Paid Media Strategies for all stages of the sales funnel

For these strategies to be effective, it is essential to align them with the different phases of the sales funnel: awareness, consideration and conversion.

Discover how marketing teams can optimize their paid media campaigns for each stage of the funnel, integrating specific tactics, practical examples and SEO optimization tips to boost visibility and engagement.

Is the sales funnel crucial for paid media?

The sales funnel (or marketing funnel) represents the journey a consumer takes from discovering a brand to completing a desired action, such as a purchase or registration. This process is divided into three main phases:

1. Awareness: The potential customer discovers the brand or product.
2. Consideration: The user evaluates the offer, compares options and seeks additional information.
3. Conversion: The customer makes a decision and takes an action, such as a purchase or subscription.

Paid media strategies must be tailored to each stage to effectively guide the user. Here’s how to do it, with a focus on platforms, formats and SEO-optimized tactics.

Phase 1: Awareness

In the awareness phase, the goal is to capture the attention of a broad audience that does not yet know your brand or product. Here, paid media campaigns should prioritize visibility and reach, using attractive messages and visual formats that generate interest.

Paid Media Strategies for Awareness Raising

1. Social Media AdsPlatforms such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok are ideal for reaching broad audiences. Short video ads or carousels are effective in capturing attention quickly. For example, a sustainable clothing brand could use videos on TikTok that show the environmental impact of its production, appealing to the values of its target audience.
2. Programmatic Advertising: Programmatic buying allows targeting specific audiences on relevant websites. It uses display banners or native ads on authority sites to increase brand exposure.
3. Search Engine Ads: Although Google Ads is more common in the conversion phase, branded search or display ads can introduce your business to users searching for generic terms related to your industry. For example, a keyword such as “best digital marketing tools” may be useful for a software company.
4. Influencer collaborations: Influencers can amplify your brand’s message at this stage. Choose content creators whose audience matches your buyer persona.

Phase 2: Consideration

In the consideration phase, users already know your brand and are evaluating whether your product or service is the best option. Here, paid media strategies should focus on educating and persuading, providing valuable information that builds trust.

Paid Media Strategies for Consideration

1. Dynamic Remarketing: Use remarketing ads in Google Ads or Facebook Ads to show specific products or services that users visited on your website. For example, an online store can show ads for products that the user added to the cart but did not buy.
2. Sponsored Educational Content: Publish ads that point to whitepapers, webinars or blog articles that address the user’s needs. For example, a B2B software company could promote a webinar on “How to optimize your CRM to increase sales”.
3. YouTube Video Ads: Explainer videos or customer testimonials are ideal for this stage. Create TrueView ads that showcase success stories or product demonstrations.
4. Sponsored Email Campaigns: If you have a database, use platforms like LinkedIn Ads to send personalized messages to professionals that match your target audience.

Phase 3: Conversion

In the conversion phase, the objective is to close the sale or achieve a specific action. Paid media campaigns should be direct and focus on immediate persuasion, eliminating friction in the buying process.

Paid Media strategies for conversion

1. Search Ads with Purchase Intent: Use Google Ads to bid on transactional keywords, such as “buy marketing software” or “discount on digital tools”. Make sure the ads target optimized product pages.
2. Advanced Retargeting Ads: Reinforce the message with ads offering discounts or limited promotions. For example, “Last chance! 20% off your subscription”.
3. Advertising on Marketplaces: If you sell physical products, consider platforms like Amazon Ads or Google Shopping to engage users ready to buy.
4. Social Media Ads with Strong CTAs: Use Facebook Ads or Instagram Ads with buttons like “Buy now” or “Try for free”. Collection ads on Instagram are ideal for displaying product catalogs.

Best practices in digital advertising

1. Precise Targeting: Use tools such as Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel to create custom audiences based on behavior, interests and demographics.
2. A/B Testing: Perform constant testing to optimize copy, images and CTAs. For example, test two versions of an ad with different headlines to see which one generates more clicks.
3. Strategic Budget: Allocate more budget to conversion campaigns, but don’t neglect awareness to maintain a steady flow of leads.
4. Performance Analysis: Use platforms such as Google Data Studio or Looker to measure key metrics such as CTR, CPA and ROAS. Adjust your campaigns according to the data.

How to integrate SEO and Paid Media?

Combining SEO and paid media is a powerful strategy to dominate SERPs and increase conversion. Here are some tips:

• Complementary Content: Publish SEO-optimized blog articles that reinforce your paid media campaigns. For example, if you are promoting a CRM software, create an article on “Top 5 CRMs for SMBs”.
• Remarketing with SEO: Use data from your paid media campaigns to identify keywords that work well and optimize them in your organic content.
• Landing Page Optimization: Make sure landing pages have SEO optimized titles, meta descriptions and URLs.

Paid media strategies are essential to guide consumers through the sales funnel, from awareness to conversion.

By adapting formats, messages and platforms to each phase, marketers can maximize the impact of their campaigns. In addition, integrating on-page SEO ensures that content is visible and attractive to both search engines and users.

Start optimizing your paid media campaigns today and take your marketing strategy to the next level.

Ready to implement these tactics?Analyze your data, segment your audience and create campaigns that connect at every stage of the funnel!

Jorge Anduix

Marketing tecnológico en vena. Fanático de las tecnologías Martech que rompen moldes: IA generativa, blockchain, no-code, metaverso, automatización extrema… Convencido de que el futuro no se espera, se construye (y se vende muy bien).

Responsable del marketing más disruptivo y tecnológico.