Although 3 years old, the same logic can be applied to any campaign really (across any ad network or medium – facebook, bing, dfa/dfp, adwords, plentyoffish, etc). I will write the steps here and attach two docs for reference (excel + word doc). It’s important to note, these are very basic steps to improve and optimize online banner campaigns from the ad network publisher side. The steps are pretty much the same if you wish to optimize a campaign from the advertiser side.

You will have to use your noggin and review the publisher/media buy with creative, target audience, and demographic. It’s just sitting on my hard drive, hopefully this can help someone new to the adops or internet marketing space.

And with any campaign, you need to track conversions!!! For ad servers, use a pixel (1×1, spotlight, tracking pixel, conversion pixel), for media without pixel tracking use analytics tracking parameters (GA conversion tracking + Google Analytics URL Builder + Bit.ly if limited to url characters).

Instructions 1

Summary – Bad CTR, and running behind
Mission – Increase delivery, and improve click thru rate

We need to look at the daily max and budget and determine if we’re actually behind, on pace, or catching up. Campaigns that are slightly behind should use Instructions 2 – Bad CTR, delivery on pace. Only proceed with the following instructions if we’re far behind and aren’t reaching daily max.

We can’t optimize a campaign without inventory. Once we have the impressions, we have room to play with channels, time of day, frequency, publishers, creative, and landing pages.

-check hourly/daily max, is everything correct?
-can we extend delivery to 24 hours?
-does the frequency cap make sense?
-do we have the inventory available?
-what other campaigns are running in the same area/location/channel? Do those campaigns end soon? If so, will that release inventory for this campaign? Can we remove/pause the location from other campaigns (talk to other campaign manager for permission).
-can we add more publishers or channels? Refer to Insertion Order and advertiser before making changes
-can we extend map location or geo rules?
-do we have new publisher joining us with traffic in these areas?
-can we scale buy to meet expectations?
-can we use 3rd party ad servers to fulfill buy?

Instructions 2

Summary – Bad CTR, and delivery on pace
Mission – Improve click thru rate

We need to look at performance and figure out how quickly the budget is spent. If we’re burning through budget quickly, we might want to set lower frequency to reach more people. We might want to remove heavy publishers to allow distribution amongst other publishers for optimization data gathering. Here are some ideas to get you going:

Are there any clicks? If none (or a sudden decrease in clicks), ensure creative works and is counting clicks properly.
Run traffic summary report, determine and remove the worst performing channels, publishers, and creative. It’s important to view all publishers within a channel as the overall performance for the channel could be terrible, but certain publishers could hold strong CTR. Remove the channel, and add the best performing publishers to each campaign.
Review creative and call to action, does it make sense? Good copy, fonts, imagery, value proposition, etc..

Other options:
-Wait more time
-Consider asking client for new creative
-Consider drastically changing the targeted channels or publishers (advertiser approval)
-talk to advertiser, determine if creative is working on other ad networks/publishers

Instructions 3

Summary – Good CTR, and running behind
Mission – Improve delivery without damaging performance

We need to review the campaign settings and budget to determine how far behind we are. If we’re only slightly behind, we should only make small changes and possibly extend the campaign end date. If we’re really far behind, we might need to shrink buy with insert_your_publisher_name or drastically add locations and publishers. Here are some steps to get you going:

-check hourly/daily max, is everything correct?
-can we extend delivery to 24 hours?
-does the frequency cap make sense?
-do we have the inventory available?
-what other campaigns are running in the same area/location/channel? Do those campaigns end soon? If so, will that release inventory for this campaign? Can we remove the location from other campaigns (talk to other campaign manager for permission).
-can we add more publishers or channels? Refer to IO and advertiser before making changes
-can we extend map location or geo rules?
-can we extend campaign end date
-scale buy to meet client expectations, reduce media buy with insert_your_publisher_name
-seek new publishers/ad networks, dsp

Instructions 4

Summary – Good CTR, and delivering on pace
Mission – Improve performance and up sell customer

This is a great, happy, and warm place to be. We want all of our campaigns in this area at all times.

-Run a traffic summary report, can we improve the performance by removing poor performing channels or publishers?
-Contact Advertiser to up sell media buy
-Ask Advertiser for media buy (large brands or outstanding performance)
-Note possible reasons for campaign success, apply these key learnings to current and future campaigns

Instructions 5

Summary – Bad conversion rate, and running behind
Mission – Improve delivery, and improve conversion rate

How far behind is the campaign? If the campaign is slightly behind, you will want to read these instructions as well as Instructions 6 to make the best decisions from both sets of instructions (each campaign is slightly different, and will require creative solutions).

The fact a campaign is running behind is not the real issue, we need to get conversions!

Take a look at these two campaigns, they both have poor conversion rates and are running behind.

Example A – 100,000,000 impressions
Example B – 100,000 impressions

When reviewing both campaigns we should be aware of total impressions. If Campaign A has 40% budget complete and 50% time complete, we shouldn’t worry about the campaign delivering on pace – we should worry about the conversion rate! With 40% of the budget used (40,000,000 impressions) we have enough data to determine if the campaign is going to work. In this example we should focus on the conversion process, we’re seeing lots of clicks but no one is getting through the conversion process. Focus on why?

If Campaign B has 2% budget complete and 15% time complete, we shouldn’t worry about conversion rates – we should worry about increasing delivery to allow us to optimize and improve conversion rate. With 2% budget used (2,000 impressions), we don’t have enough data to determine if the campaign is going to work. In this example we should focus on delivery, and seek additional channels or publishers. Once we increase delivery, we can optimize the campaign.

-Do we have enough sample data? When was the campaign flighted?
-Review the campaign details and determine if enough impressions have been served to begin optimizing. After 50,000 impressions you should have a good sense of a good CTR and how many people usually convert from the clicks.
-Are there any conversions recorded? If not, ensure the pixel is implemented properly within the Lat49/insert_your_publisher_name dashboard and the confirmation page. If this checks out, review the landing page and booking form. Does the page render properly, can you access and complete the booking form?
-If we see conversions, we know the booking form and conversion pixels are working properly.

-Run a traffic summary report and determine what creative/publishers/channels are sending us the most conversions. We want to take a look at conversions over clicks and impressions. Remove poor performing segments.
Review product and purchase considerations against friction (are there too many fields in the booking form, spelling mistakes on page, copy contains swear words, etc)
-Talk to advertiser, is the conversion rate acceptable?
- Use A/B Testing on landing page, change creative, change value prop, seek other alternative including running creative on different channels or publishers (good creative with nice CTR but the quality of traffic is poor, we can run the same creative on a different publisher and drive quality traffic that will actually book)
-Consider waiting more time
-Consider ending contract with advertiser (campaign is not suitable for Lat49/insert_your_publisher_name)

If the campaign is REALLY far behind, we need to look at delivering settings and determine if we can increase delivery. Once we have ample delivery, we can start to remove poor performing channels, publishers, and creative.

Instructions 6

Summary – Bad conversion rate, and delivering on pace
Mission – Improve conversions, scale back if needed

Some campaigns and publishers require a time period for users to purchase the product, or sign up for more information. We need to be very careful when removing channels and publishers as some publishers may hold a low CTR but drive more conversions vs a site that drives tons of clicks without any conversion. Unfortunately with conversion tracking there are many variables that need to be considered before editing a campaign.

Example A – Campaign to drive newsletter signups are a direct response with users making a direct decision to sign up on the first visit. For this campaign we would not require a significant amount of time before removing channels/publishers/creative as users should make a direct response.

Example B – Campaign to purchase a television online is a potential lengthy process, where users will spend up to a few weeks researching a product before making a commitment.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself when optimizing this set of campaigns:
-Do we have enough sample data? When was the campaign flighted?
-Review the campaign details and determine if enough impressions have been served to begin optimizing. After 50,000 impressions you should have a good sense of a good CTR and how many people usually convert from the clicks.
-Are there any conversions recorded? If not, ensure the pixel is implemented properly within the Lat49/insert_your_publisher_name dashboard and the confirmation page. If this checks out, review the landing page and booking form. Does the page render properly, can you access and complete the booking form?
-If we see conversions, we know the booking form and conversion pixels are working properly.
-Review campaign details, how quickly is the budget used?
-Run a traffic summary report and determine what creative/publishers/channels are sending us the most conversions. We want to take a look at conversions over clicks and impressions. Remove poor performing segments.
Review product and purchase considerations against friction (are there too many fields in the booking form, spelling mistakes on page, copy contains swear words, etc)
-Talk to advertiser, is the conversion rate acceptable?
- Use A/B Testing on landing page, change creative, change value prop, seek other alternative including running creative on different channels or publishers (good creative with nice CTR but the quality of traffic is poor, we can run the same creative on a different publisher and drive quality traffic that will actually convert/book)
-Consider waiting more time
-Consider ending contract with advertiser (campaign is not suitable for Lat49/insert_your_publisher_name)

Instructions 7

Summary – Good conversion rate, and running behind
Mission – Improve delivery, without damaging performance

Review campaign details and IO. Can we expand the area? Can we extend hourly delivery times? Can we add more publishers or channels?
Determine if other campaigns with the same target rules are ending soon, if so, we can deliver more impressions once those campaigns end.
Some additional ideas:
-Talk to Biz Dev for more publishers in this region
-Talk to advertiser, extend end dates, add more publishers, slightly reduce media buy with Lat49

Instructions 8

Summary – Good conversion rate, and delivering on pace
Mission – Improve conversion rate, up sell client

This is a great, happy, and warm place to be. We want all of our campaigns in this area at all times.

Here are some steps to help drive more conversions and ultimately a better conversion rate. It’s important to note, some campaigns and publishers require a time period for users to purchase the product, or sign up for more information. Before making changes to the campaign, ensure enough time has passed to capture user activity (example – don’t remove publishers on the first day of a campaign, or a publisher, or creative that has only served 1000 impressions).

-remove poor performing channels/publishers/creative (run traffic summary report, determine if a channel or publisher with enough impression data is dragging down performance)
-consider contacting advertiser/agency to increase media buy with Lat49/insert_your_publisher_name
-consider case study for strong brands and exceptional performance
-note the campaign details, and apply these practices to future campaigns with poor conversion rates

This might seem daunting at first, but if you review a campaign at the top of the flowchart and refer to the corresponding instructions, you should be good. As i mentioned above, this flowchart is really focused at optimizing campaigns at the publisher or ad network level. Most ad networks have ad serving logic to complete these tasks, but for heavy spends with large agencies you will always require manual review by a human (no matter what any developer says!!!)

Downloads:
Flowchart Diagram – Excel Format
Flowchart Instructions – Doc Format

Turns out these guys are based out of Australia, but the delivery time was under 8 days. I don’t think there’s such thing as the perfect wallet, but these guys know what they are doing and offer other wallets that will exceed your expectations.

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• Quality – from the packaging to the intricate stitching, the marksmanship reeks of effort
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Cons:
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Final Say
Fantastic Wallet!! My wallet was slightly damaged during shipping, but this is the best wallet i’ve ever used. I would highly recommend this wallet and other bellroy products!

About Ziplocal

Ziplocal is a local search company that reaches communities all across the United States with digital advertising innovations delivered through mobile devices, the internet and traditional media. With a dedicated on-the-ground sales force of 750 people in 33 states, Ziplocal reaches over 300 U.S. markets. Rich and relevant local content with a strong focus on interactive and immersive media sets the company’s mobile applications and local search site apart from other search sites. Ziplocal’s robust local search products combine comprehensive data as well as the latest geo-targeting technologies with an extreme focus on delivering results for advertisers and the best end-user experiences for consumers. For more information, visit http://www.ziplocal.com.

People who have absolutely no idea what they’re doing have absolutely no idea that they have no idea what they’re doing. In particular, he reveals the power of observation. Ideas do not come from your laptops. So, have you observed a customer or non-customer lately?

By far one of the most interesting presentations I’ve seen in some time. It’s 30 minutes long but ties in how gamers and everyday people engage with technology today, and where/how they will engage in the future. Jesse captures your undivided attention, if you don’t have time.. you must bookmark this video. Classic!

Web Trends revenue model depends on users purchasing analytics solutions and customer support packages. Selecting an analytics solution is not an impulse-based decision and requires significant planning and research. With that in mind, we must look at the overall website and determine scent trails and what user paths visitors take to maximize lead generation.

The direct leads are generated from the products page, where users can submit their information via contact form, or contact a sales representative via toll free 1-800 number. Completing the lead generation form is the first overall site goal. New leads are the life-line of Web Trends operation. We want to maximize the number of users that submit this form, and up-sell customers with additional Web Trends products. I will outline 3 overall site goals and provide 3 supporting KPI’s to monitor the performance of each goal.

Site Goal 1 – Maximize Lead Generations

KPI 1: Conversion Rate

Number of Conversions / (Number of users that phoned sales + Number of users that completed form) = Conversion Rate

Once users commit their contact details or dials the toll free number, its time for sales to close the deal. This KPI gives a great gauge of the sales department and lead generation process. An increase would indicate we’re closing more deals, the marketing team is driving hot leads, and sales are doing a great job. A decrease would indicate the complete opposite and raise flags to review the marketing and sales process. Some question that break down the process to determine the root cause: Do we need to adjust our sales pitch? Is this marketing team using the correct campaigns to deliver hot leads? Do we need to adjust our pricing? What are the customers asking for? New Features? How can we improve the sales process?

KPI 2: Form Completion Rate

Number of Visits in which the Form is Submitted / Total Visits in which the Visitor Started Completing the Form = Form Completion Rate

The form completion rate can help improve the booking form and quickly determine technical problems with the booking form. If the number decreases, we need to review the booking form and determine where and how customers feel friction and jump ship. If the number increases, we can identify why and apply those key learning’s to other forms throughout the site.

KPI 3: Average Revenue per Visitor

Sum of Revenue Generated / Visitors = Average Revenue per Visitor

We can use this KPI to compare similar quality leads against past results. A sudden drop could indicate a shift in quality traffic. Further visitor segmentation can reveal areas to focus on; specifically where the highest and lowest average revenue per visitor occurs.

Site Goal 2 – Up-sell New and Existing Customers with New Products or Support Packages

KPI 1: Average Order Value

Sum of Revenue Generated / Number of Orders Taken = Average Order Value

Quickly and easily monitor the average order value for all orders. We want this number to always grow. If it decreases, take action; offer an internal sales contest, determine why average orders are shrinking, educate users via website, phone, and newsletter about additional products.

KPI 2: Percent of Orders from Existing Clients

Total Orders from Existing Clients / Total Orders = Percent Orders from Existing Clients

This KPI tells us what percentages of existing customers are upgrading, adding more products, or purchasing customer support versus total orders recorded. Ideally this number stays consistent and doesn’t dip too much. Reasons for sudden increase could be attributed to a new product release, new technologies, recent trade shows, and customer support plans expire in correlation with previous product launch.  If this number starts to dip, entice existing users with special promotions, free training sessions, and marketing campaigns targeting existing clients.

KP 3: Percent of Customer Support Plan Sales vs Total Sales for Existing Clients

Total Customer Support Plan Orders from Existing Clients / Total Orders by Existing Clients = Percent of Customer Support Plans Orders from Existing Clients

From this KPI we can determine how many existing clients are purchasing Customer Support Plans and new products. This KPI can be heavily influenced with new releases of products and technologies.  If this number dips, we should offer special Customer Support promotions for existing customers. These plans are huge for overall revenue, 75% of users with customer support plans purchase additional products.

Site Goal 3 – Increase Awareness and Product Branding

With 8 professional products, an open exchange, and developer network, Web Trends is the one stop shop for all analytics solutions. All of these features under the same roof is quite impressive and combining these experiences will entice users to return and eventually signup.

KPI 1: Average Page Views Per Visit

Page Views / Visits = Average Page Views per Visit

We want to monitor this number closely as it can identify an increased interest within products or possibly increased confusion about specific products. If this number drops, there could be added confusion where users give up, or a flag to indicate visitors aren’t interested with product offerings or page content.

KPI 2: Average Cost per Visitor

Sum of Acquisition Marketing Costs / Visitors = Average Cost per Visitor

This dollar-based KPI is a high level overview of how much money it’s costing the company to drive visitors to the site. It’s important to note as this number fluctuates, we need to measure the average revenue per visitor to determine if action is required. Further segmentation by campaign, and revenue per visitor by campaign, can help re-allocate ad money to maximize ROAS.

KPI 3: Repeat Visitor Share

Number of repeat visitors/ Number of unique visitors = Repeat Visitor Share

As mentioned previously, selecting an analytics solution or product is a lengthy process and will require visitors to navigate the site on multiple visits. Even for existing customers, they will research other products over multiple visits. An increase or decrease in Repeat Visitor Share could indicate potential problems with content or product offerings. With this information we can gauge if we’re targeting the right people and identify if the product offering is clear to new visitors.

Stakeholders and Metric Distribution

Senior strategists such as the CEO would receive a weekly report that included Conversion Rate, Average Order Value, and Average cost per Visitor. Senior stakeholders don’t have time to review a huge list of KPI’s, this list is quick overview and allows them to drill down when needed.

Mid-tier strategists such as Marketing Department Leads would receive all 9 KPI’s listed above in a weekly report. They could be catered to the individual departments needs, such as a Sales Dashboard specializing in sales related KPI’s.

Tactical resources would receive a weekly report that covers Repeat Visitor Share, Average Page Views per Visit, Average Cost per Visitor, and Form Completion Rate. The Average Cost per visitor report would be segmented by campaign performance and distributed more regularly than once a week. The tactical resources need the information regularly to catch poor performing campaigns and fix problems quickly.

Quality Visit Metric

A quality or successful visit would be a visitor browsing a product of interest and submitting the contact form or contacting the sales team directly via the toll-free number. We would measure this by total leads over visits, on an ongoing basis for the same time period. Further insight includes pathing users to determine strong or weak paths to conversion.

Website Ability to Deliver Metrics

The website specializes in web analytics products that deliver an easy to use website with great navigation links at the top and bottom of every page. The Web Trend website offers trade events, a blog, and an education section that lead to excellent scent trails.

The site offers some flash based content on the homepage, but the entire website is offered in html that will not warrant any real tracking issues. Web Trends uses cookies and an internal phone system to track users through the conversion path. Users are offered a unique 1-800 number during the lead generation process depending on the product of interest. Merging these two areas is difficult and can lead to accuracy problems. Additional problems with accuracy are caused by cookie deletion, cookie blocking software, users using different computers, and merging offline and online information.

I’m very pleased with the layout and functionality of the overall website, but would recommend adding more website presence to the free Web Trends Newsletter. I would also recommend updating the optimize product page to allow users to easily navigate to the secondary pages within the product information page. Every product page except the ‘optimize product’ contains one high level informational page. Unfortunately as users scroll down the page they might miss the secondary page titled “easy” (with an arrow) that can lead potential customers down a warm scent trail. We could improve this scent trail by changing the ‘easy’ arrow link to something that indicates more details on secondary pages.

Quick Summary: Covers a high level view of where mobile is going – it’s going to be HUGE.

-In 2 years, 50% of users will have smart phones
-Don’t focus on smart phones or the iphone, focus on all mobile devices
-Shift in media, mobile is now in the top 3 mediums to advertise

Key Takeaways:

* Receive a broad overview of mobile marketing and a framework for organizing your mobile marketing execution strategies
* Develop an understanding of mobile advertising’s role with the mobile marketing mix
* Learn how mobile advertising, when integrated with traditional-digital media, drives customer acquisition
* Understand how providing an optimal mobile experience for the consumer creates results

Mobile Marketing (Part 1) – The Advertising Medium that Lives in Your Pocket: A Review of Factors and Examples of Success from kenny grant on Vimeo.

Part 2 here (insert link reminder)