Scale & Strategy
Scale & Strategy, we take all of your open browser tabs and compile them into a fun n' easy daily read!
Here’s what we got for you today:
- How SMBs Can Compete on Google Ads (Without Breaking the Bank)
- Ad Spend Predictions for 2025: Growth, Shifts, and Surprises
- New in Analytics: Bridge the Gap Between Ad Spend and Engagement
- OpenAI Introduces "Tasks" in ChatGPT: Your New Personal AssistantHow SMBs Can Compete on Google Ads (Without Breaking the Bank)
How SMBs Can Compete on Google Ads (Without Breaking the Bank)
Big brands may have big budgets, but small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can still win the Google Ads game—you just need to make every dollar work harder.
Here are five expert strategies from Matt Bowen to help SMBs get the most out of their PPC campaigns:
1. Use Manual Bidding for Branded Campaigns
Automated bidding can inflate costs for branded searches, often spending extra on clicks you’d get organically, like cancellations. Instead, take control with manual bidding to keep your spending efficient and avoid wasting your budget.
2. Build SKAG Campaigns with Exact Match
Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAG) help ensure your search terms, ads, and landing pages are tightly aligned.
- This improves your Quality Score, lowers costs, and makes your campaigns more effective.
- Pair this with target cost per action (tCPA) bidding and a cost-per-click (CPC) cap for even better results.
3. Set Up a Dynamic Search Ad (DSA) Campaign
Dynamic Search Ads allow you to target all the pages on your website while applying a lower tCPA cap. This is a great way to capture high-efficiency search traffic that generic campaigns might miss.
4. Don’t Rely Fully on Automation
Automated strategies like Performance Max can work for large accounts, but for SMBs, it often burns through your budget too quickly. Performance Max needs time to learn your catalog, which may not be ideal for smaller ad budgets. Stick with manual strategies for more precise control.
5. Focus on Feed-Only Performance Max or Standard Shopping
For e-commerce businesses, try running feed-only Performance Max campaigns or standard shopping campaigns with a target return on ad spend (tROAS) goal.
- Add dynamic remarketing to combine campaign data pools and speed up learning for better results.
With the right strategies, SMBs can compete effectively on Google Ads—even against bigger players. It’s all about smart allocation, manual control, and focusing on what drives the best ROI.
Ad Spend Predictions for 2025: Growth, Shifts, and Surprises
The New Year honeymoon is over, and it’s time to look ahead. The IAB has released its key predictions for 2025, and here’s what you need to know:
Ad Spend Trends
- Overall Growth: Ad spend is projected to rise by 7.3%, though growth may slow slightly without major global events like the Olympics.
- Declining Paid Search: Paid search ad spend is expected to drop from 13.1% to 8.5%.
- Rising Stars: Retail media, Connected TV (CTV), and social media ad spend are set to grow by 15.6%, 13.8%, and 11.9% respectively.
Advertiser Focus
Key priorities include customer acquisition, navigating the rapid growth of generative AI, and managing an increasingly fragmented ecosystem of platforms and metrics.
Linear TV Stays Relevant
Despite the rise of ad-free streaming options, linear TV still reaches 91% of streaming viewers. However, linear ad spend is expected to decline further, which could dent revenue in this channel.
Netflix’s Big Year
Netflix is poised to double its ad revenue to $3.2B in 2025, fueled by increasing user activity and lower CPMs in the US and Canada. The platform projects that 50% of new signups will opt for ad-supported plans, making it an increasingly attractive option for brands.
New in Analytics: Bridge the Gap Between Ad Spend and Engagement
Google Ads now integrates with Microsoft Clarity, giving you deeper insights into how ad clickers interact with your website. Here’s what you’ll get:
- Advertising Dashboard: A new way to monitor campaign performance.
- Engagement Metrics: Track user behavior at a granular level.
- Intent Insights: Better understand how visitors navigate and convert.
This integration makes it easier to align your ad campaigns with customer behavior, optimizing both ad performance and website effectiveness.
2025 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for advertisers. Fingers crossed for a strong start!
OpenAI Introduces "Tasks" in ChatGPT: Your New Personal Assistant
ChatGPT just got an upgrade: OpenAI has rolled out a beta feature called Tasks, turning ChatGPT into more than just a chatbot—it’s now a productivity tool for scheduling reminders and actions.
What Is "Tasks"?
Available to Plus, Team, and Pro subscribers, Tasks lets you:
- Schedule daily updates (like weather reports).
- Set reminders (passport renewals, meetings, etc.).
- Add a little fun (bedtime jokes, anyone?).
To get started, select the “4.0 with scheduled tasks” option in the model picker. Then, simply tell ChatGPT what you need done and when.
You can manage these tasks directly in chats or through a dedicated Tasks section online, where you can edit or cancel them.
Key Features
- Notifications: Get notified when tasks are completed.
- Task Limit: Manage up to 10 active tasks at a time.
- Subscription-Only: Currently available for paid users ($20/month or $200/year).
Why It Matters
This update pushes ChatGPT closer to being a true digital assistant, taking on competitors like Google Assistant and Siri—but with better conversational skills.
OpenAI is also testing other tools like Operator (an AI that can control computers) and Caterpillar (designed to help ChatGPT retrieve information and solve complex problems).
Limitations
While promising, Tasks is still in beta and might not be fully reliable for time-sensitive actions—so keep backups for critical tasks.
With every new feature, OpenAI is redefining what’s possible. Stay tuned; the future of productivity is evolving fast.
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