Rethinking the marketing funnel: Top of funnel paid search advertising

Presented at BrightonSEO's Search & Social Advertising show on 3rd October 2024, Sophie challenges the way we all think about the marketing funnel. Asking, with paid search traditionally known as a lower funnel strategy, how can we reframe our mindsets, strategies, and perceptions to create successful and effective upper funnel PPC strategies?

Transcript

1. Rethinking the marketing funnel: Top of funnel paid search advertising Sophie Fell TWO TREES PPC @sophiefellppc /sophiefellx speakerdeck.com/sophiefell
2. AWARENESS consideration conversion #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
3. What is this, actually? #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
4. AKA: Google help me #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
5. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc how do people search for questions online? 2020 DATA Source: Neil PATEL DIGITAL Search Engines 98% Social Media 1% Search Engines 61% AI Chatbots 30% Social Media 7% Other 2% 2024
6. DATA Source: https://lunio.ai/statistics/google-search-statistics/ #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc Not Questions 92% Questions 8%
7. “dogs eats grass and vomits?” “THIS IS HOW YOU CAN HELP THE DOG” image cred: boris beceric
8. AWARENESS consideration conversion GOOGLE HELP ME #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
9. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc competitor ads
10. WHY hasn’t ppc successfully driven awareness before? #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
11. ... it doesn’t work. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
12. *insert more thoughtful answer here* #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
13. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc conversion-oriented no discovery process - we have to wait money in ≠ money out doesn’t generate quick reach at scale lack of attribution
14. why is social & video so good at driving awareness? #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
15. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc a wealth of targeting options discoverable via hashtags, topics, trends product in use & lifestyle imagery product information & detail interactive content formats
16. DIVERSIFICATION IS CRITICAL #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
17. *quick disclaimer* #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
18. why? regulation changes & laws PRIVACY SETTINGS & PREFERENCES product changes & evolutions ALGORITHM PREFERENCES #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
19. the ideal tof strategy for search ads #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
20. BUT FIRST... A POP QUIZ #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
21. remember: generic does not (necessarily) mean: vAGUE BROAD or broad match LACK OF intent long tail #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
22. how do we find the right questions to address with our ads? #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
23. which problems can you solve & what questions you can answer with your product or service? #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
24. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
25. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc when where which why how what can are
26. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc answerthepublic.com alsoasked.com
27. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc “the team helped me to...” “with [x], i could [y]...” “i no longer struggle with...” “this made [x] easier...”
28. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
29. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
30. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
31. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc how can i get more done at work? where can i learn delegation skills online? how to automate monthly reporting how to automate payroll where can i buy custom product packaging?
32. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc what are the best natural solutions for back pain? how much pocket money should i give my 10 year old? which trainers are best for treadmill runs? what can i give my 5 year old for a cough? where’s the best nail salon in [area]?
33. HOW CAN WE EFFECTIVELY ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS USING PPC? #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
34. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc granular (closely themed) ad groups create a seperate campaign use a seperate budget (5-10% of total) use target impression share bidding
35. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc offer a direct answer or solution in headlines consider dynamic keyword insertion pin headlines to create a coherant response
36. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc use business names & logos add relevant images to the ad group level use reviews in content or review exts. add price & promo assets sitelinks, callouts & structured snippets will offer additional content and context
37. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
38. how should we measure this stuff? #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
39. VIEWABILITY OVER engagement & CONVERSION #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
40. impressions search impression share (sis) search impression share lost (budget) sEARCH IMPRESSION SHARE LOST (RANK) #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
41. #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc google ads reporting
42. your next steps #BRIGHTONSEO @sophiefellppc
43. research relevant search terms & queries Create closely themed ad groups craft ad copy to demonstrate solutions & answer questions define your measurement kpis & set expectations create your new tof campaign
44. optimisations review key metrics such as impressions & SIS review impression share achieved vs target CHeck target is max bids review search term reports keep your ad groups closely themed
45. THANK YOU SOPHIE FELL Director of Paid Media TWOTREESPPC.COM TALK TO US info@twotreesppc.com linktr.ee/sophiefell