In the ever-changing world of digital marketing, a well-organised and thorough paid social checklist is an essential tool for businesses looking to improve their online advertising efforts.
This checklist serves as a roadmap to campaign success and ensures that valuable resources are used efficiently, resulting in higher returns on ad spend (ROAS) and improved overall marketing effectiveness.
Let’s take a closer look at the 7 steps of this comprehensive paid social media checklist. We explain each step to give you an in-depth understanding.
I. Planning Phase
Strategy Outline: Craft a clear and actionable strategy that aligns with business goals and target audiences. Define key performance indicators (KPIs) and outline how they will be achieved. Your strategy outline must highlight how each campaign aligns with specific business goals to provide a clear link between marketing efforts and overall business success.
Competitor Analysis: See what your competitors are doing and look at ads they have been running for a long time. Use ad transparency libraries for paid social platforms. This can provide clear insight into what is working and where you can test and differentiate your brand in the competitive landscape to gain market share.
Campaign Structure: Devise a logical campaign structure that organises ad groups, audiences, and creatives for maximum impact.
Forecast & Budget Suggestion: Utilise historical data and market trends to forecast potential outcomes and suggest appropriate budgets for campaigns.
Audience Roadmap: Identify and segment target audiences based on demographics, interests, and behaviours, ensuring a tailored approach. Incorporate audience insights from previous campaigns. This can help tailor your targeting more effectively and understand audience behaviours and preferences.
Testing Matrix: Design a structured plan to A/B test various ad creatives, copy, bidding strategy, audiences, and placements & creative formats that helps you refine strategies over time.
Copy Document: Create a repository of compelling ad copy and messaging that resonates with the chosen audiences.
Go-to-Market Offer: Define the unique selling proposition and promotional offers that will entice potential customers.
Creative Guidelines/Brief: Develop guidelines for visuals and messaging to maintain consistency across ads.
Ad Policies/Compliance Lists: Ensure adherence to platform-specific ad policies and legal regulations.
II. Daily Activities
Pacing: Monitor campaign pacing to ensure that budgets are being spent as planned throughout the day.
Performance Checks: Regularly assess key metrics such as click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and engagement to identify trends and areas for improvement.
Budget Optimisation: Adjust budgets and bidding strategies in real-time to optimise ad delivery and maximise results.
III. Weekly Activities
Audience Optimisation: Analyse audience performance and refine targeting parameters based on actual results.
Creative Optimisation: Evaluate ad creatives’ performance and iterate on visuals and messaging for better engagement.
Event Tracking Checks: Verify that tracking pixels and event tags are functioning correctly to measure conversions accurately.
Conversion API Checks: Ensure the integrity of the conversion API for accurate tracking and measurement.
Account Quality Checks: Review account health and resolve any issues that might impact ad delivery.
Strategy Evaluation: Reflect on the week’s performance against KPIs and make data-driven adjustments as necessary.
IV. Bi-Weekly Activities
Meta Marketing Team Calls: Collaborate with the marketing team to align strategies, share insights, and discuss upcoming initiatives.
Internal Strategy Session: Evaluate the effectiveness of current strategies and explore new opportunities for growth.
Creative Review and Feedback: Engage in regular creative reviews to provide feedback and enhance ad quality.
V. Monthly Activities
Reporting: Generate comprehensive reports that highlight key metrics, trends, and insights for informed decision-making.
Prospecting and Retargeting Audience Audit: Review the effectiveness of prospecting and retargeting efforts and make necessary adjustments.
Account Deep Dive: Conduct an in-depth analysis of the account’s overall performance and identify areas for improvement.
Creative Review and Briefs: Refresh ad creatives and messaging to keep content relevant and engaging.
MER Check: Monitor Marketing Efficiency Ratio (MER) to assess the cost-effectiveness of marketing efforts.
VI. Quarterly Activities
New Structure: Revise campaign structures based on insights gained and changes in business objectives.
New Campaign Set Up: Launch new campaigns to target emerging opportunities and trends.
New Testing Opportunities: Integrate new testing methodologies to continuously refine strategies.
Quarterly Performance Review: Review performance over the quarter, analyse the effectiveness of strategies and adjust goals as needed.
Budget Reviews: Evaluate budget allocations and adjust for any changes in business priorities.
VII. Annual Activities
Certification Check/Update: Ensure that team members are up-to-date with platform certifications and industry best practices.
Platform Reviews: Evaluate the effectiveness of advertising platforms and explore new options if necessary.
A paid social checklist is a great way to improve your marketing strategy. It can help you reduce waste, optimise traffic and conversions, increase ROAS and measure and enhance marketing efficiency. It’s essential to track the results of your campaigns so you make the most out of your investment. So what are you waiting for? Download this checklist and share it with your team to boost your marketing campaigns.
