Retargeting ad copy by funnel stage with budget allocation framework

# Retargeting Campaign Structure — Stacks (PM for agencies) **Total monthly budget:** \$18,000 across LinkedIn + Meta **Primary objective:** Convert warm audiences into trials (target blended CPA: \$85) --- ## Stage 1: Site Visitors (Top of Funnel) **Audience:** Visited stacks.io in last 30 days, did NOT visit /pricing or /signup **Retargeting window:** 30 days **Exclusions:** Existing customers, anyone who clicked a retargeting ad >5 times ### Ad Variants **Variant A (Curiosity hook):** - Headline: "the PM tool agencies actually stick with" - Body: Most agencies churn through 3 tools a year. See why 1,100+ agencies stopped looking once they found Stacks. - CTA: See how it works **Variant B (Pain hook):** - Headline: "asana wasn't built for billable hours" - Body: Stacks was. Retainers, timesheets, client approvals — all in one. 14-day trial, no card. - CTA: Start free trial **Variant C (Social proof):** - Headline: "Method, The&Partnership, and 1,100+ agencies run on Stacks" - Body: Join the agencies that switched from generic PM tools to something built for billable work. - CTA: See customer stories ### Creative Direction - Mix of 70% static image (product UI screenshots) + 30% 15-second video - Visual hook: side-by-side of Asana vs. Stacks for the same agency workflow ### Budget + CPA - Allocation: \$6,000 (33% of budget) - Expected CPA: \$110 - Target outcome: 55 trials/month --- ## Stage 2: Content Readers (Middle of Funnel) **Audience:** Read 1+ blog post, spent 60+ seconds on page, did NOT start trial **Retargeting window:** 60 days **Exclusions:** Readers of hiring-related posts (wrong intent) ### Ad Variants **Variant A (Resource upgrade):** - Headline: "liked the post? here's the template." - Body: We wrote about agency capacity planning. Now grab the exact spreadsheet our customers use. Free, no signup wall. - CTA: Download template **Variant B (Topic-matched trial):** - Headline: "you read about scope creep. Here's the fix." - Body: Stacks' approval workflows stop scope creep before it starts. See the feature that saves 6 hrs/week. - CTA: Start 14-day trial **Variant C (Webinar invite):** - Headline: "free webinar — live examples from 3 agencies" - Body: 45 minutes. Real workflows, real numbers. Replay sent to all registrants. - CTA: Save my seat ### Creative Direction - Content-matched imagery (book/template visuals for resource upgrade, speaker headshot for webinar) - Video: 30-second animated whiteboard explaining 1 feature ### Budget + CPA - Allocation: \$5,400 (30% of budget) - Expected CPA: \$78 (warmer audience = cheaper conversions) - Target outcome: 69 trials/month --- ## Stage 3: Trial Starters (Bottom of Funnel — Non-activated) **Audience:** Started trial, did NOT complete activation (no project created after 3 days) **Retargeting window:** 14 days **Exclusions:** Already paid, already churned ### Ad Variants **Variant A (Help unlock):** - Headline: "stuck on setup? we've seen it before." - Body: 90% of agencies hit the same snag in their first week. Here's the 3-minute fix. - CTA: Watch 3-min fix **Variant B (Social proof from peers):** - Headline: "343 agencies set up Stacks this week. You can too." - Body: Most accounts activate in 12 minutes. Ours is a free onboarding call if you'd rather have help. - CTA: Book onboarding **Variant C (Urgency):** - Headline: "your trial's ticking — here's how to not waste it" - Body: Set up your first project in 5 minutes and get 3 bonus days on your trial. - CTA: Get bonus days ### Creative Direction - Product UI screenshots showing exact activation path - 20-second screen recording of setup flow ### Budget + CPA - Allocation: \$4,500 (25% of budget) - Expected CPA: \$52 per paid conversion (not trial — paid) - Target outcome: 87 paid conversions/month --- ## Stage 4: Churned Customers (Win-back) **Audience:** Cancelled paid subscription in last 180 days, was active for 30+ days before churn **Retargeting window:** 180 days **Exclusions:** Anyone flagged as "difficult customer" in CRM, anyone who churned due to company shutdown ### Ad Variants **Variant A (Comeback offer):** - Headline: "we fixed the thing you hated" - Body: Remember why you left? We shipped it. Come back with 50% off your first 3 months. - CTA: See what's new **Variant B (Nostalgic pull):** - Headline: "your old Stacks data is still here" - Body: Reactivate and everything's exactly where you left it. No re-setup, no lost work. - CTA: Reactivate account **Variant C (Peer win-back):** - Headline: "they came back. You might too." - Body: 23% of churned agencies eventually return. Here's what changed that brought them back. - CTA: Read why they returned ### Creative Direction - Short 10-second testimonial clips from returned customers - Emphasize nostalgic UI screenshots (personal touch, "your data is waiting") ### Budget + CPA - Allocation: \$2,100 (12% of budget) - Expected CPA: \$145 per reactivation (higher because absolute reach is smaller) - Target outcome: 14 reactivations/month --- ## Overall Campaign Summary | Stage | Budget | CPA | Outcomes/mo | |---|---|---|---| | Site visitors | \$6,000 | \$110 | 55 trials | | Content readers | \$5,400 | \$78 | 69 trials | | Trial non-activated | \$4,500 | \$52 | 87 paid | | Win-back | \$2,100 | \$145 | 14 reactivations | **Blended CPA:** \$82 (vs. cold prospecting at \$420). Retargeting delivers 5x cheaper conversions — but only scales with top-of-funnel volume.