Napoleon Perdis: three channels, each held to its own return

Why separate returns

A single blended return hides which channel is pulling its weight. Reporting each channel separately showed exactly where the money was working.

The search piece

The Google programme covered brand, category and product terms. It protected searches for the brand itself and picked up shoppers looking for cosmetics in general. It was managed for return rather than volume, and returned 8:1.

The other two channels

• Facebook ran prospecting and retargeting across the range, with creative refreshed for each launch and focused on the shades in each range. It returned 14.6:1.
• Email worked a large owned list with lifecycle flows and campaigns on the same launch calendar. At 50:1 it was the highest-returning channel.

This was a paid and email engagement rather than SEO. The lesson carries across: give each channel its own number, and it becomes obvious where to spend next.