Paid Ads: How to make the most of a modest budget

Audience and Intent:

Paid advertising works the best when we reach the right people, at the right time. The webinar delved into the importance of both intent-based platforms (e.g., Google Ads) where people are searching with intent, and interest-based platforms (e.g., Meta) where passive users are scrolling through content. Within scholarly publishing, we’ve typically found that intent-based platforms often present challenges: niche search terms and narrow geographic targeting can often result in low search volumes, and academic research can often raise policy violations due to the nature of its content. That’s why we recommend a multi-touch approach, combining both intent- and interest-based platforms, to test engagement across different platforms, even when using small budgets.

A Compelling Creative:

A strong creative is essential for campaign success, regardless of the budget. Crafting an engaging ad creative that is clear, leverages user generated content, and uses engaging imagery / videos is important to ‘stop the scroll’, particularly when using interest-based platforms. Often overlooked is the user experience that follows the ad creative. The best designed ad can only do so much. If your landing page lacks a clear call-to-action or isn’t mobile-friendly, campaigns will struggle to generate conversions. We work closely with our clients to maximise campaign performance.

Platform Know-How:

The importance of understanding the intricate nuances of each advertising platform cannot be underestimated. From deciding which bidding strategy to use, to the choice of advertising placement, being able to adapt campaigns across multiple platforms is our speciality. We stay up to date with the host of platforms available so we can offer our clients a seamless experience whilst maximising ROI.

The Results:

Finally, no amount of understanding and carefully crafted content can make up for an inability to track campaign performance. This is where we can offer increasing value. We regularly help put the correct conversion tracking in place to identify the most important touch points within a campaign. We monitor campaigns throughout their duration, optimising and testing to encourage the greatest number of conversions.

Conversion tracking is often a stumbling block in our industry. For a submissions campaign, we can’t rely on traditional hard metrics like ‘add to cart’ or a purchase, and the goal of a manuscript submission often can’t be attributed to a single campaign, as the process can take years to complete. It’s unlikely, for example, that an author will see a Facebook ad, have a manuscript ready, and immediately submit to that journal. The decision to submit is far more complex than a simple purchase; it can shape an author’s career trajectory and influence future funding opportunities. As a result, many of our campaigns focus on building awareness and engagement rather than driving immediate conversions, meaning traditional tracking methods are not always suitable.

The takeaway? Strategy, creative agility, and platform expertise are crucial for campaign success. That’s where we come in: get in touch if you want to talk about maximising your ad budgets!