Paid Ads Highlights July 3 - 9
Hey! Welcome to our latest newsletter, a curated blend of the latest news in digital marketing, coupled with insights from top thought leaders on LinkedIn.
Let's jump in!
WHAT'S NEW IN THE INDUSTRY
Google is gradually phasing out Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) in favor of Performance Max (PMax) campaigns. The move represents an operational shift for advertisers, demanding a focus on visual placements and a revised success metric due to PMax's top-of-funnel approach. Advertisers must adjust to losses, like inability to exclude specific site parts in PMax, and benefits, like discovering overlooked audiences and better control over used assets.
In a recent SMX Advanced panel, industry experts debated the effectiveness of Performance Max for campaign structure, the role of AI, the potential demise of keywords, and the emerging importance of signals in advertising. They highlighted the need to focus on campaign objectives and goals first, and then build around them. Additionally, they encouraged advertisers to be wary of privacy concerns and the risks associated with providing first-party data, and offered tips for streamlining campaign management like creating task checklists and utilizing custom rules and scripts.
Some marketers are championing Google Analytics 4 (GA4), stating it surpasses Universal Analytics (UA) in aspects such as data accuracy, user-friendliness, and versatility across devices. Tim Barlow, MD of Attacat, and others commend GA4 for its easy customization, accurate tracking despite data loss due to privacy policies, and robust event tracking options. Critics of GA4 point to poor language use in the interface, irrelevant metrics in default reports, and confusing features, attributing much of this to a premature launch.
For SaaS companies looking to distinguish themselves in an increasingly crowded market, effective PPC campaigns can be a game changer. Five strategies to elevate PPC performance include targeting cold audiences who are unfamiliar with the brand, excluding existing customers from ads to conserve budget, using remarketing lists to stay on prospective customers' radar during decision-making stages, engaging in competitor bidding to enhance visibility, and crafting compelling ad copy that highlights the unique value proposition of the brand.
Google Ads has launched a new feature called the Gen Z Music lineup to help advertisers connect more effectively with the 18-24 demographic. This tool identifies trending music among Gen Z consumers and allows advertisers to display their campaigns alongside content featuring these popular songs. Google suggests that this approach positions brands at the forefront of culture, enhancing their appeal to one of the largest online consumer groups.
YouTube is piloting a new feature that allows hyperlinking over single words or phrases in the comment sections, aiming to enhance viewer engagement and brand interactions. These links, which lead to a YouTube search results page, allow the original video to continue playing, thereby minimizing streaming interruptions. However, concerns are raised about potential diversion of viewers to competitor videos. Other updates include increased post visibility on tablets, new reminders for live streams and premieres, and improved channel membership management.
Meta has launched Threads, a new app that mimics Twitter's functionality, with posts up to 500 characters long and the ability to include links, photos, and videos up to 5 minutes long. It aims to operate on a decentralized protocol, promising more user data control, and soon users will have a threads.net username discoverable across apps using ActivityPub. Despite some criticisms from the open social media community, the app is expected to gain significant momentum due to Instagram's wide user base, potentially positioning it as a strong contender to Twitter.
INSIGHTS FROM EXPERTS ON LINKEDIN
Chris Walker emphasizes the key to a successful content strategy in 2023 and beyond is the utilization of market insights, not merely regurgitating existing ideas. He advises the consistent flow of ideas should come directly from customers, and the future of content marketing involves harvesting and unlocking new, non-obvious insights in your space.
领英推荐
Gabriel Ehrlich , shares his successful use of LinkedIn's Spotlight Ads. These ads, which run on desktop and are primarily used for retargeting, are cost-effective and can stand out with creative use of background images and CTAs. Even with a CTR of 0.14%, he highlights the value of these ads due to their low CPM.
Tom Hunt explains how to significantly increase LinkedIn referral traffic without spending much on ads. Strategies include creating engaging content, establishing more company pages for different content franchises, setting up sidebar text ads, promoting customer wins, encouraging CEOs to post regularly, boosting CEO posts to warm audiences, and creating custom audiences from lead lists and website traffic.
Laura Erdem shares insights from a data analysis of 414 B2B companies. Some striking aspects include the length of the customer journey, the impact of company size and location on deals, the significance of the first touch, the role of stakeholders in B2B deals, and the number of touches a B2B buyer makes before purchase. The influence of tracking data on revenue reporting was also noted.
Justin Rowe reveals that a 90-day LinkedIn retargeting campaign can significantly enhance the ROI of LinkedIn Ads, contributing to as much as 70-80% of the results from just 20-30% of the spend. The keys are getting the frequency right, monitoring in-feed frequency if LinkedIn Audience Network is enabled, and creating an evergreen journey of content for prospects. He underscores the importance of constant campaign tweaking, not just setting and forgetting.
Roman Geugelin provides a cheat sheet for B2B revenue operations that includes RevOps basics, benchmarks for key revenue metrics, core frameworks, and best practices for metrics, reporting, and strategy. Additionally, it incorporates RevOps maturity models and the concept of the Revenue Engine Flywheel, offering a comprehensive resource for those interested in maximizing their revenue operations efficiency.
Kristian Simonsen reviews a Metadata.io study on B2B marketing, arguing that B2B is far from the optimal split between brand building and activation. According to Les Binet and Peter Field's recommendation, the split should be 50/50 for optimal growth, as B2B brands respond to share of voice much like B2C brands. He advises marketers to reassess their campaign spending, allocate more budget to brand building, and carefully consider their platform of choice for cost-effectiveness and conversion rates.
Julia Hartwig suggests a reconsideration of bonus allocation in B2B companies, asking whether Marketing teams should also receive bonuses for closed won deals. Her argument centers around aligning Sales and Marketing, specializing Sales roles, and fostering trust among colleagues. These strategies, she suggests, could enhance the ability of teams to sell.
Sebastian Bendix V?ggemose Bendix Vaeggemose observes that many paid advertisers review video ad performance incorrectly, primarily focusing on conversions and ROAS. He suggests a comprehensive review of metrics including spend, reach, impressions, frequency, CPM, clicks, CPC, CTR, through plays, and viewer retention rates. He argues that this detailed approach can help advertisers understand their best-performing creatives, optimize their content strategy, and save significant ad spend.
And that's all for this week! Hope you find this valuable. Please share this newsletter with people who you think would benefit from it!
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DERU Digital is a marketing agency that helps SaaS businesses grow their revenue with PPC and Paid Social.
Weekly Tips for Maximizing Paid Advertising Revenue | Ex Drip & Sleeknote | Studying Economics & Business Administration at Aarhus BSS
1 年Appreciate the shoutout!
$3.8m ARR. $0 raised. I have no idea what I'm doing.
1 年Legend thanks for sharing Deivis :)
Host of the B2B Podcast Frenemies | Growth Marketing @klarx | Digital Marketing | Content creation & strategy | Sales and Marketing Alignment
1 年Thanks for the shout out Deivis Rupslaukis
Finally, Get LinkedIn Ads to Work
1 年Thanks for the shout out!