The world of digital marketing is confusing to most of us common folks, to say the least. You’ll hear words like funnel, metics, conversion, A/B and more. The fact is, if you are launching a digital campaign, you need to set goals and determine what a successful conversion is for your company or the campaign. You need to decide on what to track and then how to track them. We break out our tips below. If this is confusing to you (it will be), reach out, and we’ll break it down for you. We have a team full of nerds standing by to make all your digital marketing dreams come true.
Metrics To Track
You’ve got a whole bunch of metrics to choose from depending on which platform you’re using and which type of campaign you’re running. Here are the ones that are the most important:
- For top-of-funnel campaigns (awareness, branding campaigns): Record the number of impressions or number of users reached (a.k.a. the reach). This shows you just how widespread your campaign really is.
- For middle-of-funnel campaigns (service highlights, free offerings or downloadables): Record the number of clicks to the landing page or the click-through rate on ads. These show how many people are actually engaging with your content.
- For bottom-of-funnel campaigns (where your CTA is to close the sale): Record the number of physical conversions, whether they’re calls from ads or form fills on a landing page (hello, marketing automation).
How to Track
Now that you know what to track, it’s time to figure out the how.
- For top-of-funnel campaigns: Use the metrics available to you in digital advertising channels. Normally, they’ll detail your impression or reach right there on the home screen of your campaign metrics.
- For middle-of-funnel campaigns: Utilize a thank you page and the analytics available in digital ad channels. Once people fill out the form on your landing page, they’ll see the thank you page. Record how many people visit the thank you page through Google Analytics and use your ad channels to see the number of landing page clicks. Then you’re not just monitoring visitors to your page, but conversions, too.
- For bottom-of-funnel campaigns: Set up conversion tracking (This is where it gets confusing as hell, so people should just call us). You need to create a specific type of connection between the digital ad platform you’re using and the website where the landing page lives. Every single platform does this differently. Some involve coding, some require a plugin, some require a third-party extension like Google Tag Manager, and some can be done right in the ad platform itself. Each platform makes their own rules, which is utter bullsh*t, but we consider it job security.
Troubleshooting
After looking at all these metrics, you may ask yourself the age-old question: why is no one converting on your ads? Welcome to the world of trial and error. Let’s start with social. A lot of times, Facebook, LinkedIn and the other social networks will deny an ad without telling you why an ad isn’t approved. Pretty sweet right? That means you need to do some sleuthing. Is it the image? The messaging? The platform you chose to run ads on? Are the colors not resonating? Is it where the ad is pointing?
Welcome to A/B testing. It’s also called split testing, and it’s when you compare two versions of a page or ad to figure out what performs best. A/B test the crap out of everything. Test a bright image against a dark image. Test fun, conversational messaging, against informational, straightforward messaging. Test targeting ads in California against targeting ads in Michigan. Don’t assume you know what will perform well. Test it!
Why aren’t they converting?
Remember, digital conversions do NOT happen overnight. It largely depends on your industry, but in B2B you’re looking at a 30-day minimum, but more than likely a 90-day conversion window. In B2C, a 30-day conversion window may be more likely depending on the type of product you’re selling. The results or conversions you are looking for will not happen overnight. It doesn’t matter how quickly an agency moves, each platform has to “learn” your ad, and that takes time. Be patient, A/B test, monitor your metrics, and see what trends emerge over time.
We know this is confusing. Maybe that was our evil plan to get you to call us. So, get a hold of us, and we’ll help you make sense of the world of digital.
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