How to Optimise Paid Media Campaigns in Retail Businesses

In this article, SMEs and independent businesses will learn how to optimise their Paid Media strategies, reaching their target audience effectively and meeting set objectives without the need for significant budget increases.

Define the Campaign Objective as a Starting Point

When an SME wants to launch an online advertising campaign, the first thing to establish is the why. What is the reason driving this need?

It could be to increase sales, gain more registrations for an event, promote a new product or service, or simply meet annual objectives. Whatever the reason, it must be clearly defined as it will be the axis around which the rest of the strategy is articulated.

Target Audience and Most Suitable Channels

Once the objectives are clear, the next step is to determine who you want to reach and where they are located.

To do this, it is essential to define the consumer segments or other businesses that represent your potential customers, keeping in mind that each audience interacts differently:

• Not all profiles are on the same social networks.
• Some users actively search for products on search engines, while others respond better to visual impact on networks like Instagram or TikTok.
• The time they dedicate to informing themselves or comparing varies according to the needs and concerns of each segment.

To better understand where each target profile is located and how they behave, it is advisable to review updated reports such as “Digital 2025” by We Are Social and Meltwater, the Social Media Study by IAB Spain or data from platforms like Metricool or Hootsuite that offer specific statistics and trends by sector and social network.

Key Elements in Creating Effective Ads

Once the audience and suitable channels are identified, it's time to design the ads. Some elements to consider are:

• Claim or main message: It should be clear, concise, and oriented towards the benefit the user will obtain.

Example: “Free shipping on your first purchase.”

• Creativities adapted to the channel: An image does not work the same on Instagram as it does on Google Ads. Each platform has its own visual language and tone, so it is important to adapt to each channel.
• Call to Action (CTA): It should be visible and direct.

Example: “Book here.”

• Precise targeting: Use the options offered by platforms (location, age, interests, behaviour…) to avoid wasting investment.

Tools to Measure Performance and Adjust Strategy

Creating and launching the campaign is just the beginning. Success is measured and adjusted continuously. Among the tools to track campaigns, we can find:

• Meta Business Manager, Google Ads, or LinkedIn Campaign Manager, which offer metrics such as cost per click (CPC), conversion rate, or return on ad spend (ROAS).
• Google Analytics, which allows user behaviour after clicking on the ads, identifying which campaigns generate more value.
• Looker Studio, Power BI, or Excel, which allow combining data from different platforms into a single visual and customisable dashboard.

Analysis must be constant because if an ad is not generating results after a few days, it's better to pause the Paid Media campaign and redefine it without incurring unnecessary costs.

Therefore, if you plan to launch a Paid Media strategy, or have already done so without achieving the desired results, follow these brief tips. You can also access more information in a dedicated section on this topic on our Platform.