How to set up a campaign

A successful campaign begins with the proper setup. Here’s a step-by-step guide for getting your campaigns started out on solid footing.

Step 1: Decide on your audience and campaign goals

Buying online media is similar to buying other media – you need to know whom you want to reach, and what you wish to achieve.
Do you want to hit a specific group across a wide area, like moms in the Midwest? Or do you want massive reach in a small area – say, everyone in Rhode Island?
Do you need brand lift or name recognition? Or are you really looking to drive sales online or in the store?

Step 2: Decide on the inventory you want to use

Focus on specific sites. If you feel strongly that a few sites will hit your exact audience or are representative of your brand, then you may want to buy only on those sites.
Or focus on an audience. If you want to buy an audience across several sites, then it would be a good idea to work with an ad network.

Step 3: Align your creative to your inventory

Your creative should be matched to the audience that will see it, and the places it will be seen.
Example: Let's say you’re launching a new, healthy snack line with benefits for both moms and environmentally-conscious consumers. You’ll need two types of inventory – one for each audience – and creatives to match.
Create your banner ad with the benefits, images, and best taglines for your product. For more on building better banners, check out our banner ad best practices.

Step 4: Refine your targeting

The type of targeting you add on is often determined by the inventory you buy.
- If you’re only using a couple of sites, you may not want to add additional targeting. However, if you’re willing to use more diverse inventory, you’ll have an easier time finding the right audience.
The size of your audience must be balanced with the precision of targeting used.
Geographic targeting – Is there a location that you want to hit?
Inventory targeting – If you’re buying across a whole network, do you want to narrow down to one type of site – like sports or news?
User targeting – If you’ve chosen to advertise over a set of sites, do you want to focus on users who show certain demographic factors or behavioral characteristics?
Day-parting - Is there a time of day that’s best to display your ads?
For more on targeting, click here.

Step 5: Choose a frequency

Frequency caps on networks allow you to limit the number of times a user sees your ad.
When determining a frequency cap at the start of a campaign, keep in mind your budget as well as your marketing objectives.
A frequency cap of 1 ad served per user every 24 hours is a good place to start; network experts can help you adjust this as needed.
The impact of an ad increases each time it’s seen, but the impact decreases after a certain number of views. Refine until you find your sweet spot.

Step 6: Determine a pricing structure

Choosing how you buy – by impression (CPM), click (CPC) or action (CPA) – depends on your campaign goals.
If it’s a brand awareness campaign, CPM is the right place to start.
If you’re driving people to your website, start with CPC.
If you are willing to pay for a particular result – like sales on your site – then consider a CPA campaign.
For more information on pricing, click here.

Step 7: Determine a bid

If you are buying with a particular site, the site will determine your CPM price.
If you’re buying through a network, you’ll need to place a competitive bid to win the space you want. You’ll be competing for inventory with other advertisers in an auction environment.
A network will suggest a starting bid based on the inventory and targeting you select. This bid fluctuates based on the market, and does not guarantee you’ll get all the space you want.
For more information on bidding, click here.

Step 8: Update your campaign based on what you learn

Once your campaign is running, you should check its performance, and then optimize to meet your goals.
Remember, if you’re running a CPA campaign, the network’s technology will continuously optimize your placements to meet your goal. The longer your campaign runs, the more accurate it becomes.
For more information on improving your campaigns, click here.

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