What is a full-funnel PPC strategy?

Advertising and marketing depends closely on the advertising and marketing funnel idea, a device important for visualizing and planning our methods.

When used appropriately, it could actually enormously profit your advertising and marketing efforts, significantly in PPC, the place price range allocation immediately influences outcomes. 

This text breaks down what a full-funnel PPC technique appears like, from prime to backside, to be able to use it as a blueprint on your personal PPC technique.

The advertising and marketing funnel: A refresher

At its core, the advertising and marketing funnel is an easy strategy to illustrate the patron’s path towards buying or service. The levels of the advertising and marketing funnel are:

• Consciousness: The primary stage of the customer’s journey is consciousness, the place individuals are simply studying about your model or what you provide however haven’t dug any deeper than that. Consider all of the manufacturers you’ve seen advertisements for however have by no means clicked on or carried out additional analysis. That’s consciousness.
• Consideration: The center of the funnel is the analysis part of the customer’s journey, the place they’ve recognized an issue (“I wish to purchase a sizzling tub”) and have begun researching an answer (“Google search: finest sizzling tubs”). Model consciousness performs an vital function on this stage as a result of individuals are extra more likely to belief a model in the event that they’ve heard of them earlier than. 
• Conversion: The ultimate stage of the advertising and marketing funnel is strictly what it appears like: the precise buy. The shopper has recognized the issue (“I would like a sizzling tub!”), researched options (Google search, going to model web sites, or a brick-and-mortar), and determined to make a purchase order. 

There are even phases within the advertising and marketing journey previous the purpose of buy, reminiscent of loyalty and advocacy, however for the sake of simplicity, we’ll deal with these three levels.

Now that we now have the definition of every advertising and marketing funnel stage, let’s go step-by-step and see what a full-funnel advertising and marketing technique appears like within the PPC world.

High-of-funnel PPC: Consciousness campaigns

The highest of the funnel, or consciousness stage, is the very first stage of the shopper journey, the place individuals haven’t but recognized an issue that must be solved. 

These individuals are nonetheless worthwhile to market to as a result of whereas they might not be available in the market on your product now, they might be sooner or later, so that you need them to think about you after they lastly begin doing analysis. 

Examples of PPC campaigns that may assist generate consciousness are:

• Show campaigns.
• Video campaigns.
• Discovery campaigns.

Dig deeper: Guide to PPC top-of-funnel reporting

Center-of-funnel PPC: Consideration campaigns

As soon as a consumer is conscious of your model and begins researching, you wish to present informative content material that helps them make an knowledgeable choice for buy. Customers will usually use key phrases like “finest” or “evaluation” to assist discover the perfect manufacturers to buy with.

Examples of PPC campaigns that may assist goal the center of the funnel are:

• Search campaigns.
• Video campaigns (extra informative, like tutorials or demos).
• Show campaigns (utilizing extra refined curiosity concentrating on).

Backside-of-funnel PPC: Conversion campaigns

The second of reality comes after customers end their analysis. Make your self as straightforward to seek out as attainable through the use of branded search campaigns and Procuring campaigns.

If the consumer takes some time to make a purchase order choice, utilizing remarketing can assist preserve your model prime of thoughts.

Examples of PPC campaigns that may assist customers convert are:

• Search campaigns (branded and non-branded).
• Show remarketing campaigns.
• Procuring campaigns.

Dig deeper: Setting PPC goals: How to tailor KPIs and metrics for each funnel stage

A full-funnel PPC technique in motion

What in case your PPC budget is small? Are you able to deal with one among these classes as a substitute of all three?

Sure – however with a small caveat. 

In case your advertising and marketing price range is simply too small to cowl these three classes successfully, you’re higher off beginning on the backside of the funnel and dealing your approach up. Be sure you maximize your effectiveness on the backside of the funnel after which add within the center and prime of the funnel as soon as your price range improves.

Whereas that is helpful for rising income on a restricted price range, it’s not the perfect technique for long-term progress. Let’s illustrate this with an instance.

Persevering with my sizzling tub instance from earlier, say your corporation persistently will get 100 prospects within the conversion stage of the funnel per 30 days and a conversion is price $10,000 on common. When you’ve got a 5% conversion price on these prospects, that’s $50,000 in month-to-month income. 

Focusing solely on the underside of the funnel will show you how to develop that conversion price by getting extra individuals on the backside of the funnel to transform. That 5% may flip into 10% if issues go nicely, which might be $100,000 in month-to-month income!

Superb, proper? It’s, within the quick time period.

Whilst you’ll initially see a income bump with this technique, long-term progress is tough since you’re not making an attempt to develop the actual quantity that issues strategically, which is the variety of individuals on the backside of the funnel. For those who don’t develop the variety of individuals seeking to convert, it will get more durable and more durable to develop the enterprise. 

Now, let’s run the mathematics on what a full-funnel technique can do:

Identical instance as earlier than: 100 prospects on the conversion stage, 5% conversion price at $10,000 per buy. Including bottom-of-the-funnel promoting can assist increase the conversion price from 5% to 10% (ideally), however what if prime and center funnel grew the variety of potential prospects from 100 to 200? 

200 prospects x 10% conversion price = 20 conversions at $10,000 per buy. That’s $200,000 in income, with the potential to repeatedly develop the variety of prospects in your goal market. 

Whereas this instance is clearly a best-case state of affairs, it’s all for example the purpose that whereas concentrating on the underside of the funnel is sweet, implementing a full-funnel technique, the place you’re taking prospects from consciousness to consideration to conversion, is the perfect and most constant strategy to obtain long-term progress in paid promoting.

Crafting awarenesss, consideration and conversion-focused PPC campaigns

Implementing a strategic full-funnel strategy to your PPC campaigns takes extra preliminary effort however pays dividends via continuous, scalable progress over chasing short-term income.

By guiding potential prospects from preliminary consciousness via consideration and onto conversion, you enhance lead quantity and achieve momentum. 

Show, video, search, purchasing, and remarketing play distinct roles throughout the funnel. Consider your corporation’s present buyer quantity and conversion charges to prioritize price range and assets.

With the right full-funnel PPC basis supporting your efforts, you allow the income progress your corporation must thrive.

Dig deeper: How to use always-on marketing in paid search