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.

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

7. Tracking Setup Plan

Before launching any ads, ensure tracking is configured:

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