New Data Proves Facebook Ads Lift Search ROI

Facebook has just released some new research that shows us just how well Facebook ads play with others, like paid and organic search channels, to lift traffic and conversions. As a long time search geek who has just recently gotten really into Facebook ads, this data makes me really happy.

So sit back, relax, and let me take you on a magical ride through Facebook’s awesome new data.

Holy Mobile, Batman! Mobile Facebook Ads Lift Search Referral Volume

There’s no “Batmobile” without “mobile” – and mobile is a big part of the equation here, too.

In the first segment of its newly published research, here’s what Facebook discovered that “mobile-heavy Facebook paid media exposure caused a statistically significant lift in search referral traffic volume to advertiser websites, predominantly on mobile.”

6 Fast Facts

1. Consumers who were exposed to Facebook ads were more likely to conduct a new search on mobile.

2. Referral search traffic climbed to 12.8 percent in some cases.

3. The average lift for mobile search referral traffic was 6 percent.

4. The average lift for desktop search referral traffic was less than 1 percent (but the study points out that since 70 percent of Facebook ads were in a mobile format, this data is consistent with the “same-device stickiness” in the consumer journey that is typical for e-commerce).

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5. Small businesses saw the largest variance in lift.

6. Facebook says there’s more research to be done: “We hypothesize that lift in search traffic due to Facebook paid media exposure may correlate with a combination of other factors, such as organic content, the reach and frequency of the Facebook campaign, the amount of paid search media weight and other digital or media weight during the campaign period.”

Cars, Money, Shopping

No, that’s not just a typical day in the life of a Kardashian – it’s the sectors that Facebook looked at in the next segment of its research: “For brands in automotive, financial services and retail, we found that Facebook paid media caused statistically significant lift in lower-funnel KPIs these advertisers care about, including online and offline sales.”

5 Fast Facts

1. Auto sector: When consumers were exposed to Facebook ads, they were more likely to search for branded keywords versus non-branded keywords. Facebook says the result of this search behavior made search ads almost 2 percent more effective for those studied (because branded keywords cost less than other keywords).

2. Financial services: Research found a 19 percent lift in paid search conversion volume and a 10 percent improvement in CPA with exposure to Facebook ads!

3. Retail space: Findings show significant boost in search return on ad spend (ROAS) in markets that included Facebook ads exposure.

4. Average order value grew from search conversions when paired with Facebook ads. Facebook says, “We can hypothesize that people seemed more comfortable spending more after first being exposed to Facebook paid media.”

5. Searches for physical store locations grew after exposure to Facebook ads. “We found that when people saw Facebook ads in addition to paid-search results, they were not only 13 percent more likely to buy online, they were also 79 percent more likely to seek out the brand’s physical store.”

TL;DR and Recommendations

Like we’ve known for years, multiple channels work together in your customer’s journey and Facebook ads are no exception.

Of note is the impact of the mobile device in all of this, which, as the research points out, is no surprise as people go on to search from their mobile device when they’ve been served Facebook ads on mobile.

I’ll leave you with a few recommendations based on the data, and you can download the full research here.

• Create a story. Research suggest that “coordinating the timing, copy and messaging across both digital marketing channels, Facebook and search,” can help in driving traffic and conversions.

• Measure all the things! Track the cross-channel effects of Facebook ads and search, especially watching mobile because “the resulting lift in search behavior from Facebook paid media exposure is disproportionately higher in mobile on average.”

• Test and allocate budget. Facebook writes that “by applying a sufficient budget on these digital channels, a marketer could use Facebook to help drive discovery on Facebook and ultimately improve search objectives.”

So get out there and start testing ads on Facebook!

New Data Proves Facebook Ads Lift Search ROI

Facebook increases focus on mobile with 'immersive ads' and Conversion Lift update

After unveiling the idea at Cannes Lions this year, Facebook has started testing a new ‘immersive mobile’ advertising format. The ads look like sponsored posts in the News Feed, but when tapped, they open full screen and allow the viewer to flip and scroll through text, photos, videos and other content. It looks like an alternate version of a brand’s website, but will load more quickly and be more interactive because the content is native to Facebook.

Facebook is testing the format with Gatorade, accessories brand Michael Kors, online retailer Mr Porter and French retailer Carrefour. For now, the ads will only appear on Facebook’s iPhone and iPad apps, state media reports.

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Last week, Facebook began testing the new mobile ad format that offers a blank creative canvas for brands to turn their ads into something closer to an app, similar to the Instant Articles editorial format that Facebook has been testing with publishers like The New York Times and National Geographic.

Facebook has also announced updates to its Conversion Lift measurement tool. In January, the company had launched Conversion Lift to help marketers better understand the additional business their Facebook ads drive.

In a blog post announcement, Facebook said, “advertisers come to Facebook to grow their business and connect with customers, and part of growing your business is advertising smartly. That’s why back in January, we launched Conversion Lift, a measurement tool for Facebook advertising that helps marketers understand the additional business Facebook Ads drive.

“Today, we’re adding new capabilities to Conversion Lift that help marketers understand exactly which of their Facebook ads are driving their ad objective best. The updated Conversion Lift measurement tool helps advertisers make more informed marketing choices, so they can continue to grow their business.”

According to the post, conversion lift studies can now be set up to measure lift across purchase channels, like stores, websites and apps, so advertisers can get a holistic view of their ad performance. Multi-channel measurement shows the advertiser the overall effect their ads contributed and can also be viewed by channel to see how the ads drove sales in store, online or in app.

Lift Division has a culture of change

The vibrant, glossy offices at Lift Division reflect the type of cool, adaptive and modern atmosphere the company emanates. The people at Lift Division are masters of change; their entire careers revolve around the constantly shifting digital landscape. The company itself has also been evolving since its establishment in

2010 and has undergone new management, new offices and offers new products and services.

Five years ago, Jamie Stephens, Josh Burrell and Travis Smith created the company Lift Division, which had a main focus of Web development and search marketing. In 2011 and 2012, there was an increasing emphasis at Lift Division on SEO and search marketing, and co-founder Stephens, who had more expertise in Web and product development, left the company to pursue freelance opportunities with larger clients.

In early 2013, entrepreneur Rusty Brett purchased Lift Division. Brett’s own startup ServiceNoodle.com had been one of Lift Division’s first clients. By merging the ServiceNoodle.com and Lift Division teams, Brett created a group of people with large differentiation of expertise, and Lift Division became the parent digital agency entity.

“I was always kind of trying to woo Jamie [Stephens] back over to Lift because our expertise in Web development was sites under $20,000,” says Brett, Lift Division CEO. “We had incredible SEO, search and content marketing experience, but we needed that person that could help us create and execute comprehensive digital strategies for much larger clients.”

Stephens returned to Lift Division in February of 2015 as the chief of digital strategy, and as a result the company was able to begin executing larger projects.

“I saw the direction that Rusty and the team were going, and I knew I wanted to get back full time with Lift to help bring value to clients both locally and nationally,” Stephens says.

‘It’s our approach’

Currently, Lift Division facilitates business growth, audience engagement and customer retention through inbound marketing techniques, including: SEO, content marketing, web design, app development, PPC, social marketing, PR reputation management, email marketing and video marketing.

“It’s not necessarily our products, but it’s our approach”, Stephens says. “Coming in and working with our clients in a design-centric way and a customer-centric way, our goal is to help them understand and refine what their vision is and then develop engagement strategies.”

Lift Division strongly believes in showing clients that their services provide actual value to their companies, which typically means growth in sales and other key performance indicators.

“All of our strategies are measurable and actionable,” Stephens says. “It’s super important for us to be able to show our customers that we’re doing something for them. It’s not just a glossy website but that their website is actually working for them.”

As Lift Division hires more people with different skills, the products and services it offers expand as well. The company prides themselves on being able to handle a lot of its marketing in house and being able to serve as a comprehensive solution for clients.

“There’s a lot of products we offer right now, and we want to focus on doing all of those even better,” Stephens says. “That’s a big part of it: finding new ways to deliver the same product with new tools and new systems in place to deliver results better for our customers. We’re not a cookie cutter agency; we want to make sure that we’re delivering the right strategies and the right tools for each one of our customers.”

Education and change

A challenge for the company is being able to keep up with the continually changing technology. As technology changes, so do the rules of the game, and sometimes it can be hard to keep up.

“The industry is in constant change, especially when you talk about how search results are displayed,” Brett says. “Everyone always goes back to Google, and Google is constantly changing. For example, starting April 21 Google is going to start penalizing sites that aren’t mobile responsive. That’s one of the constant challenges in the digital marketing space: to keep up with the times and help our clients adjust to the newest technology accordingly.”

According to Brett and Stephens, Lift Division puts a large emphasis on educating its clients on how it can keep their businesses up to speed when it comes to technology and how to make sense of the cluttered, chaotic Internet world.

“There are so many opportunities to try and spread your message between all the social media outlets; there’s so much chatter and so much noise,” Brett says. “You really need to pick one or two [social media sites] and focus on those really well as opposed to getting lost in all the opportunities.”

Since the company was established, Lift Division’s customer base has reached beyond Columbia. Lift Division has clients in Vancouver, New York, Atlanta and Denver. It has worked with major brands such as the U.S. Army and Gotham Culture. The company’s customer base largely consists of small to mid-size businesses, with one or two larger projects going on at the same time. Although Lift Division has been working on numerous national projects, the company wants to continue to help local businesses grow by educating them.

“Education is a big piece of what we want to do,” Stephens says. “There are a lot of things businesses can do themselves to help lift their brand and lift their engagement with customers, and we want that information as accessible as possible.”

Lift Division has been through many changes since 2010, and that’s what the company thrives on: a culture of change. The company is thriving in an industry filled with complexities and uncertainties, and it feeds off the opportunity to help businesses adapt, just like it has.

“As a company we try and develop a culture of change and being nimble,” Stephens says. “What we’re doing today to help businesses grow could be completely different in two years, but if we can build a culture of change, and we can have people that are able to be nimble and able to adapt to change, we’re always going to be able to deliver winning strategies and winning solutions to our customers.”

Lift Division has a culture of change