As businesses nationwide embark on the path of reopening, leveraging paid digital marketing campaigns, such as Google Ads or Facebook Ads, can be a powerful strategy to connect with potential new customers. However, it’s not sufficient to merely set up these campaigns and let them run on autopilot. To gain meaningful insights into your campaign’s performance, it’s essential to continually monitor progress and key metrics. Most digital marketing platforms provide tools for reviewing your campaigns and even offer the flexibility to make real-time adjustments based on what’s working or what isn’t. The first critical step in optimizing your ad campaigns lies in understanding which data points demand your attention.
1: Identify the metrics that most effectively gauge your marketing objectives.
Before initiating any digital campaign, it’s crucial to establish a clear objective for your advertising efforts. If your aim is to boost website traffic or stimulate online sales, your focus should be on metrics like link clicks and click-through rate (CTR). Alternatively, if your marketing goal centers around driving phone calls to your business, delve into the call details report within Google Ads. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all benchmark for what constitutes a “good” number of clicks or phone calls, as the success of your campaign hinges on your unique business structure and objectives. CTRs can fluctuate based on industry norms, but you can always set or estimate goals based on specific CTR benchmarks.
2: Assess your campaign’s metrics in relation to a different time period.
If you’ve run a similar campaign at a different time or in the past, compare the metrics from that period with your current campaign. Are there noticeable differences, or do they appear consistent? Have there been improvements? If your business experiences seasonality, consider tailoring your campaigns to peak and off-peak times. Keep in mind that metrics tend to be substantially higher during peak seasons compared to off-seasons. If your campaign at the same time in the previous year performed better, analyze factors that may be within and outside your control. For instance, in 2020, many service-based businesses saw reduced traffic due to COVID-19, resulting in higher revenue and conversions from ad campaigns in 2019. While certain circumstances are beyond your control, having this data empowers you to evaluate campaign performance across different scenarios and adjust when opportunities for improvement arise.
3: Modify your campaigns according to their performance.
If you’ve observed persistent and consistent trends of underperformance in your ads, make adjustments where possible to enhance their effectiveness. Ensure that your ad text incorporates an attention-grabbing call-to-action (CTA). The use of phrases like ‘Call us today!’ or ‘Visit us now!’ can motivate potential customers to click on your ad or visit your store. Additionally, ensure that your landing page is user-friendly and contains the information your customers seek. Some ad algorithms assess landing page quality as an indicator of overall ad quality. A complex or poorly-optimized landing page can lower your ad’s quality score, subsequently reducing its performance and reach. While it might be tempting to make multiple changes simultaneously, it can be valuable to update one campaign element at a time to better track the impact on ad performance. You can also consider adjusting your ad budget if you believe a different allocation might yield better results. The possibilities are limitless! Lastly, it’s advisable to familiarize yourself with Google’s ad requirements and Facebook’s ad standards to ensure your ads meet their criteria and reach the most relevant audience.
Balancing the management and measurement of your digital ad campaigns can be challenging, especially when juggling a physical store, a team of employees, and other marketing responsibilities.
