As consumers interact with brands through various touchpoints, a cohesive marketing strategy is critical. Aligning your organic and paid search efforts with your other marketing channels is an important step to implementing effective cross-channel, also known as omnichannel marketing.
The importance of cross-channel integration
Customer experience
Think it’s as clear-cut as either paid or organic being better than the other? It could be a combination of the two that works best for your brand. The average consumer journey spans multiple channels; therefore, integrating paid search with other channels, such as social media and email marketing, ensures a consistent brand experience.
Maximise reach
Marketers can optimise reach by spanning various channels to reinforce the brand message and increase the chances of conversions. For example: a potential customer may see a display ad on a website, then a paid search ad on Google, and later receive a targeted email.
Cross-channel data
Integration across platforms makes sharing data and gaining insights from the paid search campaigns that can be implanted in other campaigns easier. High-performing keywords or audience segments can assist with decision-making, enabling the refinement of other marketing activities to enhance overall performance.
Strategies for cross-channel integration
Consistent messaging
A consistent brand message should resonate across all channels, whether in ad copy in paid search, social media content, or the wording of your email marketing campaigns. Maintaining a unified voice helps reinforce brand identity and acts as an integral part of the customer experience.
Cross-channel remarketing
Remarketing campaigns, in particular, are more effective when they span multiple channels. For example, if a user visits your brand’s website after clicking on a paid search ad but then does not convert, they can be retargeted through social media or email to keep your brand at the forefront of their minds and encourage them to complete the desired action.
Integrated analytics
Centralised analytics systems can pull in data from various channels for more efficient analysis. This can provide you with a more comprehensive customer journey review, allow marketers to attribute conversions to the correct channels, and discover which channels are performing best.
Budget allocation optimisation
Following the data analysis, the insights gained allow you to make more informed decisions and allocate your marketing budget strategically based on performance data from the different channels. Adjust your budgets based on real-time data to capitalise on high-performing channels for maximum marketing effectiveness.
Conclusion
Integrating paid search with other marketing channels is of great strategic importance. A cohesive approach will combine the abovementioned strategies to maximise reach, engagement, and conversions.
Need help with Paid Search Marketing? Contact ExtraDigital for more information.