If you're buying YouTube video somewhat blindly, you might be gobbling-up the lesser expensive skippable units. Clients like low CPMs, and most don't think to ask about video view rates;…

If you work agency-side, you've likely had to navigate the hoops required to advertise tricky content categories like firearms, Cannabis, Housing, or Politics. The latter of which has been ticking-up…

Changes in privacy and general tech over the last several years have all but completely hampered audience (user) segmentation on the client-side. Meaning, we can't reliably segment website visitors, such…

Remember "lower my bills" (.com) 15-20 years ago, with dancing elephants and weirdo animation in their display ads, all over the internet? I do, which makes me old for this…

Most clients would tell you that they want to run paid ads in an attempt to maximize website traffic, to which we ask why, exactly? If it's because you want…

Adjusting CTAs can help to keep messaging fresh, but don't sleep on the value of the particulars in your text. I once found that use of "home loan" and "mortgage…

When I worked in the financial services industry, nearly all of our paid ads were dark for the last 45 days of the year, every year. These days I think…

Whenever we talk about creative refreshes and making sure ad creative isn't getting stale, the client hears, "new promotions". That's not necessary, most of the time. New promotions are great,…

Time and time again, we benefit from taking a few minutes to consider how best to reach a client with their own paid ads. It sounds wasteful, but we're talking…

I often wonder what portion of a client's post-view conversions they'd see if they weren't running ads. That is, how many conversions would have happened anyhow, regardless of whether or…

We don't normally highlight or focus on frequency caps with clients, just because there are a hundred other details that need to be nailed down for every flight. We do…

If you're an online retailer, you likely manage a Google Shopping feed. Odds are, it's a mess. Many clients feel like they need everything they sell; every color, option, and…

We often get requests from various direct mail providers to lend small add-ons to direct mail campaigns, using their list data to target those users online. It's possible, but too…

Driving online leads is one thing, having us marketers looking for ways and places to find a lower CPA and more lead volume. That's only part of the story, though,…

There's definitely a correlation between paid ad traffic and organic website visits, starting with users visiting across multiple devices (found me with an ad on my mobile FB news feed,…

If you've worked on large brand SEM campaigns, you've likely had discussions as to what, exactly, to do with branded SEM traffic. Do you spend money on clicks that you…

With AI being all the rage, lately, a lot of advertisers are looking for ways to incorporate new AI tools into their marketing machines. The truth is, AI is already…

Paid Search and Facebook (Meta) ads have been atop the list of useful tactics for a while. Viewability is of zero concern with those tactics, and SEM would even have…

We often find ourselves having to preemptively explain what might come, or not come, from incorporating more data into our scope. Normally that means merging disparate data source, but even…

For streaming audio and CTV/OTT buys, private deals in your DSP are a primary lever for most brands. The end clients like to know they're getting play within specific, familiar…

Google's Rules and Scripts applications can lend some automated safeguards to paid ad campaigns, especially where flights are short or spend is volatile for any reason. They also help where…

If you're spending enough money on paid ads, you should consider landing pages that you can test and optimize for paid ad traffic, specifically. Normally these pages have no-follow tags…

Near the top of the list of things people stop thinking about the minute it's created or "done", Google Business Profiles often go overlooked. Most of the clients that ask…

If you're at an agency, you've almost certainly seen clients with websites that you'd suggest they show nobody, ever. We've got a couple of digital tactics on-hand for these clients,…

I can't blame app developers for monetizing their technology, but I do blame digital professionals that don't proactively mitigate in-app, in-game, and otherwise low-end 320x50 mobile ad placements. I'm speaking…

We've recently been revisiting the value that we associate to conversion events like phone calls or form completions. Clients with online purchase events are easily handled, once the technical work…

There was a time in the SEM world when exact match and phrase match were useful tools. Now, one of those doesn't exist, and the other is little better than…

Paid Search is easily covered these days, albeit often by inexperienced, well-meaning staffers as an entry into digital ad management. Beyond that, do your chops extend beyond Google Ads and…

For some, it’s beneficial to unpack that and roll-back some preconceived notions or missed steps. In other cases, it’s best to politely (but intently) ignore what’s been tested or executed…

We do most of our work "behind the curtain", and while we can't speak to some of the specifics of our execution (our clients get the credit), we can share…

Most agencies have experienced the onslaught of calls, texts, and emails from Google Ads reps. If you manage dozens, even hundreds of Ads Accounts, by now you know to tune…

If asked a few years ago about 'geofencing' as a digital targeting tactic, my tone conveyed more of a warning, perhaps a suggestion or two that might help manage client…