Social media advertising
Paid social campaign strategy services
A paid social strategy service produces the plan your ads will follow. Some providers sell it as a stand-alone project; others include it at the start of ongoing management. Either way, the value lies in the thinking, not the length of the document. A good strategy asks hard questions about your numbers, customers and offer, makes recommendations you can follow and explains its reasoning. A poor one is a generic deck about funnels and platforms that could apply to any business. Before commissioning one, it helps to know what the discovery should cover and what the final plan should contain.
This guide covers discovery, what the plan should contain, warning signs, deliverables and using the strategy afterwards. LetGetGrow sets up and manages Facebook and Instagram advertising, with the scope, management fee and reporting set out in a custom quotation.
Illustrative diagram
- Discovery
- Review
- Draft
- Refine
- Handover
What discovery should ask
| Topic | Questions |
|---|---|
| Numbers | What is a customer worth? How many do you need? |
| Customers | Who buys, why, and what nearly stops them? |
| Offer | Why should someone act now? |
| Past results | What has been tried, and what happened? |
| Capacity | How much creative and follow-up can you handle? |
Specific, not generic
Ask to see an example strategy, with client details removed. Look for targets tied to the client's numbers, audiences described in plain terms, messages written for each stage and clear reasons for each platform. If the example could be pasted into any business's plan, yours may be similar.
A good strategy is also honest about uncertainty. It should identify which assumptions need testing first, rather than presenting predictions as facts.
Warning signs
No questions about your numbers
Targets will be guesswork.
Benchmarks as targets
Other businesses' figures do not fit yours.
Every platform recommended
Budget spread too thinly.
Predicted results stated as certain
No one can promise outcomes.
How a strategy engagement runs
Discovery
Interviews and data.
Output: Discovery notes
Review
Past campaigns and competitors' public ads.
Output: Findings
Draft
Targets, audiences, messages, platforms.
Output: Draft strategy
Refine
Feedback and changes.
Output: Final strategy
Handover
Walkthrough and test plan.
Output: Action plan
Example: a strategy for a language school
Illustrative example — not a client case study
Situation: A language school wants more adult learners and commissions a strategy.
- Discovery finds that most students come from referrals and that enrolment value is known.
- The strategy sets a maximum cost per enrolment, plans video for new audiences and a trial lesson offer for warm audiences.
- It identifies the trial lesson offer as the main assumption to test in the first month.
What this shows: The school had a plan with clear targets and a first test. This example is illustrative.
What the strategy should contain
Targets
- Cost per customer from your numbers
- Volumes needed
Plan
- Audiences and messages
- Platforms and budget split
Testing
- Assumptions to test first
- Review dates and measures
Using the strategy
The strategy should be clear enough for your own team or another provider to run. Ask for a short summary page alongside any longer document, and agree a review after the first tests to update it with what was learned.
Fees
Stand-alone strategy is usually a project fee. Strategy within management may be included in onboarding. Check whether creative concepts, a test plan and a review after launch are part of it.
What to share
Share margins or customer value, sales or lead records, past campaign results, customer feedback, available creative and your budget range.
Looking at competitors
Some strategy work includes reviewing what competitors advertise publicly. That can show which offers and messages are common in your market and where there is room to stand out. It cannot show how well their ads perform, so treat it as context rather than evidence of what works.
Measurement and consent
A strategy that relies on reaching website visitors again needs working tracking, which on UK sites needs consent under ICO guidance on cookies. Ask whether the provider has considered how consent affects audience sizes and reporting, and whether measurement set-up is part of the plan or left for later.
Rules for your sector
If you advertise housing, jobs, financial products or political and social issue content, Meta requires a special ad category declaration and restricts targeting options. A strategy for these sectors should plan around those restrictions from the start.
Judging the strategy
After the first tests, check whether the plan's assumptions held, whether the targets were realistic and whether the provider updated the plan with what was learned.
Your time
Expect to spend a few hours in discovery interviews and reviewing drafts. The strategy is only as specific as the information you give.
Questions about paid social campaign strategy services
What does a strategy service deliver?
A plan for targets, audiences, messages, platforms and measurement.
What should discovery cover?
Your numbers, customers, offer, past results and capacity.
Should targets use benchmarks?
Your own numbers are a better basis.
Can results be predicted?
Not with certainty; a good plan names what to test.
Can another team use the strategy?
It should be clear enough for anyone to run.
How is strategy priced?
Often a project fee, or included in onboarding.
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