The Pennock Knockdown EP 31 | Decoding AI & Paid Search with Lisa Raehsler of BigClickCo (Copy)
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Decoding AI & Paid Search: Why Human Expertise with Lisa Raehsler of BigClickCo is More Critical Than Ever
In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital marketing, the rise of Artificial Intelligence has sparked both excitement and apprehension. Today, we're diving into this dynamic world with Lisa Raehsler, Founder and CEO of BigClickCo, a recognized leader in paid search strategy, who recently joined us on The Pennock Knockdown podcast. Lisa offers invaluable insights on how to harness the power of AI while reinforcing the indispensable role of human strategists.
From MarCom to Paid Search
Lisa's extensive career in digital marketing spans 18 years, with 15 dedicated to running her own business, BigClickCo. While her early days touched on broader marketing communications and direct mail, her journey eventually led her to dive deep into the specialized niche of Paid Per Click (PPC). Her passion for the work and an early recognition of the growing field propelled her to strike out on her own, becoming a prolific speaker and writer who found success by "diving deep" into her chosen expertise.
Today, BigClickCo supports a diverse range of clients, from B2B and e-commerce businesses to healthcare and software companies. Lisa particularly enjoys working with smaller agencies, helping them integrate PPC accounts seamlessly into their broader marketing strategies.
The AI Revolution: Excitement and Caution
The biggest buzz in the ad platforms right now, according to Lisa, is the rapid rollout of AI features. These innovations are transforming everything from budgeting and bidding to ad creative and targeting, creating "delightful, fantastic, highly relevant" PPC campaigns. However, Lisa also acknowledges the inherent "scary" side: AI has a mind of its own, and despite its advancements, human oversight remains non-negotiable. This shift, particularly in the search industry's approach to keywords and bidding, represents the most significant change in the business for many years.
Why Humans Are Still Indispensable in the AI Age
The immediate question many clients ask is: "Do we even need an ad agency anymore?" Lisa’s answer is a resounding yes, backed by compelling reasons:
Strategy Development: AI lacks the intelligence to develop bespoke business strategies. It applies generic templates that won't account for the unique nuances of your products, margins, or overall business goals.
Error Correction: AI models, while powerful, are not infallible. They can make mistakes, generate generic ad copy, and require human eyes to catch and correct errors.
Feature Management: New AI features are constantly released and don't automatically optimize themselves. Human managers are essential to integrate these features, align them with account goals, and decide how they best fit into the overall strategy.
Nuanced Business Understanding: Only humans can truly grasp the intricate details of a business – product performance, margins, and client priorities – allowing for strategic segmentation and optimization that AI cannot replicate. "There isn't a one size fits all," Lisa emphasizes.
Underrated Channels: Beyond Google and Meta
While Google and Meta dominate the ad landscape, Lisa highlights a few underrated platforms worth exploring, especially for health and beauty brands:
Microsoft Ads: Offers a distinct video network beyond YouTube and a more robust Connected TV (CTV) ad network, providing unique reach opportunities.
Reddit: A highly engaged platform with communities for virtually everything, including numerous health and beauty niches, offering a unique opportunity to connect with deeply interested audiences.
Lisa notes Microsoft's intriguing approach to search and ads, particularly with Copilot, where ads are served not just on keywords but on the themes and context of user conversations, leveraging rich audience signals.
The Future of Targeting & Trackability
As third-party cookies phase out, Lisa stresses the importance of leveraging first-party data (customer lists) and generating lookalike audiences. She also points to the increasing sophistication of audience signals from platforms like Google and Microsoft. These platforms are now analyzing millions of variables – interests, location, time of day, past searches, Browse history, and personal information – to create highly dependable and sophisticated audience targeting.
Despite this increased automation, the role of the media buyer remains critical. Lisa explains that while platforms like Google Ads offer powerful automated bidding strategies, marketers still need to define goals, set parameters, and guide the AI. Clients often underestimate the sheer power and complexity they have access to, a gap that expert agencies like BigClickCo fill by providing strategic guidance and leveraging these advanced capabilities.
Beyond the Ad Platform: The Importance of Your Website
Lisa understands that a brilliant ad strategy can fall flat if the user experience post-click is poor. She emphasizes that the website and landing pages are integral to ad strategy. With AI increasingly pulling ad copy directly from landing pages, an outdated or irrelevant page can propagate bad ads. While reporting on this can be limited, it's another critical checkpoint where human expertise is vital to ensure consistency and performance.
Connect with Lisa Raehsler
Lisa Raehsler's insights underscore a powerful truth: in the age of AI, human strategy, oversight, and a deep understanding of business goals are more valuable than ever.
Want to learn more from Lisa? Connect with her on LinkedIn. Subscribe to her newsletter: The Paid Media Mix on Substack.