Welcome to Paid Media Monthly, a brand new series from Exposure Ninja designed to keep you ahead in the fast-paced world of paid advertising. Each month, we’ll break down the latest trends, news, and strategies in paid search and paid social to help you build profitable campaigns.
This month, we’re diving into how to make the most of the upcoming holiday season, especially with the growing influence of AI in advertising. We’ll explore how to leverage new technologies while keeping that essential human touch in your campaigns.
Key Takeaways
- AI is a powerful tool, but not a replacement for human strategy. Use AI to assist, not to automate entirely.
- Holiday season budgets will skyrocket. Plan meticulously to get the most out of your ad spend.
- Tight campaigns are essential. Align your targeting, creatives, and landing pages for maximum impact.
- Landing page experience matters. It directly impacts your Quality Score and cost per click.
- Human touch adds personality. Generic AI-generated copy can make your ads blend in.
- New AI tools offer more control. Google’s latest features allow advertisers to guide AI messaging.
- Data interpretation is key. Paid media specialists are becoming more like analysts, strategizing based on AI-driven insights.
- Brand and service campaigns should be separate. Avoid wasting budget by targeting brand terms on service-specific ads.
Preparing for the Holiday Rush with AI
The holiday season, including Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is a critical time for businesses. Ad budgets often double, making it essential to plan your campaigns carefully. This is where AI can be a game-changer. Tools like Performance Max (PMax) and AI-powered search campaigns can help you reach more relevant audiences, even with a smaller budget. By using audience signals, customer data, and even suggesting search terms and landing pages, AI can help make your ads more relevant and cost-effective.
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<img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1516116210404-724176662444?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8fA%3D%3D&auto=format&fit=crop&w=1170&q=80" alt="Person working on a laptop with holiday-themed graphics.">
<figcaption>AI can help optimize your campaigns for the busy holiday season.</figcaption>
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The Importance of a Tight Campaign Structure
To make your ad spend work harder, especially when budgets increase, your campaigns need to be tightly structured. This means ensuring your targeting is precise, your creatives are aligned with your message, and your landing pages are optimized. AI tools can help with this by suggesting search terms and even altering ad copy to better match user searches. However, the landing page experience is often underrated. It’s a key part of your Quality Score, which directly influences your cost per click. Make sure the keywords on your landing page match what you’re targeting in your ads. This alignment between your campaign structure and landing page is what we mean by a tight campaign.
Balancing AI with the Human Touch
While AI can automate many tasks, like writing ad copy, it’s crucial to maintain a human touch. If everyone relies solely on AI for ad copy, your ads will start to look generic. Think of AI as an assistant, not a replacement. Your ads need personality, strong calls to action, and a clear problem-solution approach. This is where human creativity shines. For instance, Google’s new AI tools for search allow you to set specific instructions, like preventing certain words (e.g., "discount" or "cheap") from appearing alongside luxury products. This gives you more control over your brand’s messaging.
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<img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1551288049-bebda4e38f71?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8fA%3D%3D&auto=format&fit=crop&w=1170&q=80" alt="Close-up of a person typing on a keyboard, with a blurred background.">
<figcaption>AI can assist with ad copy, but human oversight ensures brand voice.</figcaption>
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The Evolving Role of Paid Media Specialists
With AI taking on more tasks, the role of a paid media specialist is shifting. Instead of just managing bids and keywords, specialists are becoming more like analysts. They interpret the data that AI provides, identify new audience opportunities, and develop strategies based on these insights. This might involve creating new campaigns, testing different ad creatives, or even producing videos tailored to specific audiences. The focus is moving towards strategic thinking, data interpretation, and adapting to what the data reveals.
Ad of the Week: Booper Healthcare
This week, we looked at Booper, a healthcare brand, using the Google Ads Transparency Center and Semrush. Booper uses various ad formats, including search, display, and video ads. They effectively use dynamic locations in their ads, which is great for local searches. For example, showing "Booper Dental Care Goldstone" is more likely to attract someone in Goldstone.
However, while some ad copy was strong, highlighting benefits like "physical health, mental health, dental care, 24/7 helpline," other examples were less creative. Semrush data showed stronger ad copy with unique selling propositions (USPs) like "five-star rated by de facto." Yet, even these could be more personalized. Ads that ask questions, like "Tired of waiting on the phone?" can be more engaging.
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<img src="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1579629907932-723963114974?ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8fA%3D%3D&auto=format&fit=crop&w=1170&q=80" alt="Screenshot of a Google search results page showing ads.">
<figcaption>Analyzing ad copy and keywords is key to campaign success.</figcaption>
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One key observation was the heavy reliance on brand terms across all campaigns. It’s generally better to separate brand campaigns from service-specific campaigns. This way, you don’t waste budget on people already searching for your brand name when they could be targeted with ads for specific services they’re looking for.
Question of the Week: Instant Checkout in Chat GPT?
We discussed the recent development of instant checkout features in platforms like Chat GPT. The question is whether we can expect similar shopping ad functionalities within Chat GPT soon. While nothing is official yet, it feels like a natural progression. With features like agent mode and product recommendations already present, adding a paid advertising platform seems inevitable. We anticipate seeing something like Chat GPT ads launching, possibly around 2026. This move makes sense as AI platforms are increasingly becoming search engines themselves, with users asking longer, more specific queries.
Final Thoughts
As we wrap up our first episode, the main advice is don’t be put off by the increased ad spend this quarter. Focus on creating tight-knit campaigns, test AI tools, and always include a human touch. By focusing on a good quality score and aligning your ad copy, keywords, and landing pages, you can outperform competitors even if they have larger budgets. If you’re quick, it’s not too late to plan and set up search and shopping campaigns for the upcoming holiday season.
Rodney Laws is an ecommerce expert with over a decade of experience helping entrepreneurs build and grow online businesses. He specializes in reviewing ecommerce platforms, optimizing user experience, and guiding brands toward higher conversions. His insights have been published on leading industry sites including UsabilityGeek, G2, Spendesk, and PPC Hero.
As the editor at EcommercePlatforms.io, Rodney combines hands-on knowledge with clear, actionable advice to help business owners choose the right tools and strategies. When he’s not testing the latest software or analyzing trends, he’s sharing practical tips that make complex ecommerce decisions simple.
