Boosting Impact: Utilising Demand Gen and Performance Max Across the Funnel

Creating a seamless experience across the entire customer journey is crucial for success. To achieve this, combining Google's powerful Performance Max campaigns with upper funnel demand generation strategies is a game-changer. This approach allows marketers to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to target both ends of the funnel, enhancing audience engagement, optimising creative assets, and ultimately driving a higher return on investment (ROI). 

Google is constantly changing its ad campaign functionality, and it can be difficult to decide which type works best for your goals. This is why we’ve broken down how to boost the impact of your Google Ad campaigns by using Demand Gen and Performance across the marketing funnel.  

The key differences between Performance Max and Demand Gen

While utilising both can have a huge impact on your campaign, it’s important to understand the differences between the two, particularly in the audience engagement they encourage. 

Understanding Performance Max campaigns

Performance Max campaigns are a relatively new addition to Google's advertising suite. They are designed to maximise performance across all of Google’s inventory from a single campaign. This includes YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail, and Maps. By using AI and machine learning, Performance Max campaigns automate the optimisation process to reach high-value customers. 

Performance Max campaigns are particularly powerful because they enable advertisers to set specific conversion goals, such as increasing online sales or generating leads. The AI-driven system then uses these goals to optimise ad delivery in real-time, ensuring that the right message reaches the right audience at the right time. 

Integrating Demand Generation Strategies

While Performance Max campaigns focus on conversions, demand generation strategies are aimed at creating awareness and interest in your products or services at the top of the funnel. These strategies typically involve broad-reaching tactics such as content marketing, social media campaigns, influencer partnerships, and more. Integrating demand generation with Performance Max allows you to create a cohesive strategy that nurtures prospects from initial awareness through to conversion. 

Goals

The goals of Performance Max are broad conversions throughout the user's journey, including website traffic and visits, leads, and purchases. Demand Gen, on the other hand, priorities top-of-funnel  

Targeting

Performance Max leverages AI to analyse user behaviour and identify high-intent prospects. By using signals such as search history, online activity, and demographic data,  AI can predict which users are most likely to convert. This advanced targeting ensures that your ads are shown to individuals who are already primed to take action, increasing the efficiency of your marketing spend. 

Ad formats

Performance Max uses machine learning to determine which creative assets perform best. By feeding your campaign with a variety of ad creatives—videos, images, headlines, and descriptions—you allow the AI to test and identify the most effective combinations. This data-driven approach ensures that your ads are continually optimised for maximum impact. 

Measuring and maximising ROI

To truly understand the impact of combining demand generation with Performance Max, it's essential to measure and analyse your ROI. Here are some tips to help you get started: 

Set clear goals

Define specific, measurable objectives for both your demand generation and Performance Max campaigns. This could include metrics such as website traffic, lead generation, conversion rates, and sales revenue. 

Use Advanced Analytics

Utilise Google's advanced analytics tools to track the performance of your campaigns. Look at key metrics such as click-through rates, cost per conversion, and return on ad spend (ROAS). By analysing this data, you can identify areas for improvement and optimise your strategy accordingly. 

A/B Testing

Continuously test different ad creatives, targeting options, and bidding strategies to find the most effective combinations. A/B testing allows you to refine your campaigns and ensure that you're always getting the best possible results. 

The benefits of combining the two approaches

Audience engagement

Demand generation campaigns help you build a pool of engaged prospects. By creating high-quality, informative content, you attract potential customers and encourage them to interact with your brand. These engaged audiences can then be retargeted with Performance Max campaigns, ensuring that you stay top-of-mind as they move further down the funnel. 

Seamless experience

Combining demand generation with Performance Max ensures a seamless customer journey. Prospects who engage with your content at the top of the funnel will see relevant and compelling ads as they progress towards conversion. This continuity helps build trust and reinforces your brand message. 

Real-time optimisation

One of the key benefits of Performance Max is its ability to optimise campaigns in real-time. AI continuously monitors performance data and makes adjustments on the fly, such as reallocating the budget to higher-performing channels or tweaking ad creatives for better engagement. This real-time optimisation ensures that your campaigns are always running at peak efficiency, maximising ROI. 

Combining Google's Performance Max campaigns with upper-funnel demand generation strategies is a powerful way to create a seamless marketing experience that drives results. By leveraging AI for advanced targeting and real-time optimisation, you can engage your audience, optimise your creative assets, and maximise your ROI.  

Choosing a digital marketing agency that can blend different strategies to deliver results? That’s what we strive for at Mediaworks, so check out our work and get in touch today.