Performance marketing is a delicate balance of art and science. It’s not as easy as simply throwing up some ads and waiting for the leads to roll in. Instead, it requires careful planning, iterations, and testing of audience segments and ad copy before you see results. Performance marketing should never be an afterthought; it should be a key component of your marketing strategy from day one. The modern marketer needs to think about performance marketing from the very first stages of their campaign. Which channels will help you achieve your goals? When is the best time to use them? Let’s take a look at the top 10 performance marketing channels so you can put them to work for you.
Paid Search
Paid search is the oldest form of online advertising and the most common type of performance marketing. Paid search channels like Google AdWords allow you to bid on keywords relevant to your business so that your ads show up at the top of the search results. If someone clicks on your ad, they are taken to your website where they can learn more about your products or services and hopefully make a purchase. Paid search is often an excellent place to start for beginners since it’s simple to set up and easy to understand. You can also make use of different types of ads, including headlines, calls-to-action, images, and videos. Paid search works best when you have a very specific goal in mind. For example, if you’re trying to bring in more leads, you can focus your paid search efforts on high-volume, low-cost keywords like “small business loans.”
Display Advertising
Display advertising is a very broad term that refers to advertisements on websites and apps. This channel can be used to promote your own products and services as well as your affiliate offers. There are many different types of display advertising, but the best-known and most widely used is probably banner ads. Banner ads are images (usually but not always vertical in format) that usually contain a headline and a brief description of your offer. Other popular display ad types include native ads, video ads, coupons, and other forms of media. If you decide to go with display advertising, it’s important to keep your goals in mind. You’ll want to choose a display ad channel that aligns with your goals and is likely to bring you the desired results. For example, if you’re looking to generate leads, native advertising is a great choice since it allows you to include a call-to-action button that drives traffic directly to your website.
SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the practice of improving the visibility of your website in the search engine results pages (SERPs). The most common way to do this is by creating and publishing high-quality content on your website. The more visitors you have, the more likely they are to click on your site and stay there. The more time they spend on your site, the more they’re likely to see your ads as well. There are many different ways that you can optimize your website for search engines. Once you’ve got your site up and running, you’ll want to stay on top of things. For example, you can publish new content on a weekly basis. You can also link to related articles, create and promote your own editorial calendar, and make use of social media to attract new visitors.
Video Marketing
Videos are one of the most popular types of content marketing. They’re great for engaging your audience, increasing brand awareness, and even generating leads. In fact, according to a study, 73% of B2B marketers who use video generate more leads. You can use video in many different ways, including uploading it to your landing page, targeting users on CTV/OTT, embedding it in your social media posts, and advertising on YouTube. The best types of videos to use are those that are highly visual, have a specific call-to-action, and speak to your target audience. You can also choose to make a video series, which is especially effective if you have a longer sales process or a lot of value to offer your customers.
Depending on the goal of the video ad, it can be used for more than awareness. Video ads can include buttons that direct users to a landing page for the product trying to be sold, which helps to drive online leads and potentially conversions.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is another tried and true performance marketing channel. It’s one of the most effective ways to build a relationship with your customers, increase brand awareness, and drive sales. You can send emails to your subscribers in a variety of different ways. You can also use email in conjunction with other performance marketing channels such as paid search and RSS feeds. There are many different types of email campaign strategies that you can use, but the most common is a drip marketing campaign.
Social Ads
More than 50% of the world’s population uses at least one social media platform. This means that there is a way to engage and reach an extremely diverse and widespread group of people. Depending on the platform you’re looking to advertise on, you’ll reach a different group. For example facebook appeals to an older group while marketing on platforms like TikTok or Snapchat will reach a younger audience. It is entirely up to you and the audience you’re trying to reach with your brand.
Facebook Ads
Facebook ads are a great way to drive traffic to your website and generate leads. They are also an excellent way to increase brand awareness and generate sales. In fact, according to a study, small businesses using Facebook ads saw an increase in sales between 28% and 171%. You can use a wide variety of different ad types with Facebook ads, including video ads, image ads, carousel ads, and link ads. Depending on your business goals and objectives, you may want to focus on conversions, website clicks, or brand awareness.
Instagram Ads
With more than 1 billion monthly users, Instagram is a growing platform that many marketers have yet to discover. It’s an excellent channel for increasing brand awareness, growing your followers, and driving referral traffic. You can use Instagram ads to promote your products, drive traffic to your website, and increase your sales. This channel is extremely effective and very easy to use. You can create your ads in just a few minutes and start seeing results almost immediately.
Influencer Marketing
If you’re looking to build brand awareness, increase your followers, and drive traffic to your website, influencer marketing might be the best option for you. It’s an excellent way to build relationships with your customers, get them talking about your brand, and drive targeted referral traffic. You can partner with influencers by sending them free products, offering them affiliate commissions, or paying them for sponsored posts. There are many different types of influencers to choose from, including:
– Celebrities: Whether it’s a movie star or sports hero, partnering with celebrities will get you in front of a huge audience.
– Social media stars: People who have a large following on social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube will help you build brand awareness and drive traffic to your website.
– Online communities: Some online communities have millions of members who are eager to talk about brands and products.
Native Advertising
Native advertising is any type of marketing content that blends in naturally with the content of other sites. You can use this technique to place ads on other websites and in RSS feeds. You can also use it to place ads in emails. You can use native advertising to promote your products and services, drive traffic to your website, and increase your sales. You can also use it to build brand awareness and increase your followers. Successful native ads often come in the form of suggested articles, which a user would click and see your advertisement.
Wrapping Up
Any one or a combination of these 10 marketing channels can help you achieve your marketing goals. Depending on your business objectives, you may want to focus on one channel more than others. The most important thing is that you’re strategic about how you use each marketing channel. You should always be thinking about which channels will help you achieve your goals. When is the best time to use each channel? With careful planning, you can make the most out of these 10 marketing channels.
Our marketing specialists can assist you with performance marketing. Contact Synergage to find out how we can apply brand, growth, and performance marketing principles to provide cost-effective results. We can develop a sustainable growth strategy and customized marketing services that meet your company’s demands using consumer insights and data-driven planning.