As PPC experts, we rarely have the luxury of harnessing 100% of our efforts and energy into a single account. When we do, it’s usually substantial, with multiple markets, products, and budgets to consider.

With a plethora of metrics to learn and utilize, optimizing our campaigns can feel overwhelming. Over the years, I’ve narrowed the optimization tasks down to focus on five key metrics and red flags. This will allow you to execute fast and effective boosts to campaign performance and efficiencies.

Here are 5 red flags to look out for on your PPC campaigns and, crucially, how to fix them.

1. A Weak Clickthrough Rate

We all know the importance of CTR (click-through rate) as a metric. It serves as a strong indicator of relevance between our keywords, our ads, and the user’s search terms. While the go-to benchmark used to be 2-3%, the introduction of automated bidding strategies and RSAs has moved this closer to 5-6% in most industries.

A CTR below this level raises considerable red flags. Not only does it indicate weak ad group relevancy, but it’s inefficient; the ‘Expected CTR’ of your ad has an effect on your ad rank, and bid, and will see you falling short at auction time. 

Here are two simple, yet effective, fixes for a weak CTR:

Take your Assets Reports – a breakdown of the effectiveness of each headline and description – and start by swapping those ranked ‘Poor’ or ‘Average’ to new alternatives on your ads. 

The second simple step is to review your ad groups. Over time, your ad groups and your keyword list are both likely to have expanded. Are there any opportunities to separate top-performing keywords from the rest? Do your keywords fit one neat theme, or are multiple themes creeping in? If so, separate them and tailor each ad’s copy to the new themes.

2. Missing or incomplete campaign settings

Back to basics. As someone who has audited 100s of accounts, time and time again I see the same handful of issues. By now, we’re all surely aware of the sneaky default location setting of ‘People interested in your targeted locations’ over ‘People in your targeted locations’. (If not, double-check your campaigns to ensure they’re serving where your target audience is!). There are, however, a few more settings worth checking on, and language settings are one of these. 

On Google, language targeting matches queries “where the keywords match and Google believe that the user understands at least one targeted language”. On Microsoft Ads, the language campaign setting “determines the language that you will use when you write your ads and should be the language of your customers”.

Whether or not your brand has a global reach, your ad copy within each campaign is unlikely to be in all languages (often the default setting). When serving an international audience, best practice is to create unique campaigns and ad copy native to the respective local languages. Regional nuance is critical too. 

Check your Campaign Settings to ensure that the language of your ad copy matches the audience(s) you’re asking your PPC platform to reach.

3. A lack of exclusions

If you’re running your accounts at peak efficiency, you should have plenty of exclusions in place. With the push towards upgrading your keywords to broad match, performance max black boxes, and a substantial rise in automation techniques, we PPC heroes need to be more on top of exclusions than previously. 

Whether you’re running search, performance max, video, or display campaigns, exclusions are likely to apply to your campaigns. 

Such exclusions include:

• Negative keywords
• Audience exclusions
• Content suitability, placement, or topic exclusions
• Brand exclusion lists
• Location or country-level exclusions.

If you don’t currently have exclusions applied to your campaigns, that could mean inefficient campaigns: targeting the wrong keywords, showing ads to current customer lists, on irrelevant or harmful content, on competitor content, or even in the wrong country entirely!

As a simple first step, begin by applying negative keywords to your account, campaigns, and/or ad groups and review your basic audience targeting options. If you can exclude current customers, reduce your demographic targeting from 18-65+, and double-check your campaign targeting and exclusion settings, that’s a great start.

4. Sub-par quality scores

One of the easiest ways to create inefficiencies is by failing to monitor quality scores. According to Google Ads, quality score is “a diagnostic tool meant to give you a sense of how well your ad quality compares to other advertisers”. This score is from 1-10, (1 being poor, 10 being excellent), is available at the keyword level, and is a product of the following three factors ranked from “below average” to “average” and “above average”.

• Expected CTR: Based on historical data, how likely is it that your ad will be clicked?
• Ad rank: How closely does your ad match the user’s search query and the intent behind it?
• Landing page experience: How useful is your landing page? Does it answer or support the user’s search query?

Luckily for those of us who struggle with math, the platforms calculate these for us based on the last 90 days of auction insights. In a perfect world, we’d aim for a quality score of 10 – although that may not always be possible. However, 7 or above is indicative of a ‘good’ quality score, with 3 or below being poor.

As with other items mentioned in this list, weak quality scores contribute to inefficient campaigns. To address this, work on optimizing each of the above three factors, starting with any that are ranked “below average”. Remember: the ultimate goal is to ensure that your keywords, ad copy, and landing pages are consistent in content.

5. No conversion data

And finally, one of the biggest red flags is a lack of conversion data. Generating zero conversions is one thing – and may be a red flag, but having no conversion data at all is concerning.

Today, PPC platforms are much stronger – particularly on brand-new accounts – on encouraging conversion setups before creating or publishing a campaign. However, there are plenty of legacy accounts with old, incomplete, or out-of-date conversion tracking, likely leading to millions of dollars in wasted spend annually. If you’ve been putting off the dreaded conversion tracking setup process, don’t delay further. 

The final tip here is to ensure your conversion tracking is up to today’s standards. While conversion tracking for the end-goal of your campaigns is undeniably important, you’ll also want to track ‘lighter’ conversion events to give your PPC platform all the signals it needs to generate conversions – particularly when using smart bidding strategies. 

If you’re using Maximize Conversions, Target CPA, Target ROAS, or Maximize Conversion Value smart bidding strategies and you have multiple conversion methods tracked (such as app downloads, phone calls, lead form fills, and product page views), ensure that each conversion is set up as a ‘Primary’ or ‘Secondary’ conversion goal respective to how important it is. Multiple primary conversion goals will make it difficult to optimize your campaigns.

Summary 

Whether you’re brand new to PPC or have decades of experience, frequent platform changes often mean adapting what you thought you already knew! The five tips above should give you a great starting point for optimizing, improving, and boosting the efficiency and effectiveness of your accounts. Good luck!

June marks the official start of summer, opening up many creative ways to connect with your audience. Throw in June’s holidays, summer solstice, and a bounty of food-themed days of appreciation (we’re looking at you, National Doughnut Day), and your June content calendar runneth over.

With all that fun in mind, we’ve gathered dozens of creative June content ideas. From entertaining videos to educational emails, you’ll find plenty of inspiration to fill this month’s content calendar.

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June holiday content ideas

Although this month does not have any tentpole holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas, there are several June holidays worth celebrating.

Father’s Day (June 16)

Great parents should be celebrated every day, but let’s face it, they’re often in the background doing the hard work most people don’t see. That’s why we celebrate Mother’s Day in May and Father’s Day in June, so these often unsung heroes get a little of the recognition they deserve.

If you want to get a gift for a dad with no strings attached, buy them a broken guitar (cue the groan). But seriously (sort of), Fire Department Coffee found a fun way to celebrate Father’s Day with an Instagram Reel full of dad jokes.

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This is a low-lift way to have a little fun with your audience while keeping in the spirit of Dad’s big day.

Here’s another thing to be aware of. Father’s Day can be a difficult time for some people. If you’re running a Father’s Day email campaign, give your subscribers a way to opt out.

here are several other June content ideas geared toward dads and the people who care about them:

• Have a dad joke competition on social media.
• Get dads to comment describing their favorite way to spend Father’s Day.
• Write a blog post listing local Father’s Day discounts and events.
• Share a heartfelt shout-out to everyone who has lost their father, stepped in as a father figure, hopeful dads facing fertility issues, and fathers who have lost a child.

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Juneteenth (June 19)

On June 19, 1865—more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation—Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, the final holdout for the practice of slavery in the US. On that day, 250,000 enslaved Africans were finally granted their freedom. We now commemorate the history of that day as Juneteenth, often considered the second American Independence Day.

Juneteenth festivals are increasingly popular, with events popping up in big cities and small towns alike. The Brooklyn Mavens help their followers find the events by posting a video on Instagram with a roundup of what’s happening Juneteenth weekend.

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You can do the same on social media posts, blog posts, or even by email. But there are plenty of other ways to share in this important day. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Post powerful quotes from African American leaders.
• Write an article explaining the history of Juneteenth, covering what happened before and June 19th.
• Create a cooking video featuring Juneteenth-inspired recipes.
• Curate a list of books from Black authors or highlight the works of Black visual artists.
• Share a list of Black-owned businesses in your area.

Pre-Independence Day

For many people, the 4th of July is a big event that requires plenty of planning. That means you should share at least some of your Independence Day content ahead of time in late June.

ExtraSpace Storage shows us how it’s done with an extensive blog post full of ideas for a sparkling Fourth of July party.

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You can use the same strategy and create a big roundup of party planning ideas or go deep on one or two parts of planning a celebration, like these:

• Post a patriotic music playlist.
• Video a video showing how to clean and prep a gas grill.
• Make a shopping list of essentials for the perfect Independence Day party.
• Note local fireworks regulations and safety tips, plus mention that June is National PTSD Awareness Month as a way to remind people to be considerate with their fireworks displays.

June food content ideas

Sometimes, the fastest way to your followers’ hearts is through their stomachs. When it comes to planning your June marketing, don’t sleep on June’s variety of victual delights.

National Doughnut Day (June 7)

If you need to fill a hole in your June marketing calendar, celebrate one of the most beloved foods on the planet: the mighty doughnut! Just about anything you publish will garner good feelings (and maybe make your competition a little jelly).

The icing on top is that your brand doesn’t need to be a purveyor of cylindrical breakfast snacks at all. Take a look at this pastry-perfect post from Famer’s Almanac.

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What’s brilliant about this tactic is the social media post directs viewers to a recipe on the Almanac’s website, offering a surgery slide into the business’s marketing funnel. Want to cash in on this confectionary? Try these Doughnut Day ideas for yourself:

• Get followers to vote on a March Madness-like bracket of the best doughnut toppings and fillings.
• Let people know where they can get discounts and specialty doughnuts around town.
• Create a slideshow of the most unusual, real-life doughnut recipes (like the hibiscus doughnut or the infamous cayenne pepper-topped Ring of Fire).
• Just share a picture of your staff enjoying their favorite doughnut.

National Corn on the Cob Day (June 11)

It may not have the draw of doughnuts, but no food signifies the start of summer like a fresh ear of corn on the cob. National Corn on the Cob Day, celebrated on June 11, is the perfect opportunity to engage anyone stalking your marketing channels.

This diabetes wellness account on Facebook has a cool take on hot corn. It shows you how to prepare corn on the cob without the extra calories and salt that come with traditional methods.

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There are dozens of variations on the recipe that you can use. But don’t stop there. Mix in some more of these corny content ideas:

• Take a poll on Instagram asking how people eat their corn (with two-pronged cob holders, using the husk like a handle, or grabbing the ear with reckless abandon).
• Post some corn facts, like alternative uses for corn, the fact that corn cobs always have an even number of rows, or that the tallest recorded corn stalk was 48 feet high.
• Share a healthy dose of corny jokes (Know what happened to the corn that was fed up with his job? He went into a completely different field).

More food June content ideas

We told you June was full of food-themed content opportunities. Here’s the proof.

• National Candy Month
• National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month
• National Rocky Road Day (June 2)
• National Egg Day (June 3)
• National Chocolate Ice Cream Day (June 6)
• National Rosé Day (June 8), National Red Rosé Day (June 11)
• National Black Cow Day (June 10), National Ice Cream Soda Day (June 20), National Vanilla Milkshake Day (June 20)
• National Herbs and Spices Day (June 10)
• National German Chocolate Cake Day (June 11)
• National Chocolate Pudding Day (June 26)

Awareness June content ideas

While there’s plenty to celebrate in June, there are also many causes, movements, and historical events to remember and discuss. Create some space in your content plan to spread awareness of these important issues.

LGBTQ Pride Month

LGBTQ Pride Month is celebrated each June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, commemorate the positive impact people in this community have had, and remember those lost to LGBTQ hate crimes.

Live events, such as parades, lectures, concerts, workshops, and more, are a big part of Pride Month. Use one of your email newsletters to connect people with these happenings throughout the month.

If you want to be an ally, find meaningful ways to lend your content platforms. These ideas will get you started:

• Make a watch list of LGBTQ movies, from comedies to documentaries.
• Host an event on Instagram Live, like a trivia contest or speaker series.
• Share stories of important LGBTQ figures that shaped the culture and movement.
• Organize a Pride parade watch party.

D-Day (June 6)

On D-Day, we remember the thousands of brave soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who participated in the Invasion of Normandy during World War II—the largest amphibious invasion in history.

Plumbers “R” Us does an excellent job of using its Instagram page to remind its followers of the aftermath of D-Day.

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Here are a handful of ideas you can use to keep the memory of this day alive:

• Share images from the fateful day and a few brief words explaining what it means to you.
• Suggest a moment of silence at a particular time on June 6.
• Create a slideshow or Instagram Story highlighting a few inspirational figures from that day.
• Publish a blog post about World War II war memorials or museums in your area that people can visit.

More June awareness content ideas

June offers a lot to be thankful for and mindful of. These additional content ideas are a great way to share this with your followers and customers.

• National Adapt-a-Cat Month
• National Foster a Pet Month
• National Say Something Nice Day (June 1)
• International Corgi Day (June 4)
• National Hug Your Cat Day (June 4)
• International Yoga Day (June 21)
• National Take Your Dog to Work Day (June 21)
• National Yard Games Day (June 21)
• World Day of Music (June 21)
• Global Beatles Day (June 25)
• Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month
• National Play Outside Day (June 1)
• National Go Barefoot Day (June 1)
• World Pet Memorial Day (June 11)
• National Random Acts of Light Day (June 13)
• US Army Birthday (June 14)
• World Blood Donor Day (June 14)
• Global Garbage Man Day (June 17)
• World Rainforest Day (June 22)
• World Refugee Day (June 30)
• National Day of Indigenous People (June 21)
• Family Owned & Operated Business Day (June 23)
• Helen Keller Day (June 27)

Summer fun June content ideas

Summer takes off in June, so there are plenty of sun-fueled topics to discuss online. Travel, beach days, pool parties, and outdoor activities are all on the table. These creative June content ideas will let you tap into those hot summer vibes.

Ask a summer-related question

Engagement is key to success in digital marketing. You don’t just want to talk at your audience; you want them to participate in the conversation. One surefire way to do it is to ask questions.

Here’s a simple option to start the conversation. Post a question in an image that people can answer in the comments.

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Polls on Instagram and other platforms can also work. You can even ask for feedback through email and ask if it’s okay to share it on other channels. The opportunities are endless, so consider this list of questions as inspiration for your next June campaign:

• Beach or mountains for the summer?
• Favorite summer food?
• Favorite beach?
• What song makes you think of summer?
• Best summer vacation?
• Favorite summer activity: fishing, outdoor concerts, grilling, hiking?
• Most recent summer read?

Gather summer-themed UGC

User-generated content is the not-so-secret weapon of the best online marketers. Why is it so great? Because it’s a fast way to fuel your online content from real people who use your product. It’s a triple win!

UGC is great for June content because people are excited to share their images of early summer. To boost your June UGC campaign, tie it to a free giveaway or contest, like Hydroflask did.

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Ask your fans and followers to enter the contest by following your account, liking or commenting on the post, or clicking a link to a contest landing page. Notice how Hydroflask also used a unique hashtag. That’s a fantastic tactic to make it easy for people to share your campaign in their networks.

You can run a UGC campaign at any time, but here are a few days in June that would be ideal for it:

• National Selfie Day (June 21)
• National Camera Day (June 29)
• Social Media Day (June 30)

Create summer to-do lists

People start making summer plans as soon as the temperature starts climbing. It’s easy to feel like you’ve left something important off the list. Help your audience by creating a themed summer to-do list and distributing it as part of your June content calendar.

YouTuber Becca Bradley posted this summer bucket list on YouTube, which gave her followers many ideas for spending their summer days.

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What’s great about this June content idea is that you don’t need expensive recording equipment or editing apps. Just make a list of summer activities and explain them. You can even add a theme, like activities with your pet or activities for kids.

Give your summer to-do lists a little more focus by tying them to fun observance days. Here are some ideas:

• Conservation efforts for National Pollinator’s Month, World Environment Day (June 5), or World Ocean Day (June 8)
• Kid-friendly activities for National Zoo and Aquarium Month, National Drive-In Movie Day (June 6), or World Picnic Day (June 18)
• Outdoor activities for Great Outdoors Month, National Parks Trail Day (June 1), or National Go Fishing Day (June 18)
• Summer sports to try for World Bicycle Day (June 3), World Softball Day (June 14), or National Tennis Week (June 23 to 29)

June content ideas to keep the summer vibes rolling

Your June content will be a valuable marketing tool whether you’re after awareness, looking for leads, or counting on conversions. The keys to success are to be authentic and creative so your audience has a reason to look forward to the next post, email, or video.

While you mull over the content that will fill your June calendar, get even more inspiration from these June marketing guides:

You could have the best product in the world, but if your ideal customers don’t know it exists, you’re just spinning your wheels. YouTube ads are a great way to get your video content in front of your audience – but it’s not enough to simply make a video.

Low video engagement is the scourge of many business owners, but it doesn’t have to be. You can increase brand awareness, attract new business, and get the attention of your target market with the right approach to video storytelling.

Here’s how to hook your audience within the first 5 seconds of your ad.

Plan Your Message

Though viewers prefer raw, authentic videos to more polished ads, you can’t exactly wing it. You need a clear, targeted message, or a concept that speaks directly to your target audience.

If you cast your net too widely, you’ll have a wishy-washy message that doesn’t capture the attention of your ideal viewer, or tell them why they should spend a few minutes watching your content. Know your audience and tailor the message to them.

To do that, you have to know what your audience is looking for. Think about:

• Their pain points
• Their interests
• The challenges or stress they experience every day
• The problems they’re trying to solve
• The content they enjoy
• The brand voice and personality they expect

Need a little guidance? Tools like Google Analytics and YouTube’s built-in analytics can offer key insights into your audience and competitors. You can also glean insights from interactions on your social media videos or other marketing content to better understand your audience.

Lead your YouTube Ads with a Catchy Headline

Just like the first line of an article, your headline has to make an impact – especially with YouTube ads. According to research, 8 out 10 people will never make it past the headline, so you have to use those precious view words to capture their attention.

Some tips for an effective video title:

• Make sure your title matches the content (no clickbait!)
• Know your audience and speak to them
• Rely on keyword research
• Create a sense of urgency
• Provide a compelling hook
• Keep your title under 60 characters
• Create listicle-style titles
• Study your competitors’ videos

This is an example of a good headline from Google Small Business that addresses the audience’s pain points and goals:

Tell a Story with your YouTube Ads

Humans are drawn to stories. Designing your video ad around a narrative will attract the viewer’s attention better than conveying information in a basic way. Your viewers become more immersed in the message and more compelled to take the action you want – signing up, subscribing, or completing a purchase.

How do you turn your content into a story? Think about the essence of what you want to say. Triumph over adversity? The power of community? The pursuit of a dream? Think beyond the direct benefits of your product or service to the larger context.

One of the best examples of storytelling in video ads is Xfinity’s recent ad, “The Aviators.” It tells the story of a clever granddaughter helping her veteran grandfather and his friends fly jets once again with the power of VR and Xfinity Internet.

Don’t Forget the Call to Action (CTA)

A clear and compelling call to action (CTA) is essential to every successful campaign, including YouTube ads. The CTA is how you tell the viewers what action you want them to take, whether it’s subscribing to your channel, checking out your website, or purchasing a product.

Like your headline, your CTA should be persuasive, clear, and concise so you viewers know exactly what you want them to do and how to do it. Your CTA should align with your ad’s message – which should motivate them throughout the content to seal the deal. Include a CTA as on-screen text and narration for more impact.

Keep Your Brand at the Forefront of your YouTube Ads

Video ads from the top brands are instantly recognizable through logo, brand colors, familiar faces, or other details. You should do the same with your brand to boost awareness and ensure you stay top-of-mind for your viewers.

That said, you don’t want to create a video that’s all about your brand with salesy language and a lot of promotional aspects. Try to include your brand as seamlessly as possible without detracting from the story and the message of value you’re offering for your audience.

Keep It Fun

Humor is a powerful tool in advertising and can capture attention and memory more successfully than other tactics, but you have to be careful about it. Humor is highly subjective – what’s hilarious to one person may be offensive to another.

When Peloton took a shot at humor with a holiday ad in 2019 that featured a man giving his wife a Peloton bike as a Christmas gift, the brand was heavily criticized for reinforcing negative body images.

However, the controversy did inspire a spoof ad from Aviation Gin that featured the same actress exchanging her stationary bike for gin martinis, which she drinks with friends. The caption read, “Exercise bike not included.”

One miss, one hit. Be mindful of how you incorporate humor and always aim to be entertaining and memorable, not offensive or controversial (unless that fits your brand).

Experiment and Test

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to better YouTube ad engagement. What connects with one audience may fall flat with another, so you have to experiment a little and determine what speaks to your target viewers.

Try different storytelling techniques, headlines, CTAs, visual styles, multimedia additions, and video marketing SEO tactics to see what works and what doesn’t. Fortunately, YouTube has excellent analytics to track your ad performance and optimize your strategy moving forward.

Hook Your Audience

Creating attention-grabbing YouTube ads can feel like an overwhelming challenge – especially if you’re not getting much engagement with your current strategy. Incorporating some best practices, experimenting, and evaluating your ad performance can help you unlock the key to your audience and create ads that hook them in seconds.

Torrey Tayenaka is the co-founder and CEO at Sparkhouse, an Orange County based commercial video production company.