{"id":7570,"date":"2023-01-05T11:50:55","date_gmt":"2023-01-05T11:50:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/05\/how-to-make-ppc-automation-work-for-lead-gen\/"},"modified":"2023-01-05T11:50:55","modified_gmt":"2023-01-05T11:50:55","slug":"how-to-make-ppc-automation-work-for-lead-gen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/05\/how-to-make-ppc-automation-work-for-lead-gen\/","title":{"rendered":"How to make PPC automation work for lead gen"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>At SMX Next in November, I was honored to give a talk on making automation work for lead generation when it\u2019s not designed for lead generation. <\/p>\n<p>A huge thank you to all who attended \u2013 the overtime Q&amp;A was a lively session with many questions!<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/05\/how-to-make-ppc-automation-work-for-lead-gen\/#Lead_generation_automation_challenges\" >Lead generation automation challenges<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/05\/how-to-make-ppc-automation-work-for-lead-gen\/#Some_obvious_automation_options_for_lead_generation\" >Some obvious automation options for lead generation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/05\/how-to-make-ppc-automation-work-for-lead-gen\/#Build_your_funnel\" >Build your funnel<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/05\/how-to-make-ppc-automation-work-for-lead-gen\/#Getting_quality_leads\" >Getting quality leads<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/05\/how-to-make-ppc-automation-work-for-lead-gen\/#Using_lead_value_with_tROAS_bid_strategies\" >Using lead value with tROAS bid strategies<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/05\/how-to-make-ppc-automation-work-for-lead-gen\/#Its_all_about_signals\" >It\u2019s all about signals<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/05\/how-to-make-ppc-automation-work-for-lead-gen\/#Key_takeaways\" >Key takeaways<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/05\/how-to-make-ppc-automation-work-for-lead-gen\/#Watch_Making_automation_work_for_lead_gen\" >Watch: Making automation work for lead gen<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lead_generation_automation_challenges\"><\/span>Lead generation automation challenges<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Many of us are dealing with the challenges of lead generation in an advertising system that\u2019s built for ecommerce. B2B lead generation is totally different from ecommerce, with fewer overall conversions, no shopping carts, no \u201cconversion value,\u201d and a long sales cycle that mostly takes place offline.<\/p>\n<p>For automation to work optimally, the machine needs lots of data \u2013 a minimum of 20 conversions in a month. Many B2B campaigns struggle to reach that number of conversions, making automation challenging.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, bid strategies like tROAS work based on the value of a conversion:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>How do you value a B2B lead that won\u2019t close for 18 months?\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Some_obvious_automation_options_for_lead_generation\"><\/span>Some obvious automation options for lead generation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One option for lead generation advertisers is <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/google-ads\/answer\/6268632?hl=en#:~:text=Target%20CPA%20bidding%20is%20a,to%20pay%20for%20each%20conversion.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Target CPA<\/a> (tCPA). Target CPA is a smart bidding strategy that sets bids for you to get as many conversions (customer actions) as possible.<\/p>\n<p>If you don\u2019t have a target CPA in mind, you can use <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/google-ads\/answer\/7381968?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Maximize conversions<\/a>, which will attempt to get as many conversions as possible with your budget without regard to CPA.<\/p>\n<p>At first glance, tCPA and Max conversions seem ideal candidates for automating lead generation. And they are, but they\u2019re not perfect.<\/p>\n<p>For one thing, both bid strategies can result in CPCs going through the roof as the automation system tries to find conversions at your target CPA, or just the conversions period.<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, advertisers can control their CPCs \u2013 as long as they\u2019re using a <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/google-ads\/answer\/6263058\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">portfolio bid strategy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you are using portfolio bidding in Google Ads, you can set a max CPC for the portfolio. This option is also available in Search Ads 360 (SA360), if you use that:<\/p>\n<p>The ability to set maximum bids is enough reason to use a portfolio bid strategy. It can save you from paying hundreds of dollars per click.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re telling a machine to get you as many conversions as possible, you want to ensure you\u2019re tracking conversions correctly!<\/p>\n<p>I used an example of a client who was tracking page lands as a conversion:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>While page lands might be a business goal, especially for advertisers looking for branding or awareness, it\u2019s not a good goal for automation.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re trying to maximize conversions and you\u2019re measuring page lands, you\u2019ll just drive more traffic to your site. There\u2019s no guarantee that the traffic will actually result in more leads or revenue for your business.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Build_your_funnel\"><\/span>Build your funnel<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>As mentioned earlier, getting enough leads to feed the automation algorithm can be a challenge for B2B lead generation.<\/p>\n<p>I shared a few ways for advertisers to use mid-funnel tactics that can drive traffic to retarget to later on, and even possibly drive leads at a low cost.<\/p>\n<p>One of those options is <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/google-ads\/answer\/9176876?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Discovery Campaigns<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Discovery campaigns can be an effective mid-funnel tactic for <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/will-the-discover-feed-be-googles-next-cash-cow-what-advertisers-are-saying-about-discovery-campaigns-327815\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reaching audiences at scale<\/a>. We\u2019ve had success with Discovery ads for several of our B2B lead generation clients.<\/p>\n<p>There were a lot of questions about Discovery during the session. Several questions focused on lead quality from Discovery campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve found that the quality of leads our clients get from Discovery is similar to that of search campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>Although Discovery ads reach users who are higher up the funnel compared to search, remember that the only bidding options for Discovery are Max conversions or tCPA. Therefore,\u00a0 lead quality is generally good.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve also found that Discovery campaigns outperform Performance Max campaigns \u2013 to the point that we rarely use Performance Max due to low lead quality.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Getting_quality_leads\"><\/span>Getting quality leads<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Speaking of lead quality, generating leads that actually convert to sales is one of the biggest challenges for lead generation advertisers.<\/p>\n<p>Anyone can fill out a form online. Many of those who filled out a form will never become qualified leads.<\/p>\n<p>And only a small percentage of those who become qualified leads will eventually turn into sales.<\/p>\n<p>One way to help gauge the quality of your leads is to use imported third-party data.<\/p>\n<p>Google first launched the capability to import Salesforce lead data <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/adwords-conversion-import-salesforce-launch-251234\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">back in 2016<\/a>. Since then, they\u2019ve added thousands of data connectors that advertisers can use to pull in data from their <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/google-ads\/answer\/2998031?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CRM system<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>By importing data from the same system your clients are using to gauge lead quality, you can go beyond just form fills to see how many of those form fills turned into leads.<\/p>\n<p>And if you get enough third-party leads, you can use them for Smart Bidding:<\/p>\n<p>This screenshot is from SA360, but you can also use offline conversions for Google Ads bid strategies as long as you have them marked as <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/google-ads\/answer\/11461796?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Primary conversions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll need about 20 conversions per month for this to work, but if you have that many leads, it\u2019s a great way to maximize actions that matter most to your clients.<\/p>\n<p>Using a portfolio bid strategy is a good way to combine similar campaigns into a single bid strategy with enough conversion data to use third-party data for smart bidding.<\/p>\n<p>Just make sure the campaigns have similar performance and objectives. Don\u2019t combine brand and non-brand campaigns or campaigns with very different CPAs or goals.<\/p>\n<p>And if you don\u2019t get enough third-party conversions to use for smart bidding, at least use the data to gauge lead quality.<\/p>\n<p>For example, we have a client whose primary goal is SQLs. However, they only get about 10 SQLs per month.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We optimize for MQLs, which are one level up the funnel from SQLs. We also import SQL data to see whether a campaign drives leads that matter to the client.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Some campaigns drive a lot of MQLs but no SQLs. We know to de-prioritize those campaigns in favor of others that drive more SQLs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Using_lead_value_with_tROAS_bid_strategies\"><\/span>Using lead value with tROAS bid strategies<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Lead generation advertisers often look at ecommerce advertisers with envy, because ecommerce advertisers can use the <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/google-ads\/answer\/6268637?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tROAS bid strategy<\/a>, maximizing not only the number of sales they drive but the value of those sales as well.<\/p>\n<p>One of the struggles with lead generation is the time it takes for a lead to become a sale. Sales cycles of 18 months to 2 years are not uncommon in B2B.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s challenging to determine the value of a lead before the lead goes through the whole buying cycle. This leads many B2B advertisers to write off tROAS as a strategy.<\/p>\n<p>Not so fast!<\/p>\n<p>Assigning a relative value to micro-conversions, such as white paper downloads or contact form fills, is an effective way to use the tROAS bid strategy.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s say you have four actions you\u2019re measuring: video views, asset downloads, form fills, and MQLs from a third-party import.<\/p>\n<p>You can assign a relative value to each of these actions, like so:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<\/div>\n<p>In this example, an MQL is worth 1,000 times what a video is worth.<\/p>\n<p>The tROAS strategy will look to maximize the value of conversions, not just the number. So it will prioritize MQLs and form fills over video views and asset downloads \u2013 thereby improving the quality of the leads it\u2019s driving.<\/p>\n<p>We got some good questions in the SMX session on this strategy.<\/p>\n<p>One attendee asked how to avoid the \u201cloop of doom,\u201d where the system starts driving high volumes of low-value leads that never turn into MQLs. This can certainly be a problem:<\/p>\n<p>The best way to avoid this is to assign low enough values to low-value actions and high enough values to high-value actions, so the system will work harder to drive the high-value actions. That\u2019s why I set a value of 1,000 to MQLs in my example above.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes, even that\u2019s not enough. Video views, for example, are so easy to generate that the system may well find it easier to drive thousands of video views than one MQL.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In this case, removing video views as a primary conversion is your best bet. Force the system to look for higher-value actions such as asset downloads and form fills instead.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On a related note, we got a great question about data-driven attribution:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have multiple primary conversion actions in our account based on different client goals (page views, form fills, calls, etc.). We\u2019ve noticed the data-driven attribution model is impacting our lead gen actions because of the higher funnel actions. How would you recommend approaching data-driven attribution for lead gen, with multiple conversion actions in the account?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you find this is happening to you, I suggest changing some of your primary goals to secondary goals. <\/p>\n<p>While this won\u2019t keep data-driven attribution from looking at the secondary goals (since it looks at all interactions, including <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/google-ads\/answer\/6394265?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">clicks<\/a>, at least you\u2019re telling the machine that these actions are not as important to you.<\/p>\n<p>Using tROAS should also help tell the system which conversions are most meaningful to you in this case.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Its_all_about_signals\"><\/span>It\u2019s all about signals<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Remember, any automation is only as good as the signals it receives. It\u2019s up to us as marketers to ensure we\u2019re giving the best possible signals to the automation model so it can drive meaningful results for us.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t forget about basics like audiences and negative keywords.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisers often forget to add audiences for observation. Adding audiences is a great way to tell the system which users you\u2019re interested in reaching \u2013 and in the case of negative audiences, which users you don\u2019t want to reach.<\/p>\n<p>Negative keywords are also important not only in preventing ads from showing on irrelevant queries but also in providing another signal to the machine.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_takeaways\"><\/span>Key takeaways<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>Accurate tracking is key.<\/strong> Be sure you\u2019re measuring actions that lead to business value and that you\u2019re assigning an accurate value to each action.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Build your funnel<\/strong>! Use Discovery and other higher funnel tactics like YouTube and Google Display to build audiences.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Assess lead quality, not just quantity<\/strong>. Use the tactics in this article to guide you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Provide the right signals<\/strong>. Conversion value, along with audiences and negative keywords, all help the machine find high-value users.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Know when to pull the plug!<\/strong> Automation doesn\u2019t always work. We\u2019ve had several instances where tCPA or max conversions yield fewer leads at a higher cost than manual CPC. It\u2019s ok to turn off automation if it\u2019s not driving the results you want!<\/p>\n<p>Using the right tools, you can make automation work for lead generation, even if it\u2019s not designed for lead generation.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Watch_Making_automation_work_for_lead_gen\"><\/span>Watch: Making automation work for lead gen<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Below is the complete video of my SMX Next presentation.<\/p>\n\n<div><\/div>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/ppc-automation-lead-gen-390968\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to make PPC automation work for lead gen<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Search Engine Land<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At SMX Next in November, I was honored to give a talk on making automation work for lead generation when it\u2019s not designed for lead generation. A huge thank you to all who attended \u2013 the overtime Q&amp;A was a lively session with many questions! Lead generation automation challenges Many of us are dealing with the challenges of lead generation in an advertising system that\u2019s built for ecommerce. B2B lead generation is totally different from ecommerce, with fewer overall conversions, no shopping carts, no \u201cconversion value,\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-seo-blogs"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7570","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7570"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7570\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}