Scaling ad campaigns is a delicate balance. Push too hard, and you risk skyrocketing costs or tanking performance. Hold back, and you’ll never realize the full potential of your campaigns.Â
The goal isn’t just more ad spend, it’s maintaining efficiency while increasing reach. So, how can you scale without watching your ROAS drop through the floor? Let’s break it down.
Start With Strong Foundations
Scaling starts with campaigns that already perform well. You don’t want to throw money at something mediocre. Before scaling:
Test thoroughly: Use split tests to understand your creatives, audiences, and bidding strategies. For example, if you’re running Facebook Ads, experiment with Advantage+ campaigns to see what is working with your audience.
Optimise for consistency: Your campaigns need to be hitting your KPIs over an extended period. A flash-in-the-pan success isn’t worth scaling.
If your campaigns lack these fundamentals, focus on optimisation before scaling.
Gradual Budget Increases
When scaling, it’s tempting to double your budget overnight. But doing so can throw ad platform algorithms into chaos. Instead:
Increase your budget by 15-20% every 48-72 hours. This gradual approach allows algorithms to adapt without disrupting performance.
For Meta Ads, you could even consider using the CBO (Campaign Budget Optimisation) feature. Let Meta allocate budgets across ad sets based on performance, ensuring efficiency as you scale.
Expand Your Audience (Strategically)
Scaling doesn’t always mean spending more on the same audience. Once you’ve maximised returns from your core audience, expand:
Lookalike audiences:Â Build lookalike audiences based on high-value customers. A 1% lookalike is a good starting point; gradually test broader percentages to scale further.
Interest layering:Â Combine broader interests with custom audiences to maintain relevance while reaching new users.
Broad targeting: If your product has mass appeal, test removing restrictive targeting and let the platform’s machine learning find the right people.
ALSO READ: Here's How You Do Retargeting The Right Way
Use Automation Tools
Manual scaling can only take you so far. Automation tools help maintain efficiency:
Rules for budget adjustments:Â Both Google Ads and Meta allow you to create automated rules to increase budgets or pause ads based on performance thresholds.
Dynamic creatives:Â Let platforms like Google optimise creative combinations for different audiences.
Bid automation: Use tools like Google’s Target ROAS to scale intelligently.
Diversify Your Channels
Reliance on a single ad platform makes scaling risky. Test new platforms to reach undiscovered audiences and balance efficiency:
TikTok Ads:Â Great for engaging younger demographics with lower AOV products.
Google Performance Max:Â Excellent for omnichannel campaigns that include search, display, and shopping.
LinkedIn Ads:Â A solid choice for B2B marketers scaling campaigns for high-value leads.
Creative Iteration
Scaling magnifies the importance of creative quality. Audiences fatigue faster when you scale, so, refresh those creatives regularly. Even small tweaks like changing headlines or CTAs can boost performance.Â
Repurpose top-performing content across different formats. For example, carousel ads, video ads, and static images. Test new messaging angles to keep campaigns fresh.
Monitor Marginal ROAS
As you scale, your marginal ROAS is key. Use this formula to determine whether scaling is worth it:
Marginal ROAS = Revenue from incremental spend / Incremental spend
For example:
Suppose you increase your ad spend by $1,000, and this generates an additional $4,000 in revenue.
Marginal ROAS = $4,000 / $1,000 = 4.0
If your break-even ROAS is 3.0, this scaling step is profitable. However, if the incremental revenue were only $2,500:
Marginal ROAS = $2,500 / $1,000 = 2.5
In this case, your marginal ROAS is below the break-even point, signaling it’s time to adjust your approach to maintain efficiency. If marginal ROAS falls below your break-even point, adjust your approach.
Watch for Signs of Fatigue
Scaling can cause ad fatigue or audience saturation. Keep an eye on:
Rising CPCs:Â Indicates your audience is becoming less responsive.
Frequency metrics: High frequency means your ads are being shown too often to the same people.
Declining CTR: Signals your creatives or targeting need a refresh.
Split Testing Doesn’t Stop
When scaling, continuous testing is essential. Test:
New ad formatsÂ
When scaling, testing becomes even more important. It’s not a set-it-and-forget-it situation, testing ensures you’re staying sharp and relevant. One area to explore is new ad formats. TikTok Spark Ads, for example, are fantastic if you want to blend your campaigns into the platform’s natural flow of user-generated content.Â
Similarly, YouTube Shorts can gain attention with short, snappy video content that is native to the platform.
High-converting keywords
Another area worth focusing on is high-converting keywords. If you’re running Google Ads, don’t stop at identifying which keywords are performing well, test them as exact match campaigns. Doing this lets you zero in on intent-driven searches, keeping your campaigns efficient as you expand your reach.
Seasonal angles
Seasonal angles also deserve a spot in your testing strategy. Align your messaging with what’s happening in your audience’s world. Back-to-school campaigns or year-end holiday sales, for instance, can unlock new demand that is time-sensitive. When you stay agile and capitalise on these moments, you can make your campaigns feel more timely and relevant.
Final Thoughts
Scaling your ad campaigns while keeping efficiency intact takes a thoughtful approach. You need a solid strategy, a willingness to be patient, and a sharp eye on performance.
Start by building a strong foundation with well-optimised campaigns, then expand methodically and use tools to simplify the process. Keep in mind, there’s no universal formula for scaling—every campaign is unique. The key is to test new ideas, learn from your data, and tweak your approach as needed to stay on track.
SO, WHERE DO YOU FIND THIS PARTNER?
Well, aren’t we glad you asked! We at DigiCom are obsessive data-driven marketers pulling from multi-disciplinary strategies to unlock scale. We buy media across all platforms and placements and provide creative solutions alongside content creation, and conversion rate optimizations. We pride ourselves on your successes and will stop at nothing to help you grow.