Strategic Paid Advertising Plan

Process

1. Discovery

Business type, products/services, target audience

Current advertising status (active platforms, spend, performance)

Goals: brand awareness, lead generation, e-commerce sales, app installs

Budget range (monthly/quarterly)

Timeline and urgency

In-house team capacity vs agency needs

2. Competitive Analysis

Identify top 3-5 competitors

Analyze their ad presence across platforms (Google Ads Transparency, Meta Ad Library)

Estimate competitor spend levels and platform mix

Identify messaging themes and creative approaches

Note keyword/audience gaps (opportunities competitors are missing)

3. Platform Selection

Load industry template from

assets/

directory

Match business type to recommended platform mix

Read

ads/references/budget-allocation.md

for platform selection matrix

Read

ads/references/conversion-tracking.md

for tracking setup requirements

Assess platform fit based on:

Target audience demographics per platform

Product/service type suitability

Budget requirements per platform (minimums)

Sales cycle length and attribution needs

Creative capabilities and content availability

4. Campaign Architecture

Naming Convention

[Platform][Objective][Audience][Geo][Date]

Example:

META_CONV_Prospecting_US_2026Q1

Campaign Structure Template

Account

├── Brand Campaign (always-on, protect brand terms)

├── Non-Brand Prospecting

│ ├── Campaign 1: [Top Funnel - Awareness]

│ │ ├── Ad Group/Set 1: [Audience A]

│ │ └── Ad Group/Set 2: [Audience B]

│ ├── Campaign 2: [Mid Funnel - Consideration]

│ │ ├── Ad Group/Set 1: [Interest-based]

│ │ └── Ad Group/Set 2: [Lookalike/Similar]

│ └── Campaign 3: [Bottom Funnel - Conversion]

│ ├── Ad Group/Set 1: [High-intent]

│ └── Ad Group/Set 2: [Custom audience]

├── Retargeting

│ ├── Website Visitors (7-30 days)

│ ├── Engaged Users (video views, social engagement)

│ └── Cart Abandoners / Form Starters

└── Testing

└── New audiences, formats, or messaging

5. Budget Planning

Monthly Budget Distribution

Read

ads/references/budget-allocation.md

for the 70/20/10 framework.

Tier

Allocation

Purpose

Proven (70%)

Primary platforms with proven ROI

Revenue engine

Scaling (20%)

Platforms showing promise

Growth engine

Testing (10%)

New platforms or strategies

Innovation

Budget Pacing

Month 1-2: heavy testing, expect higher CPA (learning)

Month 3-4: optimize based on data, tighten targeting

Month 5-6: scale winners, kill losers, expand

Ongoing: 70/20/10 maintenance with quarterly reviews

6. Creative Strategy

Content Pillars

Pain Point

address specific problems your audience faces

Social Proof

testimonials, case studies, reviews

Product Demo

show the product/service in action

Offer

promotions, free trials, lead magnets

Education

teach something valuable related to your product Creative Production Plan Priority Asset Type Platforms Quantity P1 Product/service videos (15-30s) Meta, TikTok, YouTube 5-10 P2 Static images with copy Google, Meta, LinkedIn 10-15 P3 Carousel/collection Meta, LinkedIn 3-5 P4 UGC/testimonial video TikTok, Meta 3-5 P5 Long-form video (1-3 min) YouTube 2-3 7. Tracking Setup Plan Before launching any ads, ensure tracking is configured: Platform Client-Side Server-Side Priority Google gtag.js Enhanced Conversions, GTM SS P1 Meta Pixel CAPI P1 LinkedIn Insight Tag CAPI (2025) P2 TikTok Pixel Events API + ttclid P2 Microsoft UET Tag Enhanced Conversions P2 8. Implementation Roadmap Phase 1 — Foundation (Weeks 1-2) Install all tracking pixels and server-side tracking Set up conversion events and goals Create campaign structure and naming conventions Build initial audiences (custom, lookalike/predictive) Produce first batch of creative assets Phase 2 — Launch (Weeks 3-4) Launch campaigns on primary platform(s) first Set conservative budgets and bidding (Maximize Clicks / Lowest Cost) Monitor daily for the first 7 days Verify conversion tracking is firing correctly Phase 3 — Optimize (Weeks 5-8) Analyze initial data (minimum 2 weeks of data) Adjust bidding strategies based on conversion volume Kill underperforming ad groups/creatives (3x Kill Rule) Launch secondary platforms Begin A/B testing (creative, landing pages, audiences) Phase 4 — Scale (Weeks 9-12) Scale winning campaigns (20% rule) Expand to testing platforms (10% budget) Implement advanced strategies (ABM, Shopping feeds, Smart+) Monthly performance reviews Industry Templates Load from assets/ directory based on detected or specified business type: saas.md — SaaS companies ecommerce.md — E-commerce stores local-service.md — Local service businesses b2b-enterprise.md — B2B enterprise info-products.md — Info products and courses mobile-app.md — Mobile app companies real-estate.md — Real estate healthcare.md — Healthcare finance.md — Financial services agency.md — Marketing agencies generic.md — General business template Output Deliverables ADS-STRATEGY.md — Complete strategic advertising plan CAMPAIGN-ARCHITECTURE.md — Campaign structure with naming conventions BUDGET-PLAN.md — Budget allocation with monthly pacing CREATIVE-BRIEF.md — Creative production plan with specifications TRACKING-SETUP.md — Tracking implementation checklist IMPLEMENTATION-ROADMAP.md — Phased rollout timeline KPI Targets Metric Month 1 Month 3 Month 6 Month 12 ROAS Baseline Target -20% Target Target +20% CPA Baseline Target +30% Target Target -10% CVR Baseline +10% +20% +30% CTR Baseline +15% +25% +30% Budget Testing Optimizing Scaling Maintaining