ads-plan

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name: ads-plan description: "Strategic paid advertising planning with industry-specific templates. Covers platform selection, campaign architecture, budget planning, creative strategy, and phased implementation roadmap. Use when user says ad plan, ad strategy, campaign planning, media plan, PPC strategy, or advertising plan." user-invokable: false tested_date: 2026-05-17 tested_with: claude-code v2.x

Strategic Paid Advertising Plan

Strategic planning is where the 10-Principle Thinking Framework (see ads/references/thinking-framework.md) earns its weight. THINK and CONNECT (Lateral) dominate — first-principles unit economics combined with cross-platform leverage are what make a plan strategic rather than prescriptive. FEEL gates the messaging and audience choices; ACCEPT gates the constraints (budget, timeline, team capacity).

Process

1. Discovery

• Business type, products/services, target audience
• Current advertising status (active platforms, spend, performance)
• Goals: brand awareness, lead generation, e-commerce sales, app installs
• Budget range (monthly/quarterly)
• Timeline and urgency
• In-house team capacity vs agency needs

2. Competitive Analysis

• Identify top 3-5 competitors
• Analyze their ad presence across platforms (Google Ads Transparency, Meta Ad Library)
• Estimate competitor spend levels and platform mix
• Identify messaging themes and creative approaches
• Note keyword/audience gaps (opportunities competitors are missing)

3. Platform Selection

• Load industry template from assets/ directory
• Match business type to recommended platform mix
• Read ads/references/budget-allocation.md for platform selection matrix
• Read ads/references/conversion-tracking.md for tracking setup requirements
• Assess platform fit based on:
  • Target audience demographics per platform
  • Product/service type suitability
  • Budget requirements per platform (minimums)
  • Sales cycle length and attribution needs
  • Creative capabilities and content availability

4. Campaign Architecture

Naming Convention

[Platform]_[Objective]_[Audience]_[Geo]_[Date]

Example: META_CONV_Prospecting_US_2026Q1

Campaign Structure Template

Account
├── Brand Campaign (always-on, protect brand terms)
├── Non-Brand Prospecting
│   ├── Campaign 1: [Top Funnel - Awareness]
│   │   ├── Ad Group/Set 1: [Audience A]
│   │   └── Ad Group/Set 2: [Audience B]
│   ├── Campaign 2: [Mid Funnel - Consideration]
│   │   ├── Ad Group/Set 1: [Interest-based]
│   │   └── Ad Group/Set 2: [Lookalike/Similar]
│   └── Campaign 3: [Bottom Funnel - Conversion]
│       ├── Ad Group/Set 1: [High-intent]
│       └── Ad Group/Set 2: [Custom audience]
├── Retargeting
│   ├── Website Visitors (7-30 days)
│   ├── Engaged Users (video views, social engagement)
│   └── Cart Abandoners / Form Starters
└── Testing
    └── New audiences, formats, or messaging

5. Budget Planning

Monthly Budget Distribution

Read ads/references/budget-allocation.md for the 70/20/10 framework.

Tier	Allocation	Purpose
Proven (70%)	Primary platforms with proven ROI	Revenue engine
Scaling (20%)	Platforms showing promise	Growth engine
Testing (10%)	New platforms or strategies	Innovation

Budget Pacing

• Month 1-2: heavy testing, expect higher CPA (learning)
• Month 3-4: optimize based on data, tighten targeting
• Month 5-6: scale winners, kill losers, expand
• Ongoing: 70/20/10 maintenance with quarterly reviews

6. Creative Strategy

Content Pillars

• Pain Point: address specific problems your audience faces
• Social Proof: testimonials, case studies, reviews
• Product Demo: show the product/service in action
• Offer: promotions, free trials, lead magnets
• Education: teach something valuable related to your product

Creative Production Plan

Priority	Asset Type	Platforms	Quantity
P1	Product/service videos (15-30s)	Meta, TikTok, YouTube	5-10
P2	Static images with copy	Google, Meta, LinkedIn	10-15
P3	Carousel/collection	Meta, LinkedIn	3-5
P4	UGC/testimonial video	TikTok, Meta	3-5
P5	Long-form video (1-3 min)	YouTube	2-3

7. Tracking Setup Plan

Before launching any ads, ensure tracking is configured:

Platform	Client-Side	Server-Side	Priority
Google	gtag.js	Enhanced Conversions, GTM SS	P1
Meta	Pixel	CAPI	P1
LinkedIn	Insight Tag	CAPI (2025)	P2
TikTok	Pixel	Events API + ttclid	P2
Microsoft	UET Tag	Enhanced Conversions	P2

8. Implementation Roadmap

Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-2)

• Install all tracking pixels and server-side tracking
• Set up conversion events and goals
• Create campaign structure and naming conventions
• Build initial audiences (custom, lookalike/predictive)
• Produce first batch of creative assets

Phase 2: Launch (Weeks 3-4)

• Launch campaigns on primary platform(s) first
• Set conservative budgets and bidding (Maximize Clicks / Lowest Cost)
• Monitor daily for the first 7 days
• Verify conversion tracking is firing correctly

Phase 3: Optimize (Weeks 5-8)

• Analyze initial data (minimum 2 weeks of data)
• Adjust bidding strategies based on conversion volume
• Kill underperforming ad groups/creatives (3x Kill Rule)
• Launch secondary platforms
• Begin A/B testing (creative, landing pages, audiences)

Phase 4: Scale (Weeks 9-12)

• Scale winning campaigns (20% rule)
• Expand to testing platforms (10% budget)
• Implement advanced strategies (ABM, Shopping feeds, Smart+)
• Monthly performance reviews

Industry Templates

Load from assets/ directory based on detected or specified business type:

• saas.md: SaaS companies
• ecommerce.md: E-commerce stores
• local-service.md: Local service businesses
• b2b-enterprise.md: B2B enterprise
• info-products.md: Info products and courses
• mobile-app.md: Mobile app companies
• real-estate.md: Real estate
• healthcare.md: Healthcare
• finance.md: Financial services
• agency.md: Marketing agencies
• generic.md: General business template

Output

Deliverables

• ADS-STRATEGY.md: Complete strategic advertising plan
• CAMPAIGN-ARCHITECTURE.md: Campaign structure with naming conventions
• BUDGET-PLAN.md: Budget allocation with monthly pacing
• CREATIVE-BRIEF.md: Creative production plan with specifications
• TRACKING-SETUP.md: Tracking implementation checklist
• IMPLEMENTATION-ROADMAP.md: Phased rollout timeline

KPI Targets

Metric	Month 1	Month 3	Month 6	Month 12
ROAS	Baseline	Target -20%	Target	Target +20%
CPA	Baseline	Target +30%	Target	Target -10%
CVR	Baseline	+10%	+20%	+30%
CTR	Baseline	+15%	+25%	+30%
Budget	Testing	Optimizing	Scaling	Maintaining