name: paid-advertising
description: Paid media strategy and optimization across platforms. Use when planning paid campaigns, optimizing ad performance, managing budgets, or setting up tracking for paid channels.

Paid Advertising

Paid media strategy and optimization across platforms for profitable customer acquisition.

Language & Quality Standards

CRITICAL: Respond in the same language the user is using. If Vietnamese, respond in Vietnamese. If Spanish, respond in Spanish.

Standards: Token efficiency, sacrifice grammar for concision, list unresolved questions at end.

When to Use This Skill

Apply paid advertising expertise when:
- Planning paid campaign strategy
- Optimizing ad performance and ROAS
- Managing budgets across platforms
- Setting up tracking and attribution
- Creating ad copy and creative briefs
- Troubleshooting underperforming campaigns

Core Concepts

Campaign Objectives by Goal

Funnel-Based Targeting Strategy

TOFU (Awareness) - Cold Audiences
- Broad interest targeting
- Lookalike audiences (1-3%)
- Video viewers (3s+)
- Content: Educational, entertaining
- Bid: CPM or ThruPlay

MOFU (Consideration) - Warm Audiences
- Website visitors (7-30 days)
- Email list matches
- Engaged social audiences
- Content: Case studies, comparisons
- Bid: Landing page views

BOFU (Decision) - Hot Audiences
- High-intent visitors (pricing, demo pages)
- Cart abandoners (1-7 days)
- Trial users, demo requesters
- Content: Offers, urgency, testimonials
- Bid: Conversions, ROAS

Platform-Specific Guidelines

Google Ads
| Campaign Type | Best For | Key Settings |
|---------------|----------|--------------|
| Search | High intent, BOFU | Exact match, SKAG |
| Display | Awareness, retargeting | Placement exclusions |
| Shopping | E-commerce | Feed optimization |
| Performance Max | Full-funnel automation | Asset variety |
| YouTube | Awareness, TOFU | Audience targeting |

Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram)
| Campaign Type | Best For | Key Settings |
|---------------|----------|--------------|
| Traffic | Website visits | Landing page optimization |
| Conversions | Sales, signups | Pixel setup, CAPI |
| Leads | B2B, services | Lead form optimization |
| Catalog Sales | E-commerce | Dynamic product ads |
| Advantage+ | Automation | Broad targeting |

LinkedIn Ads
| Campaign Type | Best For | Key Settings |
|---------------|----------|--------------|
| Sponsored Content | Awareness, leads | Job title targeting |
| Message Ads | Direct response | Personalization |
| Lead Gen Forms | B2B leads | Pre-filled forms |
| Document Ads | Thought leadership | Gated content |

Key Metrics & Benchmarks

Budget Allocation Framework

70-20-10 Rule for Mature Programs:
- 70% to proven, profitable campaigns
- 20% to optimization tests
- 10% to new channel/audience experiments

Startup/Testing Phase:
- Equal split across channels until data
- Minimum viable spend per test ($500-1000)
- 2 weeks minimum per test

Best Practices

Campaign Setup Excellence

1. Pixel/Tracking First: Never launch without proper tracking
2. Exclusion Lists: Exclude converters, competitors, irrelevant audiences
3. Naming Conventions: Consistent, searchable campaign names
4. UTM Discipline: Track all campaigns in analytics

Creative Excellence

1. Hook in 3 Seconds: Capture attention immediately
2. Mobile-First: Design for mobile, adapt to desktop
3. Test Variations: 3-5 creatives per ad set minimum
4. Refresh Regularly: Combat creative fatigue

Optimization Excellence

1. Let Data Accumulate: 50+ conversions before major changes
2. One Variable at a Time: Isolate what's working
3. Weekly Review Cadence: Regular but not daily changes
4. Segment Performance: Break down by audience, placement

Agent Integration

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Platform-Specific Resources

• references/meta-ads.md - Facebook/Instagram advertising
• references/google-ads.md - Search and display
• references/linkedin-ads.md - B2B advertising
• references/tiktok-ads.md - TikTok advertising

Related Commands

• /content/ads - Create ad copy for platforms
• /analytics/roi - Calculate campaign ROI
• /campaign/plan - Full campaign planning