In the race to generate more leads, sales, and visibility, paid media has become a cornerstone of most marketing strategies. But despite its ubiquity, many brands continue to misunderstand how to make paid media work effectively. From misaligned KPIs to poorly segmented audiences and under-leveraged creative, these missteps cost brands not only ad spend but actual business results.
At Ten26 Media, we’ve seen the same patterns play out across industries and know how to fix them. Here’s what many brands get wrong about paid media, and how we turn those mistakes into measurable growth.
Mistake #1: Prioritizing Vanity Metrics Over Business Goals
Too often, brands fixate on metrics like impressions or clicks without returning them to meaningful business outcomes. A high click-through rate doesn’t matter if those clicks aren’t converting into leads, sales, or qualified traffic.
How We Fix It: We focus on KPIs that reflect business impact. For e-commerce, that might mean optimizing for return on ad spend (ROAS). For higher education, it could be cost-per-application or completed registrations. We use custom reporting and conversion tracking to ensure that what we optimize drives value. Beyond the data, we also help teams align on what a “conversion” means to them – whether that’s a sign-up, a booked call, or a completed application – so that every campaign has a clear objective.
Mistake #2: Poor Audience Targeting and Over-Reliance on Broad Segments
Running ads without strategic audience segmentation leads to wasted spend and irrelevant impressions. Whether it’s relying too heavily on broad interests or ignoring behavioral signals, poor targeting diminishes campaign efficiency.
How We Fix It: We use a layered approach to audience building. That means leveraging first-party data, custom intent signals, and platform-native tools to refine who sees your ads—and when. In many cases, we’ll also build full-funnel strategies that address users at different stages of the buyer journey with tailored messaging. Our media buyers regularly test and refine audience segments based on performance, not assumptions, and we make smart use of exclusions and lookalike modeling to avoid overlap and fatigue.
Mistake #3: Underestimating the Role of Creative
Paid media doesn’t work without compelling creative. Brands often underinvest in testing different formats or messaging, or assume what worked on one platform will translate across all others.
How We Fix It: We build creative that’s platform-native and performance-optimized. Whether it’s TikTok-style UGC, LinkedIn carousels, or high-converting Meta lead ads, we match the creative to the channel and the funnel stage. Then, we A/B test consistently to uncover what drives results. We also analyze creative performance across platforms to identify patterns—what worked on Instagram Stories might inform our next YouTube bumper ad.
Mistake #4: One-and-Done Campaign Structures
Some brands treat paid media as a set-it-and-forget-it tactic. Even well-performing campaigns go stale without ongoing optimization, especially as platform algorithms evolve and audience behavior shifts.
How We Fix It: We treat paid media as an iterative process. That means building feedback loops into every campaign: testing new creative, refining audiences, shifting budget based on performance data, and learning from each stage. It’s how we keep performance compounding over time. We also structure our reporting to surface insights—not just numbers—so we can act fast when campaigns need recalibration.
Mistake #5: Neglecting the Landing Experience
Even the best ad can’t overcome a poor post-click experience. If a landing page is slow, confusing, or misaligned with the ad promise, users bounce, and conversion rates suffer.
How We Fix It: We audit and optimize the complete user journey. That includes mobile responsiveness, form simplicity, messaging alignment, and page speed. We work closely with clients to ensure that the user experience after the click is as strategic as the ad itself. Often, we’ll create dedicated landing pages for specific campaigns or funnels to improve relevance and boost conversion rates.
Mistake #6: Misjudging the Learning Phase
Many brands pause or tweak campaigns too early, before algorithms have time to calibrate. That disrupts the learning process and prevents campaigns from reaching their full potential.
How We Fix It: We set expectations and let campaigns gather enough data before optimizing. Our media buyers understand how to navigate platform learning phases effectively, balancing patience with strategic action. We also educate stakeholders on what to expect during early performance, helping clients avoid reactive decisions hindering growth.
Mistake #7: Ignoring Cross-Channel Synergy
Brands often silo their paid media campaigns by channel, running disjointed messages across Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and other platforms. This weakens overall performance and dilutes brand cohesion.
How We Fix It: We approach media planning holistically, ensuring messaging and creative flow across platforms. A user who watches a YouTube video might later see a retargeting ad on Instagram or receive a lead form ad on Facebook. This cohesive strategy increases touchpoints and builds trust throughout the funnel. We also coordinate our organic, email, and retargeting strategies to amplify the impact of paid campaigns.
Mistake #8: Failing to Evolve with the Platforms
Paid media platforms change constantly—new ad types, algorithms, and privacy policies. Brands that don’t keep up risk becoming irrelevant or inefficient.
How We Fix It: We stay deeply engaged with platform updates and beta programs, so we can adapt strategies ahead of the curve. From leveraging Advantage+ campaigns on Meta to tapping into new LinkedIn Conversation Ad formats, we ensure clients aren’t just reacting—they’re leading.
A Smarter, More Sustainable Approach
Paid media is more complex and powerful than most brands realize. Success isn’t about throwing more money at ads; it’s about being more intelligent with every dollar. Every audience, every ad, and every landing page matters, and so does how they all work together.
At Ten26 Media, we combine channel expertise, creative strategy, and real-time performance data to build campaigns that convert. Whether you’re scaling e-commerce, driving applications, or launching a new brand, we know how to turn your ad spend into actual outcomes.
Let’s stop wasting budget and start driving results that matter!
