What is optimization?
Optimization is the improvement of performance. It usually includes:
- Reducing the cost of a target action (conversion, call, client)
- Boosting the volume of targeted actions without increasing the average cost of this action (=more applications for the same price)
- Improving the quality (of applications, subscriptions)
Optimization can be done in one direction or several at the same time. The more optimized your ad campaign is – the more competitive it is.
Let’s move on to the optimization methods.
Display optimization methods
Using cost per click (CPC)
Most courses recommend using a cost per 1000 impressions (CPM). This is an effective method for testing different audiences and ads. However, it is less suitable for long-term management due to fluctuations in performance.
In this case, it is reasonable to use pay-per-click. The most affordable way is to copy your most effective ads, changing only the payment model from CPM to CPC.
Changing the landing page
By landing page, we mean the place where the ad is directed – website, group, product card, manager page.
For optimization purposes, choose the place where it will be easier for the user to perform the target action you need. For example, if you need appeals, it will not be effective to advertise only the company page instead of posts in communities or the manager’s page.
Changing the ad format
This method partially correlates with the previous one – different formats are better suited for different purposes. For example, if you need followers, it’s not too effective to use the “Record” format because of the low conversion rate, unlike the “or” with a button” formats:
The universal signup is not effective in attracting followers. The side formats – the bottom line – are hardly used at the moment due to their low efficiency in most cases.
There are exceptions, for example, you advertise a contest with very valuable prizes for your audience, as a result of which your conversion rate is above 50% (i.e. every second subscriber subscribes).
Adding a call to action
It seems to be the basics of marketing, it is mentioned in almost every marketing material, but in practice, it is often absent. Everything is quite trivial – add the call to action you need in the text – write, watch, ask questions, and so on.
Nuance #1: in the case of a big-size text (~12 lines or more), it’s better to use several calls to action – in the beginning/middle and end, and they shouldn’t be repeated – because then the conversion rate increases by several percent.
Nuance #2: It is ineffective to use calls to action that sell directly (“buy”, “order”, etc.) since they usually arouse less interest in the user = conversion to an appeal than neutral ones (“watch”, “ask a question”, etc.).
Placement of emphasis in the ad
The method is quite simple – you highlight with spaces or emojis what you want to draw the target audience’s attention to in the text – it can be benefits, your titles, or links to you.
Changing images
One option is to change the image you use in your ad to another one. Simple, but often effective. However, there are a few important details to consider.
Some experts not only change the ad image but also the community avatar during the ad campaign (often with a name), which gives the user the impression that it is a completely new ad from another group.
Changing audiences
This is a rather large point, as it includes, on the one hand, the change of audiences due to “burnout” and due to the low efficiency of the current audience (or the expansion of segments). We will talk mainly about the second type.
Low efficiency can be due to:
- a) unsuitable advertising for this audience (you advertise to a wide audience, but ads are made for a narrow one);
- b) with very high competition for this audience. As a rule, such a situation is typical for narrow audiences, while with wide audiences, such situations are practically excluded. The solution is quite simple – you need to move from narrow to broad, and in the case of broad – to narrow.
Conclusion
Optimization of advertising campaigns allows you to reduce the cost of the target action, and/or improve the quality of applications, and/or receive more applications for the same cost (i.e., serves as the basis for scaling the PPC).
Optimization is a sequential process, it is rarely possible to optimize the PPC multiple at once, more often it is done in iterations (reduced the cost per click by 15% – increased the quality of applications by 6% – reduced the cost per click by another 7%, and so on).
It is wise to apply the described methods consistently, not simultaneously – so you can better analyze which method gives the best result in your case.
Continuously optimize your advertising campaigns to beat your competitors!