Grant Simmons, VP of Performance Marketing at Homes.com, presented an agile search strategy framework called "How to Use the Force". The six-step framework (Target, Tactics, Tools, Time, Test, Track) emphasizes letting data guide decisions. Tactics tested included dynamic search ads, microsites, re-targeting emails, display ads, and partnerships. Facebook lead ads and email re-targeting showed the best results. Testing occurred rapidly, and unsuccessful tactics were culled quickly to refine approaches and audiences. The goal was to optimize leads generated per dollar spent.
12. @simmonet #AdvancedSearchSummit
Homes.com -> Performance Marketing
•We were traditionally focused on traffic
•Found leads a great retention tool
•Pivoted focus to traffic + leads
•Needed new perspective on lead-gen
•Needed speed to market
•Started in February 2019
20. @simmonet #AdvancedSearchSummit
How to Use the Force – All T’s
•Target
•Tactics
•Tools
•Time
•Test
•Track
A framework for
agile search strategy,
based on homes.com
and search agency
experience.
32. Performance Marketing: Goals
Drive incremental traffic
Drive incremental leads
(leads: on / off the site, but we don’t CRO homes.com)
[can we drive more leads @ same budget = lower CPA]
42. @simmonet #AdvancedSearchSummit
DSA Helped Us Define /
Refine Audience
•What locations, queries work
•What audience query-demo works best
•What intent works best
Question We Asked Ourselves:
How can we best target
those audiences & intents?
61. @simmonet #AdvancedSearchSummit
Yay For Google!
•Physical location
vs Location of Interest
•Day parting geo
PST vs EST etc.
•GEOs themselves
State vs DMA vs City
•Optimize to CPA
•Mine / omit negatives
98. @simmonet #AdvancedSearchSummit
Facebook Lead Ads Audience Filters
•Changed based on HUD discrimination concerns
•“Fair Housing Act” covers:
• Race, color, religion, national origin
• Gender, disability and family status
105. @simmonet #AdvancedSearchSummit
Next Up: Leveraging Initial Learnings
•Email – Small time window
•Organic – Build on current
•Contests – Lower funnel
•Surveys – Qualifiers / data hooks
•Anyone want to pitch me something?*
*Buy me a beer
108. @simmonet #AdvancedSearchSummit
Our Tools Strategy
•Subscribe first / scale second
• Consumer tools can work for testing
•Build if speedy
• Offshore partners + internal dev
•Partner where necessary
• Leverage their licenses
•Elbow grease
• Roll your sleeves up
Don’t have to be
enterprise tools!
128. @simmonet #AdvancedSearchSummit
Testing is Like Scary Dark Side
•Pretty scary to keep failing
•Pretty scary asking for more $$
•Pretty scary waiting for results
•Pretty scary to report failure
131. @simmonet #AdvancedSearchSummit
Tracking – “The Light is Right”
Metrics that Matter
•Single point of truth
•Transparency
•‘What’ is less than ‘why’
•Trends are friends
•Act quickly on opps / risks
•Don’t be distracted