Why Social Strategy Needs Rethinking
Competitive auctions
CPMs have risen as more brands pile in; smarter budget allocation is required.
Creative fatigue
NZ’s smaller audiences fatigue faster — rotate and refresh assets more often.
Budget waste
Misaligned objectives/targeting/creative by funnel stage leads to inefficiency.
Platform Roles in the Funnel
Meta
All stages; flexible targeting; prospecting + retargeting.
TikTok
Awareness + mid; format-led, creative quality critical; skews younger.
Mid + conversion (B2B); expensive but highly qualified.
Upper + consideration; planning mindset for lifestyle/home/fashion/DIY.
Snapchat
Awareness + lower funnel; Gen Z; AR for engagement; app installs.
X (Twitter)
Awareness + real-time conversation; events and trending topics.
Match platforms to objectives, audience, and creative resources for best results.
Account Structure for Scale
Campaigns by objective
Awareness • Traffic • Conversion
Ad sets by audience type
Interest • Lookalike • Retargeting
Ad sets by funnel
Cold • Warm • Hot
Geo where needed
Regional splits for messaging and budget control.
Audience Strategy (2025)
- Broader targeting with platform optimisation; 1% LALs baseline for prospecting.
- Interest testing + % LAL variations (1–5%) with controlled A/Bs.
- Custom audiences (site, CRM, engagement) by recency/value.
- Overlap monitoring and exclusions; adjust when overlap >30%.
Advanced Bidding & Budgeting
Lowest Cost
Always-on scale; efficiency/volume balance.
Cost Cap
Hold CPA while protecting volume.
Value Optimisation
For ROAS / revenue targets (eCom).
Manual Bid
Niche/thin pools where control is key.
Test approaches small-scale first, then roll out.
Creative Testing Plan
- Launch with 3+ distinct creatives per ad set.
- Test by format: video, carousel, image.
- Analyse: thumb-stop rate, CTR, CPA for patterns.
- Refresh regularly (monthly or on decay signals).
Creative Rotation & Frequency
- Active creatives: aim for 2–3 per audience.
- Monitor frequency (target < 3.5); adjust budgets/audience size.
- Automated rules to pause low performers and boost winners.
- Sequence by funnel: educate → prove → convert.
Landing Page & Offer Alignment
Fast load
Aim < 3s; compress and cache.
Message match
Headline/visual/offer continuity.
LP testing
A/B layouts, CTAs, content.
Track GA4
Scroll/time + micro-conversions.
Lead Gen vs. Website Conversions
Meta Lead Forms
Higher volume, lower average quality.
Landing Page Forms
Lower volume, higher intent.
Match to objective: speed/volume vs sales efficiency.
Pixel & Event Tracking Setup
- Install pixels via header or GTM; verify with debugger.
- Track key events (Purchase, AddToCart, Lead, CompleteRegistration).
- Custom events + parameters for segmentation and optimisation.
Reporting Framework
- Segment by audience type, creative variant, and placement/device.
- Include funnel metrics: CPM → CTR → CVR.
- Monitor creative decay and plan refresh cadence.
Retargeting Structures
- Site recency: 7/14/30-day tiers.
- Video viewers: 50% / 75% completion thresholds.
- Lead form openers: re-engage non-submitters.
- Frequency control across all tiers.
Scaling Strategy
- Duplicate ROAS > 2.0 winners to preserve learnings.
- Increase budget by ≤20% per 48h when stable.
- Broaden to 1–5% LALs after 7+ days stable.
- Test new placements with winning creatives (10–15% budget).
Platform-Specific Considerations (NZ)
TikTok
Native/lo-fi wins; 15–30s; local trends; CPM often 30–40% lower than Meta; strong 16–34 reach.
Use lead gen forms; docs post well; target by company size/industry; AM posts perform.
Meta
Advantage+ Shopping for catalogues; DCO essential; local targeting boosts CTR.
Instagram Reels
Mid-funnel; high watch rates; product tags lift conversion.
Integrating Social with the Full Funnel
- Awareness — video formats; hooks; KPIs: CPM, view rate, growth.
- Consideration — education, comparisons, testimonials; CTR & on-site engagement.
- Conversion — strong CTAs, optimised LPs, offer tests; CVR, CPA, ROAS.
Performance Benchmarks (Indicative NZ)
- CTR: 0.8–1.5%
- CVR (lead gen): 5–12%
- CPL: $10–$35
- ROAS (eCom): 300%+
Use as guideposts; expect variance by sector, audience, and creative.
Common Mistakes
- Not separating cold vs warm traffic.
- Using one creative for all audiences.
- Ignoring frequency/decay metrics.
- Weak landing-page message match.
How KBR Supports Advanced Social
Structure reviews & rebuilds
Fix targeting, segmentation, and scale frameworks.
Creative testing & audience segmentation
Find winning messages and match to the right users.
Funnel-specific strategy & execution
Objective-led bidding, offers, and content per stage.
Dashboard builds & interpretation
Clear KPIs, trends, and actions across platforms.
Want to Upgrade Your Paid Social?
We’ll analyse your account and deliver a roadmap to improve outcomes at every stage.