How to prioritise digital marketing spend

The next in our #SearchSecret7 series advises partner agencies on how to motivate clients to invest in search marketing. Read on for our hints and tips.

One of the most common barriers to getting clients bought into search marketing is - predictably - a budgetary one. We get it. Budgets are hard won and thinly stretched. Especially when it comes to building new websites or devising and executing a new PR or marketing campaign.

But what if we could tell you that we could help to forecast the ROI that clients could get from a search campaign? And that you can use that data in a pitch to help you win the business in the first place?

Health checks

Trying to make sense of Google Analytics and Google Ads data can make you feel like you’re drowning in a sea of numbers. But being able to interpret that data is the key to getting clients to invest in digital.

We can use performance data, alongside SEO analysis on the website and its link profile, to provide initial insights into how a website is currently performing and how it compares against its closest competitors. We can make recommendations based on search activity, relevancy and seasonal trends so that digital marketing activities can be planned accordingly. We may suggest tweaking the timing of a website launch or PR campaign to take advantage of seasonal trends or events.

We can even forecast the return on investment (ROI) on a paid media campaign if we know the average value of a client’s lead or sale, as well as site conversion rate and lead close rate. By looking at this against Google’s monthly search volumes on a number of relevant search terms and their cost-per-click (CPC), we can calculate how much traffic we expect ads to receive, how much it will cost, how much traffic is likely to convert and what that will be worth to the client, helping to forecast the potential of a search campaign to the business.

Costly search terms are not necessarily a bad thing, provided that the conversion rate on the client’s website is high enough to offset the cost-per-click. That’s why the Google Analytics data is so crucial to forecasting.

The discovery phase

Of course, with that sort of ammunition, you’re bound to win the pitch! What next?

Every client is different. Bar none. So when we start working with a new client, our first step is always a discovery phase. This builds on the initial insights we’ve done at pitch stage by delivering a comprehensive analysis of search behaviour, content and competitor insights – all aligned to business insights and objectives.

This helps us identify SEO and paid media opportunities; evaluate traffic, enquiries and sales; and pinpoint problems. All of which enables us to create a comprehensive search strategy, prioritising budgets to deliver a meaningful return on investment as quickly as possible.

If you’re interested in becoming a Search Seven partner, give me a call on 01273 329 122 or request a partner pack by filling in this form.

What’s coming next?

Our #SearchSecret7 series continues next week when we’ll be looking at the mutual benefits of SEO and PR.

If you missed the first blog post in the series, click here to look at demystifying the basics of search marketing.