Optimizing Digital Ad Campaigns

I've run 20,000 ads and spent $150M on Meta. Benchmarks I've found over 6 years: 1. 1 new creative concept per $10k in monthly spend. At $500k/month that's 50 concepts (~3 ads per concept, more for static-heavy). 2. At $100k/mo, aim for 70% new concepts and 30% variations. As you scale past $1m/mo, max out at 50/50. But never drop below 50% new. 3. 70% of your creatives should be cut before week 2. Only 10-20% will ever hit your performance threshold. If you're keeping most of your ads alive, you're probably losing money. 4. Your top 1-2% of ads should drive 50% of total spend. If they don't, you haven't found real winners yet or you haven't utilized them well enough. 5. Big swings have lower hit rates (5-10%) but higher total potential. These are the ads that can scale to $1m+ in spend. 6. 70% video, 30% static for most ecom brands. New brands need more video (more education, less BOF audience). Clothing should lean heavier static (lots of SKUs to show). 7. 15-20% of budget goes to testing. Under 10% and your creative pipeline dries up. Over 25% and you're burning cash without enough scale behind winners. 8. When you 2x spend, expect 20-30% ROAS decline. A $30 CPA at $50k/month might become $40 at $200k. Scale requires better ads, better optimization, better structure, or lower targets. 9. Limit bid and budget changes to 25% max. For 90% of changes, smaller and more frequent changes outperform bigger ones. 10. Meta always targets returning customers. Aim to keep returning conversions under 15-20%. Accept it and plan around it. 11. Ad copy can improve performance up to 50%. But a great ad outperforms by 500%. Copy matters, but the creative itself is where the real leverage is. 12. A great media buyer improves ROAS 100%+ vs a bad one. Creative strategists make better decisions when they're working off clean data and with better media buyers, because the scaled ads are actual winners. Hope this helps. What others have I missed?

Pro tip from a PPC expert: 🎯 ❌ No clear account structure = wasted budget ❌ No winning strategy = clicks don’t convert ❌ No optimization & tracking = flying blind Master these 3 pillars and turn campaigns into cash. 💸🚀 ✅ Structure your account for clarity ✅ Define a focused strategy for growth ✅ Optimize & track every click for insights Here’s a quick deep-dive into those three pillars—with a mini case to bring it to life: 1. Crystal-Clear Account Structure✅ What it is: Organizing campaigns → ad-groups → keywords so your ads serve the right message to the right audience. 👉 Why it matters: Keeps budgets separate, makes performance easy to diagnose, and prevents irrelevant traffic. 👉Example: A footwear brand splits its “Running Shoes” campaign into two ad-groups—“Men’s Running Shoes” and “Women’s Running Shoes”—each with tailored headlines and keywords. This way, female shoppers only see “Women’s Running Shoes” ads, boosting relevancy and Quality Score. 2. Focused Strategy✅ What it is: Defining clear goals (e.g., maximize ROAS, boost sign-ups) and matching bids, placements, and ad copy to those goals. 👉Why it matters: Stops you from spending on low-value clicks and aligns every dollar with your business objective. 👉Example: If your goal is to drive trial sign-ups, you bid aggressively on “free trial + [your product]” keywords and use ad copy like “Start Your Free 14-Day Trial Today,” rather than generic “buy now” language. 3. Continuous Optimization & Tracking ✅ What it is: Installing conversion tracking, monitoring key metrics (CTR, CPC, CPA, ROAS), and iterating—testing new headlines, adjusting bids, pausing under-performers. 👉Why it matters: Without data, you’re flying blind; with it, you can cut wasted spend and double down on winners. 👉 Example: After 2 weeks, the brand notices “Women’s Running Shoes” ads have a 3% CTR vs. “Men’s” at 1.2%. They shift more budget to the higher-CTR group and test a new headline (“Shop Top Women’s Running Styles”)—CTR jumps to 4%. ✅Bottom Line: Structure → Strategy → Optimization: nail these in order, and you turn random clicks into reliable revenue. Follow Kautilya Roshan for more insight 😊 #GoogleAds #PPC #DigitalMarketing #GrowthHacking

Google Ads: Why B2Bs Find It Too Costly Lately, I’ve noticed a recurring theme surfacing on LinkedIn: Many B2B marketers are voicing their frustration over the high costs of Google Ads. And the data backs them up. Dreamdata recently published a report revealing that non-brand Google Ads campaigns are, on average, delivering a negative ROAS. For every $1 spent, only $0.68 is coming back. But here’s the thing—Google Ads itself isn’t the problem. The real issue lies in how B2Bs are leveraging the platform. After auditing countless B2B Google Ads accounts, one common misstep stands out: B2Bs are treating Google Ads as a demand generation engine rather than a demand capture practice Here’s what typically happens: They target keywords with little to no buying intent simply because those keywords align with their target audience. Then, they send users to a demo request landing page—even though those users aren’t remotely ready to make a purchase decision. It’s a strategy destined to underperform. Here’s an example: Imagine if TripleDart advertised to users searching for "how to write Google Ads copy." Sure, that searcher might fit the right audience profile. But there’s no purchase intent. In fact, they’re likely looking for DIY solutions—the polar opposite of hiring an agency. No matter how polished our landing page or enticing the offer, those users aren’t going to convert. Now, let’s flip the scenario. What if we allocate budget to a keyword like "Google Ads agency for B2B SaaS"? This search clearly signals buying intent, and it aligns perfectly with our offering. By directing that traffic to a landing page with a relevant offer, we dramatically increase the likelihood of profitable conversions. Here’s the hard truth: Even the most skilled marketer can’t convert someone who isn’t in the market for their product—especially in B2B. In B2B sales, decisions often involve multiple stakeholders and a lengthy process of change management, risk evaluation, negotiation, and objection handling. The key is to focus on understanding keyword search intent and optimizing your campaigns accordingly. Unless you have an unlimited advertising budget, steer clear of low-intent keywords. The payback period could stretch on for years. Instead, channel your resources into high-intent keywords. Not only will this streamline your strategy, but it will also lead to a significantly better ROI on your Google Ads investment. P.S. What’s your take on using Google Ads for B2B? Share your thoughts in the comments below! 👇

We spent $10,000+ testing where to send ad traffic (Homepage vs. Product page) And the results surprised me. 🧪 We tested two paths for Neat (our sweat-proof shirt brand): • Product Detail Pages (PDPs) — direct, conversion-focused • Homepage — better storytelling, discovery-oriented The surprising winner for scaling ads? 🏡 Homepage. Here’s the TL;DR: 💡 Product Pages (PDPs) Pros: • Highest efficiency (best ROAS + lowest CAC) • Great for high-intent shoppers Cons: • Scaling hit a ceiling (especially if size/color combos fluctuate) • Limited browsing = missed cross-sells or other variants • Not flexible for inventory changes or sell out issues 🏠 Homepage Pros: • Scaled 3x on paid ads at a $42 CPA compared to PDPs • Allows people to explore variants and collections • Better for discovery shoppers Cons: • Slightly lower ROAS (but still profitable and scales) • Can introduce friction vs. a focused funnel Our strategy in 2026: ➡️ Keep testing both. ➡️ Use PDPs when we have inventory and persona dialed in. ➡️ Scale with homepage traffic when we want broader reach without bottlenecks. Here’s the screenshot of our test. Curious — what’s worked better for your brand when it comes to scaling paid traffic?

CFO: we’ve got to hit profitability, so we have to cut all brand spend CMO: that's exactly why we SHOULD spend on brand CFO: I don’t get it CMO: cutting brand spend will boost blended ROAS, giving a false sense of certainty. we might see a short-term profit pop, but achieving sustainable profit long-term will become even harder CFO: how? sounds like a smart move to me. I need to be sure we're not wasting money CMO: by cutting brand and other “underperforming” conversion DR spend, putting more of the remaining spend into high ROAS places, we reduce the incrementality of our spend CFO: remind me what that means again? CMO: driving purchases that would not have happened otherwise CFO: wait - why would we spend any money to claim credit for a purchase that would have happened anyway? CMO: great question. we're doing the very thing we don't want to do with our precious remaining capital: waste money CFO: so cutting brand and low ROAS spend and over-rotating to high ROAS feels good short-term but harms the business even more long term? CMO: there's nuance, but overall, yes. we might even cut more from bottom funnel spend CFO: that makes no sense CMO: try to apply the thinking from this conversation CFO: ok, let's do this: many brands are going to do what we were planning: cut all low ROAS spend and shift to the highest ROAS areas. because we've been maniacal about cost controls across our P&L, and because we are in a good inventory position, we can withstand a drop in revenue in the short and mid-term. therefore, to apply the thinking of this conversation, if we pull back on the highest ROAS areas more than brand, we might see overall CPMs drop as other brands cut brand spend. and, surprise potential benefit: the customers we do acquire digitally could be higher margin because a smaller portion of them was purchased with discount + urgency ads CMO: now we're talking CFO: wait, I'm on a roll, let me cook. and when we consider our wholesale and owned store businesses, putting more of our spend into bottom funnel will not have as much impact on driving those businesses as our broad reach, brand-first content. this may even drive a higher contribution margin percentage across the overall business, without as large a drop in contribution margin dollars as we might otherwise see CMO: yaaaas chef CFO: this may limit the shrinkage in our new customer cohorts, which always bites us in the a** when we need that repeat revenue later. it forces us into suboptimal tactics like over-emailing and discounts to pull forward LTV and cover short term revenue shortfalls. it protects our contribution $ LTV, which is our real goal. So in sum, doing the opposite of what I thought might actually make the most sense CMO: you cooked up quite a feast CFO: thank you. I channeled my inner Gordon Ramsay

B2B companies dramatically overspend on paid search with very low ROI because the reports & metrics they use ALLOW IT to happen. All you need to measure is two core revenue metrics: 1. $ Closed Won Revenue : $ Ad Spend (Lagging) Example: For every $1 we spend on Google ads, we get $2.20 in revenue. You should be targeting an absolute minimum of 1:1. Very few B2B companies I interact with ever get this minimum baseline metric. 2. $ HIRO Pipeline : $ Ad Spend (Leading) Example: For every $1 we spend on Google Ads, we get $10 in HIRO pipeline. Our HIRO win rate is 25% historically, so we can project forward that we’ll get approx $2.50 in revenue for every $1 investment in Google Ads. ___ This will immediately tell you whether your investment in paid search is working (Paid Search is one of the Top 3 largest annual Marketing expenditures at most B2B companies). Then, break down these metrics by each core campaign group: 1. Branded 2. High Intent Non-Branded 3. Low Intent Non-Branded 4. Competitor With this view, you’ll probably see that the blended ROI you see on paid search is actually being propped up by Branded keyword conversions that would’ve happened anyway, while non-branded and competitor campaigns are bleeding big losses & negative ROI. __ If B2B companies evaluated their paid search investment through this simple, logical lens, they would spend 50-75% less on paid search every month. Because that investment is clearly not driving actual business outcomes or positive ROI when evaluated through this lens. Which would create a large additional budget that could be deployed to much more effective GTM programs. #b2b #marketing #google #gtm #sales p.s. Paid search is a 100% demand capture channel. By definition, if someone makes a search, it's a signal of intent. The only appropriate way to measure demand capture is how much of that intent you've captured into sales meetings, pipeline, and revenue. Don't overcomplicate it. p.p.s. You don't need any fancy technology to do this. Implement persistent UTMs and track it to opportunities in Salesforce against the converting contact.

I don’t run TOFU, MOFU, BOFU campaigns anymore. I run two types of campaigns, because there are only two things that matter: ↳ Building mental availability and consideration with out-market prospects ↳ Convincing in-market prospects to choose you over competitors Out-market campaigns hit our total ICP list. We run high-frequency ads built around strategic, data-backed messaging to drive reach and recall. The goal: “When they move in-market, we’re the name they remember.” We mix ad formats but optimize for audience penetration, frequency, engagement rate, and dwell time. To measure success, we track ICP company visits, share of search, and growth in engaged ICP accounts over time. This tells us we're not just hitting vanity metrics, but actually getting on the vendor list. In-market campaigns are laser-targeted. I recently shrunk this audience from 40K to ~8K. Given our full ICP list is ~180K, that tracks as only ~5% are in-market at any time. The goal: convert pipeline, drive revenue, shorten sales cycles, increase AOV and LTV. Here’s what that structure looks like: We ditched generic retargeting (website visits, video views, ad clicks). Instead, we focus on high-intent page visits—service, pricing, offer pages. Add in AI-driven intent-signals from Dreamdata and G2. Then, layer an ICP filter over the top to ensure we're not wasting spend on poor-fit prospects. Unlike most B2Bs, we don’t exclude existing pipeline from targeting. We keep reminding them why we're the best option. They’re not closed until they’re closed. Funnel logic makes sense for a linear funnel. But B2B buying journeys aren't linear. Smart B2Bs market the way buyers actually buy. Not the way they wish they would. 🤘 — P.S. Struggling to make LinkedIn Ads work? Have a KlientBoost Growth Strategist build your custom free marketing plan based on proven playbooks like this one. Hit the link to get yours: https://lnkd.in/eMpcnvQX

Pharmaceutical and medical device companies face unique challenges in connecting with HCPs, patients, and stakeholders. As traditional marketing methods become less effective and privacy concerns grow, first-party data emerges as a game-changer for our industry. First-party data—information collected directly from customers with their consent—is becoming increasingly crucial for success in digital marketing. With the impending phase-out of third-party cookies, leveraging your own data will be more important than ever. But how can pharma and medical device companies harness the full potential of first-party data? A study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Google revealed that while data-driven marketing can double revenue and increase cost savings by 1.6 times, only about 30% of companies are creating a single customer view across channels. Even more striking, just 1-2% are using data to deliver a full cross-channel experience for their customers. To bridge this gap and gain a competitive edge, industry leaders need to focus on three key actions: 1. Develop a Comprehensive Data Strategy - Instead of collecting data indiscriminately. This might involve prioritizing data from healthcare provider interactions, patient support programs, or clinical trial participants. Assess the value of your first-party data rigorously. Calculate associated costs and risks and develop a clear implementation roadmap. This approach not only streamlines your efforts but also helps secure buy-in from executives—crucial for successful implementation. 2. Test, Learn, and Measure - Start with a specific business case for your data. For instance, you might aim to improve adherence to a particular treatment or increase adoption of a new medical device. Define what needs to be personalized to achieve this goal. While one-to-one personalization might seem ideal, it requires significant investment and time. Focus on a narrow use case—perhaps a specific physician specialty or patient segment—and invest only in the data and technology required to test that particular case. 3. Build Robust In-House Tech Capabilities - Traditionally, pharma and medical device companies have heavily relied on agencies for marketing efforts. However, a hybrid approach may be more effective in the age of first-party data. Consider insourcing your technology stack and capabilities related to data analysis and activation. At the same time, leverage agencies for their strategic perspective, creative content, and media buying expertise. Many agencies are evolving to meet these changing needs, offering everything from à la carte services for mature brands to turnkey solutions for those just starting their data journey. By focusing on these three areas, pharmaceutical and medical device companies can unlock the full potential of their first-party data. This not only improves the customer experience, but also boosts business results. #CXStrategy #pharmaceuticals #medicaldevices #DataStrategy

You don't need $1M in ad spend to benefit from AMC. But you're probably wasting money if you start too early. I get this question all the time: When IS the right time for a brand to dive into Amazon Marketing Cloud? AMC isn't for brands just starting out. You need to have an existing customer base to really benefit from it. The ideal candidate should have: 1. An established product with meaningful sales volume 2. Some history on Amazon to build audience data from 3. At least $5-10K monthly ad spend (though more data = better insights) But don't think you need to be a massive brand to see results. Our goal is to implement AMC across ALL our clients - from those spending $10K monthly to those spending $1M+ Start slow. We typically begin with just a 10% bid increase on specific audiences rather than going all-in with 100% increases. Test, learn, and scale based on conversion rates and costs. The beauty of AMC is that it works at various scales. You don't need to wait until you're spending six figures on ads to benefit from the insights.

E-commerce, especially on Amazon, is a competitive arena. To win, you need strategy and the right tools. That's where Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) comes in. It's more than just a data platform; it's a strategic advantage. Two ways AMC can help -> 1. Insights & Analysis AMC unlocks access to unique data sets, giving us an unprecedented view of the customer journey. We can finally get inside the shopper's mind – understanding how they discover, consider, and ultimately buy on Amazon. This translates to campaigns that are dialed in to real shopper intent. 2. Customised Audience on DSP and Search - AMC enables us to take those insights and make them actionable immediately. We can build highly specific audiences and activate them seamlessly within Amazon's DSP and, crucially, Sponsored Ads. Given the importance of Sponsored Ads for most Amazon strategies, this ability to layer AMC audiences is a major win for optimizing ad spend and maximizing ROI. Essentially, AMC allows brands to move beyond reactive tactics and adopt a proactive, data-driven approach to retail media. It's about truly understanding consumer behavior and using that knowledge to dominate the marketplace. Have you used AMC audiences on Search? #retailmedia #amazonads