Digital Marketing Fundamentals for SweatPals Hosts

your complete guide to understanding campaign metrics and making data driven decisions 📖 quick definitions (start here if new to ads) never run ads before? here's what all these terms mean in plain english the money terms roas (return on ad spend) how much money you make for every dollar spent 3x roas = $3 back for every $1 spent cpa (cost per acquisition) how much it costs to get one ticket sale revenue total money from ticket sales generated by ads ad spend total money you've paid for advertising the performance terms cpc (cost per click) what you pay when someone clicks your ad cpm (cost per mille/thousand) what you pay for 1,000 people to see your ad ctr (click through rate) percentage of people who click after seeing your ad conversion when someone buys a ticket (the goal!) the audience terms impressions total number of times your ad was shown (same person can see it multiple times) reach number of unique people who saw your ad frequency average times each person saw your ad (impressions ÷ reach) retargeting showing ads to people who already visited your event page but didn't buy the campaign terms campaign your overall advertising effort for an event ad set a group of ads with the same targeting and budget creative your actual ad content (video, image, text) pixel code that tracks what people do on your event page attribution how sales get credited to your ads (7 day window on facebook) the strategy terms learning phase first 3 5 days when the algorithm figures out who to show your ads to creative fatigue when people see your ad too many times and stop engaging broad targeting letting facebook's ai find your audience (works better than being specific!) launch lead time how many days before your event to start advertising 🎯 quick start the only 4 metrics that really matter before diving deep, here's what you should check every morning graph td a\[daily check\<br/>30 seconds] > b{roas ≥ 3x?} b >|yes| c{cpc < $1?} b >|no| d\[⚠️ needs attention] c >|yes| e{campaign active?} c >|no| f\[⚠️ check creative] e >|yes| g{tickets selling?} e >|no| h\[❌ check dashboard] g >|yes| i\[✅ all good!] g >|no| j\[⚠️ check event page] style a fill #e3f2fd style i fill #c8e6c9 style d fill #fff3e0 style f fill #fff3e0 style h fill #ffcdd2 style j fill #fff3e0 everything else is details now let's understand why these matter and how to use them ⚡ critical launch rules submit campaigns 48 business hours before desired go live launch monday wednesday only (best cpms and performance) minimum 6 days lead time or campaign will be denied plan launch date based on ticket price (see timeline section) 📊 understanding your campaign dashboard metric relationship map graph lr a\[impressions] > b\[clicks] b > c\[event page visits] c > d\[ticket sales] a > e\[cpm\<br/>cost per 1000 views] b > f\[cpc\<br/>cost per click] d > g\[cpa\<br/>cost per sale] h\[total ad spend] > i\[total revenue] i > j\[roas\<br/>return on spend] style d fill #c8e6c9 style j fill #45b7d1,color #fff style e fill #fff3e0 style f fill #fff3e0 style g fill #fff3e0 the money metrics (what determines success) 🏆 roas (return on ad spend) what it is for every $1 you spend on ads, how many dollars come back in ticket sales graph td a\[your roas] > b{performance level} b >|10x+| c\[🏆 exceptional\<br/>top 10%] b >|5 10x| d\[⭐ excellent\<br/>scale it up!] b >|3 5x| e\[✅ good\<br/>sustainable] b >|1 3x| f\[⚠️ below target\<br/>needs optimization] b >|under 1x| g\[❌ losing money\<br/>pause & fix] style c fill #4ecdc4,color #fff style d fill #6bcf7f style e fill #90ee90 style f fill #ffd93d style g fill #ff6b6b,color #fff how to read it 10x+ roas = exceptional (top 10% of campaigns) 5 10x roas = excellent performance 3 5x roas = good, sustainable campaigns 1 3x roas = below threshold, needs optimization under 1x roas = losing money real sweatpals benchmarks average successful campaign 4 8x roas top 25% of campaigns 7 5x+ roas minimum to keep running 3x roas what affects it event appeal and pricing creative quality targeting efficiency landing page conversion minimum spend before roas evaluation $1 100 tickets wait until $100 spent $101 499 tickets need $150 spent $500+ tickets requires $250 spent why? higher priced events need more data to show true performance don't panic if day 1 looks bad! 💰 cpa (cost per acquisition/action) what it is how much you spend to get one ticket sale graph lr a\[$100 ad spend] > b\[÷] c\[5 ticket sales] > b b > d\[$20 cpa] e\[is $20 cpa good?] > f{ticket price?} f >|$30 ticket| g\[❌ only $10 profit] f >|$50 ticket| h\[✅ $30 profit] f >|$100 ticket| i\[🏆 $80 profit] style d fill #45b7d1,color #fff style g fill #ffcdd2 style h fill #c8e6c9 style i fill #4ecdc4,color #fff how to calculate total ad spend ÷ number of ticket sales how to think about it must be less than your profit per ticket example $30 ticket with $25 profit = keep cpa under $25 sweatpals reality check average cpa $15 20 (higher than "free event" industry standards) why higher? we're selling paid tickets, not free rsvps your cpa should be 50 70% of ticket price for healthy margins the efficiency metrics (what determines cost) 💵 cpc (cost per click) what it is how much you pay each time someone clicks your ad to visit your event page sweatpals benchmarks excellent under $0 75 good $0 75 $1 00 acceptable $1 00 $1 50 poor over $1 50 what high cpc tells you your creative isn't compelling enough audience targeting is too narrow ad fatigue (same people seeing it too much) quick fixes for high cpc upload fresh video content expand age range targeting check if creative has been running 14+ days 📢 cpm (cost per thousand impressions) what it is how much you pay to show your ad 1,000 times sweatpals benchmarks efficient $8 12 average $12 18 high (but acceptable) $18 25 concerning over $25 what cpm tells you how competitive your audience is platform's confidence in your ad quality time of year effects (q4 is always higher) not worried about high cpm if your roas is still above 3x cpc is under $1 00 it's november/december (holiday competition) the engagement metrics (what predicts success) 🎯 ctr (click through rate) what it is percentage of people who click after seeing your ad formula (clicks ÷ impressions) × 100 graph td a\[ctr performance] > b{your ctr} b >|2 0%+| c\[🏆 elite\<br/>top 5%] b >|1 5 2 0%| d\[⭐ excellent] b >|1 0 1 5%| e\[✅ good] b >|under 1 0%| f\[⚠️ below average] f > g\[check creative hook] f > h\[test new angle] style c fill #4ecdc4,color #fff style d fill #6bcf7f style e fill #90ee90 style f fill #ffd93d sweatpals performance tiers elite 2 0%+ (you're in the top 5%) excellent 1 5 2 0% good 1 0 1 5% below average under 1 0% what ctr reveals high ctr + low roas = your event page is the problem low ctr + high cpc = your creative needs work declining ctr = ad fatigue, need fresh content 📏 reach vs impressions reach number of unique people who saw your ad impressions total times your ad was shown graph lr a\[10,000 people\<br/>reach] > b{shown 3x each} b > c\[30,000 views\<br/>impressions] c > d\[frequency = 3 0\<br/>✅ optimal] e\[5,000 people\<br/>reach] > f{shown 8x each} f > g\[40,000 views\<br/>impressions] g > h\[frequency = 8 0\<br/>⚠️ too high] style d fill #c8e6c9 style h fill #ffd93d the magic ratio impressions ÷ reach = frequency optimal frequency 2 4 building awareness nicely 4 6 maximum effectiveness zone 6+ risk of annoyance, refresh creative real example 10,000 reach with 30,000 impressions = 3 0 frequency ✅ 5,000 reach with 40,000 impressions = 8 0 frequency ⚠️ 📈 reading campaign performance patterns campaign lifecycle timeline timeline title campaign performance evolution day 1 3 learning phase high cpc normal volatile metrics be patient! day 4 7 optimization zone best performance cpc drops roas peaks day 8 14 maturity phase stable metrics watch frequency plan refresh day 14+ refresh decision check creative fatigue new content if needed or let winners run the success pattern the warning pattern graph td a\[warning signs] > b\[high cpm\<br/>+\<br/>high cpc\<br/>+\<br/>low ctr] a > c\[low cpc\<br/>+\<br/>high clicks\<br/>+\<br/>low roas] a > d\[declining\<br/>daily performance] b > e\[❌ bad creative] c > f\[🏠 event page problem] d > g\[😴 creative fatigue] e > h\[upload new video] f > i\[fix event description] g > j\[refresh content] style b fill #ffcdd2 style c fill #fff3e0 style d fill #ffd93d the hidden gem pattern roas decision flow flowchart td a\[campaign reaches\<br/>minimum spend] > b{roas ≥ 3x?} b >|yes| c\[✅ maintain or scale] b >|no| d\[❌ pause campaign] d > e{recurring event?} e >|yes| f\[20 day cooldown\<br/>then retry with improvements] e >|no| g\[campaign ends\<br/>one off = one chance] c > h{roas > 5x?} h >|yes| i\[🚀 scale budget\<br/>mon wed only] h >|no| j\[keep steady] style c fill #90ee90 style d fill #ffb6c1 style f fill #ffd93d style g fill #ff6b6b,color #fff style i fill #4ecdc4,color #fff key takeaway one off events get one shot at success recurring events can retry after 20 days with improvements 🎯 performance benchmarks table based on analysis of 1,000 sweatpals campaigns metric poor average good excellent roas <1x 1 3x 3 5x 5x+ cpc >$1 50 $1 00 1 50 $0 75 1 00 <$0 75 cpm >$25 $18 25 $12 18 <$12 ctr <0 75% 0 75 1 0% 1 0 1 5% >1 5% cpa >80% of ticket 60 80% 40 60% <40% of ticket launch timing requirements ticket price launch lead time submit by minimum spend $1 25 10 14 days 12 16 days before $100 $26 100 3 weeks 3 5 weeks before $100 $101 499 4 5 weeks 5 6 weeks before $150 $500 999 6 weeks 7 weeks before $250 $1,000+ 8 weeks 9 weeks before $250 ⚠️ critical rules events with less than 6 days lead time will be denied submit requests 48 business hours before go live date launch monday wednesday only for best performance 🔍 diagnostic decision tree when checking your campaign, follow this order flowchart td a\[start here] > b{roas > 3x?} b >|yes| c\[✅ keep running!\<br/>check weekly] b >|no| d{cpc < $1?} d >|yes| e{ctr > 1%?} d >|no| f\[❌ creative problem\<br/>need new video/image] e >|yes| g\[🏠 event page issue\<br/> add urgency\<br/> improve description\<br/> check pricing] e >|no| h\[📝 weak hook\<br/>first 3 seconds not compelling] c > i{frequency > 6?} i >|yes| j\[⚠️ prepare new creative\<br/>audience seeing too often] i >|no| k\[🚀 scale opportunity\<br/>consider increasing budget] style c fill #c8e6c9 style f fill #ffcdd2 style g fill #fff3e0 style h fill #fff3e0 style j fill #ffd93d style k fill #e3f2fd 1\ check roas first above 3x? → keep going, you're profitable below 3x? → continue to step 2 2\ check cpc under $1? → people like your ad, check event page over $1? → creative problem, need new content 3\ check ctr above 1%? → ad is engaging, issue is conversion below 1%? → ad isn't compelling enough 4\ check frequency under 6? → still fresh over 6? → time for new creative 5\ for high ticket events ($500+) additional early warning indicators to monitor link ctr trending down → adjust hook cpc climbing steadily → creative fatigue incoming engagement rate dropping → message market mismatch 💡 practical application scenarios flowchart lr subgraph "scenario 1 great clicks, no sales" a1\[cpc < $1 ✅] > b1\[ctr > 1 5% ✅] b1 > c1\[roas < 2x ❌] c1 > d1\[fix event page] end subgraph "scenario 2 expensive but working" a2\[cpc = $1 50 ⚠️] > b2\[roas = 5x ✅] b2 > c2\[high value audience] c2 > d2\[action keep running!] end subgraph "scenario 3 the slow burn" a3\[all metrics average] > b3\[roas = 3 5x ✅] b3 > c3\[solid baseline] c3 > d3\[opportunity test & improve] end style d1 fill #fff3e0 style d2 fill #c8e6c9 style d3 fill #e3f2fd scenario 1 "great clicks, no sales" symptoms cpc under $1, ctr over 1 5%, but roas under 2x diagnosis event page isn't converting fix improve event description, add urgency, check pricing scenario 2 "expensive but working" symptoms cpc at $1 50, but roas at 5x diagnosis high value audience worth the cost action keep running, test even higher ticket prices scenario 3 "the slow burn" symptoms all metrics average, steady 3 5x roas diagnosis solid baseline campaign opportunity test small improvements without risking what works scenario 4 "high ticket launch" symptoms $500+ event, week 1 of 8 week campaign diagnosis long nurture cycle needed strategy start with awareness creative (lifestyle/aspiration) plan creative evolution calendar monitor early indicators (link ctr, engagement) prepare testimonials for week 3 💰 budget guidelines by ticket price daily budget recommendations graph td a\[ticket price] > b{price range} b >|$1 100| c\[$10 15/day\<br/>test quickly] b >|$101 499| d\[$20 30/day\<br/>gradual optimization] b >|$500+| e\[$40 50/day\<br/>strategic scaling] c > f\[reach min spend\<br/>in 5 7 days] d > g\[controlled testing\<br/>without burn] e > h\[sufficient data\<br/>for premium audience] style c fill #c8e6c9 style d fill #ffd93d style e fill #ff6b6b,color #fff budget strategy notes start conservative, scale on success never increase budgets on weekends higher tickets = higher quality data needed = higher daily budget budget affects learning speed, not just reach 📅 timeline expectations launch timeline by ticket price graph td a\[event ticket price] > b{price tier} b >|$1 $25| c\[10 14 days before\<br/>impulse friendly window] b >|$26 $100| d\[3 weeks before\<br/>comparison shopping time] b >|$101 $499| e\[4 5 weeks before\<br/>higher scrutiny period] b >|$500 $999| f\[6 weeks before\<br/>education & nurturing] b >|$1,000+| g\[8 weeks before\<br/>multi touch persuasion] c > h\[submit 48hrs\<br/>before go live] d > h e > h f > h g > h style c fill #c8e6c9 style d fill #90ee90 style e fill #ffd93d style f fill #ffb347 style g fill #ff6b6b,color #fff why timing matters low ticket events ($1 25) quick decisions, impulse buys mid ticket events ($26 100) people coordinate with friends, check calendars premium events ($101 499) buyers research, read reviews, consider alternatives high ticket events ($500+) requires trust building, social proof, multiple touchpoints days 1 3 the learning phase metrics will fluctuate wildly don't panic at high cpc algorithm is finding your audience days 4 7 the optimization window best performance typically happens here make event page improvements now monitor daily but don't over tinker days 8 14 the maturity phase watch for declining ctr prepare fresh creative best time to analyze true performance day 14+ the refresh decision frequency over 6? new creative needed roas dropping? might be saturated still strong? let it ride 🎯 retargeting strategy by price point the retargeting evolution graph lr a\[user sees ad] > b\[visits event page] b > c{ticket price?} c >|$1 100| d\[simple retargeting\<br/>1 2 touch points\<br/>same creative ok] c >|$101 499| e\[moderate nurturing\<br/>3 5 touch points\<br/>add testimonials] c >|$500+| f\[complex journey\<br/>5 10 touch points\<br/>evolving message] d > g\[quick convert\<br/>3 5 days] e > h\[build trust\<br/>1 2 weeks] f > i\[full nurture\<br/>2 4 weeks] style d fill #c8e6c9 style e fill #ffd93d style f fill #ff6b6b,color #fff creative evolution strategy for events over $100, your creative should evolve through the customer journey flowchart td a\[week 1 2 awareness] > b\[hook content] b > b1\[problem/solution focus] b > b2\[lifestyle aspiration] b > b3\[fomo creation] a > c\[week 3 4 consideration] c > c1\[social proof heavy] c > c2\[testimonials] c > c3\[behind the scenes] a > d\[week 5 6 conversion] d > d1\[urgency messaging] d > d2\[limited spots] d > d3\[price incentives] style a fill #e3f2fd style c fill #fff3e0 style d fill #ffcdd2 retargeting frequency guidelines ticket price optimal frequency creative changes message evolution $1 25 3 4 exposures same creative ok reminder → urgency $26 100 4 6 exposures 1 2 variations benefit → social proof → urgency $101 499 6 10 exposures 3 4 variations educate → validate → incentivize → close $500+ 10 15 exposures 5+ variations inspire → educate → proof → overcome objections → vip feel → final call one off vs recurring events one off events you get one shot nail your timeline and creative progression recurring events failed campaign? 20 day cooldown, then retry with improvements high ticket recurring use learnings from each cycle to refine retargeting strategy high ticket creative progression week 1 2 (awareness) focus on the transformation/outcome highlight unique value proposition build curiosity without hard selling example "what if you could transform your coaching business in 6 weeks?" week 3 4 (consideration) add testimonials and success stories show behind the scenes credibility address common objections subtly example "sarah doubled her client base using our exact framework (video testimonial)" week 5 6 (conversion) create urgency (limited spots, deadline) offer payment plans if applicable use "fear of missing out" messaging example "only 3 spots left payment plans available until friday" 🎯 action steps for every host pre launch planning calculate your timeline based on ticket price submit 48 business hours before go live date avoid thursday sunday launches (higher costs, lower performance) plan creative variations for retargeting (especially $100+ events) daily (30 seconds) check if campaign is active note current roas glance at spend vs budget every 3 days (5 minutes) review all metrics in this guide compare to benchmarks screenshot winning metrics weekly (15 minutes) calculate true profit (revenue ad spend costs) plan next creative refresh document what's working submit new campaigns monday tuesday for next week campaign launch calendar graph lr subgraph "✅ launch days" a\[monday\<br/>best day!] > b\[tuesday\<br/>great] b > c\[wednesday\<br/>last chance] end subgraph "⚠️ avoid" d\[thursday\<br/>higher costs] > e\[friday\<br/>poor timing] e > f\[weekend\<br/>never launch] end style a fill #4ecdc4,color #fff style b fill #6bcf7f style c fill #90ee90 style d fill #ffd93d style e fill #ffb347 style f fill #ff6b6b,color #fff after each campaign save winning ad creative note actual vs dashboard roas plan improvements for next run 🚀 pro tips from top performers the monday morning advantage campaigns submitted monday am often get reviewed faster minimum spend before evaluation $1 100 tickets let it spend $100 before judging $101 499 tickets need $150 spend for accurate roas $500+ tickets requires $250 to evaluate properly the creative multiplier test 3 different videos/images let facebook choose the winner the tracking truth add utm parameters to see your real conversions, not inflated platform data the refresh rule new creative every 10 14 days prevents fatigue the scale secret hit 5x roas? don't touch it start a second campaign instead weekend budget freeze never increase budgets on weekends cpcs spike, performance drops 📚 glossary of additional terms attribution window how long after clicking an ad a purchase "counts" (facebook 7 days) bounce rate people who visit your event page and immediately leave conversion rate percentage of visitors who buy tickets landing page your event page on sweatpals lookalike audience people similar to your past attendees pixel code that tracks visitor actions on your event page retargeting showing ads to people who already visited but didn't buy higher ticket prices need more sophisticated retargeting with evolving messages from awareness → consideration → conversion creative evolution the strategy of changing your ad message over time to match where buyers are in their decision journey (especially important for $100+ events) ✅ your metrics mastery checklist \[ ] i know my current roas and what it means \[ ] i understand why cpc under $1 matters \[ ] i can diagnose issues using the decision tree \[ ] i've bookmarked my target benchmarks \[ ] i check metrics at the right frequency \[ ] i know when to refresh creative (frequency > 6) \[ ] i understand the learning phase patience needed \[ ] i know my launch timeline based on ticket price \[ ] i have a retargeting strategy for my price point \[ ] i plan creative evolution for high ticket events \[ ] i avoid weekend launches and budget changes \[ ] i submit requests 48hrs before go live 🎯 the bottom line graph td a\[digital marketing success] > b\[monitor roas daily] a > c\[keep cpc under $1] a > d\[refresh at frequency 6+] b > e\[3x+ = profitable] c > f\[good creative] d > g\[avoid fatigue] e > h\[🏆 successful campaign] f > h g > h h > i\[keep learning & testing] style a fill #45b7d1,color #fff style h fill #6bcf7f style i fill #e3f2fd success in digital marketing isn't about perfecting every metric it's about maintaining profitable roas while learning what resonates with your audience use these benchmarks as guides, not gospel every market and event type performs differently remember the hosts getting 10x+ roas started with the same 3x minimum target as you they just kept learning, testing, and improving critical success factor timing is everything a $500 workshop launched 2 weeks before will fail the same workshop launched 6 weeks before can hit 10x roas respect the timeline