place, and sticking to it, will set you and your business up for scalable growth.
Google announced today that it’s launching a new “Search Themes” feature for its automated Performance Max campaigns.
This addition will allow advertisers to provide more inputs to help steer the AI-powered system.
According to Google, Search Themes help Performance Max find relevant users across Search, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, Maps, and Display. The company says it allows advertisers to tap into Google’s AI while contributing their expertise.
What Does Search Themes Do Different?
Performance Max currently analyzes your budget, assets, feeds, and landing pages to predict valuable placements.
You can fill in gaps with Search Themes by adding specific categories or topics relevant to your business. This provides additional guidance to the system besides what it learns from provided assets and feeds.
Benefits & Use Cases
Google says this feature enables Performance Max to capture search traffic it may be missing. It’s designed for situations where the AI cannot easily discern complex or new information from existing campaign data.
Some examples Google provided of ideal use cases include:
Landing pages with incomplete or outdated product/service details
Expanding into new markets where campaigns lack performance history
Promoting new holiday promotions without historical data
Reaching comprehensive coverage on crucial business themes
Key Details
Advertisers can add up to 25 search themes per ad group within a Performance Max campaign. The themes will be treated like phrases and broad match keywords in regular Search campaigns. Brand exclusions and account-level negative keywords will still apply.
Search Themes can be input at the ad group level within a campaign. The AI will then match relevant search queries and placements with these themes. This allows Performance Max to expand its reach to inventory Google wouldn’t have otherwise determined as relevant.
More About Google Ads Performance Max
Performance Max campaigns utilize Google’s artificial intelligence to automatically find high-performing ad placements across search, display, YouTube, and Gmail.
The campaigns optimize themselves over time based on conversion data. Performance Max was launched in 2020 as a new simplified campaign type that only requires a budget and assets from advertisers.
Search Themes Now Available In Beta
Search Themes is now available in beta for all Performance Max campaigns. Google is positioning it as a direct response to advertiser requests for more control over the automated system.
Early feedback from pilot testers has been positive. Google plans to add more robust search term insights and guidance around utilizing search themes in 2024.
Google has launched a new advertising product called AR Beauty Ads, which allows beauty brands to promote their products using augmented reality (AR) technology. The interactive ads feature virtual try-on capabilities that aim to showcase items in a more engaging way.
AR Beauty ads are now available for lip and eye makeup products, with foundation products being added soon. In place of a static product image, brands can display a customized try-on experience tailored to each user.
When browsing or searching for beauty items, users may now encounter these immersive ads that invite them to virtually “try on” lipstick, eyeshadow, and other cosmetics. This provides a personalized preview of products while brands receive the benefit of more interactive promotions.
According to Google, early tests of this technology indicate that shoppers are more likely to spend time on a brand’s website and consider purchases after engaging with AR-enabled ads.
The launch of AR Beauty ads represents a significant expansion of Google’s existing suite of AR beauty tools. The company first introduced virtual try-on capabilities nearly three years ago, beginning with lipstick. Since then, AR-based shopping for other products like eyeshadow, foundation, and hair color has grown in popularity.
This growth has led more major brands to partner with Google on AR experiences. Over 50 beauty companies now leverage Google’s AR technology, including L’Oreal, MAC Cosmetics, Fenty Beauty, and more. The platform has also expanded the number of third-party data providers it works with to create digital assets.
New AR Tools for Hair Color and Foundation
Alongside AR Beauty ads, Google is bringing many of its AR try-on experiences to mobile browsers. Previously limited to the Google app, these tools will now be accessible across more touchpoints. This increases the reach and visibility of AR beauty features for both consumers and brands.
Starting today, Google is introducing a new AR beauty category that allows shoppers to try on hair colors virtually. When browsing at-home hair dyes from L’Oreal brands, shoppers can see how different shades might look on their hair or a diverse range of models.
An updated foundation try-on feature is also being rolled out. Rather than just viewing foundation shades on preset models, shoppers can now virtually apply them to their faces for a personalized preview.
These new AR tools will be available on the Google app and mobile browsers, expanding their reach substantially. The company plans to bring virtual try-on capabilities for eye makeup and lip products to the mobile web over the coming weeks.
More Brands Embrace AR with Google
As AR beauty features become more popular with shoppers, Google states that more brands are leveraging these technologies to better connect with consumers. According to the company, shoppers are more likely to spend time on a brand’s site and potentially purchase after engaging with AR beauty tools.
Over 50 major beauty brands now offer virtual try-ons through AR on Google, including L’Oreal, MAC Cosmetics, Fenty Beauty, and more. Google has also expanded the number of data providers it works with to create digital assets for AR experiences.
And now, brands have a new option to promote their products using AR – Google is introducing AR Beauty ads. Advertisers can replace static product images with interactive virtual try-on previews.
With these latest advancements, Google aims to transform the online shopping experience for both consumers and brands in the beauty industry.
Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc., held its third quarter 2023 earnings call, offering insights into how its major products and services are performing.
Specifically, the earnings call transcript reveals how Alphabet’s investments in AI and new generative search capabilities positively impact its business, with implications for marketers and advertisers.
Search Ads
Google Search ads remain Alphabet’s most significant revenue driver, with Search and other ad revenues up 11% year-over-year to $44 billion.
Growth was led by the retail sector, where AI-powered solutions like Performance Max optimize ad campaigns across Google properties and are helping retailers drive conversions and ROI.
For the holiday season, Google will provide retail marketers with planning tools and insights to capture seasonal shopper demand.
It will also boost the number of deals in Search to connect users with relevant promotions.
New ad formats powered by generative AI will create customized, high-quality ads for every step of the search journey.
Overall, marketers are embracing AI-powered Search ad products, with nearly 80% already using at least one.
Video Ads
YouTube advertising revenues grew 12% year-over-year to $8 billion, driven by brand and direct response demand. Connected TV watch time and monetization are increasing, cementing YouTube’s position as the top streaming destination.
This includes expansions to formats like Video Reach Campaigns and new ad offerings like Demand Gen Campaigns. Such innovations drive lower cost per action and more reach and views for advertisers.
The subscription business also saw substantial revenue growth, primarily reflecting subscriber gains for YouTube TV and YouTube Music Premium.
Google Bard And SGE
Alphabet invests heavily in generative AI across Search, cloud, and other products.
Bard, the experimental conversational interface to large language models, can now provide personalized answers by incorporating information from multiple Google services.
The Search Generative Experience (SGE) applies generative AI to enhance Search similarly. Direct user feedback has been positive, with increasing adoption as the capability rolls out to more markets.
While still early, SGE creates opportunities to serve a broader range of search needs and generate multiple high-quality perspectives.
Google also plans to test new ad formats, giving advertisers a chance to connect with customers through generative AI search features.
What This Means For Marketers
Alphabet’s earnings showcase a company leaning into AI-driven innovation to accelerate productivity and creativity in search and video advertising campaigns.
As Alphabet improves upon products like Bard, SGE, and Performance Max, marketers could benefit from enhanced ad personalization, creativity, and productivity.
But advertisers must also be prepared for disruption and adaptation to changes that protect user privacy and AI automation that propels changes across the digital marketing landscape.
By leveraging Google’s AI capabilities while monitoring their impact, advertisers can make the most of new ad opportunities and experiences that build brand awareness and maximize ROI.
To tackle user privacy concerns, Google will test a new IP Protection feature during a phased rollout for Chrome users to safeguard their identities online.
What Is IP Protection?
Initially introduced as “Gnatcatcher,” IP protection proposes to mask users’ original IP addresses by routing their web traffic through privacy proxies.
The goal is to limit cross-site tracking and safeguard individual identities online.
Why Users Need To Safeguard IP Addresses
The advent of IP Protection comes in response to growing concerns over covert tracking techniques, which involve utilizing IP addresses to identify users without explicit consent.
The feature forms part of Google’s broader effort to establish a comprehensive privacy ecosystem that addresses user needs while maintaining the web’s functionality and safety.
How IP Protection Works
Users interested in leveraging this feature will initially need to opt in.
Once enabled, IP Protection will target specific domains for tracking user behavior.
As reported by Bleeping Computer, IP Protection Phase 0 testing will involve only Google-owned domains and U.S.-based IP addresses.
The list includes notable services like Gmail and Google Voice and older domains like plus.google.com and orkut.com.
Google will deploy a single company-owned proxy server in Phase 0, responsible for the initial routing.
Future updates will incorporate a more complex 2-hop proxy system for further privacy fortifications.
The experimental rollout will be phased to allow room for adaptation and fine-tuning. It suggests that Google is cautious about the impact of IP Protection and plans to evolve the feature based on user feedback.
When Will It Be Available In Google Chrome?
According to The Privacy Sandbox timeline, IP Protection is in the early phase/incubation stage.
A help page for Google Chrome Enterprise and Education users notes that the Phase 0 rollout could appear as early as Chrome 122.
The Chrome 122 schedule denotes a Beta Promotion date of Wed, Jan 24, 2024, and a Stable Release date of Tue, Feb 20, 2024.
This new feature could significantly impact how privacy, tracking, and online advertising intersect.
Even more important than investing in PPC is investing in effective PPC management.
Many components make up a PPC management strategy.
Whether you’re a marketer just getting started in PPC, or a brand that’s looking to invest in PPC management, read on to learn:
What PPC management is.
Why you need PPC management.
How to get the most out of your PPC management.
What Is PPC Management?
PPC management is the process of creating, executing, and optimizing a brand’s PPC strategy.
There are several key responsibilities and duties within PPC management to deliver effective and efficient campaign results.
Some key aspects of PPC management include:
Keyword research.
Audience research.
Competitive analysis.
Identifying target channels.
Ad creation.
Budget monitoring & optimization.
Landing page optimization.
Performance reporting.
Ongoing testing & campaign optimization.
Keyword Research
The goal of performing keyword research for PPC campaigns is to identify relevant and high-converting keywords that align with the company’s product or service.
Once keyword research has been completed, the next step is to organize them into succinct themes for campaigns.
Audience Research
This type of research can help pull additional levers in Google Ads campaigns. When conducting audience research, try to identify key traits of the core audience persona:
Gender.
Location.
Age range.
What digital channels they’re active in.
Online purchase and browsing habits.
And more.
With Google Ads, demographic attributes like the ones above can be layered onto PPC campaigns for a more targeted approach.
The result?
Higher quality users and engagement out of PPC campaigns.
Competitive Analysis
Keeping track of top competitors is a core component of PPC management.
Competitive analysis should not be performed just once but on a regular basis. PPC marketers can use 3rd party tools such as the ones listed above in keyword research.
If you think that budget monitoring is simply ensuring that campaigns aren’t going over budget, you are mistaken!
Each campaign and advertising channel will have different daily budgets, bidding strategies, goals, and key performance indicators (KPIs).
It’s important to keep track of individual campaign performance to not only monitor the budget, but shift budget accordingly.
If a handful of campaigns are performing well but are constrained by budget, make sure to fully fund those campaigns and reduce the budget for underperforming campaigns.
Landing Page Optimization
Campaign optimization doesn’t stop after a user clicks.
You’ve spent all this time and effort perfecting and managing campaigns, only to find that users aren’t converting like you’ve hoped.
This is why landing page optimization is an underrated element of PPC management.
Landing page optimization ensures that the landing pages from ads are relevant, user-friendly, and optimized for conversions.
A proper landing page should address the specific needs of a user based on their search and intent.
The purchase experience should be as frictionless as possible, not only from the navigation but from the speed of the page.
Performance Reporting
PPC performance should always be measured from the start. It allows you to identify what’s working, what’s not, and where to take action.
Tools such as Google Looker Studio have a variety of dashboard templates available.
Once your data sources are connected to those templates, you can customize reports however necessary for optimal impact.
As part of PPC management, performance reporting measurement should be rooted in the company’s goals. These could include:
Cost per acquisition.
Conversion rate.
Return on investment.
Revenue.
Blending the data between PPC campaigns and the ultimate purchase is important because those goals will guide the analysis of what is performing well.
Ongoing Testing & Campaign Optimization
Once campaigns are set up and launched, it’s time to sit back and let the systems learn.
However, part of proactive PPC management is leaning into data, and early and consistently testing elements of a campaign.
This could include testing items like:
Ad copy.
Landing pages.
Bid strategies.
Audiences.
Remember – don’t try to test too many things at once. Ideally, testing one element at a time is the best route to understand what’s making an impact.
Other regular campaign reviews and optimization should include the following:
Reviewing bid strategy performance.
Campaign budgets and limitations.
Keyword performance.
Search term report review.
Negative keyword research.
And more.
Why Use PPC Management?
If you’re spending any amount of money on PPC advertising, some sort of PPC management is required. This could be executed in a few ways:
In-house PPC management.
Hiring a PPC management agency.
Before diving into how to choose the best option, let’s take a look at some of the top benefits of PPC management.
1. PPC Management Saves Money
Sounds counterintuitive, right?
How does paying for PPC management save money if you’re already spending money on ads?
In the long run, a well-executed PPC management strategy saves money in the monitoring and optimization of campaigns.
If campaigns were launched and allowed to run wild, you’re likely burning cash quickly. Effective PPC management can not only save money, but it can help make money.
2. PPC Management Saves Time
The time savings from PPC management are yielded in multiple areas:
Hiring someone for PPC management allows you to focus on other projects or growth areas.
Testing hypotheses via PPC campaigns typically yields results faster than any other channel – allowing for faster action.
Those are just a few examples of areas of time-saving.
3. PPC Management Helps Grow Other Channels
It’s no secret that investing in PPC advertising can allow brands to grow quickly.
However, PPC performance does not live in a silo.
In fact, PPC can be used to help drive insights for other channels, such as SEO. For example, PPC can help inform of long-tail, lower volume but high-converting searches.
If your brand is in a highly competitive industry, shifting some SEO efforts to those niche areas could be fruitful for overall business growth.
Additionally, investing in PPC advertising can help improve brand recognition over time, which can help reduce the reliance on paid media over time.
How To Get The Best Out Of PPC Management
As mentioned above, there are two common ways to go about PPC management: hiring someone in-house or outsourcing to a PPC management agency.
Let’s examine the key differences between each method to determine what route is best for your company.
In-House PPC Management
Hiring an in-house PPC manager means that they work directly for the company, usually on a salary basis.
The biggest cost for in-house PPC management is typically from maintaining the proper staff.
Depending on the needs, an individual can be hired specifically for PPC management or for a variety of marketing tasks.
Consider weighing factors such as time when determining an in-house role.
If this individual will be performing other marketing tasks, how much time can/should be dedicated to PPC? Will this affect the output or quality of other remaining tasks?
PPC Management Company
Hiring a dedicated management agency is no small feat. The costs associated with hiring an agency will vary widely based on their preferred models.
Some agencies prefer to set monthly retainer rates, while others will charge based on a percentage of ad spend.
Typically, the PPC agency will handle most, if not all, components of your PPC advertising.
However, it’s important to have a key contact in-house to work closely with the chosen agency to ensure clear communications and objectives are being shared.
Choosing The Best Option For PPC Management
In-house management and agency management both have their pros and cons.
Deciding which route to take will be completely individualized to each company, but there are some key areas to remember to get the most out of your PPC management.
Proven track record of expertise. Do your research on an individual or an agency before hiring. Look for client testimonials, published case studies, and the industries they’ve worked in. Make sure their industry knowledge fits with the needs of your company. An inexperienced hire may lead to delayed performance if training is required.
Knowledge of PPC platforms. Finding someone (or a team) who knows the ins and outs of PPC platforms is crucial. An experienced resource will likely understand the business needs and nuances to deliver effective results. Make sure to check their knowledge of different platforms like Google and Microsoft Ads, along with other social advertising platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and more.
A mixture of strategy and execution. Not only should your PPC management resources know how to use the platforms, but they should also ensure their strategy is aligned with the proper campaigns. For example, if your budget is limited and you’re focused on lower funnel users to start, a recommendation of testing video ads right away is a red flag. Additionally, the resource should know advanced campaign settings from the start.
Transparency and communication. Clear and kind communication is vital in any professional partnership. Ensuring your resource is transparent upfront about strategies, costs, and results is important. Make sure that their response time is acceptable to your needs as well.
Carefully evaluating the above factors can set you up for success with whomever you hire as a reliable PPC management resource.
At the end of the day, you’ll get the most out of PPC management when the resource’s experience aligns with your goals to help achieve success in your PPC campaigns.
In Summary
PPC management is an equal mixture of strategy and tactical execution.
From the initial research and setup to optimizing campaigns, PPC management is vital to any campaign’s short- and long-term success.
Choosing the right PPC management resource takes time and effort, but should be viewed as an investment in the company’s overall growth.
This in-depth look into PPC management can serve as a guide to kickstart your PPC campaign success.
Organic (search engine optimization) and paid search (or pay-per-click) have enough technical intricacies and strategic aspects to them to start with.
Keyword cannibalization is an issue that can make them even harder — and one that can be overlooked if your search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) efforts are siloed, contained within separate teams, or otherwise are not integrated to a level that allows you to understand, manage, and minimize it.
Keyword cannibalization is when there’s a conflict or overlap in your content, strategy, ads, or in how a search engine interprets them.
That conflict can cause unintended negative consequences ranging from creating competition with your own brand for search engine results page (SERP) space to having content ranking that isn’t the strongest option for the user intent desired.
It can happen within organic search, paid search ads, or between SEO and PPC. This article focuses on the latter, with SEO vs. PPC.
Avoiding keyword cannibalization between SEO and paid search campaigns is crucial to ensuring that cross-channel efforts are working in tandem in order to maximize your online visibility and get the most out of your marketing budget.
Keyword cannibalization in this sense can occur when paid and organic listings are competing for the same keywords, which often leads to paying for clicks on ads that you could get organically.
First, determine which keywords you are bidding on in your paid search campaign. You can find these keywords in the Search Terms Report within your Google Ads account.
This is a great resource to use because the platform allows you to track which keywords you are ranking for organically on your website, along with the average position and what pages appear for different search results.
Once you can identify those keywords, cross-check them against your organic keyword rankings.
There are a few different tools and metrics you can use to help with this process.
Tools: Google Ads, Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Semrush (keyword research tool), and Screaming Frog (Website Crawlers) are all tools that can help with identifying keyword cannibalization.
Metrics: Impressions, clicks, click-through rate, and conversions are metrics that can be used as signs that first indicate that there is a problem across your paid and organic search campaigns.
Signs That You Are Cannibalizing Your Keywords
As mentioned above, there are a few metrics you can look at that are often used as early signs to identify if you are cannibalizing your keywords.
If you notice that your:
Organic CTR Is Decreasing
A decline in organic click-through rate (CTR) can be a red flag. The drop in organic CTR can be caused by multiple pages ranking for the same keyword.
When users are presented with similar options in their search results, trying to distinguish between the pages can lead to confusion.
Clicks Are Increasing
You wouldn’t usually assume that an increase in clicks for both your paid and organic search campaigns is something to be of concern – but this, too, can be an early sign of keyword cannibalization.
You will be able to recognize this concern if the increase in clicks is tracked across multiple pages that are targeting the same keyword.
The performance of each individual page will be negatively impacted and can lead to less traffic on your site.
Ad Conversions Are Increasing While Overall Conversions Remain The Same
Before you start celebrating the increase in PPC conversions, check to ensure you’re not paying for what you used to get for free.
An easy way to tell if you’re buying conversions from yourself is if the overall number of conversions isn’t increasing at a similar rate as your paid conversions. You’ll likely also see a significant decline in the number of organic conversions.
Monitoring these metrics regularly will help you identify any unusual inconsistencies across your campaigns and efforts and help detect the early stages of keyword cannibalization.
Once you are able to identify and eliminate current keyword cannibalization, you can take preventative steps to avoid it between your future paid and organic search campaigns/efforts.
If you have separate teams or agencies managing your SEO and PPC efforts, ensure they communicate and coordinate their keyword strategies.
Ensure that your teams understand the importance of avoiding keyword cannibalization and the potential consequences.
Encourage the sharing of insights and data between teams to align efforts effectively.
Keyword Research And Segmentation
Conduct thorough keyword research to identify high-potential keywords for both SEO and PPC.
Assign specific keywords and keyword groups to each strategy to avoid overlap.
Segment your keyword list into distinct categories or groups based on user intent, relevance, and competition.
Consider targeting long-tail keywords in your SEO efforts, which are more specific and less likely to conflict with broad, high-competition keywords used in PPC.
Use Negative Keywords In PPC
In your PPC campaigns, use negative keywords to exclude specific terms that you’re targeting in your SEO efforts.
Negative keywords prevent your PPC ads from showing up for certain search queries, reducing the chances of cannibalization.
Monitor And Adjust
Continuously monitor the performance of your SEO and PPC campaigns.
Use analytics tools to track which keywords are driving traffic and conversions for both channels.
Adjust your strategies and keyword targeting based on performance data.
Conduct periodic audits to identify and rectify any instances of keyword cannibalization.
Adjust your strategies and keyword targeting as needed.
Conclusion
Keyword cannibalization is often a hidden issue – especially when search strategy isn’t unified across paid and organic channels.
Even when it is integrated strategically, you can end up in a situation where cannibalization causes hidden issues or hinders performance.
Understanding keyword cannibalization within a channel is often much easier than detecting it and seeing a direct impact across paid and organic channels.
I highly recommend digging into it within your SEO and PPC campaigns and efforts to make sure you’re getting the performance and return you expect.
Part of what makes digital advertising challenging is that UIs change just as constantly as algorithms.
It can be tough to stay on top of all the changes and tasks required for peak account performance.
While these may be known to some, they represent the most common “hidden levers” I see in account audits.
Hidden Lever #1: Competitor Audiences
When someone seeks a product, what triggers their search?
Which brands do they gravitate towards for research, exploration, or confirmation?
How do these interactions shape their eventual purchasing decision?
An often-overlooked gem in the consumer intent space is “competitor audience segment” targeting.
Found under the audience manager, this tool enables advertisers to include websites frequently visited by their target audience.
This option is integrated into Performance Max (PMAX) and display campaigns but is not yet available for standalone search targeting, which is a tad disappointing.
You can list multiple websites or customer segments. Google then identifies users who’ve visited those sites (or similar ones) as prime targets for your ads.
Pair this with a placement exclusion list to ensure you’re not displaying ads on undesired pages. This could be your own site or potentially a direct competitor’s content.
You’re given the flexibility to either exclude or specifically target a competitor.
The brilliance lies in harnessing your competitor’s marketing efforts and budget, redirecting the interest they’ve cultivated, and potentially turning it into profit for yourself.
In essence, the “competitor audience segment” allows you to strategically position your campaigns, piggybacking off your competitor’s hard work and potentially capturing a share of their audience.
Hidden Lever #2: Using Search Term Filters
Over the years, the utility of the search terms report has waned.
Our visibility into search terms has diminished, making it cumbersome to introduce negative keywords or add new keyword targets, especially for extensive queries.
Image from author, September 2023
Comparing targeted keywords with the actual search terms ensures you’re bidding on the most productive version of the keyword.
As account structures evolve, with a heightened focus on audiences rather than just keywords, the search terms report becomes instrumental in discerning which keywords to prioritize, rather than merely relying on the suggestions from the keyword planner.
To harness this:
Navigate to attributes within your interface.
Filter by attribute and the specific search term in question.
Activate the column that displays the keyword that triggered the search term.
It’s also advisable to incorporate “match type.” This offers insight into the frequency of close variants being activated by your campaigns.
Depending on your campaign type and account structure, a surge in close variants might signal a lack of negative keywords safeguarding your ad groups.
This diagnostic is pivotal to ensure the presence of negative keywords at respective levels, and it seamlessly transitions into our next overlooked feature, which we’ll delve into next.
Hidden Lever #3: Negatives At Every Structural Level
Most seasoned PPC practitioners inherently understand the importance of negative keywords. However, I’ve recently observed a noticeable number of campaigns that either lack negative keywords entirely or employ them sparingly.
Why is the meticulous inclusion of negative keywords pivotal?
Close variants: Negative keywords act as a bulwark against these close variants, ensuring that your ads are being triggered by the most relevant search terms.
Budget optimization: Negative keywords play a crucial role in budget allocation. The vast majority of accounts need to steer the budget from one campaign or ad group to another.
In the absence of well-defined negative keywords, there’s a genuine risk of overspending on less impactful ideas while neglecting the more promising ones.
In summary, while negative keywords might not be a “new” concept for many, their consistent and thoughtful application can make all the difference between a well-optimized campaign and one that misdirects valuable resources.
So, regardless of how basic or advanced you deem this feature, it’s worth revisiting and refining your negatives regularly.
Hidden Lever #4: Audience And Placement Targets & Exclusions
It’s disheartening to audit campaigns and find glaring omissions of audience targets/exclusions or specific placement targets/exclusions.
Such omissions deprive campaigns of possibly their most potent tool to ensure budget precision and meaningful engagement with the ideal customer.
Here’s the breakdown.
Audience Targets
If you’re sidelining the inclusion of audience targets (whether “Target and Observe” or even “Observe” settings), you’re opting into a bigger traffic pool.
The reality is that not everyone is your potential customer.
Interface intricacies sometimes render these settings less evident, which might explain their occasional neglect. However, comprehending their placement is paramount.
Exclusions For Visual Content
Toggle between topics, placements, and content keywords to ensure needed exclusion rather than just defaults.
An additional tool, the “Where and When Ad Served” report (still in open beta for some users), offers insights on which placements to either target or exclude.
For PMAX Campaigns
Audience signals are paramount in the nascent stages of a PMAX campaign but tend to diminish in impact over time.
To tweak these, head to the Asset Group section and click the pencil icon on the right. Once inside, you’ll be equipped to edit your audience signals.
Though the layout is not as intuitive as other campaign types, familiarizing yourself is critical for optimizing Performance Max campaigns.
Remember, blending your data with Google’s signals based on various audience settings can amplify your campaign’s impact.
Audience Library & Manager
This is your gateway to crafting custom audiences. With this, you can integrate interest targets and even upload conversions, paving the way to generate audiences from past converters.
In a nutshell, while these functionalities might not be entirely “hidden,” their full potential is often overlooked.
Delving deep and employing them judiciously can be the difference between a campaign that simply runs and one that truly resonates.
Hidden Lever #5: Ad Group Versus Campaign-Level Settings Across Platforms
Navigating ad settings can be a challenging affair, especially when you’re toggling between various ad networks. Each network has its own hierarchy of campaign and ad group settings, making it easy to miss critical settings.
Let’s delve into this overlooked feature by breaking down the nuances across popular platforms.
Google Ads: Campaign-Centric
Google prioritizes campaign-level settings for schedules, budgets, location targeting, and negatives.
You’ll likely have to set up multiple campaigns with distinct budgets for each objective.
Fewer ad groups per campaign are advisable, usually between five to seven, depending on the volume you’re targeting.
Microsoft Ads: A Blend Of Both
While resembling Google in requiring most settings at the campaign level, Microsoft Ads offers more flexibility at the ad group level.
You can override locations and schedules, and make specific placement choices. This flexibility allows for a more tailored advertising strategy.
Facebook (Meta) Ads: Flexible Objectives
Facebook doesn’t constrain you to campaign or ad group settings. You can opt for either Campaign Budget Optimizer, behaving much like Google Ads, or allocate budget per ad and target.
The approach you choose significantly impacts your spending.
The flexibility means you can support general objectives or perform extensive creative testing but be prepared for varied budgetary implications.
LinkedIn Ads: Ad Set-Focused
LinkedIn prioritizes ad set settings, letting you make most choices at this level. Campaigns generally dictate asset association.
If you’re advertising on LinkedIn, expect to need a robust ad group structure that caters to each major part of your business.
Amazon Ads: Product-Based Budgeting
Amazon’s approach centers around the products you want to promote rather than campaign or ad group settings.
While you’re limited in location targeting, Amazon excels in providing a robust first-party audience network. Your budgeting is driven by product selection.
Regardless of the ad network you’re using, it’s crucial to understand these underlying structures for more effective planning and budget allocation.
Understanding these “hidden” settings can make a significant difference in the efficiency and effectiveness of your advertising campaigns.
Hidden Lever #6: Using Segments For Precision Analysis
Segments allow you to dive into the data of your campaigns. You can dig into:
Network.
Conversion Data.
Time.
Location.
Device.
These segments will help answer whether there are false positives/negatives in the averages.
For example, if you see a seemingly low click-through rate (CTR) or cost per click (CPC) and have Search Partners with Display Expansion turned on, you might be having your numbers skewed.
By using segments, you’ll get a more accurate view of what’s happening in your account and be able to make meaningful optimizations.
Hidden Lever #7: Conversion Tracking
Understanding and optimizing conversion settings can ensure that the data you rely on is both accurate and actionable.
The Importance Of Trustworthy Data
In a modeled tracking landscape, placing confidence in the data you acquire is critical. A typical oversight is the default 30-second window for phone call conversions, which is impractical for most businesses.
A more realistic threshold would be two to three minutes – or even longer for certain sectors.
However, if you don’t adjust that setting, you’re asking for bad data to flow into both your bidding and reporting.
Navigating Primary And Secondary Conversion Settings
Google automatically categorizes conversion actions as primary. While some can’t be modified, others should be adjusted according to business needs.
Primary conversions influence the algorithm and appear in reports.
Secondary conversions are tracked in ‘all conversions’ but don’t impact the algorithm or main reporting metrics.
Configuring Primary And Secondary Settings
Contrary to what one might assume, these settings are adjusted at the “goal level,” and not the “conversion action level.”
Toggling between primary and secondary for each conversion action based on your preferences.
Properly adjusted conversion settings ensure that you’re measuring what truly matters to your business. By filtering by conversion action, you can discern the number and cost of the conversions you deem valuable.
Hidden Lever #8: Hidden Reports
Google Ads is as successful as it is because of the data it affords advertisers. Yet, in recent years, some of those reports have been depreciated or consolidated (making them tougher to action).
While not all of these reports are new or changed, they represent underutilized value:
Change History Report
The Change History report shows every modification made in an account, capturing who made each change. Additionally, it will share whether changes are manual or automatic suggestions from Google.
If there are a lot of auto-recommendations might prompt some advertisers to either switch them off or embrace them, contingent on the performance outcomes.
This report also reveals if the changes are consequential. For instance, seeing only IP exclusions without negative keyword additions or targeting tweaks could indicate the use of fraud-filtering tools but limited attention to campaign strategy.
It’s always best to consult with your team/vendor before jumping to any conclusions, as they may have a good reason for the limited human intervention.
Call Extension Report
This report delves into call details, such as listening to recorded calls (if activated) or assessing call durations. For those not leveraging call tracking, it’s an invaluable window to evaluate the efficacy of calls.
Located under ‘extensions reports,’ this report often gets a ‘wow’ reaction upon discovery and can be a way to diffuse account performance fears with data.
Insight Section & The Search Term Report
Google Ads underwent a redesign that separated core functions and insights. Consequently, the search term report now resides under “insights,” a move not mirrored by Microsoft Ads – yet.
The search term report is a cornerstone for understanding search behaviors and aligning campaign strategies.
Another notable report in this category is the “where and when ads showed, “a beacon for PMAX campaigns, offering respite from typical black-box reporting.
Hidden Lever #9: Shopping Attributes In Merchant Center
Google Merchant Center is often adding new attributes to customize feeds. Building in a once-per-month check-in can help keep you on top of your feed while helping to distinguish you from the competition.
Regularly updating and tailoring your feeds with enriched attributes can significantly boost the effectiveness of your campaign targeting and return on ad spend (ROAS).
Final Takeaways
Mastering every nook and cranny of ad networks may seem daunting. However, these platforms generally make choices based on user data.
Ad networks emphasize impactful changes over a bombardment of minor tweaks.
Notable shifts like the dynamic search ads transitioning towards Performance Max demonstrate the network’s intent to give users ample transition time.
If there’s an ad management aspect you cherish, keep it in regular use and voice your feedback. That might be enough to save the utility.
Microsoft Advertising has launched a comprehensive guide to aid marketers in devising efficient ad strategies for the holiday season.
The guide, “Your Festive Season Marketing Playbook,” aims to assist advertising teams in understanding and responding to evolving customer behaviors and trends as we approach the much-anticipated holiday shopping period.
Early Planning & Clever Budgeting
The guide emphasizes the importance of beginning campaign planning early.
Data from previous years indicates that brands experienced a significant increase in website traffic and purchases during September and October throughout the U.S. and Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region.
These months saw 44% of ad clicks and 40% of conversions at 5% lower cost-per-click (CPC).
As for Australian shoppers, they tend to commence their holiday shopping at the start of November.
Brands should plan their budgets accordingly to leverage the entire holiday season.
The Impact Of October Clicks
The Playbook underscores the vital role October clicks play in holiday conversions.
On average, 67% of purchases in November and 50% in December could be traced back to consumer clicks in October.
Microsoft Advertising recommends using remarketing, in-market audiences, and its automated bidding strategies to capture this segment of deal seekers, who engage in multiple searches before purchasing.
The Rise Of Deal Seeking
Furthermore, the Playbook draws attention to the rising trend of deal-seeking among consumers, particularly in the U.S., where more than two-thirds of shoppers spend considerable time searching for coupons and deals. EMEA-based deal seekers reportedly spend 33% more time on search activities than the average shopper.
The Payoff Of Diversified Ad Strategies
Microsoft’s holiday advertising Playbook highlights the benefits of a diversified ad strategy.
According to data from the Microsoft Advertising Network, 28% of holiday ad clicks come from mobile devices, which account for 22% of total retail conversions.
This insight underscores the importance of a multi-channel approach to reach consumers across different platforms.
Download The Playbook
Marketers seeking to maximize their holiday ad reach and conversion rates can download the Festive Season Marketing Playbook from Microsoft Advertising’s website.
The guide offers actionable tips and insights based on the most recent trends and consumer expectations for the 2023 holiday season.
In the ever-changing social media landscape, many companies ask whether they should focus on organic or paid social media.
Spoiler alert: You’re asking the wrong question.
It is a well-known “rule” of marketing that it takes seven interactions with a brand before a consumer makes a purchase decision.
In addition, more than two-thirds (68%) of consumers have made a purchase through social media.
It’s clear that brands need to have both an organic and paid media strategy.
That being said, creating effective social media strategies is no easy feat.
Whether you’re new to social media strategy or looking for tips to refresh your brand, this guide is for you.
Read on to uncover the differences between organic vs. paid social media, examples of each type of social media marketing approach, and how to create an effective strategy that aligns both.
What Are The Differences Between Organic And Paid Social Media
While you may be tempted to create the same content for organic and paid social media, it’s necessary to distinguish between the two.
Each approach has its own characteristics, advantages, and strategies – but also some common ground. Let’s take a look at the benefits and goals for comparison.
While there is no direct cost associated with organic social media, it’s important to distinguish the indirect costs.
The primary cost of organic social media involves content creation and engagement with followers. With consistent posting and community engagement, you will gradually build an organic following.
To summarize, while organic and paid social media share common ground and goals, there are distinct differences between the two approaches.
What Is Organic Social Media?
Now that we’ve distinguished the key differences between organic and paid social media, let’s dive further into organic social media.
Organic social media is a channel strategy where businesses create and share original content on social media platforms without paying for reach.
The type of content posted can vary per platform and typically consists of a mixture of:
Text posts.
Images.
Videos.
Blog articles.
And more.
Aside from posting branded content, organic social media involves other community engagement, including:
Responding to user comments.
Fostering conversations on the platform(s).
While organic social media doesn’t always provide the reach and targeting of paid social media, it’s still considered a core component of a holistic digital marketing strategy.
So, why is organic social media so important if it doesn’t provide massive reach and conversions?
With organic social media, the primary goal is to engage with the brand’s existing follower base and to build long-term relationships with those customers.
Additionally, organic social media is a place for companies to establish brand voice and authenticity.
Let’s take a look at a few examples of organic social posts from varied brands.
Example 1
In this example, the brand created a listicle article catering to a specific group of women.
Once a user clicks on the post, they’re taken directly to the brand’s website to view the full content.
The brand also engages with user comments and aims to increase website traffic to popular blog posts.
Example 2
In this example, the brand showcases its main product in a lifestyle form.
With many people working remotely, they’re looking to personalize and upgrade their office aesthetics.
This post shows the possibilities and flexibilities of its product in a real-life example.
The social platform X (formerly known as Twitter) is known as a way for brands to keep their content lighthearted while not directly promoting products or services.
The Delta example above does exactly that.
The brand created an interactive word scramble for users, which keeps them engaged. Additionally, users are encouraged to comment, which helps boost engagement and visibility.
These days, brands must get more creative than ever for organic content to stand out.
It’s no secret that organic reach on social media declines every year, making it hard to engage with existing followers and gain new ones along the way.
Enter paid social media.
What Is Paid Social Media?
Paid social media is a tactic that involves promoting content through advertising dollars.
Unlike organic social media, which only reaches existing followers, paid social media allows content to be targeted to specific audiences.
Running social advertising has many benefits, including:
Create content for specific, targeted audiences.
Expand and increase reach in a scalable manner.
Increase overall engagement on the platform.
Works well for short-term goals, such as lead generation or purchases.
The ability to track and measure campaign performance.
Typically, paid social media ads consist of these main formats:
Video ads.
Image ads.
Carousel ads.
Text-only ads.
Video ads can be used across many social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and more.
Each platform has its own inventory for sponsored ads, such as:
Newsfeed.
Stories.
Reels.
Sidebar sections.
And more.
Some brands decide to create dedicated content for different audiences and platforms, while others decide to boost organic content to a wider audience.
Below are a few examples of brands and how they use paid social advertising.
Example 1
Ironically, this is paid advertising at its finest.
The example above is promoting the primary B2B advertising platform, encouraging relevant businesses to advertise with it.
Example 2:
Image from Clinique, August 2023
This example shows a screenshot of a Snapchat video ad. This ad type is strategically placed while users watch their friends’ Snapchat stories as a way to promote new products.
The ads have a strong CTA placement at the bottom and a clickable product highlight in the lower left-hand corner.
Example 3
The last example is the form of an Instagram video ad placed within a user’s newsfeed.
It would seem video ads are the go-to format lately, as it’s difficult to find static image ads in the wild.
The video ad also includes a clickable Shop Now button and allows users to like, comment, or share the ad for further engagement.
How To Create A Strategy To Align Paid And Organic Social Media
Now the fun part begins: creating a cohesive strategy inclusive of both organic and paid social media.
As mentioned earlier, a social media strategy should not be an “either/or” mindset.
It will take a consistent, holistic strategy that encompasses the advantages of both arenas.
Let’s break down the steps to developing a sound strategy that integrates both approaches for maximum value.
Step 1: Define Your Goals
This may go without saying, but goals are essential to any strategy.
Without goals, there’s no guidance or direction to provide feedback on what’s working and what’s not.
Before establishing channel goals, the ‘big picture’ business goals need to be established.
From there, specific goals are defined for each channel, including both organic and paid social media. These could include:
It’s important to note which approach will contribute to each goal to help define success and keep note of that.
Step 2: Identify & Leverage Your Target Audience
Understanding your target market is crucial, especially for social media efforts.
It’s not just about uncovering the demographic components of your audience, but also about identifying behavior trends and where they spend time online.
Researching this information ahead of time will guide both organic and paid social media efforts to ensure you’re reaching the right people on the right platform.
Once your target audience(s) is identified, you can then use these components to build relevant audience lists for paid social media campaigns to reach new users.
Part of step two is to identify where your target audience spends time online. Once that’s been identified, it’s time to align those platforms with your strategy.
Selecting the right social media platforms is so important, especially for organic social media.
While it’s typically easier to run paid social campaigns on multiple platforms, establishing an authentic organic presence on each chosen platform can be time-consuming and tricky – especially if it’s a platform your brand hasn’t used before, or if it’s not 100% aligned with your business goals.
Different platforms cater to different audiences and content formats, so choose wisely based on your audience and business goals.
Not all chosen platforms have to utilize organic and paid approaches, and that’s okay!
After identifying your platforms, the hard part kicks in: content themes.
Again, depending on your overall business goals and audiences, the content produced on each platform, and each approach, could be similar or completely different.
What’s most important is creating a content strategy consistent with your brand identity. This should include certain themes, topics, messages, and even imagery or video aesthetics.
For example, while organic content may focus on keeping people engaged on the platform, the paid content may be promoting a certain offer.
The content is different, but keeping a similar theme, style, and language helps new users associate and remember your brand quickly.
Step 4: Plan And Segment Organic & Paid Content
Now that you have chosen your content themes, it’s time to plan and schedule content.
From an organic standpoint, this could include a mix of:
Images.
Videos.
Polls.
Stories
Etc.
Remember – organic content should provide value and focus on engagement.
Creating a content calendar is a great way to keep the team organized, especially if multiple teammates are responsible for managing social.
That being said, it’s important to do your research and test posting at different times of the day, days of the week, etc., to determine when engagement is most likely to occur.
From a paid social media perspective, aligning campaigns with the organic content calendar is a great way to synergize efforts and identify if or where paid social ads need to fill any particular calendar gaps.
An example of aligning paid social campaigns to the overarching business goals could be running ads for a new product launch or a huge sale.
These types of efforts can help boost immediate sales or demand while also helping strengthen the brand organically for the long haul.
Step 5: Create, Launch, & Optimize Campaigns
This step particularly focuses on paid social campaigns; however, the optimization and analysis can and should be done for both approaches.
Once steps one to four have been completed, this should make setting up paid campaigns a breeze (hopefully!).
Remember, each platform utilizes different ad formats, so the paid content should have been done in steps two and three.
Utilize the targeted personas created early on to build specific audiences in each platform.
While there are many audience-building similarities between social media platforms, each has nuances and specifications to keep in mind.
The audience targets in each platform should help guide campaign budgets, while the content of the ads should guide the campaign objectives.
For example, if you have a target audience of 500,000 users, a $20 daily budget likely won’t cut it to see significant results.
Additionally, if your goal is quality lead generation, the campaign objective likely shouldn’t be set to ‘awareness’ or ‘reach.’
Once campaigns have been built and launched, it’s time to watch and learn.
Typically, campaigns take a few days in a learning phase to identify what’s performing well and what needs to be improved. The learning phase will differ based on multiple factors, including audience size and budget.
It’s important to let the campaigns learn before taking any significant action (unless you see something dire, like a grammatical error or incorrect audience targeting).
Regularly reviewing the performance metrics of both organic and paid content should be part of the plan, and not done in silos.
In the early stages of creating your social media strategy, each approach should have key performance indicators (KPIs) associated with it, and this is where regular analysis comes in.
Significant learnings can be applied from one approach to another, and cross-channel learnings help adjust your strategy based on what’s working and what’s not.
Summary
Understanding the distinctions and synergies between organic and paid social media is crucial for building a well-rounded online presence.
While organic efforts prioritize brand authenticity, engagement, and nurturing connections, paid social media can provide targeted and expanded reach, and quick short-term results that are scalable over time.
Both approaches are vital components of a comprehensive marketing strategy.
Once you’ve nailed the basics, aligning your organic and paid social media strategies can enable your brand to establish a strong, consistent, and authentic identity in the ever-changing digital landscape.
