#SMX @MagsMacMaggie Malek, Head of Social at MMI Agency

Paid Search & Social: The Ultimate Knock-Out Punch

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• Started on GeoCities...• Majored in ”Traditional” PR• Fell in love with social

now? It’s all about creating experiences.

Maggie Malek Head of PR & Social

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• 300 tickets. • 30 days. • One tiny

budget.

Paid search + Social… Before it was cool

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We know it drives ad efficiency

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We know Search + Social drives ad efficiency.

So that is NOT what I am going to talk about today.

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People > Efficiency

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Once upon a time…

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Today’s consumer landscape

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Old ways won’t open new doors.

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It’s time to change the conversation.

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data scientistsmathematici

ansanalytics experts dream

ers

Doers

storytellers

influencers

innovators

rebels

thinkers

creators

leaders

pioneers

makers

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To break through the noise, to ultimately change hearts and minds, brands must design for experiences from the outset.

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So why can’twe figure it out?

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Two main roadblocks: Staffing + Data

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Let’s start with staffing…

• Brand + Agency collaboration• Brand + Agency + Agency

collaboration• Brand + One Agency Team of

Generalists• Brand + Agency + Agency + Data

Management

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Plan for unbridled success!

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• Increase visibility to key new audiences

• Utilize existing customers’ networks to build awareness through social endorsement

• Educate  on service offerings

• Drive website traffic and new consumers into the sales funnel

• Improve search engine optimization (SEO) to enhance searchability

• Improve brand perception in consideration set

• Capture direct customer feedback and market insights 

• Resolve customer service issues efficiently

• Build brand trust and customer loyalty 

Awareness Consideration Preference Purchase

Design campaigns based on intention first

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Potential KPIs

• Reach• Views

• Shares• Likes/follows• Clicks• Coupon

downloads• Data sharing• SOV studies• Social listening• Referrals

• Clicks• Content views• Engagement• Likes & follows• SOV studies

• Conversions• Coupon

redemption• Tracking tags

Awareness Consideration Preference Purchase

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RULE OF THUMB:The more you expect a user to do…The more you will pay.

Paid Social

Brand

Organic Social

Paid Search

Organic Search

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Ideal timeline01

Agency/Partner Kick off

02

Analytics Access

03

04

Brand Review & Approval

05

Final All-Agency Alignment

06

Launch & Optimization

Agencies CreateStrategies

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Teams to involve

Paid Social

Brand

Organic Social

Paid Search

Organic Search

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Kick off: Brand provides

Inputs requiredBusiness ObjectivesCustomer Data & InsightsMarketing ObjectivesSpecific Campaign ObjectivesAvailable Competitor Data

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Kick-off: Search and Social TeamsSEARCH TEAM PROVIDESSearch Query Reporting on existing Paid SearchOrganic search traffic reportsWebsite demographic informationPaid Search Demo & Geo informationHistorical conversion dataDevice info (mobile vs desktop)Time of day Any existing search KPIsTop performing ad copy clicks or by CTRSeasonality trendsWebsite content editorial calendar

SOCIAL TEAM PROVIDESDemographic data by platformHistorical social ad conversion reportingCreative successesDemographic breakdown by campaignSocial sentiment data by platformAny online share of voice dataSocial media editorial calendarOrganic Social KPIs

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Team Structure + Data Structure should depend on

the final strategy

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Build a dynamic team based on brand needs

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It can be large or small, depending on your size

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Keep a holistic view of performanceSEARCH DATA SOCIAL DATA

Paid social team has read only/view access to search data (Google

Analytics, Adobe/Omniture, AdWords, Bing, etc.)

Paid search team has access to Social Analytics

Conversion or website actions are established and tagged properly

Paid search team has access to any SOV tools (BrandWatch,

SproutSocial)

Ability to separate out paid and organic social traffic (Requires

social team to user proper tags)

Links used in paid social ads are properly tagged (By campaign,

Organic vs Paid tags)

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In a perfect world, data is aggregated

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Or, you have to become a spreadsheet ninja

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Back to designing for experience.

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How do we do it?

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Steps

1. Discovery & Strategy2. Campaign Creation3. Team & Campaign Structure4. Data sharing and optimization

Steps

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Steps

Goals:1. Reach new audiences2. Drive tickets sales3. Increase on-site revenue

Example Case Study: Shell Houston Open

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step 1: Discovery & Strategy

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Steps

Discovery: Understanding Your Consumer

SEARCH ENGINE DATA SOCIAL DATA

Onsite behavior Types of engagements

Search interest Context of engagements

Demographics Conversation trends

Relevant keywords Interactions

Location Share of Voice

Device Time of day

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Overall Search Behavior

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Other data to (PLEASE) consider.

• Customer survey data• Focus groups• Media consumption • 121 Interviews with stakeholders • Sales data• Overall SOV analysis

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Finalize your personas

Shell Houston Open Target Personas:

Families Avid Golf Fans

Millennials

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step 2: Campaign Creation

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Finalize what you are going to sayLet the head lead the way.

And let the heart provide context.• Who is your consumer? • Understand your their objective.• Design campaigns for intention.

• What questions are consumers asking?• What trends are you seeing?• What was MISSING from the data?

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Our final Shell Houston Open campaignTarget: Millennials• Initial Keywords & Topics for testing: Charity, Houston,

Giving, Golf, Tickets, NCAA Final Four, top 10 PGA TOUR golfers

• Platforms:

Native content

Digital media

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268

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step 3: Team & Campaign Structure

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search social

Our teams are ALWAYS a hybrid…

head heart

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Campaign Set Up: Stay Consistent

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Use separate campaigns for:

Use objectives or groups for:• Audiences• More specific budget allocation• Months: For campaigns that span several• Promoted Posts/Pins/Tweets to ensure they get budget

• Objectives• Marketing Campaigns• Within evergreen campaigns: Campaign type or Timing• IO Numbers or Budget Buckets

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step 4: Data Sharing & Optimization

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Steps

Opportunities to A/B Test Search Data Social Data

Socially driven keywords driving conversions?

Is search driven copy driving engagement?

Are new keywords popping up? What time are people most engaged?

Which ad copy has highest engagement? Are people clicking through to your website?

Which social site links generate the most traffic? How does social traffic convert?

Has average session duration increased? What does social traffic do on your website?

Where is traffic coming from? Has your share of voice increased?

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Reserve budget for keycultural moments!

Budget

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SUCCESS!!!!

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Optimize to create a better brand experience. THAT is how you will meet your objectives.

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Fail fast. Fail forward.

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• Chart your course with data, but let your heart lead the way

• Design campaigns based on intention first• Keep a holistic view of performance• Keep one brand voice across all media; owned, earned

and paid• Be agile and flexible with media and budgets

takeaways

#SMX @MagsMacLEARN MORE: UPCOMING @SMX EVENTS

THANK YOU! SEE YOU AT THE NEXT #SMX