If you are a marketer, business owner, or founder, chances are you’ve heard of performance marketing. This type of marketing is results-based, which means that you only pay for the leads or sales that are generated from your campaigns.
Performance marketing can be a great way to acquire new customers while also reducing your overall marketing spend.
In this guide, we will cover everything you need to know about performance marketing.
Covered Topics
What Is Performance Marketing?
Performance marketing is a type of online marketing in which advertisers are only charged for results, such as clicks, sales, or leads. This means that performance marketing is a form of paid advertising, but it can also be used in conjunction with other marketing channels, such as search engine optimization (SEO) or email marketing.
Performance marketing is often used by small businesses or startups because it is a cost-effective way to acquire new customers. It can also be used by larger companies as a way to increase sales or leads from specific channels. For example, a company might use performance marketing to drive sales from its Facebook page.
The key advantage of performance marketing is that it is results-oriented, which means that you only pay when your ads generate results. This makes it an effective way to improve your return on investment (ROI).
How Does Performance Marketing Work?
Performance marketing works by aligning your marketing goals with specific actions that you want your customers to take. For example, if you are a clothing retailer, you might want your performance marketing campaigns to focus on driving sales from your website.
To do this, you would need to create an ad campaign that is specifically designed to drive traffic to your website. You would then need to track the results of your campaign so that you can see how many sales were generated from it.
The key to successful performance marketing is understanding what actions you want your customers to take and then designing campaigns that are specifically designed to drive those actions.
Types of Performance Marketing
There are two main types of performance marketing: cost-per-lead (CPL) and cost-per-sale (CPS).
Cost-per-lead campaigns are designed to generate leads, such as signups for a newsletter or downloads of a white paper. Cost-per-sale campaigns are designed to generate sales of a product or service.
Performance marketing can also be used to increase brand awareness or website traffic. However, these types of campaigns are less common because they are more difficult to track and measure results.
Who Uses Performance Marketing?
Performance marketing is used by a wide variety of businesses, from small businesses to large corporations. It is a popular choice for businesses that are looking to acquire new customers or increase sales from specific channels.
Performance marketing can be used in a variety of industries, but it is particularly popular in the e-commerce, software, and travel industries.
Performance Marketing In Ecommerce
There are a number of different performance marketing channels that e-commerce businesses use, including search engine marketing (SEM), social media marketing (SMM), CTV advertising, and email marketing.
Each of these channels has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to choose the right one for your business. For example, SEM is an effective way to reach potential customers who are actively searching for products or services like yours.
SMM, on the other hand, is best for building relationships with potential customers and creating brand awareness. Email marketing, meanwhile, can be used to nurture leads and drive conversions.
Performance Marketing in Software
Because software companies are often selling to businesses, they often use BANT criteria to qualify leads. This stands for budget, authority, need, and timeline.
In order to generate qualified leads, software companies need to create performance marketing campaigns that are specifically designed to reach decision-makers at businesses who have a budget for their product, the authority to make a purchase, a need for their product, and a timeline for making a purchase.
Performance Marketing in Travel
Travel companies often use performance marketing to drive bookings and increase brand awareness. For example, a hotel might use SEM to target potential customers who are searching for hotels in their destination city.
A travel company might also use SMM to build relationships with potential customers and create a community around their brand.
Getting Started With Performance Marketing
If you’re interested in getting started with performance marketing, here are the steps:
- Identify your goals. What do you want to achieve with your performance marketing campaigns?
- Choose the right channels for your business. What kind of businesses are you targeting? And what type of product or service are you selling?
- Create campaigns that are specifically designed to meet your goals. What actions do you want your customers to take?
- Track and measure your results. How many sales or leads did your performance marketing campaign generate?
Final Thoughts
Performance marketing is a powerful tool that can be used to generate sales, acquire new customers, or increase brand awareness. When done correctly, it can be an effective way to grow your business.
