For many advertisers, marketing approaches tend to focus on those “tried and true” methodologies that prove out performance, time and time again. These methodologies most often include search and social media platforms, where performance is high and costs are low. However, since each platform is separate from the other, it is harder to ascertain if one strategy is working better than the other; having to navigate multiple platforms adds time to a trader’s day, where they can be using their time more efficiently looking at all strategies at once.
By activating an omni-channel approach within one platform, traders can optimize and get ‘out of the weeds,’ so to speak, allowing them to look more holistically at the media strategy they’re using to gain/attract more customers. Traders can think deliberately and really make sure they’re showing their ads to the right person, at the right time, to eliminate as much waste as possible, all the while growing their customer base. As customers travel through the funnel/purchase journey, it is always recommended to enact various strategies that attract them at various points of their journey.
Each Methodology Services a Different Part of the Funnel
When thinking about bringing users into and through the purchase journey, advertisers should be utilizing different approaches at different times, depending on the intent of the user.
At the top of the funnel are branding/awareness initiatives – advertisers should look to these sorts of initiatives when looking to stir up interest amongst brand new customers, who may not know much about the particular products/services being offered. These potential customers, based on the targeting parameters assigned to the campaign, could fit into the advertiser’s target audience, could be reading content particular to the product/service, and thereby could be customers the advertiser would want to learn more about.
In the middle of the funnel are consideration/intent initiatives – these initiatives are utilized after a user has been qualified as interested in your product/service. Once they have shown significant interest in learning more, advertisers should tailor their ads’ messaging to drive users to want to continue to learn more, and show that they may be interested in actually purchasing the goods/service being advertised. These users become more and more valuable as they move down the funnel, and should be targeted more acutely than the top-of-the-funnel users.
Search and social and lower-funnel methodologies, are designed to bring those users who have already shown a great interest in your product, down to the end of the purchase journey, as these users are most likely to want to perform the action you’re looking for them to perform (check out, add to cart, etc.). These methodologies should be run in tandem with a retargeting audience strategy, whereby users who have previously visited the advertiser’s site, engaged with any part of the product journey are targeted with a very specific ad, asking them to return to the site to complete their action.
Long story short, don’t ‘put all your eggs in one basket’ – diversify your media strategy to make sure you’re not only capturing brand new customers but driving those who have shown interest in your products/services down the funnel via an omni-channel media approach.
