Step 1: Identify KPIs and Establish Benchmark
Before optimizing a campaign, it is important to establish a solid benchmark.
- If you've run campaigns with similar objectives and KPIs, their performance data can serve as your benchmark.
- For new campaigns, let them run for 3-4 weeks to gather initial performance data.
In both scenarios, let the campaign run for a few weeks to establish a consistent performance baseline before analyzing results.
Before diving into optimization or performance analysis, conduct a thorough review of basic campaign metrics to assess your campaign's current state and identify potential issues.
Regardless of the channel and campaign type, it is recommended to perform the following two basic checks:
1. Technical Check
- Code and Tracking: Are there any technical errors in your campaign code or tracking implementation?
- DCO Setup: If you are running DCO, have you set up the feed and rules correctly to ensure that personalized ads are displayed to the right audience?
2. Sanity Check
- Budget Allocation: Is the budget allocated to your campaign sufficient? Are your daily caps set appropriately at the campaign and ad group levels?
- Performance Metrics: Are your benchmarks and targeted KPIs realistic?
- Competitive Analysis: Do your competitors have bigger marketing budgets? Are you experiencing a low win ratio with high CPM due to heavy competition?
- Optimization Settings: Have you selected the correct automatic optimization metric? Refer to this article for more information on automatic and manual bidding options.
- External Factors: Are there any external factors (e.g. seasonality, promotions, events, etc.) impacting your campaign's performance? Ensure that you have ruled out any of these factors before optimization.
Step 2: Begin Your Optimization
Category | Data to Analyze | Recommended Actions |
---|---|---|
Creative |
1. Click through rate (CTR%) 2. Engagement rate (ER%) 3. Conversion rate (CR%) |
Creative Variants:
Funnel-tailored messaging:
Visual:
Creative Refresh:
|
Targeting |
1. Basic metrics, such as budget spend, impressions, clicks, CTR, CPC, etc. 2. For branding, reach and traffic campaigns, base your analysis on:
3. For conversion- and action-driven campaign, base your analysis on:
|
Channel:
Ad Group:
Inventories/Resources:
Audiences:
Content:
|
- The more data you gather, the more accurate your results will be.
- For smaller campaigns, incremental changes are recommended to effectively track and measure impact.
Step 3: Monitor Your Campaign
Continue to monitor your campaign performance to ensure the results are in line with your objectives. Avoid making any further adjustments in the first 2-3 weeks to allow the system to adapt, unless the situation calls for immediate attention.
Step 4: Evaluate Performance
Analyze your campaign performance against your benchmark to identify effective strategies and areas for improvement. By regularly evaluating your campaign's performance data, you can gain valuable insights to apply in the future. It is common for some metrics to perform lower than others, so it is important to focus on your primary objectives and assess whether the overall optimization has achieved your desired results. Based on the results and analysis, you can decide whether to continue with new settings or incrementally adjust the initial settings. Remember, optimization is an ongoing process that requires continuous evaluation and refinement.
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