What to do when the vast majority of your conversions come from branded keywords, despite a limited budget?

What to do when the vast majority of your conversions come from branded keywords?

It’s a scenario that can occur in paid media campaigns. If this happens to you, these should be the strategies to focus on as your first line of defence.

Reallocate the budget. If non-branded campaigns are not generating the desired conversions, they may need a larger budget to compete effectively. Redistribute part of the budget from branded campaigns to these campaigns to see if additional investment can make a difference.

Optimise your non-branded campaigns. Ensure they are well-targeted and directed at the right audience. Refining geographical, demographic, and device segmentation can be crucial. Review the ad copy and creatives, ensuring they are appropriate and relevant to your audience. Don’t forget to review your keywords, adding ones with sufficient volume and negatives to attract traffic that is more likely to convert.

Another important tactic is retargeting. Implement retargeting campaigns for those users who have already interacted with your site. This can help recover those lost opportunities and increase conversions from your non-branded campaigns.

Constantly run A/B tests with different ad formats, messages, and segmentations to discover what works best. Don’t be afraid to explore new types of campaigns, such as Display or Video, to expand your reach and generate more conversions.

Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) is another aspect to consider. Improve the landing pages associated with your non-branded campaigns. Ensure they are fast, mobile-optimised, and have clear and specific calls to action. A better user experience can work wonders for your campaigns. Also, keep in mind that the rest of the website can affect campaign performance even if the landing page is perfect.

Monitor the performance of your non-branded campaigns and use the correct attribution models to better understand the value these campaigns bring throughout the customer journey, beyond direct conversions.

What happens when traditional strategies don't work to reduce the excess of branded conversions? When increasing the non-branded budget, adding negative branded keywords, or improving segmentation isn’t enough.

This is where you need to think beyond the obvious and consider this second line of defence, which goes beyond common strategies.

First, consider using your non-branded campaigns to build demand and brand awareness. If direct conversions are not the strength of these campaigns, reorient their objective towards generating interest and recognition, to later capture new demand. It will attract traffic that, even if it doesn’t convert immediately, can be retargeted with more specific and personalised offers.

Another strategy is to diversify your approach at a multichannel level. Don’t limit yourself to Google Ads. Integrate your non-branded campaigns into social media, programmatic advertising, and other channels. This creates a more omnipresent presence that reinforces your brand at every stage of the customer journey.

Additionally, explore targeting specific niches and advanced segmentation. Imagine targeting audiences at specific events, locations where you’ve converted the most, or even near your competitors’ locations in some cases. This hyper-specific approach can lead to conversions that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Use disruptive creative formats compared to what you’ve been doing, and also consider interactive creatives like polls or quizzes, and possibly collaborating with influencers to amplify your message more authentically.

Make use of psychological triggers. Scarcity, urgency, and social proof are tools that can serve you well. Show testimonials, success stories, and create a sense of limited opportunity.

So, if you find yourself trapped in the branded conversions pitfall, don’t give up. Use these less obvious tactics to improve your results.

Have you tried any of these strategies in your campaigns? What were your results?

Why It’s Important to Discuss High-Potential Markets with Clients for International Campaigns

When it comes to international paid media campaigns, identifying markets with the most potential is not just a matter of geographic interest. The right choice can mean the difference between a highly favourable outcome and a costly result with little return. But how do you know if you’re aiming in the right direction? This is where deep discussions with the client and a critical analysis of the various variables you seek in an attractive market come into play.

The first factor to consider in international paid media is the market’s growth potential. Not all markets are at the same stage of maturity; some are ready to explode, while others may be saturated. What does this mean for the campaign? It means you need to invest time in analysing data, identifying trends, and understanding consumer behaviour in those markets before launching campaigns. Some clients need guidance to understand that investment should be directed where real opportunities exist, not just where there is apparent demand.

A tool that can help you gather data on international markets, beyond search volumes, is Google’s Market Finder.

Another important aspect is understanding the local consumer. The cultural and behavioural differences between an Eastern country and a Western country, for example, highlight how vast these differences can be between countries, and what works in one place may not work in another, although the differences may not always be so significant.

If you overlook this, you risk launching a campaign that is not profitable. This is where you need to talk to the client about adapting the messaging and creatives to the particularities of each market, if necessary.

Local competition is a factor that cannot be ignored when planning an international strategy. What if the market has potential but is dominated by local competitors? It is vital to assess whether the client has the resources to compete or if it would be more strategic to focus on a less saturated market with good growth prospects. A frank conversation about the competitive reality can prevent unproductive investments.

Costs and infrastructure are decisive factors in international paid media. A market may seem attractive, but if the client cannot bear the entry costs or if there is no adequate infrastructure to support distribution and logistics, the campaign may fail. This is where the client’s experience and knowledge of their operational capacity must be integrated into the planning.

In conclusion, discussing these factors with the client is the foundation for a well-structured international campaign. Someone who overlooks this conversation may end up launching campaigns without direction or focus, wasting resources and opportunities.

Points to be reviewed in regular meetings with clients

Maintaining regular meetings with clients ensures they understand both the strategy being followed in managing paid media campaigns and whether the results being achieved are making a difference at a business or commercial level. Here are the key points I usually review with clients:

• General Trend

Analyse whether the overall results are heading in the right direction. Compare current performance with the previous period and with the set objectives.

• Campaign Structure

Verify the campaign structure to ensure they are segmented correctly for each audience.

• Conversion Goals

Check if the conversion goals are being measured correctly and which ones are being used for campaign optimisation. Adjust conversion goals to align with the client's expectations, but not too frequently, only when necessary.

• Key Metrics

Evaluate metrics such as CTR, Cost/Conv., Conversions, Conv. Value/Cost, Cost, Conversion Value, and Clicks. These are some indicative performance metrics and show areas for improvement. Compare different periods to identify trends in time.

• Locations and Regions

Identify the geographical locations of highest and lowest performance. Adjust segmentation based on the results if necessary.

• Ad Scheduling

Ensure ads are shown on optimal days and hours. Adjust scheduling to maximise cost efficiency.

• Devices

Compare performance across mobile devices, tablets, and desktops, and adjust as needed.

• Keywords and Search Terms

Optimise keywords and search terms. Add or exclude as necessary.

• Creatives

Evaluate the performance of visual and textual resources. Create improved versions of the ads based on the results.

• Offers and Incentives

Review the offers and incentives in your ads and landing pages. Show incentives that competitors do not offer and/or adjust promotions and discounts to enhance the appeal of your ads.

• Budget

Ensure the budget is being fully utilised, or adjust as needed.

Reviewing these aspects in regular meetings aligns you more with the client's business goals, while also demonstrating a greater commitment to the success of the campaigns.