What to look for when launching a new channel
One of the most common Rockerbox use cases is measuring performance of new channels you're testing, especially within the context of your other marketing channels.
You can use Rockerbox to understand:
- An "apples-to-apples" view of performance (ROAS/CPA) compared to other channels and vendors
- The new channel's overall reach for both new and repeat customers
- How your new channel overlaps with or interacts with other existing channels
- The new channel's role in the funnel (ex first touchpoint, mid-funnel, last touchpoint)
What to look for when launching a new channel
1. Immediately Post-Launch: Monitor Performance
What to expect: immediately after launching your channel test, users who have been exposed to your ads are likely still in the consideration period. This means
- Spend: in most cases, spend will be available the day after launch. You can see spend in the Cross-Channel Report.
- Conversions + Revenue: it may take a few days for the channel to drive any primary (ex Purchase) conversion events.
How to measure initial performance:
- Dive into an upper funnel conversion events (ex View Product). How does performance compare to your other channels at a similar position in the funnel?
- View to use: Cross-Channel Report (select upper funnel event)
2. A few days or weeks into the test: Execute In-Channel Optimizations
What to expect: performance (CPA/ROAS) may start to normalize as users exposed to your ads begin to convert
How to measure performance:
- Check your de-duplicated CPA/ROAS. How does it compare to other channels? Are there in-channel optimization opportunities you might start to execute?
- View to use:
- Channel Performance (core digital channels)
- Cross-Channel Report (all channels)
- View to use:
- Validate the channel's role in the funnel. Is the channel playing the intended role (ex is this prospecting channel a true first touchpoint)?
- View to use: Funnel Position
3. A few weeks into the test: Scale, Maintain, or Cut Spend
What to expect: performance is normalized and users who will convert off of this channel or vendor have converted
How to measure performance:
- Check your de-duplicated CPA/ROAS. Does it over or under perform compared to channels meant to play a similar role in the funnel? Begin to budget accordingly.
- View to use: Cross-Channel Report
- Check for channel overlap. Do users who have this channel on their path to conversion also have other channels meant to play the same role in the funnel? Ex overlap of multiple display retargeting vendors or overlap of TikTok and Linear TV.
- View to use: Marketing Paths
- Understand your time to convert. Based on the channel's average time to convert, do you expect that users who have been exposed to an ad from early launch to have converted? If time to convert is longer than average, users may not have converted yet -- meaning you might wait longer for performance to normalize before cutting spend.
- View to use: Marketing Paths