We’ve all been there, you’re onboarding a new client or planning a new piece of activity when questions start coming in.
Should we be on TikTok?
What is a good CPC?
Should we prioritise brand or conversion campaigns first?
They’re all good questions and they all need a response, but when asked like this it’s easy to fall into the trap of viewing digital marketing as an isolated system that isn’t influenced by anything but campaign performance.
That’s where the “it depends” answer comes in.
Take CPC for example. In a recent study, Wordstream found that the most expensive Google Ads keywords were found in the legal industry on US targeted activity. CPC for keywords like personal injury lawyer & personal injury attorney sat around the $100 mark while location specific keywords topped out at just under $500 for a single click. Given how competitive the space is and the potential rewards for winning a personal injury suit, $100+ would be considered a “good” CPC for these firms. On the other hand, if you’re a business selling shoes online for $50 a pair, maintaining a $100 CPC is a questionable marketing strategy and the definition of a “good” CPC will be very different.
It’s the same situation when looking at new platforms and where efforts should be prioritised. Just because other businesses are doing well on TikTok doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right platform for everyone. A business model might not suit a platform, or they may not have the appropriate content to run effective ads. Similarly, if a business is focused on online revenue but is just getting started with marketing, branding campaigns might be a better choice in the short term even though the long term focus is revenue.
The benefit of an “it depends” answer is that it opens up space for you to step back and ask probing questions about long term, strategic goals while building a deep understanding of a specific business. This leads to better marketing outcomes and a strong working relationship as everyone is communicating transparently and working towards the same targets. When you try to define individual metrics in isolation, there’s no wider context and any insight will lack a relationship with wider goals and strategy.
Every question is valuable and having the confidence to step back and explain the factors that go into each decision is crucial for the best chance of success. Some questions are easier to answer than others, but the goal should always be to relate questions to business goals and explain what “good” means relative to the person asking the question.
Want to learn more about the factors that go into a good marketing answer? Get in touch.