High tech meets traditional match making. Cupid Media specializes in bringing together couples whether it be next-door or halfway across the world. Established in 2000, Cupid is a leading online dating network. In that time, Cupid has helped over 30 million people look for love across the world, covering North and South America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. Cupid sites are equipped with the latest and most progressive technology to make online dating an enjoyable and interactive experience.
The marketing team at Cupid Media works in all disciplines - search, social, display. This lends itself well to working with fewer vendors across channels, preferably in one integrated platform. We found this with Marin Software.
What’s impressed me about Marin’s client service team is that they are knowledgeable across all channels (search, social and display). We often work with vendors where they are usually only experts in one particular area. Marin also delivers insights and recommendations that go beyond a typical SaaS partner which shows they have our best interest at heart.
Jason Johnson
Marketing Manager at Cupid Media
Challenge
The challenge for Cupid Media was efficiently and effectively buying media across search, social, and display for their diverse array of business. They operate 30 domains and 500+ publisher accounts across many international publishers. With virtually unlimited sources of inventory, Cupid Media needed a centralized view of their performance metrics in order to compare their results and know where to invest their next dollar.
In addition, Cupid Media needed to make sure its employees were making the best use of their time and talents. To date, its advertising operation has been run in-house with a team of experts using Excel and publisher-provided tools. Cupid’s management team determined that employing a technology partner was the best way for its marketing team to continue scaling the online advertising program. Cupid set out to find the best technology partner for this task, and ultimately decided Marin Software was the right partner to help them continue to execute their cross-channel marketing strategy.
Centralized Cross-channel Stack Improves Workflow and Future Strategies
Marin Software’s platform provided Cupid Media with a one-stop technology stack for its search, social, and display buying needs. Cupid made use of Marin’s bidding tool - Budget Optimizer - to drive down the costs of converting subscribers from free to paid. In addition, Cupid leveraged Marin’s scalable campaign deployment to launch quick tests and syndicate the successful bets to their other lines of business. The ease and speed of campaign management and experimentation allowed Cupid’s marketing team to focus on being strategic in all channels, while relying on automation to execute the rote business tasks.
Bidding Algorithm Finds Users Whose Revenue Contribution is 23% Above Average
Cupid Media optimizes to “free signups” since they operate on a “freemium” business model. Their objective is to convert a portion of those free users into paying subscribers. Marin’s bidding algorithm helped Cupid Media drive 78% more free signups. What’s particularly noteworthy is that these free signups contributed 23% more revenue than Cupid’s average free signup. This indicates that Marin’s bidding algorithm was effective at isolating valuable media buys and acquiring it at highly cost-effective bids. The bid efficiency is evident by the 28% decrease in average cost-per-conversion. In short, Marin’s bidding algorithm delivered Cupid Media more net revenue, on a reduced cost basis. For Cupid Media’s management team, the decision to partner with Marin Software has paid dividends.
Integrated Workflow Across Channels for Quick Testing, Quick Learnings
Beyond bidding and budget automation, Marin Software has enabled Cupid‘s Marketing to move fast, test more ideas and rapidly syndicate the winning ideas to the rest of their business. This workflow is foundational to Cupid’s marketing assembly line. Cupid’s legacy process for campaign management and testing had become overwhelming for the Cupid team and was negatively impacting productivity. Fortunately, Marin’s platform simplified each of these steps enabling Cupid’s team to focus their attention on being strategic and dreaming up new ideas to test, while leaving the rote mechanical tasks for Marin cross-channel automation to execute.
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White paper
PPC for B2B: a Performance Marketing Survey Report for 2023
To help you stay on the leading edge of performance marketing, we surveyed over 300 B2B marketers to uncover actionable insights that will help you improve the performance of your PPC investment. Through a Marin and LinkedIn partnership, we sought out to understand what B2B marketers face right now and how they are dealing with a complicated market. Read the full report to get a better understanding of how B2B marketers are changing their approach this year.
What You'll Learn from the Report:
How budgets have changed through the years 2020 to 2023 and how budgeting complexities affect the work of advertisers this year.
What challenges are most prevalent this year and how other marketers like you are adapting.
The critical role audience targeting plays in your success, especially during a recession, and some interesting trends relating to targeting techniques.
The types of content and campaign management techniques are currently helping advertisers move buyers through the sales funnel.
What paid social or PPC channels are providing the best ROAS or conversions for B2B right now.
If you invest time, money, and resources into lead generation, you need to make sure that the leads you’re generating fit your ideal customer profile (ICP). We call these ideal potential customers targeted leads. So, what exactly can you do to generate targeted leads efficiently and effectively? Read on for expert tips and tricks.
Start with valuable lead magnets
A lead magnet is a piece of content designed to capture lead information and get potential customers into your CRM system. You can develop high-quality, value-driven lead magnets and give them out to potential customers for free in exchange for their contact information - usually their email address.
While everyone loves free stuff, the fact that a lead magnet is free is not enough to incentivize potential customers to take action. Lead magnets must be genuinely valuable to inspire them to download them and offer their contact info.
Here are some types of lead magnets you should consider creating:
An excellent example of a high-value lead magnet is Onnit's "8-Week 8-Pack Plan", a PDF detailing an 8-week workout plan people can download for free. All they have to do is provide their email address. Then, they’ll receive the guide right in their inbox.
Although Onnit isn’t exactly a B2B marketer, there’s a lot we can learn from this guide.
Of course, this lead magnet gets potential customers onto Onnit’s email list. But more importantly, it’s full of helpful images and step-by-step explanations that a reader can easily understand and follow. Since it’s easy to use, potential customers will find value in it immediately. This improves brand credibility and increases the likelihood that leads who download the 8-week plan can be upsold paid offerings, like a monthly workout plan subscription.
So, how can you create a highly valuable lead magnet? By making sure it's chock-full of helpful information and easy-to-follow steps towards a concrete result. Onnit’s goal is to get people in shape and help them adopt a fitness mindset. When creating your lead magnet, think: What would you like your customers to achieve? And then help them achieve it.
Once you’ve crafted your lead magnet, share it on various marketing channels like organic social, paid social, and paid search. More on that next.
Use paid search advertising to reach the right people
Getting your brand to the top of the search engine results page (SERP) is a great way to build visibility and provide a quick solution to customers' needs. Of course, paid search ads can drive traffic to your product pages, but it's also good to showcase your lead magnets in paid ads targeting relevant search terms. If your content answers a question that your ideal client is searching, that's a great way to grow your lead pipeline.
Here are some paid search tips for B2B marketers looking to generate high-value leads:
1. Use High-Intent Keywords
High-intent keywords are terms that potential clients use when they're getting closer to making a purchasing decision. Incorporate keywords that reflect specific needs, like “enterprise project management software” or “commercial insurance quotes.” Analyze your search terms report to find terms your target audience uses when they’re ready to engage and add those to your campaign as keywords.
2. Create Sitelinks for your Lead Magnets
Paid search is a great way to promote your best lead magnets. Create sitelinks that link to your different pieces of content. Using strong call-to-actions (CTAs) like “Download the Free Whitepaper” or “Watch our Webinar” as the sitelink text will drive users to engage with your lead magnets. Call extensions are also useful for B2B companies looking to increase inbound inquiries.
3. Optimize Landing Pages
Ensure that your ad’s landing page is optimized for conversions. It should provide high-level, digestible information about the product or lead magnet and include a simple, straightforward form to capture lead details. Keep the design clean and navigation easy, and ensure the messaging aligns with your ad copy to maintain consistency.
4. Focus on Quality Over Quantity
When it comes to B2B lead generation, the quality of the lead is often more important than the quantity. Optimize your campaigns to attract leads that are most likely to convert into paying customers. This means bidding higher on a small collection of more competitive, high-intent keywords rather than placing mid-tier bids on a large group of more vague keywords.
Craft personalized social media messages
Without a doubt, LinkedIn is the best social platform for generating targeted leads and connecting with decision-makers. To do LinkedIn outreach right, start by researching your ideal connections. Craft messaging that will resonate with your ICP by first understanding the types of problems they might be trying to resolve.
Here's an example of two outreach messages. Which one would you be more likely to act on?
I think we can all agree that the second is more compelling!
Once you identify a common problem for a targeted group of prospects, you can reach out with a message telling them how your product will resolve that problem. This message should be complemented by a quick overview of your track record and a call to action. Remember to include a link to one of your lead magnets!
Test Paid Social Ads
Paid advertising on social media will put your brand in front of a highly targeted audience, but you have to deliver a powerful message to inspire people to click. The combination of captivating visuals and a clear call to action will get people to click on your ad to check out your products and offers. When you combine this with a powerful landing page, you have a high chance of turning them into a lead on the spot.
Here are some B2B-specific tips for paid social campaigns:
1. Target Precisely
Use the detailed targeting options available on social platforms to hone in on your ideal customer profiles. This includes job titles, industries, professional interests, and company sizes. The more specific you can get, the more likely you are to reach decision-makers.
2. Create Engaging Ads
B2B doesn't have to be boring. Create content that captures attention and engages viewers. This can be through informative videos, eye-catching infographics, or thought leadership posts that position your company as an expert in your field.
3. Utilize Lead Generation Forms
Many social platforms offer lead generation functionalities, like LinkedIn’s Lead Gen Forms, which auto-populate with the user’s profile data when they click your ad. This reduces friction in the lead generation process, making it easier for users to sign up or express interest without leaving the platform.
4. Showcase your Lead Magnets
Not every ad should ask users to 'book a demo' or 'buy today'. Instead, promote some of your best lead magnets to cement yourself as a thought leader in the eyes of your ideal customer. Whether it’s an industry report, a sponsored article, or just a good old-fashioned whitepaper, driving traffic to your lead magnets is invaluable.
Build landing pages that inspire action
Your ads will only deliver the desired results if they link to equally powerful landing pages. When a potential customer clicks on an ad, they need to land on a page that delivers valuable information that is relevant to them.
For example, if a person searches for the best wireless security cameras, and your ad pops up, you want to make sure that it leads them to wireless cameras specifically. A common and costly mistake would be to lead them to your entire security camera selection, not a filtered landing page.
That's a big no-no.
With that said, what does a great landing page look like? Check out DoorDash, whose landing page gives you everything you need to take action immediately above-the-fold, along with added information and options as you scroll down.
Or how about Marin's very own performance marketing and automation landing page?
The above-the-fold part of the page has everything from a video intro to a short text explainer, as well as a clear CTA and some social proof sprinkled in at the bottom. As you continue to scroll, you get to know the specific features of the platform and the ways it can streamline your digital marketing campaigns.
Optimize Your Lead Generation Forms
When it comes to lead generation forms, brevity is your friend. Lead gen forms should be short, sweet, and to the point, and they should offer some value to the visitor (like a lead magnet). Make sure the user has to fill out no more than 6 info boxes to complete the form. Just two or three is ideal.
Here are some types of lead gen forms to add to your site:
Newsletter signup
Email in exchange for a discount code
Account Registration in exchange for access to resources
Lead magnet signup
Here's an example of a good lead gen form:
On Expat.com, the signup form is straightforward and concise, with color simplicity and contrasts to emphasize the call to action as well as other signup options.
Track Every Micro-conversion
The B2B sales cycle can be long and convoluted, with many different micro-conversions occurring along the way. A micro-conversion could include a form fill, a demo request, a phone call, or downloading a lead magnet. It’s critical to track every step of the customer journey to understand what’s driving sales and where customers are dropping out of your marketing funnel.
Marin attribution was built to do just that. It’s ideal for B2B businesses because you can view every micro-conversion side by side, and even calculate the conversion rate from one micro-conversion to the next. It’s critical to implement a multi-touch attribution tracking system so you can understand the full picture.
Over to You
Generating targeted leads starts with creating high-quality lead magnets that bring potential customers into your conversion funnel. Potential customers want to connect with brands on a more personal level, so it’s critical to position your brand as a thought leader in your industry.
Paid search and social advertising for B2B brands can be complex. Tracking the customer journey is no easy task. And with many sales cycles taking over 6 months, it can be difficult to determine which ads and lead magnets were the true needle movers that drove a lead to convert. With Marin’s cross-channel campaign management and attribution software, the process becomes streamlined and simple. Speak with a Marin rep to learn more!
PrettyLittleThing Increases App Downloads by 22% with Apple Search Ads and Marin Bidding
Background
PrettyLittleThing is a fast-growing UK-based fashion e-commerce brand primarily aimed at providing trendy, unique clothing to 16 to 24-year-old women. Boohoo Group owns this company that services twelve different international markets.
They are continually expanding their global reach and with successful digital marketing strategies like the one outlined below, they are proving to have the revenue and growth to support this worldwide footprint. The company's main headquarters are in Manchester, with showrooms in London, Paris, Los Angeles, and Miami.