MARY ELLEN COE: Today, every lead counts more than ever
because businesses have fewer hours of operations,
smaller staffs.
So it's critical to find customers
that are really right in that window
and closest to buying a product or service.
NATALIE ZMUDA: In this episode of "The Update,"
I talk with Mary Ellen Coe about how
to connect with new customers by tapping into intent.
Can you talk a little bit about the typical customer journey
that advertisers are thinking about when they're creating
their Lead Gen strategies?
MARY ELLEN COE: Lead Gen really often involves
complex, individual journeys with a lot of touch points.
Let me give you a very simple example of that--
so car insurance.
Our research shows that the purchase process
for car insurance can take over 100 days, 220 digital touch
points.
So what's important in those journeys is that they really
show signals of the customer intent--
specific type of insurance, the features
that they're interested in.
And given how long and complicated these journeys
can get, our most successful advertisers really
focus on these signals to create the best Lead Gen strategies.
NATALIE ZMUDA: Tapping into that intent is so critical.
What are some of the other trends
that you've been seeing in terms of how customers are connecting
with businesses who are really focused on Lead Gen right now?
MARY ELLEN COE: So as people are spending more time online,
they're searching a lot more, and they're
searching differently.
So that means, those signals of intent are changing a lot.
And there's a really big opportunity for our businesses
to connect with new customers and really increase
their lead volume.
We know from consumers, those who've
tried new brands since the pandemic, more than half
of them said, they had to do it out of necessity.
Just a simple example that really brings us to life--
telemedicine.
There's been an incredible surge in telemedicine,
much higher demand.
And so typically, an advertiser or a telemed business
would just be looking at keywords.
But now, they would add geolocation as a way
to refine that customer search.
We also see successful businesses
use a whole new variety of ways to reach their customers.
That can be web forms, chat, email, phone--
in place of the in-person visits that
have slowed down so significantly.
NATALIE ZMUDA: In this new environment, are
there challenges that you're seeing as businesses are
trying to generate new leads?
MARY ELLEN COE: Getting quality leads
has always been the number one challenge for businesses.
70% of marketers will tell you, working on Lead Gen means
improving the quality leads is the most important objective
for their Lead Gen strategies.
And let me explain-- when we talk about quality,
we're talking about people with high-purchase intent,
potential customers with a really good chance
of buying a product or service.
You spend less time and resources converting customers.
And that means higher lifetime value
for these businesses who are really in tough economic times.
NATALIE ZMUDA: So knowing that advertisers really
want to improve quality, what are the opportunities as they
start to revisit their Lead Gen strategies?
MARY ELLEN COE: As everyone's experiencing shifts
in behavior, it comes down to reaching the right people
with the right message at the right time.
Very simple example of that-- going back to car insurance.
Consumers are searching for insurance advice.
And maybe they fit into a travel enthusiast segment.
So families are planning right now.
There's an increase in volume in travel by car.
So we might want to look at a keyword in audience strategies
to match that.
One of the great ways to do that is to use Google's optimization
score.
And that identifies opportunities for businesses
to improve their campaign setup.
The other thing we're seeing is that successful advertisers
are using testing--
testing with formats like lead form extensions across search.
YouTube Discover is another example.
So really focusing on the fundamentals
can make a big difference in the performance right now.
NATALIE ZMUDA: Can you also talk a little bit
about closing leads and how advertisers
can become more efficient in that whole process?
MARY ELLEN COE: Let's go back to the car insurance
example I used earlier.
Say a customer purchases a driver plan
after talking to a sales rep offline.
By using that advertiser CRM data with intent
signals from Google properties, they
can build a view of an ideal customer and their needs.
And so that means, in terms of efficiency,
we're seeing our most successful advertisers
use measurement tools like offline conversion
tracking in combination with Smart Bidding.
So they tie back what happens offline with how
to best optimize their bids and find
those high-intent customers.
NATALIE ZMUDA: You and your team work with so many businesses.
Who is getting this right?
MARY ELLEN COE: So if we look across Lead Gen advertisers,
like education, B2B, health care,
we see our most successful advertisers use automation
to refine their keywords, audience, and creative
to drive better outcomes.
We work with a startup called Zen Business.
And it's a company that makes it easy for entrepreneurs
to start and grow really successful businesses.
After COVID hit, Zen Business wanted
to hit their target customer acquisition costs
and scale conversion volume.
They combined their own data with Smart Bidding
and focused on the highest potential leads.
And they've grown their customer base over 400%,
while they've decreased their acquisition costs by 25%.
So this is really the type of performance
we love to see for our customers.
And it makes a really big difference
in how they can grow their business really efficiently.
NATALIE ZMUDA: So as you look to the back half of the year,
million dollar question-- what advice
would you give to marketers who are focused on Lead Generation?
MARY ELLEN COE: Keep up with all those changing customer
behaviors.
Number 2, scaling growth means leaning into automation.
This can really help businesses grow
based on real-time, high-quality signals of intent.
And then finally, accelerating online Lead Gen strategies
is a really big task.
And it's really about testing and learning what works.
I've been so inspired by the resilience
of all of our advertisers.
Despite really big business changes,
they've taken this opportunity to build high-quality leads,
grow their businesses, and help customers all over the world.