Paid Ads

Campaign strategy, audience targeting, budget optimization, and performance management across all major advertising platforms.

Table of Contents

• Keywords

• Quick Start

• Platform Selection Guide

• Campaign Structure Framework

• Audience Targeting by Platform

• Budget Allocation Strategy

• Bid Strategy Progression

• Retargeting Playbook

• Performance Optimization

• Attribution and Measurement

• Pre-Launch Checklist

• Best Practices

• Integration Points

Keywords

paid ads, PPC, pay-per-click, Google Ads, Meta Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Twitter Ads, TikTok Ads, paid media, ROAS, CPA, CPC, CPM, audience targeting, retargeting, remarketing, budget optimization, bid strategy, ad campaigns, conversion tracking, lookalike audiences, campaign structure, ad performance, paid search, paid social

Quick Start

Launch a Campaign

• Define campaign goal (leads, sales, traffic, awareness)

• Select platform based on audience and intent

• Set up conversion tracking and verify with test conversion

• Build campaign structure with proper naming conventions

• Define audience targeting

• Set budget and bid strategy

• Create ad creative (use Ad Creative skill)

• Launch and monitor for 7 days before making changes

Optimize an Existing Campaign

• Pull performance data for last 14-30 days

• Identify primary issue (high CPA, low CTR, low ROAS)

• Use the optimization levers in the Performance Optimization section

• Make one change at a time, wait 3-5 days between changes

• Document every change and its impact

Platform Selection Guide

Platform Comparison

Platform Best For Audience Signal Typical CPC Minimum Budget

Google Search High-intent demand capture Search keywords (what they want now) $1-8 (B2B: $5-20) $1,500/mo

Google Display Awareness, retargeting Browsing behavior, interests $0.30-1.50 $1,000/mo

Google Performance Max Multi-format automation Mixed signals, Google's ML Varies $2,000/mo

Meta (FB/IG) Demand generation, B2C, visual products Interests, behaviors, lookalikes $0.50-3.00 $1,000/mo

LinkedIn B2B, decision-maker targeting Job title, company, industry, seniority $5-15 $2,000/mo

Twitter/X Tech audiences, thought leadership Followers, interests, keywords $0.50-3.00 $500/mo

TikTok 18-34 demographics, brand awareness Interests, behaviors, creator affinity $0.30-1.50 $1,000/mo

Reddit Niche communities, tech/gaming Subreddit targeting $0.50-2.00 $500/mo

Platform Selection Decision Tree

Is the audience actively searching for your solution? ├── Yes → Google Search Ads └── No → Do you know their job title or company? ├── Yes → LinkedIn Ads (B2B) or Meta Ads (B2C) └── No → Is your product visual or lifestyle? ├── Yes → Meta Ads (Instagram) or TikTok └── No → Is your audience technical? ├── Yes → Reddit Ads or Twitter/X └── No → Meta Ads (Facebook) or Google Display

Campaign Structure Framework

Account Hierarchy

Account ├── Campaign 1: [Objective] - [Product/Offer] │ ├── Ad Group/Set 1: [Audience Segment A] │ │ ├── Ad 1: [Creative Variant 1] │ │ ├── Ad 2: [Creative Variant 2] │ │ └── Ad 3: [Creative Variant 3] │ └── Ad Group/Set 2: [Audience Segment B] │ ├── Ad 1: [Creative Variant 1] │ └── Ad 2: [Creative Variant 2] └── Campaign 2: [Objective] - [Product/Offer]

Naming Conventions

[Platform][Objective][Audience][Offer][Date]

Examples: GOOG_Search_Brand_FreeTrial_2026Q1 META_Conv_Lookalike-Customers_Demo_Mar26 LI_LeadGen_CMOs-SaaS-500_Whitepaper_2026Q1 TIKTOK_Aware_18-34-Tech_BrandVideo_Mar26

Campaign Types by Objective

Objective Google Meta LinkedIn

Awareness Display, YouTube, PMax Reach, Video Views Brand Awareness

Consideration Search, Display Traffic, Engagement Website Visits

Conversion Search, PMax Conversions, Leads Lead Gen Forms

Retargeting Display, Search (RLSA) Custom Audiences Matched Audiences

Audience Targeting by Platform

Google Ads Targeting

Targeting Type Use When How

Keyword targeting Capturing search intent Exact, phrase, and broad match keywords

Audience targeting Layering intent signals In-market, affinity, custom intent

RLSA Retargeting in search Website visitor lists on search campaigns

Customer Match Targeting known contacts Upload email lists for matched targeting

Similar audiences Expanding from known customers Google's lookalike from customer lists

Keyword match type strategy:

• Exact match [keyword]: Highest intent, lowest volume, highest CPC

• Phrase match "keyword": Medium intent, medium volume

• Broad match keyword: Lowest intent, highest volume, lowest CPC (use with smart bidding)

Meta Ads Targeting

Targeting Type Use When How

Interest targeting Cold prospecting Layer 2-3 related interests

Lookalike audiences Expanding from customers 1-3% lookalike from best customers (by LTV)

Custom audiences Retargeting Website visitors, email lists, video viewers

Broad targeting Trusting Meta's ML No targeting restrictions, let the algorithm find converters

Detailed targeting Narrow audience needed Combine demographics + interests + behaviors

Lookalike best practices:

• Seed with best customers (by LTV), not all customers

• Start with 1% lookalike (most similar), expand to 3-5% once proven

• Create separate lookalikes from different seeds (customers, trial users, email subscribers)

LinkedIn Ads Targeting

Targeting Type Use When How

Job title Targeting decision-makers Specific titles (CMO, VP Marketing, Head of Growth)

Job function Broader role targeting Marketing, Engineering, Finance

Company size Enterprise vs. SMB Employee count ranges

Industry Vertical-specific campaigns LinkedIn's industry categories

Seniority C-suite vs. individual contributor Manager, Director, VP, CXO

Skills Technical targeting Listed skills on profiles

Company list ABM targeting Upload target account lists

LinkedIn targeting rules:

• Minimum audience size: 50,000 for awareness, 20,000 for conversion

• Layer 2-3 targeting dimensions maximum (more layers = too narrow)

• Exclude competitors, agencies, and job seekers if not relevant

Budget Allocation Strategy

Budget by Campaign Phase

Phase 1: Testing (Weeks 1-4)

Allocation Purpose

40% Proven/safe campaigns (brand search, retargeting)

40% Testing new audiences and creative

20% Experimental channels or formats

Phase 2: Optimization (Weeks 5-8)

Allocation Purpose

60% Winning combinations from testing

25% Iterating on promising but unproven

15% New tests

Phase 3: Scaling (Weeks 9+)

Allocation Purpose

70% Proven performers

20% Expansion (new audiences, lookalikes, broader targeting)

10% Ongoing testing

Budget Scaling Rules

• Increase budget by 20-30% at a time, never more

• Wait 3-5 days between increases for algorithm learning

• Monitor CPA for 48 hours after increase — if CPA spikes, hold

• Never double a budget overnight (disrupts algorithm learning)

• If CPA increases > 30% after scaling, revert and investigate

Budget Minimums by Platform

Platform Minimum Viable Monthly Budget Optimal Monthly Budget

Google Search $1,500 $5,000+

Google Display $1,000 $3,000+

Meta Ads $1,000 $3,000+

LinkedIn Ads $2,000 $5,000+

TikTok Ads $1,000 $3,000+

Reddit Ads $500 $2,000+

Bid Strategy Progression

Strategy Ladder

Stage Strategy When to Use Requirements

1 Manual CPC Starting out, need control None

2 Max Clicks Building traffic data Budget cap set

3 Target CPA Optimizing for conversions 30+ conversions/month

4 Target ROAS Optimizing for revenue 50+ conversions/month + revenue data

5 Value-based Maximizing revenue Conversion value tracking, 100+ conversions/month

Bid Strategy Rules

• Start with Manual CPC or Max Clicks until you have conversion data

• Switch to automated bidding after 30+ conversions in 30 days

• Set CPA targets 10-20% above your actual target (give the algorithm room)

• Never change bid strategy and creative at the same time

• Allow 14 days of learning phase after switching strategies

Retargeting Playbook

Funnel-Based Retargeting

Funnel Stage Audience Message Window Frequency

Top Blog readers, video viewers Educational, social proof 30-90 days 1-2x/week

Middle Pricing/feature page visitors Case studies, demos, comparisons 7-30 days 3-5x/week

Bottom Cart/trial abandoners Urgency, objection handling, offer 1-7 days Daily OK

Retargeting Audience Setup

Audience Source Platform Priority

All website visitors (30 days) Pixel All platforms Medium

Pricing page visitors (14 days) Pixel All platforms High

Cart/trial abandoners (7 days) Pixel + Events All platforms Highest

Email subscribers (non-customers) Email list Meta, LinkedIn Medium

Video viewers (50%+ watched) Platform event Meta, YouTube Medium

Blog readers (engaged, 60s+) Pixel + Events All platforms Low-Medium

Exclusions (Critical)

Always exclude:

• Existing paying customers (unless running upsell campaigns)

• Recent converters (7-14 day exclusion window)

• Bounced visitors (under 10 seconds on site)

• Irrelevant page visitors (careers, support, legal)

• Competitor employees (LinkedIn)

Performance Optimization

Optimization Decision Tree

Is CPA above target? ├── CTR is low (< 1% search, < 0.5% social) │ ├── Creative fatigue? → Refresh creative │ ├── Audience mismatch? → Refine targeting │ └── Ad relevance low? → Improve message match ├── CTR is good, conversion rate low │ ├── Landing page issue? → Audit page (speed, copy, CTA) │ ├── Offer mismatch? → Align ad promise with page offer │ └── Audience too broad? → Narrow targeting └── CTR and CVR are good, CPA still high ├── CPM too high? → Try different placements/platforms ├── Competition driving up bids? → Adjust bid strategy └── Attribution issue? → Check conversion tracking

Key Metrics by Objective

Objective Primary Metrics Benchmarks (B2B SaaS)

Awareness CPM, Reach, Video View Rate CPM: $5-15, VVR: 15-25%

Consideration CTR, CPC, Time on Site CTR: 1-3%, CPC: $2-8

Conversion CPA, ROAS, Conversion Rate CPA: $50-200, CR: 2-5%

Retargeting CPA, ROAS, Frequency CPA: 30-50% lower than prospecting

Creative Fatigue Detection

Signal Threshold Action

CTR declining week over week 20%+ decline over 2 weeks Refresh creative

Frequency above threshold

3 (display), > 5 (retargeting) Expand audience or refresh

CPA increasing with stable CTR 15%+ increase over 2 weeks Test new creative angles

Engagement rate dropping 30%+ decline Full creative overhaul

Weekly Optimization Routine

Task Time What to Check

Budget pacing 5 min Spend vs. plan, daily/weekly trends

CPA/ROAS check 10 min Performance vs. targets, by campaign

Top/bottom performers 10 min Pause worst, scale best

Audience analysis 10 min Which segments are converting?

Creative performance 10 min CTR by creative, fatigue signals

Frequency check 5 min Any audiences over-exposed?

Landing page CVR 5 min Post-click conversion rate

Competitor check 5 min New competitors in auction?

Attribution and Measurement

Attribution Reality Check

What Platforms Report Reality

"This campaign drove 100 conversions" Platform attribution is inflated by 20-50%

"ROAS is 5x" Likely includes assisted conversions that would have converted anyway

Last-click attribution Ignores all touchpoints before the final click

View-through conversions Often just people who would have converted regardless

Practical Attribution Approach

• Use UTM parameters consistently — Tag every campaign, ad, and link

• Track in GA4 as source of truth — Compare platform data to GA4

• Calculate blended CAC — Total marketing spend / Total new customers

• Use incrementality testing — Hold-out tests to measure true lift

• Compare platform data vs. CRM data — The gap is your attribution inflation

UTM Standards

utm_source: google | meta | linkedin | twitter | tiktok | reddit utm_medium: cpc | paid-social | display | video | sponsored utm_campaign: [campaign-name-lowercase-hyphenated] utm_content: [ad-variant-identifier] utm_term: [keyword] (search only)

Pre-Launch Checklist

Tracking

• Pixel/tag installed and firing correctly

• Conversion events defined and tested with real test conversion

• UTM parameters added to all ad destination URLs

• GA4 goals/events configured to match conversion events

• Attribution window set appropriately (7 or 28 day)

Landing Page

• Page loads under 3 seconds on mobile

• Page is mobile-responsive

• Headline matches the ad message

• CTA is above the fold on mobile

• Form works and submits to CRM/email system

• Thank you page/event fires conversion tracking

Campaign Setup

• Budget set correctly (daily or lifetime)

• Bid strategy selected and configured

• Audience targeting reviewed (not too broad or narrow)

• Negative keywords added (Google Search)

• Exclusions configured (existing customers, competitors)

• Ad schedule set (if time-specific targeting needed)

• Geographic targeting verified

• Device targeting reviewed

Creative

• 3+ creative variants per ad group/set

• All creative meets platform specifications

• Copy validated against platform policies

• Landing page URL correct for each ad

Best Practices

Tracking first, creative second — Never launch without verified conversion tracking. A campaign without attribution is guesswork.

Start narrow, expand gradually — Begin with your highest-intent, most-defined audience. Expand after proving the funnel works.

One change at a time — Changing audience, creative, and bid strategy simultaneously makes it impossible to know what worked.

Give algorithms time — Do not judge campaign performance before the learning phase completes (typically 50 conversions or 7 days).

Creative is the biggest lever — On most platforms, creative quality matters more than targeting precision. Test creative aggressively.

Match ad to landing page — The #1 conversion killer is mismatched expectations between ad and landing page.

Budget concentration beats distribution — $3,000 on one proven platform outperforms $500 spread across six platforms.

Build retargeting from day one — Install pixels and build audiences even before you spend on retargeting.

Compare platform data to reality — Platform-reported conversions are always higher than actual. Use CRM and GA4 as the source of truth.

Document everything — Every campaign change, test result, and learning should be recorded. Institutional knowledge prevents repeating mistakes.

Integration Points

• Ad Creative — Use for writing ad copy, generating headlines, and creating creative variations. Paid Ads handles the campaign strategy; Ad Creative handles the copy.

• Landing Page Generator — Use for building the landing pages ads drive traffic to.

• Campaign Analytics — Use for measuring campaign performance, attribution analysis, and ROI calculation.

• Marketing Context — Use as foundation for audience targeting and messaging alignment.

• Marketing Psychology — Apply psychological principles to improve ad creative and landing page conversion.

• Copywriting — Use for optimizing landing page copy to improve post-click conversion rates.