Thinking Out of the Black Box to Win with Google UAC

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20

Natalie Drodz (Digital Marketing Manager, previously at Hily) breaks down her strategies for unearthing the hidden levers in managing Google UAC: how to manage bids, creatives and audiences to drive performance even when there aren't explicit ways to do so.

Source:
Thinking Out of the Black Box to Win with Google UAC
(no direct link to watch/listen)
(direct link to watch/listen)
Type:
Podcast
Publication date:
December 8, 2020
Added to the Vault on:
January 11, 2021
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💎 #
1

Your bids can influence where your ads will be shown. If you bid higher it does not mean you will automatically get more valuable users, it means you will get to more competitive auctions. That's more valuable for Google, not necessarily for you.

06:55
💎 #
2

Advertising on YouTube and Admob is "passive" marketing because people are not specifically looking for something. This leads to more impressions but less conversions. On Google Play Search and Play Browse, users have intent ("active" marketing).

07:56
💎 #
3

If your goal is to make sure that everybody knows about you then YouTube is probably a place you want to advertise on. Do not expect high ROI or LTV. YouTube is a place you go to scale and create demand, not for the highest quality.

09:05
💎 #
4

If you want stability, have CPA campaigns for specific in-app actions, as this usually results in placements on Play Search and Play Browse. These campaigns try to find valuable traffic and are typically pretty stable because the amount of users with high intent doesn't vary too much (unless there is high seasonality).

11:12
💎 #
5

If you need to grow then you go on YouTube. You'll need to use videos and either bid very high or run an "install volume" campaign.

11:55
💎 #
6

You can ask your Google rep to run video-only campaigns (they modify something on the back end) in order to not compete with your other Play Search and Play Browse campaign.

12:50
💎 #
7

Don't run different campaigns for the same optimization event in the same location. Google will prioritize the campaign with the highest bids. 

13:30
💎 #
8

What you can do is run a campaign optimized for an in-app event (targeting valuable users on Play Search & Play Browse) and an install volume campaign (targeting cheaper impressions on YouTube). You can also treat each behavioral event (e.g. subscription vs. IAP) as a different kind of user so your campaigns don't overlap.

14:26
💎 #
9

*Usually bid 10% higher than what you want to get *(besides during holiday season) because Google tries to stay low on your bid and bidding a bid higher will allow you to scale later on.

16:40
💎 #
10

Don't run campaigns in multiple geos because LTV can be different from region to region, which makes it harder to define your bids.

18:20
💎 #
11

Ad groups need enough data to optimize. Try to keep at least 10 events per ad group per day.

19:03
💎 #
12

Google optimizes its audiences at the ad group level, as they find different people through different creatives. So use different themes (or use cases) and semantic for each ad group.

21:38
💎 #
13

If you add an ad group when a campaign is already running, this new ad group will be prioritized. So do not create too many ad groups because they will "steal" traffic from other ad groups. Instead try to refresh creatives in an existing ad group.

22:47
💎 #
14

If possible, test new assets (especially videos) in install volume campaigns, then add what worked to an ad group in your CPA campaign.

24:32
💎 #
15

Your videos need to be high quality and make people want to react/comment. Any comment on a YouTube video is more valuable than no comment, as it sends a signal to Google that the video is good. Example: eToro campaign. Following this logic means it's better to have your videos public (instead of unlisted) so people can find them (and comment).

25:45
💎 #
16

Especially for games, you can also run English-speaking creative tests in India to get learnings before using in core geos.

27:47
💎 #
17

Do not make changes more than once a week. Too many changes at the same time will prevent machine learning from optimizing (too many signals). You typically want to wait a couple of weeks after a change.

29:41
💎 #
18

Natalie plans her Google UAC work by assigning 1 day to 1 region: Monday for US campaign, Tuesday for Europe, etc. With 1 change each time. It leaves enough time for each campaign to learn before you think about new changes.

30:47
💎 #
19

Run one campaign per language, but ideally also per timezone. Google takes into account 24 hours seasonality and if you run a worldwide campaign it will not know how to optimize what time to show the ads. Example: Spain and Argentina have different timezones and different purchasing power.

31:50
💎 #
20

Structuring your campaigns by geos/languages/timezone is not about the audience size,** it is about the volume of events you're sending to Google** (and therefore depends on the events you're optimizing for). 

35:10
The gems from this resource are only available to premium members.
💎 #
1

Your bids can influence where your ads will be shown. If you bid higher it does not mean you will automatically get more valuable users, it means you will get to more competitive auctions. That's more valuable for Google, not necessarily for you.

06:55
💎 #
2

Advertising on YouTube and Admob is "passive" marketing because people are not specifically looking for something. This leads to more impressions but less conversions. On Google Play Search and Play Browse, users have intent ("active" marketing).

07:56
💎 #
3

If your goal is to make sure that everybody knows about you then YouTube is probably a place you want to advertise on. Do not expect high ROI or LTV. YouTube is a place you go to scale and create demand, not for the highest quality.

09:05
💎 #
4

If you want stability, have CPA campaigns for specific in-app actions, as this usually results in placements on Play Search and Play Browse. These campaigns try to find valuable traffic and are typically pretty stable because the amount of users with high intent doesn't vary too much (unless there is high seasonality).

11:12
💎 #
5

If you need to grow then you go on YouTube. You'll need to use videos and either bid very high or run an "install volume" campaign.

11:55
💎 #
6

You can ask your Google rep to run video-only campaigns (they modify something on the back end) in order to not compete with your other Play Search and Play Browse campaign.

12:50
💎 #
7

Don't run different campaigns for the same optimization event in the same location. Google will prioritize the campaign with the highest bids. 

13:30
💎 #
8

What you can do is run a campaign optimized for an in-app event (targeting valuable users on Play Search & Play Browse) and an install volume campaign (targeting cheaper impressions on YouTube). You can also treat each behavioral event (e.g. subscription vs. IAP) as a different kind of user so your campaigns don't overlap.

14:26
💎 #
9

*Usually bid 10% higher than what you want to get *(besides during holiday season) because Google tries to stay low on your bid and bidding a bid higher will allow you to scale later on.

16:40
💎 #
10

Don't run campaigns in multiple geos because LTV can be different from region to region, which makes it harder to define your bids.

18:20
💎 #
11

Ad groups need enough data to optimize. Try to keep at least 10 events per ad group per day.

19:03
💎 #
12

Google optimizes its audiences at the ad group level, as they find different people through different creatives. So use different themes (or use cases) and semantic for each ad group.

21:38
💎 #
13

If you add an ad group when a campaign is already running, this new ad group will be prioritized. So do not create too many ad groups because they will "steal" traffic from other ad groups. Instead try to refresh creatives in an existing ad group.

22:47
💎 #
14

If possible, test new assets (especially videos) in install volume campaigns, then add what worked to an ad group in your CPA campaign.

24:32
💎 #
15

Your videos need to be high quality and make people want to react/comment. Any comment on a YouTube video is more valuable than no comment, as it sends a signal to Google that the video is good. Example: eToro campaign. Following this logic means it's better to have your videos public (instead of unlisted) so people can find them (and comment).

25:45
💎 #
16

Especially for games, you can also run English-speaking creative tests in India to get learnings before using in core geos.

27:47
💎 #
17

Do not make changes more than once a week. Too many changes at the same time will prevent machine learning from optimizing (too many signals). You typically want to wait a couple of weeks after a change.

29:41
💎 #
18

Natalie plans her Google UAC work by assigning 1 day to 1 region: Monday for US campaign, Tuesday for Europe, etc. With 1 change each time. It leaves enough time for each campaign to learn before you think about new changes.

30:47
💎 #
19

Run one campaign per language, but ideally also per timezone. Google takes into account 24 hours seasonality and if you run a worldwide campaign it will not know how to optimize what time to show the ads. Example: Spain and Argentina have different timezones and different purchasing power.

31:50
💎 #
20

Structuring your campaigns by geos/languages/timezone is not about the audience size,** it is about the volume of events you're sending to Google** (and therefore depends on the events you're optimizing for). 

35:10
The gems from this resource are only available to premium members.

Gems are the key bite-size insights "mined" from a specific mobile marketing resource, like a webinar, a panel or a podcast.
They allow you to save time by grasping the most important information in a couple of minutes, and also each include the timestamp from the source.

💎 #
1

Your bids can influence where your ads will be shown. If you bid higher it does not mean you will automatically get more valuable users, it means you will get to more competitive auctions. That's more valuable for Google, not necessarily for you.

06:55
💎 #
2

Advertising on YouTube and Admob is "passive" marketing because people are not specifically looking for something. This leads to more impressions but less conversions. On Google Play Search and Play Browse, users have intent ("active" marketing).

07:56
💎 #
3

If your goal is to make sure that everybody knows about you then YouTube is probably a place you want to advertise on. Do not expect high ROI or LTV. YouTube is a place you go to scale and create demand, not for the highest quality.

09:05
💎 #
4

If you want stability, have CPA campaigns for specific in-app actions, as this usually results in placements on Play Search and Play Browse. These campaigns try to find valuable traffic and are typically pretty stable because the amount of users with high intent doesn't vary too much (unless there is high seasonality).

11:12
💎 #
5

If you need to grow then you go on YouTube. You'll need to use videos and either bid very high or run an "install volume" campaign.

11:55
💎 #
6

You can ask your Google rep to run video-only campaigns (they modify something on the back end) in order to not compete with your other Play Search and Play Browse campaign.

12:50
💎 #
7

Don't run different campaigns for the same optimization event in the same location. Google will prioritize the campaign with the highest bids. 

13:30
💎 #
8

What you can do is run a campaign optimized for an in-app event (targeting valuable users on Play Search & Play Browse) and an install volume campaign (targeting cheaper impressions on YouTube). You can also treat each behavioral event (e.g. subscription vs. IAP) as a different kind of user so your campaigns don't overlap.

14:26
💎 #
9

*Usually bid 10% higher than what you want to get *(besides during holiday season) because Google tries to stay low on your bid and bidding a bid higher will allow you to scale later on.

16:40
💎 #
10

Don't run campaigns in multiple geos because LTV can be different from region to region, which makes it harder to define your bids.

18:20
💎 #
11

Ad groups need enough data to optimize. Try to keep at least 10 events per ad group per day.

19:03
💎 #
12

Google optimizes its audiences at the ad group level, as they find different people through different creatives. So use different themes (or use cases) and semantic for each ad group.

21:38
💎 #
13

If you add an ad group when a campaign is already running, this new ad group will be prioritized. So do not create too many ad groups because they will "steal" traffic from other ad groups. Instead try to refresh creatives in an existing ad group.

22:47
💎 #
14

If possible, test new assets (especially videos) in install volume campaigns, then add what worked to an ad group in your CPA campaign.

24:32
💎 #
15

Your videos need to be high quality and make people want to react/comment. Any comment on a YouTube video is more valuable than no comment, as it sends a signal to Google that the video is good. Example: eToro campaign. Following this logic means it's better to have your videos public (instead of unlisted) so people can find them (and comment).

25:45
💎 #
16

Especially for games, you can also run English-speaking creative tests in India to get learnings before using in core geos.

27:47
💎 #
17

Do not make changes more than once a week. Too many changes at the same time will prevent machine learning from optimizing (too many signals). You typically want to wait a couple of weeks after a change.

29:41
💎 #
18

Natalie plans her Google UAC work by assigning 1 day to 1 region: Monday for US campaign, Tuesday for Europe, etc. With 1 change each time. It leaves enough time for each campaign to learn before you think about new changes.

30:47
💎 #
19

Run one campaign per language, but ideally also per timezone. Google takes into account 24 hours seasonality and if you run a worldwide campaign it will not know how to optimize what time to show the ads. Example: Spain and Argentina have different timezones and different purchasing power.

31:50
💎 #
20

Structuring your campaigns by geos/languages/timezone is not about the audience size,** it is about the volume of events you're sending to Google** (and therefore depends on the events you're optimizing for). 

35:10

Notes for this resource are currently being transferred and will be available soon.

UAC is usually considered as a black box, but there are things you can influence. But you can change: budget / bidding / creatives.

Bidding on Google UAC

You can bid/optimize for CPI, CPA (towards registrations or purchases) or tROAS (beta, need to use Firebase). In general, the higher the bid the more different placements you will get.

It is not necessarily good for you to get more "valuable" placements. What it does mean is that the competition there is higher.

Competitiveness per placement:

  • Google Play (Play Search and Play Browse) - usually very valuable, and you're only competing with other apps.
  • AdMob - cheap impressions but more competitive because you're also competing with e-commerce, some websites, etc.
  • YouTube - the most competitive one because you're also competing with big brands, as well as desktop ads.

How much you bid prioritizes where your ads show.

Most profitable: Google Play Store and Google Search. CPMs are high.

Google Display Network brings the cheapest audiences. There are opportunities but it is hard to find the right audience there, it might require huge budgets.

Bidding high gives Google a chance to find the right audience, but no guarantee.

[💎 @06:55] Your bids can influence where your ads will be shown. If you bid higher it does not mean you will automatically get more valuable users, it means you will get to more competitive auctions. That's more valuable for Google, not necessarily for you.

Why run ads on YouTube

Brands want their ads on YouTube because it's cool.

[💎 @07:56] Advertising on YouTube and Admob is "passive" marketing because people are not specifically looking for something. This leads to more impressions but less conversions. On Google. On Google Play Search and Play Browse, users have intent ("active" marketing).

[💎 @09:05] If your goal is to make sure that everybody knows about you then YouTube is probably a place you want to advertise. Do not expect high ROI or LTV. YouTube is a place you go to scale and create demand, not for the highest quality.

Structuring campaign

Before structuring your campaign you need to define your objective. More users? Valuable traffic? Scale?

[💎 @11:12] If you want stability, have CPA campaigns for specific in-app actions, as this usually results in placements on Play Search and Play Browse. These campaigns try to find valuable traffic and are typically pretty stable because the amount of users with high intent doesn't vary too much (unless there is high seasonality).

[💎 @11:55] If you need to grow then you go on YouTube. You'll need to use videos and either bid very high or run an "install volume" campaign.

Optimizing

[💎 @12:50] You can ask your Google rep to run video-only campaigns (they modify something on the back end) in order to not compete with your other Play Search and Play Browse campaign.


[💎 @13:30] Don't run different campaigns for the same optimization event in the same location. Google will prioritize the campaign with the highest bids.

[💎 @14:26] What you can do is run a campaign optimized for an in-app event (targeting valuable users on Play Search & Play Browse) and an install volume campaign (targeting cheaper impressions on YouTube). You can also treat each behavioral event (e.g. subscription vs. IAP) as a different kind of user so your campaigns don't overlap.

Don't run competing campaigns on events in the same funnel (like registration and purchase).

Install volume campaigns usually do not compete with CPA campaigns.

[💎 @16:40] Usually bid 10% higher than what you want to get (besides during holiday season) because Google tries to stay low on your bid and bidding a bid higher will allow you to scale later on.

[💎 @18:20] Don't run campaigns in multiple geos because LTV can be different from region to region, which makes it harder to define your bids.

[💎 @19:03] Ad groups need enough data to optimize. Try to keep at least 10 events per ad group per day.

The more expensive your events are, the more expensive your learning is.

Structuring ad groups

Within each campaign, have different themes for each ad group. Use semantic separation and images/videos with a different main idea.

The campaign is like a tree and all different ad groups are like different branches

[💎 @21:38] Google optimizes its audiences at the ad group level, as they find different people with different creatives. So use different themes (or use case) and semantic for each ad group.

The different ad groups do not target the same audience.

[💎 @22:47] If you add an ad group when a campaign is already running, this new ad group will be prioritized. So do not create too many ad groups because they would "steal" traffic from other ad groups. Instead try to refresh creatives in an existing ad group.

Running Creative tests


[💎 @24:32] If possible, test new assets (especially videos) in install volume campaigns, then add what worked to an ad group in your CPA campaign.

[💎 @25:45] Your videos need to be high quality and make people want to react/comment. Any comment on a YouTube video is more valuable than no comment, as it sends a signal to Google that the video is good. Example: eToro campaign. Following this logic means it's better to have your videos public (instead of unlisted) so people can find them.

[💎 @27:47] Especially for games, you can also run English-speaking creative tests in India to get learnings before using in core geos.

This is a popular technique on Facebook too.

[💎 @29:41] Do not make changes more than once a week. Too many changes at the same time will prevent machine learning from optimizing (too many signals). You typically want to wait a couple of weeks after a change.

[💎 @30:47] Natalie plans her Google UAC work by assigning 1 day to 1 region: Monday for US campaign, Tuesday for Europe, etc. With 1 change each time. It leaves enough time for each campaign to learn before you think about new changes.

How many geo tiers?


[💎 @31:50] Run one campaign per language, but ideally also per timezone. Google takes into account 24 hours seasonality and if you run a worldwide campaign it will not know how to optimize what time to show the ads. Example: Spain and Argentina have different timezones and different purchasing power.

Google uses the languages that are on your phone to run campaigns. It might be worth running different campaigns (one per language) for a location. Example: English and Spanish in the US.

[💎 @35:10] Structuring your campaigns by geos/languages/timezone is not about the audience size, it is about the volume of events you're sending to Google (and therefore depends on the events you're optimizing for).

Tracking changes to campaigns

You can send messages to yourself (e.g. Slack) with the main changes. You can also use data visualizers with timestamps to understand what affects what.

It's important because even small changes on the marketer's side can create a lot of changes on Google's side.

Be patient.

Reach out to other fellow marketers if you struggle.


The notes from this resource are only available to premium members.

UAC is usually considered as a black box, but there are things you can influence. But you can change: budget / bidding / creatives.

Bidding on Google UAC

You can bid/optimize for CPI, CPA (towards registrations or purchases) or tROAS (beta, need to use Firebase). In general, the higher the bid the more different placements you will get.

It is not necessarily good for you to get more "valuable" placements. What it does mean is that the competition there is higher.

Competitiveness per placement:

  • Google Play (Play Search and Play Browse) - usually very valuable, and you're only competing with other apps.
  • AdMob - cheap impressions but more competitive because you're also competing with e-commerce, some websites, etc.
  • YouTube - the most competitive one because you're also competing with big brands, as well as desktop ads.

How much you bid prioritizes where your ads show.

Most profitable: Google Play Store and Google Search. CPMs are high.

Google Display Network brings the cheapest audiences. There are opportunities but it is hard to find the right audience there, it might require huge budgets.

Bidding high gives Google a chance to find the right audience, but no guarantee.

[💎 @06:55] Your bids can influence where your ads will be shown. If you bid higher it does not mean you will automatically get more valuable users, it means you will get to more competitive auctions. That's more valuable for Google, not necessarily for you.

Why run ads on YouTube

Brands want their ads on YouTube because it's cool.

[💎 @07:56] Advertising on YouTube and Admob is "passive" marketing because people are not specifically looking for something. This leads to more impressions but less conversions. On Google. On Google Play Search and Play Browse, users have intent ("active" marketing).

[💎 @09:05] If your goal is to make sure that everybody knows about you then YouTube is probably a place you want to advertise. Do not expect high ROI or LTV. YouTube is a place you go to scale and create demand, not for the highest quality.

Structuring campaign

Before structuring your campaign you need to define your objective. More users? Valuable traffic? Scale?

[💎 @11:12] If you want stability, have CPA campaigns for specific in-app actions, as this usually results in placements on Play Search and Play Browse. These campaigns try to find valuable traffic and are typically pretty stable because the amount of users with high intent doesn't vary too much (unless there is high seasonality).

[💎 @11:55] If you need to grow then you go on YouTube. You'll need to use videos and either bid very high or run an "install volume" campaign.

Optimizing

[💎 @12:50] You can ask your Google rep to run video-only campaigns (they modify something on the back end) in order to not compete with your other Play Search and Play Browse campaign.


[💎 @13:30] Don't run different campaigns for the same optimization event in the same location. Google will prioritize the campaign with the highest bids.

[💎 @14:26] What you can do is run a campaign optimized for an in-app event (targeting valuable users on Play Search & Play Browse) and an install volume campaign (targeting cheaper impressions on YouTube). You can also treat each behavioral event (e.g. subscription vs. IAP) as a different kind of user so your campaigns don't overlap.

Don't run competing campaigns on events in the same funnel (like registration and purchase).

Install volume campaigns usually do not compete with CPA campaigns.

[💎 @16:40] Usually bid 10% higher than what you want to get (besides during holiday season) because Google tries to stay low on your bid and bidding a bid higher will allow you to scale later on.

[💎 @18:20] Don't run campaigns in multiple geos because LTV can be different from region to region, which makes it harder to define your bids.

[💎 @19:03] Ad groups need enough data to optimize. Try to keep at least 10 events per ad group per day.

The more expensive your events are, the more expensive your learning is.

Structuring ad groups

Within each campaign, have different themes for each ad group. Use semantic separation and images/videos with a different main idea.

The campaign is like a tree and all different ad groups are like different branches

[💎 @21:38] Google optimizes its audiences at the ad group level, as they find different people with different creatives. So use different themes (or use case) and semantic for each ad group.

The different ad groups do not target the same audience.

[💎 @22:47] If you add an ad group when a campaign is already running, this new ad group will be prioritized. So do not create too many ad groups because they would "steal" traffic from other ad groups. Instead try to refresh creatives in an existing ad group.

Running Creative tests


[💎 @24:32] If possible, test new assets (especially videos) in install volume campaigns, then add what worked to an ad group in your CPA campaign.

[💎 @25:45] Your videos need to be high quality and make people want to react/comment. Any comment on a YouTube video is more valuable than no comment, as it sends a signal to Google that the video is good. Example: eToro campaign. Following this logic means it's better to have your videos public (instead of unlisted) so people can find them.

[💎 @27:47] Especially for games, you can also run English-speaking creative tests in India to get learnings before using in core geos.

This is a popular technique on Facebook too.

[💎 @29:41] Do not make changes more than once a week. Too many changes at the same time will prevent machine learning from optimizing (too many signals). You typically want to wait a couple of weeks after a change.

[💎 @30:47] Natalie plans her Google UAC work by assigning 1 day to 1 region: Monday for US campaign, Tuesday for Europe, etc. With 1 change each time. It leaves enough time for each campaign to learn before you think about new changes.

How many geo tiers?


[💎 @31:50] Run one campaign per language, but ideally also per timezone. Google takes into account 24 hours seasonality and if you run a worldwide campaign it will not know how to optimize what time to show the ads. Example: Spain and Argentina have different timezones and different purchasing power.

Google uses the languages that are on your phone to run campaigns. It might be worth running different campaigns (one per language) for a location. Example: English and Spanish in the US.

[💎 @35:10] Structuring your campaigns by geos/languages/timezone is not about the audience size, it is about the volume of events you're sending to Google (and therefore depends on the events you're optimizing for).

Tracking changes to campaigns

You can send messages to yourself (e.g. Slack) with the main changes. You can also use data visualizers with timestamps to understand what affects what.

It's important because even small changes on the marketer's side can create a lot of changes on Google's side.

Be patient.

Reach out to other fellow marketers if you struggle.


The notes from this resource are only available to premium members.

UAC is usually considered as a black box, but there are things you can influence. But you can change: budget / bidding / creatives.

Bidding on Google UAC

You can bid/optimize for CPI, CPA (towards registrations or purchases) or tROAS (beta, need to use Firebase). In general, the higher the bid the more different placements you will get.

It is not necessarily good for you to get more "valuable" placements. What it does mean is that the competition there is higher.

Competitiveness per placement:

  • Google Play (Play Search and Play Browse) - usually very valuable, and you're only competing with other apps.
  • AdMob - cheap impressions but more competitive because you're also competing with e-commerce, some websites, etc.
  • YouTube - the most competitive one because you're also competing with big brands, as well as desktop ads.

How much you bid prioritizes where your ads show.

Most profitable: Google Play Store and Google Search. CPMs are high.

Google Display Network brings the cheapest audiences. There are opportunities but it is hard to find the right audience there, it might require huge budgets.

Bidding high gives Google a chance to find the right audience, but no guarantee.

[💎 @06:55] Your bids can influence where your ads will be shown. If you bid higher it does not mean you will automatically get more valuable users, it means you will get to more competitive auctions. That's more valuable for Google, not necessarily for you.

Why run ads on YouTube

Brands want their ads on YouTube because it's cool.

[💎 @07:56] Advertising on YouTube and Admob is "passive" marketing because people are not specifically looking for something. This leads to more impressions but less conversions. On Google. On Google Play Search and Play Browse, users have intent ("active" marketing).

[💎 @09:05] If your goal is to make sure that everybody knows about you then YouTube is probably a place you want to advertise. Do not expect high ROI or LTV. YouTube is a place you go to scale and create demand, not for the highest quality.

Structuring campaign

Before structuring your campaign you need to define your objective. More users? Valuable traffic? Scale?

[💎 @11:12] If you want stability, have CPA campaigns for specific in-app actions, as this usually results in placements on Play Search and Play Browse. These campaigns try to find valuable traffic and are typically pretty stable because the amount of users with high intent doesn't vary too much (unless there is high seasonality).

[💎 @11:55] If you need to grow then you go on YouTube. You'll need to use videos and either bid very high or run an "install volume" campaign.

Optimizing

[💎 @12:50] You can ask your Google rep to run video-only campaigns (they modify something on the back end) in order to not compete with your other Play Search and Play Browse campaign.


[💎 @13:30] Don't run different campaigns for the same optimization event in the same location. Google will prioritize the campaign with the highest bids.

[💎 @14:26] What you can do is run a campaign optimized for an in-app event (targeting valuable users on Play Search & Play Browse) and an install volume campaign (targeting cheaper impressions on YouTube). You can also treat each behavioral event (e.g. subscription vs. IAP) as a different kind of user so your campaigns don't overlap.

Don't run competing campaigns on events in the same funnel (like registration and purchase).

Install volume campaigns usually do not compete with CPA campaigns.

[💎 @16:40] Usually bid 10% higher than what you want to get (besides during holiday season) because Google tries to stay low on your bid and bidding a bid higher will allow you to scale later on.

[💎 @18:20] Don't run campaigns in multiple geos because LTV can be different from region to region, which makes it harder to define your bids.

[💎 @19:03] Ad groups need enough data to optimize. Try to keep at least 10 events per ad group per day.

The more expensive your events are, the more expensive your learning is.

Structuring ad groups

Within each campaign, have different themes for each ad group. Use semantic separation and images/videos with a different main idea.

The campaign is like a tree and all different ad groups are like different branches

[💎 @21:38] Google optimizes its audiences at the ad group level, as they find different people with different creatives. So use different themes (or use case) and semantic for each ad group.

The different ad groups do not target the same audience.

[💎 @22:47] If you add an ad group when a campaign is already running, this new ad group will be prioritized. So do not create too many ad groups because they would "steal" traffic from other ad groups. Instead try to refresh creatives in an existing ad group.

Running Creative tests


[💎 @24:32] If possible, test new assets (especially videos) in install volume campaigns, then add what worked to an ad group in your CPA campaign.

[💎 @25:45] Your videos need to be high quality and make people want to react/comment. Any comment on a YouTube video is more valuable than no comment, as it sends a signal to Google that the video is good. Example: eToro campaign. Following this logic means it's better to have your videos public (instead of unlisted) so people can find them.

[💎 @27:47] Especially for games, you can also run English-speaking creative tests in India to get learnings before using in core geos.

This is a popular technique on Facebook too.

[💎 @29:41] Do not make changes more than once a week. Too many changes at the same time will prevent machine learning from optimizing (too many signals). You typically want to wait a couple of weeks after a change.

[💎 @30:47] Natalie plans her Google UAC work by assigning 1 day to 1 region: Monday for US campaign, Tuesday for Europe, etc. With 1 change each time. It leaves enough time for each campaign to learn before you think about new changes.

How many geo tiers?


[💎 @31:50] Run one campaign per language, but ideally also per timezone. Google takes into account 24 hours seasonality and if you run a worldwide campaign it will not know how to optimize what time to show the ads. Example: Spain and Argentina have different timezones and different purchasing power.

Google uses the languages that are on your phone to run campaigns. It might be worth running different campaigns (one per language) for a location. Example: English and Spanish in the US.

[💎 @35:10] Structuring your campaigns by geos/languages/timezone is not about the audience size, it is about the volume of events you're sending to Google (and therefore depends on the events you're optimizing for).

Tracking changes to campaigns

You can send messages to yourself (e.g. Slack) with the main changes. You can also use data visualizers with timestamps to understand what affects what.

It's important because even small changes on the marketer's side can create a lot of changes on Google's side.

Be patient.

Reach out to other fellow marketers if you struggle.