We’re excited to share the recording of our recent webinar, "The Digital Power Couple and The Messy Middle: Navigating the Marketing Funnel." In this session, we explored optimising customer journeys across the funnel and discussed strategies to streamline the often chaotic “Messy Middle.”
Did you miss the live event? No worries! You can watch the full recording below to catch up on everything we covered:
Question: With the emphasis on AI-driven campaigns like PMax, how do we ensure that we're not losing the human touch in our marketing efforts?
Answer: "AI-driven campaigns, like those powered by PMax, are designed to handle the heavy lifting in terms of data processing and optimisation, but the human element remains crucial. Your role as a marketer is to provide the creative direction, messaging, and overall strategy that resonates with your audience. AI can optimise the delivery, but it's up to us to ensure that the content is compelling and aligns with our brand values. Moreover, regular monitoring and adjustment based on the insights provided by these AI tools ensure that we stay connected to our audience's evolving needs."
QuestionIf a campaign is underperforming, how do you determine whether the issue lies in the strategy, the creative, or the platform?
Answer: If a campaign is underperforming, it's clearly a concern, and we want to investigate what's causing that underperformance. We take a very systematic approach to diagnosing the issue. This means digging into the data as much as possible and reviewing every stage of the ad creation process, including the entire user journey.
We typically start by analysing when the performance began to decline, looking at data over a 3-6 month period. This helps us identify the exact point at which the drop-offs started. From there, we work to determine the root cause.
We examine various aspects, such as engagement and conversion metrics, to pinpoint where the issue lies. For example, if engagement is low, perhaps the cost-per-click (CPC) is high, or there may be a problem with our creative or messaging. We might also discover that our audience targeting or keyword selection isn't optimal—either too narrow or too broad.
If the issue seems to be with conversions—such as an acceptable click-through rate but low conversions—then the problem could lie with the landing page. Perhaps the form is too complex, or the page doesn't provide enough information for users to make a decision. We consider all these factors to understand where the underperformance originates.
Often, minimal tweaks—such as adjusting targeting or updating creative—can lead to significant improvements. The key is constant testing. We follow a test-and-learn approach, using A/B testing to find that "sweet spot" where we see strong engagement, conversions, and quality. Once we hit that spot, we continue optimising until more adjustments are necessary.
Question: With the growing importance of first-party data, how should companies approach collecting and utilising this data to improve campaign performance?
Answer: "First-party data is increasingly valuable as privacy regulations tighten and third-party cookies phase out. To make the most of your first-party data, start by ensuring that your data collection methods are transparent and compliant with privacy laws. Use this data to build detailed customer profiles that can inform your targeting and personalisation strategies. Integrating your CRM with your marketing platforms, like Google, allows you to use this data to refine audience segmentation and improve ad relevance. The key is to continuously analyse and update your data to keep your campaigns aligned with your customers' evolving behaviours and preferences."
We know life gets busy, and you might not have a full hour to catch the entire webinar. If you're pressed for time but don’t want to miss out on the insights, we've got you covered! Check out our blog, where we've highlighted all the key takeaways from the session.