Data-Driven Optimization

Real-time performance requires real-time decisions—and that’s exactly how we operate. We see campaign optimization as a continuous, data-informed process that ensures every campaign-across every channel is aligned with your goals and is adapting to what the data tells us.

Paid Search (SEM) is now less about keyword strategy and match types – though still important – and more about ad and campaign settings, bid strategies, accurate conversion tracking, and clearly defined goals. Use GTM and custom Triggers (it’s free!) to track the end-conversion events that you want from your campaigns; click-based events lead to nowhere. It’s also important to know what to allow – and what to actively disallow Google to do, like gathering, creating, or otherwise opaquely dictating the content of your ads.

Programmatic Display & Video has us thinking about targeting, placements, creative, and frequency to minimize wasted impressions and maximize viewability, engagement, and conversions. These are mid-top funnel tactics, tracking is still a must-have but not because anyone should expect to see direct-response akin to Search or Performance Max ads. Still though, this opens brands up to all sorts of placement options from traditional IAB standard programmatic buys, to digital OOH where ads are in public spaces, government buildings, or gas pumps. On a smaller budget, minimizing cost as a barrier to entry is important. Leverage non-skippable placements, and fully understand the restrictions and safeguards of the buy that you’re placing. Be aware of how to spot and avoid in-app, in-game, and other low CPM, often high CTR and deceivingly low CPC placements that can look great on paper but deliver nothing.

The automatic ROI from Meta/Facebook ads hasn’t completely gone away. Facebook’s audience is aging-out, but Meta also has other hooks into younger audiences. Either way, it’s still huge with great data to leverage with paid ad campaigns. Some placements are nearly 100% viewable by IAB standards, which is important if you’re considering viewability and quality of placement (as opposed to ROI). Do be cautious in how and where you restrict Meta’s targeting, as direct-response efforts nearly always see a higher CPA when exclusively targeting some segments, despite the data telling us to do so. LinkedIn can be fruitful, for job posts in particular. Video platforms require assets that most of our clients don’t have or want to create, partly because there are still better direct-response vehicles available.

At the least trackable, but often the loudest end of the spectrum are CTV/OTT & Streaming Audio. These channels require precise audience targeting and frequency management. Some goals require that we target specific content, normally non-skippable placements within a Full Episode Player, where someone is watching long-form episodes more akin to traditional TV. Other goals would have us targeting households known to be new movers, parents, or in-market consumers. Screen type restrictions and frequency capping are good safeguards, as are baseline content and brand safety guidelines. We normally build custom buys to target network- and content-specific inventory. I like fancy toys, but again, don’t spend money creating demand until after you’ve exhausted that which is already available.

Proper tracking and data collection are critical pieces in driving productive ad optimization strategies. Know what metrics to look for, which to ignore, and understand what each is telling you about how your campaigns are performing. Don’t get caught-up in view-through conversion data, nor focus too much on CTR; I can show you ad options that’ll deliver low CPMs, high CTRs, low CPCs, and huge view-through conversion numbers. I can also show you with data, that half of those clicks never reach your site, the rest bounce at 95%, and all of your “conversions” were from people who never clicked on your ad. Often times someone can respect the value of data, but not ask or understand explicitly how it’s derived. Not all clicks are equal, the ‘new click fraud’ has long included bots that look like active website users, and there are endless ways to waste your ad spend.

Read Must-Have #1: Precision Targeting
Read Must-Have #3: Cross-Channel Consistency
Read Must-Have #4: Analytics & Reporting

We’re always looking for problems to solve, and we’re happy to show you how we do it. Drop us a line here or email us directly at info@whitelabeldigital.co for more info.