Search Advertising: The science to unlocking full-funnel value

Search is undoubtedly among one of the most invested digital media in the country but is often singularly used for achieving bottom-of-the-funnel campaign objectives where consumer intent is most likely clearer and the strongest. However, what brands fail to realise is the value and far-reaching full-funnel impact that can be derived from Search Advertising.

The Curious Case of the Missing Middle 

Speaking of full-funnel impact, marketers tend to usually focus only on two parts of that journey – the beginning and the end. As Theo Theodorou states, ‘the stretch between awareness and action is the longest period in the buyer journey, the most influential and the most important. And yet, in too many marketing strategies, it goes missing.’ Microsoft Advertising has officially framed it as ‘The Missing Middle.’ If brands are to take control of the middle of the funnel, they can’t rely on investing at the top and the bottom and just hoping that everything connects. Only when marketers create contextual experiences in the phases of consideration is when they can deconstruct the difference between branding and demand and derive a lasting impact from the full funnel.

Guiding the consumer from awareness to action with search

To bring about equal focus on all stages in the marketing funnel, brands must leverage the advantages of the modern-day digital interventions. By trailblazing the middle-funnel initiatives, brands can truly understand how marketing influences decisions across different stages of the funnel and therefore, channelize the marketing spends wisely. Besides, technology plays a pivotal role in democratizing the middle funnel opportunities by creating mechanisms for more effective targeting, by decoding data that captures how both long and short marketing activity is landing in the minds of customers. By doing so, brands can map out how the top of the funnel invariably translates to the bottom of the funnel. To do so, brands must get three things right:

1. Adopt an agile search network such as the Microsoft Advertising platform to capture consumer attention across the funnel and engage across multiple touchpoints in the customer journey
2. Harness contextual experiences and capture maximum search engine results page (SERP) real estate with powerful visual ads (such as Multimedia Ads and Shopping Ads enabled catalog display) to truly impact the top-of-the-mind recall of users who are constantly having an overload of information on the internet
3. Create smarter consumer journeys that personalize consumer engagement and drive conversions amongst high-intent users and repeat buyers by delving into granular data-led insights and leveraging remarketing on the Microsoft Audience Network

How Wakefit drove full-funnel efficiencies

One such example is how Bengaluru headquartered Wakefit leveraged Search for fuelling top-of-the-funnel impact. Over the past couple of years, as consumers spent more time indoors, the brand realised that the home was no longer simply a place to rest after a long day at work. It had become a place of work, play, relaxation and much more. This meant that consumer demand for sleep and home offerings had shot up, especially for products like mattresses, sofas, work desks and ergonomic chairs. But, more importantly, this was an avenue for brands like Wakefit to thrive in the Indian market.

As a brand that is focussed on the ever-evolving needs of their consumers, Wakefit designed interventions where the consumer journey began. In India, often the customer journey begins with a simple query on a search engine, especially for involved purchases like mattresses. In a country where the sport is considered nothing short of a religion, Wakefit launched a Search for Branding campaign just in time for the Indian Premier League – the most-watched cricket league in the world. Notably, through the Search for Branding initiative on Microsoft Search, Wakefit gained remarkable mindshare by owning IPL related keywords. This made a significant impact with 44% of total traffic driven by the search for branding campaign on Microsoft Search Advertising. As a result of the full-funnel campaigns, the brand saw 131% higher search volumes on the Microsoft Search platforms,80% growth in website traffic through Microsoft Search Advertising, and a 71% rise in revenue while maintaining an ROAS of 10.

Marketers who understand driving the full-funnel efficiencies in the moments of truth and direct their spending and messaging to the touchpoints stand a greater chance of reaching them in the right place at the right time with the right message. To learn more on the missing middle, deep dive into the Microsoft Advertising eBook – The Long, the short, and the missing middle, and to understand how brands can ace their marketing game with search, read our 2022 India Mobile Marketing Handbook.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views of exchange4media.com.