How to Optimize Cyber Monday Ad Performance With Realize

Cyber Monday is one of the biggest shopping days of the year, which makes it particularly competitive for advertisers. In the days leading up to Cyber Monday, shoppers are bombarded by splashy ads offering deep discounts, so you really have to fight to get their attention.

Realize can help your campaign succeed with advanced targeting, predictive audiences, and automated bidding strategies. To help you get the most out of Realize this Cyber Monday, I’ve put together some expert insight on how to optimize your campaign using Realize.

Use Realize to Optimize Your Cyber Monday Campaigns, With These 6 Expert Tips

Focus on the Right Metrics

Cyber Monday campaigns move fast, and with so much data available, it’s easy for advertisers to become overwhelmed. That’s why it’s crucial to focus on the metrics that will give you the best chance of success. According to Katherine Pickles, product marketing director at Taboola, four metrics stand out: click-through rate (CTR), cost per click (CPC), cost per acquisition (CPA), and return on ad spend (ROAS).

Your CTR indicates how engaging your ads are. A high CTR is a good signal that your creatives, headlines, and placements are resonating with shoppers. On the other hand, a low CTR is a sign that you may need to make changes to one or more ad elements.

CPC tells you how much you’re paying for each click and is a good measure of efficiency. However, on its own, CPC doesn’t tell the whole story. CPA takes things further because it connects cost to outcomes and shows you how much you’re paying for each conversion. Finally, ROAS ties it all back to revenue, which lets you see whether your campaign is actually profitable.

Leverage Audience Targeting Capabilities

One of the biggest mistakes marketers make during the Cyber 5 period is trying to reach as many people as possible. Reach is great, but if you’re not taking advantage of Realize’s audience targeting capabilities, you risk not connecting with the shoppers who are most likely to convert.

Pickles advises marketers to “focus on high-intent, 1st-party audiences, mail domain, and search keyword targeting.” And, of course, don’t forget to retarget.

Your first-party audiences are people who have already interacted with your brand — they provide a high opportunity for engagement because they’re already familiar with your products. Next, expand beyond first-party through mail domain and search keyword targeting. Both of these allow you to reach consumers who have taken some action that shows purchase intent.

Run Predictive Audiences to Boost Conversions

Realize offers Predictive Audiences, which, per Pickles, “helps advertisers discover untapped, high-converting customers so they can meet their performance marketing goals at scale.” Predictive Audiences uses machine learning to identify users who are likely to take action, at scale. It does this using first-party data, which reduces your dependence on third-party cookies.

Predictive Audiences can also be more effective than lookalike models, because it allows you to assess your ad performance and make adjustments in real-time. Pickles believes it’s a more dynamic approach, and a “great tactic to have running on your campaigns to get more conversions for your budget.”

Harness Performance AI

Realize has made enhancements to its Performance AI features, making it easier for marketers to drive measurable results throughout the funnel. For example, Optimize for Engagement enables you to easily define custom engagement metrics, such as time on site or session depth. From there, Realize automatically optimizes to find the right users for the criteria you’ve set.

“When using Maximize Conversions, Realize’s performance AI ensures that you’re maximizing conversions within your given budget, regardless of the CPC,” says Pickles. “This will ensure depletion during the highly competitive period.”

Launch Early With a Staggered Budget Strategy

Too many marketers wait until Cyber Monday to activate their ad campaigns, but by doing this, you’ve missed any opportunity to build momentum. “Launch your campaign using the Maximize Conversions bidding strategy at least five to seven days before peak days, with appropriate targeting and a daily budget up to 50% less than your target peak budget,” recommends Pickles.

By launching early, you can also identify and fix potential issues before Cyber Monday, rather than scrambling to troubleshoot problems during the peak shopping period.

Set Adequate Budgets

A good ad budget requires planning. During Cyber Monday, there is typically a massive increase in consumer demand, which can make it tempting to boost your budget at the last second. This, however, can backfire, and it’s better to take a strategic approach to avoid wasted ad spend.

Pickles advises you to hold off on boosting your budget until you’ve reached 50 conversions: “Once 50 conversions are reached, or it’s two to three days before peak days, increase your budget closer to the target amount, but no more than 50% at a time, to protect the CPA.”

It’s a gradual approach that gives Realize’s Performance AI time to make adjustments without hurting your performance. This will allow you to scale while protecting your CPA.

Key Takeaways

Realize can help you succeed on Cyber Monday through precise targeting and intelligent automation, but you need to do your part by planning early and using the tools at your disposal. To avoid getting overwhelmed, make sure to focus on the most effective performance metrics and take advantage of Predictive Audiences. Don’t forget to take advantage of features like Maximize Conversions, which simplifies the bidding process. Finally, remember to launch at least five to seven days early, and scale your budget carefully after getting at least 50 conversions, to maximize your campaign’s visibility and profit.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How can I best utilize Realize’s “Predictive Audiences” to identify and target high-converting customer segments for my specific product/service?

The best approach is to run Predictive Audiences in conjunction with your standard targeting. Realize’s machine learning can identify new customer segments that you may not have considered. This may result in you gaining additional conversions while you continue to focus on audiences you already know well.

How can I effectively “pre-qualify” clicks through my headlines and thumbnails on Taboola to ensure users have a clear expectation of the landing page content?

Combine headlines that clearly communicate the value of your offer, visuals that align with your product or promotion, and messaging that makes it clear what the reader will see after they click. This should improve your conversion rates and reduce wasted ad spend.

When should I use “Maximize Conversions” versus “Enhanced CPC” or “Fixed Bid” strategies within Realize for different campaign objectives?

The best strategy depends on what you’re trying to achieve. For example, “Maximize Conversions” is often the best choice during Cyber Monday and other peak holiday shopping periods. Want to balance conversions with cost control? If so, “Enhanced CPC” can be very effective. Finally, a “Fixed Bid” strategy is best for A/B testing or situations where you want to maximize control over CPC. That said, it’s not as flexible during peak shopping times like Cyber Monday.