# Paid Advertising Playbook

Based on research from [Google Ads](https://ads.google.com/), [Meta Business](https://www.facebook.com/business), [WordStream](https://www.wordstream.com/).

---

## Platform Comparison

### Audience & Intent
| Platform | Audience | Intent Level |
|----------|----------|--------------|
| Google Search | Active searchers | Very High |
| Google Display | Passive browsers | Low |
| Meta (FB/IG) | Social users | Medium |
| LinkedIn | Professionals | Medium-High |
| TikTok | Entertainment seekers | Low-Medium |
| YouTube | Video viewers | Medium |
| Programmatic | Across web | Low |

### Best Use Cases
| Platform | Best For |
|----------|----------|
| Google Search | High-intent capture, B2B, local |
| Google Display | Retargeting, brand awareness |
| Meta | B2C, e-commerce, lookalikes |
| LinkedIn | B2B, enterprise, recruiting |
| TikTok | Gen Z, D2C, viral |
| YouTube | Brand, tutorials, reviews |
| Twitter/X | Tech, events, announcements |

---

## Google Ads

### Campaign Types
| Type | Best For | Bidding |
|------|----------|---------|
| Search | High-intent keywords | CPC, Target CPA |
| Display | Retargeting, awareness | CPM, CPA |
| Performance Max | Full funnel automation | Target ROAS |
| Video (YouTube) | Brand, tutorials | CPV, CPM |
| Shopping | E-commerce | CPC |
| App | Mobile installs | CPI |

### Search Structure
```
Account
└── Campaign (Budget, Settings)
    └── Ad Group (Keywords, Ads)
        ├── Keywords
        └── Ads (Headlines, Descriptions)
```

### Match Types
| Match Type | Symbol | Behavior |
|------------|--------|----------|
| Broad | none | Wide reach, AI matching |
| Phrase | "keyword" | Contains phrase |
| Exact | [keyword] | Exact or close variants |

### Quality Score Factors
| Factor | Weight | Improvement |
|--------|--------|-------------|
| CTR | High | Better ad copy |
| Ad relevance | Medium | Match keywords to copy |
| Landing page | Medium | Relevance, speed, UX |

### Google Ads Benchmarks (Search)
| Industry | Avg CTR | Avg CPC | Avg CVR |
|----------|---------|---------|---------|
| B2B | 2.4% | $3.33 | 3.0% |
| Technology | 2.1% | $3.80 | 2.9% |
| E-commerce | 2.7% | $1.16 | 2.8% |
| Finance | 2.9% | $3.44 | 5.1% |
| SaaS | 2.0% | $4.50 | 2.5% |

---

## Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram)

### Campaign Objectives
| Objective | Optimization | Use Case |
|-----------|--------------|----------|
| Awareness | Reach, impressions | Brand building |
| Traffic | Link clicks | Site visits |
| Engagement | Reactions, comments | Social proof |
| Leads | Form submissions | Lead gen |
| Sales | Purchases | E-commerce |
| App promotion | Installs | Mobile apps |

### Audience Types
| Type | Description | Best For |
|------|-------------|----------|
| Core | Demographics, interests | Prospecting |
| Custom | Your data (email, site) | Retargeting |
| Lookalike | Similar to custom | Scaling |
| Saved | Pre-built combinations | Efficiency |

### Lookalike Strategy
| Source Audience | Lookalike % | Purpose |
|-----------------|-------------|---------|
| Customers | 1% | Highest quality |
| Purchasers | 1-2% | Best converters |
| Leads | 2-3% | More volume |
| Engagers | 3-5% | Broader reach |

### Ad Formats
| Format | Best For | Specs |
|--------|----------|-------|
| Single image | Simple message | 1080x1080, 1080x1350 |
| Carousel | Multiple products | 3-10 cards |
| Video | Storytelling | 15-60s |
| Collection | E-commerce | Hero + products |
| Stories | Mobile, casual | 1080x1920 |
| Reels | Entertainment | 9:16 vertical |

### Meta Ads Benchmarks
| Objective | Avg CTR | Avg CPC | Avg CPM |
|-----------|---------|---------|---------|
| Awareness | 0.5-1% | $0.50-1.00 | $5-10 |
| Traffic | 1-2% | $0.30-0.80 | $8-15 |
| Conversions | 1-3% | $0.50-2.00 | $10-20 |
| Lead gen | 2-5% | $2-10 | $15-30 |

---

## LinkedIn Ads

### Campaign Objectives
| Objective | Optimization |
|-----------|--------------|
| Brand awareness | Impressions |
| Website visits | Link clicks |
| Engagement | Reactions, comments |
| Lead generation | Lead form submissions |
| Conversions | Website actions |

### Targeting Options
| Category | Options |
|----------|---------|
| Company | Industry, size, name |
| Job | Title, function, seniority |
| Education | Degree, field, school |
| Demographics | Age, gender, location |
| Interests | Groups, skills |
| Matched | Email lists, retargeting |

### Ad Formats
| Format | Best For |
|--------|----------|
| Single image | Standard promotion |
| Carousel | Multiple messages |
| Video | Brand storytelling |
| Document | Lead magnets |
| Message | Direct outreach |
| Text | Simple, cost-effective |

### LinkedIn Benchmarks
| Metric | B2B Average |
|--------|-------------|
| CTR | 0.4-0.6% |
| CPC | $5-10 |
| CPM | $30-50 |
| CVR (leads) | 5-15% |
| CPL | $50-200 |

---

## Bidding Strategies

### By Objective
| Goal | Strategy | Platform |
|------|----------|----------|
| Awareness | CPM, Reach | All |
| Traffic | CPC | All |
| Conversions | Target CPA | Google, Meta |
| Revenue | Target ROAS | Google, Meta |
| Efficiency | Maximize conversions | Google |

### Bidding Progression
```
Start: Manual CPC → Understand baseline
Then: Maximize clicks → Volume
Then: Target CPA → Efficiency
Scale: Target ROAS → Profitability
```

### Budget Pacing
| Setting | Use Case |
|---------|----------|
| Standard | Even spend throughout day |
| Accelerated | Time-sensitive campaigns |
| Lifetime | Flexible daily spend |
| Daily | Strict daily control |

---

## Creative Best Practices

### Ad Copy Framework
```
Headline: [Pain point or benefit]
Primary text: [Problem] → [Solution] → [Proof] → [CTA]
CTA: [Action verb] + [What they get]
```

### Video Ad Structure
| Time | Content |
|------|---------|
| 0-3s | Hook (stop scroll) |
| 3-15s | Problem/pain point |
| 15-30s | Solution intro |
| 30-45s | Proof/demo |
| 45-60s | CTA |

### Creative Testing Framework
| Variable | Test Variations |
|----------|-----------------|
| Visual | Image vs video, UGC vs branded |
| Headline | Benefit vs pain, question vs statement |
| CTA | Different actions |
| Format | Single vs carousel |
| Length | Short vs long copy |

### Ad Fatigue Signs
- CTR declining
- Frequency >3 (prospecting)
- Frequency >7 (retargeting)
- CPM increasing
- Conversion rate dropping

---

## Retargeting Strategy

### Audience Segments
| Segment | Window | Priority |
|---------|--------|----------|
| Cart abandoners | 1-7 days | Highest |
| Product viewers | 7-14 days | High |
| Site visitors | 14-30 days | Medium |
| Engaged (video, social) | 30-60 days | Medium |
| Past customers | 90-180 days | Low |

### Retargeting Exclusions
| Exclude | From |
|---------|------|
| Purchasers | Conversion campaigns |
| Recent converters | Short-term |
| Bouncers (<10s) | All |
| Spam/bot traffic | All |

### Sequential Retargeting
```
Day 1-3: Reminder ad (simple)
Day 4-7: Benefit ad (value)
Day 8-14: Social proof ad (testimonial)
Day 15-21: Offer ad (incentive)
Day 22+: Last chance ad (urgency)
```

---

## Measurement & Optimization

### Key Metrics
| Metric | Formula | Target |
|--------|---------|--------|
| CTR | Clicks / Impressions | >1% (search), >0.5% (display) |
| CPC | Spend / Clicks | Varies |
| CVR | Conversions / Clicks | >2% |
| CPA | Spend / Conversions | < LTV/3 |
| ROAS | Revenue / Spend | >3x |
| Quality Score | Google metric | >7/10 |

### Optimization Checklist
| Frequency | Action |
|-----------|--------|
| Daily | Check spend, pause losers |
| Weekly | Bid adjustments, add negatives |
| Bi-weekly | Creative refresh |
| Monthly | Structure review, strategy |
| Quarterly | Full audit |

### Attribution Windows
| Platform | Default | Options |
|----------|---------|---------|
| Google | 30-day click | 1-90 days |
| Meta | 7-day click, 1-day view | 1-28 days |
| LinkedIn | 30-day click, 7-day view | Various |

---

## Budget Allocation

### New Campaign Testing
| Phase | Budget | Duration |
|-------|--------|----------|
| Test | 10-20% of total | 2-4 weeks |
| Validate | 30-40% of total | 4-8 weeks |
| Scale | 50-70% of total | Ongoing |

### Channel Mix by Goal
| Goal | Search | Social | Display |
|------|--------|--------|---------|
| Awareness | 10% | 60% | 30% |
| Consideration | 30% | 50% | 20% |
| Conversion | 60% | 30% | 10% |

### Scaling Rules
| Signal | Action |
|--------|--------|
| CPA < Target, Volume < Goal | Increase budget 20% |
| CPA at Target, Volume at Goal | Maintain |
| CPA > Target | Optimize before scaling |
| Diminishing returns | Diversify channels |
