Spring is the perfect time to declutter—not just your home but also your ad strategy. Just like you wouldn’t leave winter clothes in your closet all year, you shouldn’t keep outdated or underperforming ads running. A fresh, optimized ad strategy can boost your ROI, improve audience engagement, and ensure your budget is used effectively.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through a step-by-step spring cleaning checklist for your paid advertising strategy to help you maximize results in Q2 and beyond.
Audit Your Existing Ad Performance
Start by analyzing your current ad campaigns. Ask yourself
- Which ads are delivering the best ROI?
- Are there any underperforming campaigns that need adjusting or retiring?
- Are you wasting your budget on low-performing audiences or placements?
Use platform analytics (Facebook Ads Manager, Google Ads, etc.) to identify trends. Check metrics like CTR, CPC, conversion rates, and ROAS to determine which ads should stay and which need revamping.
Pro Tip: If certain ads are doing well but starting to fatigue, refresh them with new creatives, updated copy, or a different call-to-action (CTA) instead of turning them off completely.
Refresh Your Audience Targeting
Audience behavior evolves, so your targeting should, too. Consider these strategies:
- Retargeting Adjustments – Are your retargeting windows too short or too long? Test different durations to see what works best.
- Lookalike Audiences – Update your source audience to ensure you’re reaching the most engaged prospects.
- Exclusions & Refinements – Remove uninterested users from your targeting and segment high-value audiences for better personalization.
Pro Tip: Frequent capping can prevent ad fatigue if your audience has repeatedly seen the same ads.
Optimize Your Ad Creative & Copy
If your ads have been running for a while, they might feel stale. Here’s how to breathe new life into them:
- New Visuals – Test fresh imagery, GIFs, or videos to capture attention.
- Stronger CTAs – Try A/B testing different calls-to-action like “Shop Now” vs. “Get Yours Today.”
- Seasonal Relevance – Align your messaging with seasonal trends, like “Spring Savings” or “Fresh New Looks for Spring.”
Pro Tip: Carousel ads and video content outperform static images—especially on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Review Your Ad Budget & Bidding Strategy
Is your budget aligned with your best-performing campaigns? Here’s what to check:
- Shift Spend to High-Performing Ads – Scale up on what’s working while cutting underperformers.
- Test Different Bidding Strategies – Experiment with manual vs. automated bidding to see which yields better results.
- Allocate Budget for Testing – Dedicate at least 20% of your budget to testing new audiences, creatives, and ad formats.
Pro Tip: If your CPCs have been rising, consider testing advantage+ campaigns (Meta) or smart bidding (Google Ads) to let AI optimize placements.
Update Your Landing Pages
Your ads might be great, but you’re leaving money on the table if they drive traffic to a weak landing page. Here’s how to optimize:
- Check Load Speed – Slow pages kill conversions. Use Google PageSpeed Insights to diagnose and fix issues.
- Align Messaging – Ensure your landing page matches the ad’s promise and CTA.
- Simplify the Funnel – Reduce friction by removing unnecessary fields in forms or checkout processes.
Pro Tip: If your bounce rate is high, try a dedicated landing page with a single focus instead of sending users to a generic homepage.
Spring cleaning your ad strategy isn’t just about cutting underperformers—it’s about refreshing and optimizing for better performance. By auditing your ads, refining targeting, updating creatives, optimizing your budget, improving landing pages, and testing new formats, you’ll be set up for a strong Q2.
Ready to level up your ad strategy? We are a full-service digital marketing agency in Round Rock, TX. Visit notimeforsocial.com/contact or call/text us at 512-721-0333 for expert insights and hands-on management that drives results!
