As we approach Prime Day and Black Friday, aggressive budget allocation is key. Oratio’s strategy focuses on New-To-Brand acquisition and customized creatives. Don’t play it safe; ensure your brand is seen when purchase intent is highest.
Q4 Warfare: Why Your Budget Allocation is Already Late
The “High Season” doesn’t start in November. It starts now. By the time consumers are searching for “Black Friday Deals,” the auction prices for keywords have already skyrocketed. Winning Q4 is about building retargeting pools in Q3.
The “New-To-Brand” Imperative Many brands make the mistake of focusing purely on ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) during peak season. This is short-sighted. High Season is the single best time to acquire New-To-Brand (NTB) customers. Yes, your ACOS might be higher, but the Lifetime Value (LTV) of a customer acquired in Q4 justifies the spend.
Oratio’s Tactical Blueprint for Q4
- July/August: Aggressive prospecting. Cast a wide net using DSP (Demand Side Platform) and broad match keywords. We are buying data, not just sales.
- September: Creative testing. Which visuals stop the scroll? A/B test everything now, so you aren’t guessing in November.
- October/November: The harvest. Shift budget heavily to remarketing and branded search. Protect your ASINs from competitors who will try to conquer your listings.
Don’t Go Dark The biggest error we see? Brands exhausting their budget by Cyber Monday and “going dark” in December. December 15th to 24th often sees lower CPCs and high desperation-buying intent. Keep the lights on.