Who this guide is for: Small-to-medium (SMB) Brand advertisers using Realize.
Once your campaigns are performing steadily, SMB Brands can use these strategies to scale without sacrificing performance:
(A) Increase Budget Strategically
Increase your budget gradually, typically up to 50% at a time, and allow 2–3 days for the algorithm to re-learn and stabilize after each change. To make scaling more efficient and low-risk, consider using Custom Rules to automatically adjust the budget when performance goals are met. SMB advertisers can save time and reduce manual work, letting the system optimize efficiently.
E.g., A plant-based supplement brand sees strong early traction from its immunity-boosting capsules. A 20–30% daily budget increase can help capture more demand during flu season or weekend health shopping surges-especially when made early in the day to give the algorithm time to adapt.
To guide smarter budget decisions, try using the Performance Simulator in Realize. It’s available for campaigns with tracking enabled that use Maximize Conversions bidding (without tCPA).
The simulator uses your campaign’s historical data to model how budget changes may impact performance, helping you find the optimal investment level. You can adjust your budget directly within the simulator and preview potential results before applying changes.
(B) Keep Creatives Fresh to Combat Ad Fatigue
As you scale, ad fatigue can lead to diminishing returns. To maintain engagement, refresh your creatives every 2 to 3 weeks or after noticing a drop in CTR. Ensure updates reflect seasonal moments, product updates, or user feedback.
E.g., You're promoting a smart hydration tracker bottle. As the campaign scales, refresh your creatives to spotlight new features—like automatic reminders or integration with fitness apps. Update visuals for a “Summer Wellness” theme or limited-edition colors to drive renewed interest.
Pro Tips: Tools like GenAI Admaker help you refresh copy and visuals at speed.
(C) A/B Test Creatives to Find What Works Best
Consistent testing of ad elements is crucial as you scale. From testing different product features to variations in CTAs, A/B testing helps ensure you’re using the most effective combination of assets.
E.g., For a superfood green powder, test one headline focused on “daily energy boost” and another on “gut health support.” You might find gut-health messaging resonates more with wellness-focused users, helping reduce your CPA while boosting conversion.
(D) Experiment with Ad Formats to Expand Reach
Scaling is also about reaching more people in diverse ways. Try experimenting with different ad formats to see which performs best for various segments of your audience.
SMB advertisers can scale reach beyond Native using Display formats, Mail placements, or premium publishers without needing a large media team. Display helps you reach new customer types in environments not always covered by other platforms, unlocking incremental performance without overlapping your existing audience. It also offers full placement-level visibility, ensures SMBs can optimize Display just as precisely as Native.
E.g., If you're advertising an organic protein bar, use Motion Ads showing people enjoying it post-workout, while Carousel ads showcase different flavors or clean ingredients. Recipe carousels, testimonials, or influencer-led videos can help reach a wider set of health-conscious shoppers.
(E) Scale Intelligently with the Right Bidding Strategy
Scaling with Max Conversion (without tCPA): When scaling with Max Conversion (without target CPA), follow the general budget increase guidance above. Use the Performance Simulator to assess the impact of bidding and budget changes before applying them.
Scaling with Max Conversion (with tCPA): For tCPA campaigns, SMB advertisers should start by setting target CPA about 20% higher than the actual goal. Then, gradually decrease it over time to reach the desired tCPA. This approach helps you find the right balance between scaling your campaign and controlling costs.
E.g., A digital wellness course expands beyond “yoga enthusiasts” to include broader “mindfulness” and “self-care” audiences. Starting with a slightly higher tCPA allows the campaign to test new segments while managing costs effectively.
Scaling with Enhanced CPC: If your campaigns are using Enhanced CPC, consider gradually increasing your baseline CPC to boost visibility on top-performing placements and drive more qualified traffic. This approach allows SMB Brands to focus on high-value traffic without overspending.
E.g., A probiotics brand sees strong results from content-rich health blogs. Raising CPC here boosts visibility where the most engaged users spend time.
(F) Expand and Refine Your Audience Targeting
While scaling campaigns, SMB Brands should refine and expand targeting carefully, balancing new customer acquisition with high-value existing audiences.
Open Supply Targeting & Geo-Expansion: Widen your targeting parameters or reduce geo-restrictions to capture more relevant traffic.
E.g., An eco-friendly home cleaning brand expands from metro cities to include suburban and rural areas where sustainable living is trending. This geo-expansion taps into untapped yet aligned audiences.
Use Audience Reports to Find New High-Value Segments: Use audience exploration reports to uncover untapped customer segments and expand your targeting accordingly.
E.g., For a subscription box service offering healthy curated snacks, you might discover through your reports that health-conscious consumers who are also interested in organic products are performing well. You could refine your audience to include more people who are specifically interested in “organic snacks” or “plant-based eating.”
Boost Conversions Efficiently with Predictive Audiences:
Predictive Audiences help you scale campaigns by reaching new users who behave like your converters- driving 23% more conversions per dollar spent and reducing CPA by an average of 13%. Built on real-time, action-based models, they’re cookie-resistant and ideal for privacy-safe targeting.
E.g., If you're running a campaign for indoor air-purifying houseplants, and you have data on users who’ve previously browsed your plant care blog, added planters or soil kits to their cart, or signed up for your newsletter about sustainable home tips, you can use this behavioral data to build Predictive Audiences.
Our model will identify other users who exhibit similar browsing and engagement patterns – such as reading about air quality or plant care – allowing you to scale your campaign to a broader yet highly relevant audience without wasting budget.
Re-engage Potential Customers with Retargeting: Implement retargeting strategies to re-engage users who’ve previously interacted with your brand or shown intent. Use Pixel Audiences to reach users who visited your site, added to cart, or started checkout but didn’t convert. You can use Search Keyword Targeting or Mail Domain Targeting to connect with high-intent users who have searched for products like yours, or related categories that indicate future need
E.g., Imagine you’re promoting a line of vegan omega-3 supplements made from algae oil. Retarget users who have recently searched for terms like “best plant-based omega-3” or “fish oil alternative,” or those who have received promotional emails from competing health brands. These users have already expressed interest in your category but haven’t yet chosen a product.
Reach High-Value Audiences with Additional Premium Supply: As you scale, consider creating an incremental campaign that includes high-performing supply sources such as Apple, Microsoft, and Taboola’s Mail inventory. These environments often attract highly engaged, high-intent users and can help expand your reach without compromising performance.
E.g., For a luxury air purifier brand, targeting placements on Apple News or Taboola’s Mail inventory surfaces your ads in trusted environments—ideal for reaching affluent, health-focused consumers.
Scale with CRM Lookalike Audiences (in US market only): Leverage your best customers by creating CRM lookalike audiences based on high-value customer segments.
E.g., If you’re selling a smart irrigation system for home gardens, create a lookalike audience based on customers who have purchased the system and subscribed to seasonal maintenance tips. These users likely care about efficient home gardening and sustainability. By targeting similar users- homeowners interested in gardening tools, eco-living, or smart home tech- you can scale your campaign to a high-potential audience that mirrors your most valuable buyers.
Conclusion
For SMB Brands, the Scale Stage is about growing efficiently while maintaining performance. Gradually adjust budgets, refresh creatives, test formats, and expand audiences in a measured way. Leverage Predictive Audiences, retargeting, and premium placements to reach high-value users. By monitoring CTR, conversions, and CPA closely and letting data guide decisions, SMB advertisers can scale smartly, maximize ROI, and prepare campaigns for sustained success
✅ If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Account Manager, email us at support@taboola.com, or reach out via chat within Realize.