2024

As a customer receiving personalized messages and emails on birthdays is always exciting. While some brands simply offer wishes, others sweeten the deal with exclusive discounts and offers. Then there are those that take it a step further, celebrating the entire birthday month by sending offers like “Happy Birthday Month! Enjoy X% off when you shop this month.” But where does personalization in digital marketing go further from here? Perhaps it’s through a well-crafted funnel: 1. Starting on the 1st of the birthday month with a discount coupon. 2. If the coupon remains unused, a gentle reminder two days before the birthday: “Your birthday treat awaits at a store nearby. Redeem your coupon now.” 3. Still no action? A message on the actual birthday containing website links or directions to the nearest store for offline shopping. 4. If there’s no response on the big day, a follow-up two days later: “We understand birthdays can be busy. Don’t worry, the offer still stands.” And the cycle continues till the birthday month ends. Birthday message/email to customers isn’t just a gimmick. Experts claim it gets a solid return on investment. The true skill of a digital marketer lies in creating and optimizing such funnels. Funnels not to set and forget, but to set and optimize. Completed 12,784th day on this planet, and another trip around the sun.

Rules to improve an already successful campaign that is performing beyond your expectations. Rule 1: Avoid making changes to the existing performing campaign. Instead, always duplicate or create a new campaign for A/B testing. Rule 2: Follow Rule No. 1. There was a query on one of the Facebook Groups related to Google Ads. The query was: I had a campaign that was performing exceptionally well with a low CPA and a 40% conversion rate. However, I made several changes: – I paused the campaign for two weeks. – I changed landing pages for all the ads – I increased the budget by 50%. – I raised my target CPA by 20% Since then, Google has been providing only around 8-10 clicks per day for the past 3 days. The platform indicates that the campaign is in a learning phase and is restricted by low search volume, despite using the exact same keywords that previously led to success. I am unsure if I messed up. Should I wait to see if the campaign picks up again, or should I consider starting a new campaign? What might I have done wrong in this process? Here’s what went wrong: – Did the user mess up? Yes, big time! – Should they wait for the campaign to recover? No, the damage is done. – Should they start a new campaign? Absolutely, yes! – What went wrong? Did not follow Rule number 1. Making big changes to a well-performing campaign is not good for its health in the long run.  To improve the performance of an already successful campaign on platforms like Google Ads or Meta Ads, consider the following approaches: 1) Start with A/B testing or multi-variant testing. 2) Create a new campaign with the same settings and assets or duplicate the existing campaign with necessary modifications. 3) Launch the new campaign in a different location to avoid competition within the same account. 4) Continue testing until the performance matches or surpasses the original campaign. Avoid pausing the old campaign even if both the campaigns produce same results.  Old campaigns have a lot of data and learning. Approach slowly and gradually. Since both campaigns are producing equal results, look for consistency. The campaign that produces consistent results wins.

Paid Search ≠ Google Ads Paid Search = Intent Google Ads is just a medium. Let me explain. When someone searches on Google, they are expressing a specific intent or need. Whether it is information gathering, product research, or making a purchase, each search reflects a unique user intent. Google Ads is a channel through which your digital marketing efforts are conveyed. The real magic happens when you understand and leverage the intent behind the search. For example: A user searches for “best running shoes.” This search indicates an intent to purchase or, at the very least, consider buying running shoes. Google Ads is just one medium to reach this user. What if this person also uses social media, watches videos, or reads blogs? Successful Digital Marketing is understanding that the initial search on Google is just the beginning. So, how do we capitalize on this search intent? The answer is creating omni-channel campaigns. Omni-channel marketing is all about delivering a consistent message across various online channels to provide a seamless and integrated experience for the user. From the Paid Search perspective, it means understanding the user’s initial intent and nurturing it across different platforms. Let’s go back to our “best running shoes” example. Based on this search intent, you can create targeted remarketing campaigns on social media, display ads on relevant websites, and even integrate video content that highlights the features of the top-rated running shoes. The goal is to stay connected with the user as they sail through different online platforms. By doing so, you are not just relying on Google Ads to convert that intent into a lead; you are actively nurturing it across multiple touchpoints. And here is the beauty of it, as you nurture that search intent, you are increasing the likelihood of turning that initial query into a lead and eventually converting that lead into a paying customer.

A prospective client approaches you to run paid ads for their business. Eager to get started, you decide to take a look at their website first.  But to your dismay, you find that their website is, to put it bluntly, not up to par.  It’s not just subpar; it’s a disaster waiting to happen. Now, as a responsible digital marketer, you understand that no matter how much money is poured into ad campaigns, a poorly designed and non-conversion-friendly website can be a black hole for marketing budgets. But, here is the catch – you don’t want to lose the client. Instead of outright saying no, you offer them a lifeline – a website audit.  While the website audit and the fixes are in progress, what can you do to keep the momentum going? Well, focus on the low-hanging fruits.  Here are a few strategies to consider: 1) Running Native Ads (Facebook lead ads, LinkedIn Lead-Gen Ads) 2) Running Call-Only Ads (Google Ads Call-Only Campaigns) 3) Dedicated One-Page Landing Pages 4) Building Remarketing Lists 5) Building Top-of-the-Funnel Audience 6) Building awareness or educating the audience with Lead Magnets The key here is to promote the brand, create awareness, and engage the audience even in the absence of a fully functional website.  These strategies can act as a bridge until the website is revamped/ready to bring conversions. However, the crucial message here is the website audit.  I’ve seen horror stories of marketers rushing into campaigns without assessing the website’s health first, leading to poor performance and disappointed clients. A campaign with a bad website is a recipe for disaster.  Always, and I mean ALWAYS, conduct a thorough website audit before starting paid campaigns.

The burning question is whether you should remove underperforming locations from your Performance Max Campaigns or leave it to the magic of machine learning.  It’s a dilemma that performance marketers struggle with, and there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Now, based on my experience here is what I recommend.  If you notice a contrast between the performance of two groups of locations – one thriving, and the other struggling over an extended period, it might be time to consider creating separate campaigns. The idea is to remove the underperforming locations from the performing ones and allocate a smaller budget to a dedicated campaign for those struggling locations. Here is the reasoning behind this approach.  Performance Max Campaigns often allocate the majority of the budget to locations that are already performing well. This is of course to maximize results in locations that are delivering the best outcomes. However, the downside is that underperforming locations might not receive the attention that they need to improve.  Hence, the suggestion is to create a separate campaign with a smaller budget for those underperforming locations. Now, you might be wondering, does this strategy actually work?  Well, from my own experience, separating campaigns for underperforming locations did yield positive results. Maybe not phenomenal, but the return on ad spend was marginally positive. NOTE: You should only go down this path if you have the budget for experimenting. If your budget is tight, a simpler solution might be to exclude the underperforming locations from the campaign altogether. Another point to keep in mind is that you should only stop underperforming location campaigns if, even after receiving a dedicated budget, they still don’t show signs of improvement.  Just about being strategic and data-driven in decision-making.