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If you feel like TikTok looks a little different lately, you’re not imagining it. What started as a platform driven by viral dances and trending audio has evolved into something much bigger—and more complex. In 2026, TikTok isn’t just a discovery engine; it’s a full-funnel marketing channel where brands can build awareness, drive consideration, and convert customers all in one place.

At Onya, we’ve been watching this shift closely, and one thing is clear: the brands that succeed on TikTok today are the ones willing to adapt quickly. What worked even a year ago isn’t guaranteed to work now. If your strategy hasn’t evolved, your results probably haven’t either.

Let’s break down what’s changed—and what your business should be doing about it.

TikTok Has Become a Search Engine

One of the biggest shifts on TikTok is how people use it. It’s no longer just about scrolling—it’s about searching.

Users are actively typing in queries like “best skincare for acne,” “affordable work outfits,” or “how to meal prep for the week.” TikTok has quietly become a go-to platform for discovery, especially among younger audiences who are skipping traditional search engines altogether.

For businesses, this means your content needs to be discoverable—not just entertaining. Captions, on-screen text, and even spoken words now play a role in how your content surfaces in search.

If you’re not thinking about keywords when creating TikTok content, you’re missing a major opportunity. The brands winning right now are treating TikTok more like a hybrid of social media and SEO.

Polished Ads Are Out—Authenticity Is Non-Negotiable

If your content still looks like a traditional ad, it’s probably underperforming.

TikTok users have become incredibly skilled at spotting overly polished, overly branded content—and they scroll past it just as quickly. In 2026, authenticity isn’t just preferred, it’s expected.

This doesn’t mean your content has to be low-quality. It means it needs to feel real. Think less “production shoot” and more “captured in the moment.” Founders talking directly to camera, quick product demos, behind-the-scenes clips, and user-generated content all tend to outperform highly produced ads.

At Onya, we often tell clients: don’t aim to look like a brand—aim to look like a creator. That shift alone can dramatically improve engagement and conversion rates.

The Algorithm Is Prioritizing Watch Time and Retention

TikTok’s algorithm has matured, and with that comes a stronger emphasis on how long people actually watch your content—not just whether they interact with it.

Watch time and retention have become critical signals. If viewers drop off in the first few seconds, your content is unlikely to be pushed further. On the flip side, videos that keep people watching (or rewatching) are rewarded with more distribution.

This means your hook matters more than ever. You have a very short window—often just one to two seconds—to capture attention and give viewers a reason to stay.

Strong openings, fast pacing, and clear value upfront are no longer optional. They’re the difference between a video that stalls and one that scales.

TikTok Is Now a Serious E-Commerce Player

TikTok Shop and in-app purchasing have transformed the platform into a legitimate e-commerce channel. Users don’t just discover products—they buy them without ever leaving the app.

This has major implications for businesses. Your content isn’t just about awareness anymore; it’s directly tied to revenue.

Product-focused content, live shopping events, and creator partnerships are driving real sales. But the key is integration. Hard-selling rarely works. The most effective content we’re seeing blends entertainment and product naturally—showing how something fits into real life rather than pushing it aggressively.

If you’re not exploring TikTok as a direct sales channel yet, you’re likely leaving revenue on the table.

Creators Are Driving More Value Than Brands

Another major shift in 2026 is the growing influence of creators—not just influencers with massive followings, but everyday creators who know how to connect with their audience.

Users trust people more than brands, and TikTok’s algorithm reflects that. Creator-led content consistently outperforms brand-owned content in both reach and engagement.

That doesn’t mean your brand shouldn’t post—it means you should rethink how you collaborate. Partnering with creators who align with your audience and letting them communicate your message in their own voice is often far more effective than trying to control every detail.

The brands seeing the best results are the ones giving creators creative freedom while staying aligned on messaging and goals.

Consistency Matters More Than Virality

For years, TikTok was associated with overnight virality. While that still happens, it’s no longer the only path to success.

In 2026, consistency is outperforming one-hit wonders. Regular posting, iterative testing, and gradual improvement are what drive sustainable growth.

Instead of chasing viral moments, brands should focus on building a content system. That means producing consistently, analyzing performance, and refining what works over time.

At Onya, we often remind clients that TikTok success isn’t about a single video—it’s about momentum. And momentum comes from showing up regularly with thoughtful, data-driven content.

Paid and Organic Strategies Are Blending Together

The line between organic and paid content on TikTok has blurred significantly.

What works organically often works best in paid campaigns—and vice versa. Many of the highest-performing ads look like organic posts, while top organic content is frequently amplified through paid spend.

This means your strategy shouldn’t treat organic and paid as separate efforts. Instead, they should inform each other.

Test content organically, identify what resonates, and then scale it with paid support. This approach reduces guesswork and improves efficiency, especially as competition on the platform increases.

How Businesses Should Adjust Moving Forward

So what does all of this mean for your business?

First, it’s time to rethink your content strategy. Focus on creating content that is searchable, engaging, and authentic. Prioritize storytelling and value over production quality.

Second, embrace experimentation. TikTok rewards brands that are willing to test, learn, and adapt quickly. What works today may not work next month—and that’s part of the process.

Third, invest in creators. Whether through partnerships or by building internal creator-style content, this is where much of the platform’s power lies.

Finally, align your efforts with business outcomes. TikTok is no longer just a top-of-funnel channel. It can—and should—drive measurable results across the entire customer journey.

TikTok in 2026 is more sophisticated, more competitive, and more opportunity-rich than ever before. But with that opportunity comes a need to evolve.

The brands that succeed won’t be the ones clinging to outdated strategies—they’ll be the ones paying attention, adapting quickly, and leaning into how the platform actually works today.

At Onya, we see TikTok as one of the most dynamic tools in modern marketing. When approached thoughtfully, it’s not just a place to create content—it’s a place to build real momentum for your business.

And right now, that momentum is there for the brands willing to meet the moment.

Choosing a marketing agency is a big decision. You’re not just hiring someone to run campaigns—you’re trusting a partner to help grow your business, represent your brand, and make smart decisions with your budget. When that partnership works, it’s powerful. When it doesn’t, it can quietly hold you back.

At Onya, we’ve seen both sides: clients coming to us after frustrating agency experiences, and long-term partnerships that thrive because expectations and behaviors are aligned. If you’re wondering whether your current agency is the right fit—or what you should be looking for—there are a few key behaviors that separate great agencies from the rest.

They Focus on Outcomes, Not Just Activity

A good agency doesn’t just tell you what they did—they tell you what it accomplished.

If your current agency is reporting on impressions, clicks, and general engagement without tying those metrics back to real business outcomes, that’s a red flag. Activity is easy to generate. Results take strategy.

Strong agency partners focus on what actually matters: leads, revenue, return on ad spend, cost efficiency, and growth over time. They connect the dots between marketing efforts and business impact, and they’re transparent about what’s working—and what isn’t.

If you regularly find yourself asking, “But what are we actually getting from this?” it may be time to reevaluate.

Communication Feels Proactive, Not Reactive

One of the clearest indicators of a great agency is how they communicate.

Are they bringing you ideas before you ask for them? Are they flagging potential issues early? Do they explain performance clearly without hiding behind jargon?

You shouldn’t feel like you’re chasing your agency for updates or clarity. A strong partner keeps you informed, educated, and confident in the direction of your marketing.

On the flip side, if communication feels inconsistent, surface-level, or overly reactive, it creates friction—and often signals a lack of strategic ownership.

They’re Willing to Challenge You (Respectfully)

This one surprises people, but it’s critical: a great agency doesn’t just say “yes” to everything.

Your agency should act as a strategic partner, not an order-taker. That means pushing back when something doesn’t align with your goals, offering alternative ideas, and helping you prioritize what will actually move the needle.

If your agency agrees with every suggestion—even when results aren’t improving—it may mean they’re more focused on keeping the peace than driving performance.

The best partnerships involve healthy, respectful tension. That’s where better ideas come from.

Strategy Comes Before Tactics

Running ads, posting content, and launching campaigns are all important—but without a clear strategy, they’re just disconnected efforts.

A strong agency starts with the “why” before jumping into the “what.” They take time to understand your business model, audience, competitive landscape, and goals. From there, they build a plan that aligns with your growth objectives.

If your current agency seems to jump straight into execution without a clear roadmap—or if every recommendation feels like a one-off idea—it may be a sign that strategy is missing.

And without strategy, consistency and scalability are hard to achieve.

They Adapt and Evolve (Without Constant Fire Drills)

Digital marketing changes fast. Algorithms shift, platforms evolve, and consumer behavior is always moving. Your agency should be keeping up—and adjusting accordingly.

But there’s a difference between thoughtful optimization and constant chaos.

A great agency tests, learns, and refines based on data. They make intentional adjustments, not knee-jerk reactions. They also communicate why changes are being made, so you’re never left in the dark.

If your campaigns feel unstable, constantly changing without clear reasoning—or stuck in the same patterns despite poor performance—it’s worth asking whether your agency is truly optimizing or just reacting.

Transparency Isn’t Optional

You should never feel like you’re only seeing part of the picture.

From ad performance to budget allocation to challenges within the account, transparency is non-negotiable in a healthy agency relationship. That doesn’t mean everything is always perfect—but it does mean you’re getting honest insights and clear explanations.

If reporting feels vague, overly polished, or avoids difficult conversations, it’s a sign that trust may be lacking.

At Onya, we believe clients should always know where things stand—because that’s how real progress happens.

You Feel Like a Priority—Not an Afterthought

This one is less about data and more about experience.

Do you feel like your business matters to your agency? Are they invested in your success? Do they show up prepared, engaged, and thoughtful in meetings?

Or does it feel like you’re just another account on a long list?

While agencies juggle multiple clients, the best ones make each partnership feel intentional. They understand your brand, remember your goals, and treat your growth as something worth caring about.

If that level of attention is missing, it can impact both performance and trust over time.

Knowing When It’s Time to Move On

Not every agency relationship is meant to last forever—and that’s okay. What matters is recognizing when the partnership is no longer serving your business.

If you’re consistently seeing stagnant or declining performance without a clear path forward, that’s a major signal. The same goes for poor communication, lack of strategic direction, or feeling disconnected from your own marketing efforts.

Another common sign? You’ve stopped feeling confident in their decisions. Even if results aren’t perfect, you should still trust the thinking behind them. When that trust erodes, it’s hard to move forward productively.

And sometimes, it’s simpler than that—you’ve outgrown them. Your business has evolved, but your agency hasn’t kept pace.

What to Look for in Your Next Agency Partner

If you do decide it’s time to explore new options, don’t just look for a “better version” of what you had—look for a different approach.

Prioritize agencies that ask thoughtful questions, show genuine curiosity about your business, and speak in terms of outcomes rather than deliverables. Look for clear communication, strategic thinking, and a willingness to be both collaborative and honest.

Most importantly, look for a team that feels like a partner—not just a vendor.

A great marketing agency doesn’t just execute tasks—they help drive your business forward. They bring clarity, accountability, and strategic insight to the table, while making you feel supported and informed along the way.

At Onya, we believe the best partnerships are built on trust, transparency, and shared goals. If your current agency isn’t delivering on those fundamentals, it may not be about fixing small issues—it may be about finding a better fit.

Because when the right partnership is in place, everything works better—and growth becomes a whole lot easier to achieve.

If your Instagram ads aren’t delivering—or they’ve suddenly stalled—it can feel like you’re throwing money into a black hole. One minute everything’s running smoothly, and the next… nothing. No impressions, no clicks, no conversions.

At Onya, we’ve worked with enough campaigns to know this isn’t random and there are usually a couple culprits! When Instagram ads don’t deliver, it’s usually a signal that something in your setup is misaligned with how the platform prioritizes and distributes ads. The upside? Once you know what to look for, you can fix it—and often improve performance in the process.

Your Audience Might Be Too Narrow

One of the most common issues we see is overly restrictive targeting. It’s tempting to layer multiple interests, behaviors, and demographics to “hone in” on your ideal customer. But in reality, this often limits delivery.

Instagram’s algorithm thrives on flexibility. If your audience is too small, the platform simply doesn’t have enough opportunities to place your ad. Broadening your audience—even slightly—can unlock delivery almost immediately. In many cases, a wider audience actually leads to better performance because the algorithm has more room to optimize.

If you’re unsure, start by removing a few targeting layers or testing a broader audience alongside your current one.

Budget and Bidding Could Be Holding You Back

Even a well-structured campaign can struggle if the budget or bid strategy is too restrictive. If your daily budget is too low, Instagram may have trouble exiting the learning phase or competing effectively in the ad auction.

The same goes for aggressive bid caps. If you’ve set a cap that’s too low, your ad simply won’t win placements—no matter how good it is.

A small increase in budget or loosening your bid constraints can make a big difference. You don’t need to double your spend overnight, but giving your campaign more flexibility often leads to more consistent delivery and faster optimization.

Your Creative Isn’t Competitive Enough

Instagram is a crowded space, and your ad is competing with everything from influencers to viral videos. If your creative doesn’t stand out quickly, delivery can clearly suffer.

This doesn’t mean your ad is “bad”—it just might not be engaging enough for the platform’s standards. Strong creative should grab attention within the first second or two, communicate value clearly, and feel native to the feed.

We often recommend shifting your mindset from “polished ad” to “engaging content.” Short-form video, authentic visuals, and clear, benefit-driven messaging tend to outperform traditional ad formats. Even small tweaks—like a stronger hook or faster pacing—can improve both delivery and conversion rates.

Your Campaign Objective May Be Misaligned

Choosing the wrong campaign objective can quietly derail your results. Instagram optimizes delivery based on the goal you select, so if there’s a mismatch, performance can suffer.

For example, if you’re running a traffic campaign but actually want purchases, the platform will prioritize users who click—not necessarily those who convert. This can lead to weak results and, in some cases, limited delivery if the algorithm struggles to find the right users.

Switching to a conversions-focused objective (with proper tracking in place) helps Instagram optimize for actions that actually matter to your business.

Tracking Issues Can Stall Performance

Your data is what fuels Instagram’s optimization engine. If your tracking isn’t set up correctly, the platform doesn’t have the information it needs to deliver your ads effectively.

This is where your pixel and event tracking come into play. If events aren’t firing properly—or aren’t prioritized correctly—your campaign can stall or underperform.

Take the time to audit your tracking setup. Make sure key events are firing consistently and that your conversion signals are clear. Fixing even a small issue here can have a major impact on both delivery and results.

Placements Might Be Too Limited

Manual placements can sometimes do more harm than good—especially if you’re trying to get a campaign off the ground. By limiting where your ads can appear, you’re also limiting delivery opportunities.

Automatic placements are usually the best approach, particularly in the early stages of a campaign. They allow Instagram to distribute your budget across feeds, Stories, and Reels based on where it sees the best performance potential.

Once your campaign is stable, you can always refine placements based on actual data.

Account Health and Approval Status Matter

It sounds simple, but it’s worth checking: if your ads aren’t approved, they won’t deliver. Even beyond outright rejections, ads that are flagged or stuck in review can experience delays or limited reach.

Your account’s overall health also plays a role. Policy violations or inconsistent activity can impact how quickly and widely your ads are delivered.

A quick audit of your account status and ad compliance can help rule out these hidden blockers.

Sometimes You Need a Reset

If you’ve made multiple tweaks and your ads still aren’t delivering, it might be time for a reset. This doesn’t mean starting from scratch—but it does mean making a meaningful change.

Duplicating your campaign with updated creative, a broader audience, and a slightly higher budget can signal a fresh start to the algorithm. Think of it as giving Instagram a new opportunity to evaluate and optimize your ad.

This approach often works when incremental changes haven’t moved the needle.

Give the Algorithm Time to Work

One of the biggest mistakes advertisers make is changing things too quickly. Every time you adjust targeting, budget, or creative, the algorithm needs time to relearn.

If you’re constantly tweaking your campaign, you may be unintentionally delaying delivery. Once you’ve made strategic updates, give your ads a few days to stabilize before making additional changes.

Patience isn’t always easy—but it’s often necessary for performance. This is also a good reminder to work early on to set up campaigns right the first time so you don’t keep having to reconfigure and start again. 

At Onya, we don’t see delivery issues as failures—we see them as signals. Every underperforming campaign is an opportunity to refine, optimize, and ultimately improve results.

When you focus on the fundamentals—audience flexibility, realistic budgets, compelling creative, and clean tracking—you can usually get your ads back on track quickly. And in many cases, they come back stronger than before.

If your Instagram ads aren’t delivering, don’t panic. With the right adjustments and a more strategic approach, you can turn a stalled campaign into one that not only delivers—but converts faster and more efficiently.

When marketing performance starts to slip, paid advertising is often the first thing to take the blame.

Cost per click is rising. Return on ad spend isn’t where it used to be. Customer acquisition costs seem to be climbing every quarter. The natural reaction is to assume that the advertising platform is the issue—or that paid ads simply aren’t working the way they used to.

But in many cases, the ads themselves aren’t the problem.

At Onya, we’ve worked with brands across a wide range of industries, and we see the same pattern over and over again: the traffic is there, but the conversion funnel isn’t doing its job. When that happens, even the best ad campaigns in the world will struggle to deliver strong results.

The reality is that paid media doesn’t operate in isolation. It’s only the first step in a much larger journey that ultimately determines whether someone becomes a customer.

Traffic Isn’t the Same as Conversions

Paid ads are incredibly effective at generating traffic. Platforms like social media, search, and video advertising can introduce your brand to thousands—or even millions—of potential customers.

But generating clicks is only the beginning.

Once someone lands on your website, a completely different set of factors determines what happens next. The page they land on, the clarity of your messaging, the speed of your site, the strength of your offer, and the ease of the purchasing process all play a role in whether that visitor converts.

If any of those elements are weak, the entire funnel breaks down.

This is why brands sometimes see campaigns with strong click-through rates but disappointing conversion performance. The ads are doing their job by driving interest and traffic, but the website experience isn’t strong enough to turn that interest into action.

The Disconnect Between Ads and Landing Pages

One of the most common conversion funnel problems we see is a mismatch between the ad and the landing page.

An ad might promise a compelling offer, highlight a key benefit, or showcase a specific product feature. But when users click through, the landing page often feels generic or disconnected from the message that caught their attention.

That disconnect creates friction.

Visitors should immediately feel that they’ve landed in the right place. The headline, visuals, and messaging on the page should reinforce the promise made in the ad. When that continuity exists, users are much more likely to continue engaging with the brand.

Without it, many visitors leave within seconds.

Paid ads can generate curiosity and interest, but the landing page must deliver on the expectation the ad creates.

Slow Websites Are Quiet Conversion Killers

Another issue that quietly damages conversion performance is website speed.

Modern consumers expect digital experiences to be fast and seamless. If a page takes too long to load, users often leave before they even see the content. This problem is particularly common for mobile users, who now make up the majority of traffic for many brands.

Even a few seconds of additional load time can dramatically reduce conversion rates.

When brands focus exclusively on optimizing ads while ignoring website performance, they may be pouring advertising dollars into a funnel that is leaking potential customers at the very first step.

Too Many Choices, Not Enough Direction

Another common problem within conversion funnels is decision overload.

Many websites try to present visitors with too many options at once. Multiple product categories, promotional banners, pop-ups, and navigation paths compete for attention. While the intention is to give users flexibility, the result can be overwhelming.

When visitors don’t know what action to take next, they often take none at all.

A strong conversion funnel provides clear direction. Landing pages should guide users toward a specific next step—whether that’s making a purchase, signing up for a demo, or joining an email list.

The fewer distractions between the visitor and the desired action, the higher the likelihood of conversion.

Weak Offers Lead to Weak Results

Sometimes the issue isn’t the ads or the website design—it’s the offer itself.

In competitive markets, simply presenting a product or service is rarely enough. Consumers want a reason to act now rather than later. That reason might come in the form of a limited-time discount, a free trial, bundled value, or a compelling guarantee.

Without a strong offer, even highly qualified traffic may hesitate to convert.

Paid advertising can drive attention, but the offer is often what turns interest into commitment.

The Importance of Trust Signals

Trust also plays a major role in conversion performance.

Visitors who discover a brand through paid advertising may have no prior familiarity with the company. Before making a purchase or submitting personal information, they need reassurance that the brand is credible.

Customer reviews, testimonials, product ratings, media mentions, and clear return policies all serve as trust signals. These elements help reduce hesitation and make visitors more comfortable moving forward.

Without them, even interested users may leave the site to do additional research—and many never return.

Paid Ads Amplify What Already Exists

One way to think about paid media is that it amplifies your existing funnel.

If the website experience is smooth, the messaging is clear, and the offer is compelling, paid ads can scale those strengths by sending more potential customers into the funnel. But if the funnel has weaknesses, paid ads will amplify those weaknesses as well.

This is why simply increasing ad spend rarely solves performance issues. More traffic flowing into a weak funnel doesn’t fix the underlying problems—it just makes them more expensive.

The key is strengthening the funnel first.

Fixing the Funnel Before Scaling Ads

At Onya, when we evaluate campaign performance, we rarely look at advertising metrics alone. Instead, we examine the entire user journey—from the moment someone sees an ad to the moment they convert.

This often means analyzing landing page design, page speed, messaging clarity, checkout flow, and overall user experience. Small improvements in these areas can dramatically increase conversion rates.

And when conversion rates improve, the economics of paid advertising change quickly. Suddenly the same ad spend generates more leads, more purchases, and better return on investment.

Paid advertising still works incredibly well. Platforms continue to provide powerful tools for reaching new audiences and driving traffic at scale.

But traffic alone doesn’t create customers.

The real driver of performance is the conversion funnel that sits behind your ads. When that funnel is optimized—from ad message to landing page to final conversion—paid media becomes one of the most powerful growth engines a brand can have.

So before assuming your ads are the problem, it’s worth asking a different question:

Is your funnel doing its job?

"Every enrollment team knows the pressure.

Applications are down. Yield is flat. Leadership wants results. And the instinct — almost every time — is to spend more on marketing. More ads. More campaigns. More budget behind the same strategy.

But what if the real problem isn't marketing at all?

That's the question at the heart of a recent conversation on the Onya Mic Podcast, where Ashley sat down with Ryan Morabito — a brand strategist who has partnered with over 125 colleges and universities, including NYU, Marquette, Baylor, and Old Dominion. What came out of that conversation is something enrollment and marketing professionals in higher education need to hear.

Marketing Is the Icing. Branding Is the Cake.

One of the most common mistakes institutions make is confusing a branding problem for a marketing problem.

Ashley put it simply during the conversation: marketing is the icing, but branding is the cake. You can add all the icing you want, but if the cake isn't there, it doesn't matter.

Ryan expanded on this by walking through the four P's of marketing — product, price, place, and promotion. Most institutions, he explained, are investing almost entirely in promotion. But if the programs aren't viable, if the delivery modality isn't what students are looking for, or if the value proposition isn't clear, no amount of promotional spend will move the needle.

More investment in marketing won't fix a branding gap.

Branding Is the Reason They Choose You

So what exactly is a brand? According to Ryan, it isn't a logo, a mascot, or a tagline.

A brand is every association people make with your institution. And branding is the process of intentionally shaping those associations over time.

That distinction matters enormously for enrollment. Branding, Ryan explained, is the reason why students choose you. Marketing is how they find you. When institutions lose sight of that difference, they end up pouring resources into tactics that generate traffic but don't convert — because the brand underneath isn't doing its job.

And building a strong brand takes time. Not weeks. Not months. In many cases, years. The schools that are winning enrollment right now started investing in their brand well before their results showed it.

What Silos Are Actually Costing You

One of the patterns Ryan has seen repeatedly across 125+ institutions is the damage caused by internal silos.

Marketing and enrollment teams often end up in their own lanes — not because they don't want to collaborate, but because high workloads and unrealistic expectations push well-intentioned people back into their own areas. The result is cooperation without true collaboration.

The institutions that are thriving, Ryan noted, are in lock step. There's a shared understanding across teams of what prospective students are actually looking for, what influences their decisions, and how the brand needs to show up at every touchpoint. When that alignment exists, everyone's work gets easier.

When it doesn't, the gaps become expensive.

Students Are the Heroes of the Story

Perhaps the most powerful shift Ryan described is a simple one — and yet it's one most institutions haven't fully made.

Students are the heroes of the story. Not the institution.

When Ryan asked a student why he ultimately chose his school, the answer was immediate: everywhere else he visited, it was about them. When he came to this school, it was about him.

That difference is fundamental. Prospective students don't want to see rankings or campus photography. They want to see themselves reflected in the stories being told. They want to hear from current students who look like them, come from where they come from, and have gone on to thrive.

Authenticity in higher ed marketing isn't just a buzzword. It means telling enough student stories that anyone encountering your brand can say — my age doesn't matter, my background doesn't matter, I know I can find my place here.

A Framework for Meaningful Brand Change

For institutions wondering where to even start, Ryan offered a clear three-step framework.

The first step is assessing perception. Not what leadership believes the brand to be, but what the market actually thinks. The gap between those two things is where the real strategy lives. Data that exposes that gap becomes a powerful tool for justifying resources and setting realistic timelines.

The second step is building a strategic narrative. A North Star that guides every message, every campaign, and every piece of content — and that is strong enough to outlast leadership changes because it's rooted in the institution's mission, not its current administration.

The third step is creative execution, with a real investment in social media. The institutions that are winning aren't outsourcing their story. They're building internal capacity to tell it — through student ambassadors, faculty voices, compelling video, and authentic photography. People follow people, not organizations.

The Takeaway for Enrollment and Marketing Teams

If your enrollment numbers aren't where they need to be, the instinct will always be to look at the marketing.

But the real question is whether the brand underneath the marketing is doing its job. Are you telling your institution's story, or the student's? Are your teams aligned around a shared understanding of what prospective students are looking for? Do you have a North Star narrative that guides everything — or are you running tactics without a strategy?

Those are the questions worth sitting with. And they're exactly what Ryan and Ashley dig into on this episode.

It's one worth listening to more than once.

🎧 Catch the full conversation with Ryan Morabito on the Onya Mic Podcast.

"

Every year, we see a familiar pattern in digital marketing. January and February arrive with fresh budgets, new goals, and ambitious plans. By March, some campaigns aren’t performing quite as expected. Costs might be creeping up, conversion rates may be lower than projected, or audience engagement starts to plateau.

Yet many brands decide to wait.

They wait for more data. They wait for the next quarter. They wait until performance becomes “bad enough” to justify a change. And before they know it, May has arrived—and several months of potential performance gains have quietly slipped away.

At Onya, we often remind brands that one of the most expensive decisions you can make in digital marketing is simply waiting too long to fix what isn’t working.

The Compounding Cost of Underperformance

Digital advertising is not static. Campaigns run every day, budgets are spent every day, and performance trends develop quickly. When a campaign isn’t optimized early, the impact compounds over time.

Let’s say a campaign is running at a cost per acquisition that’s 20% higher than it should be. On the surface, that might not seem like a major issue in February. But when that inefficiency continues for months, the financial impact grows quickly.

Every extra dollar spent on inefficient traffic is a dollar that could have been spent acquiring more customers, expanding reach, or testing new creative strategies. By the time brands begin addressing performance issues in late spring, they may have already missed months of opportunity.

In many cases, the difference between optimizing in February versus waiting until May can mean thousands—or even hundreds of thousands—of dollars in lost efficiency.

Algorithms Need Time to Learn

One of the biggest misconceptions in digital advertising is that improvements can be implemented instantly with immediate results. In reality, most major advertising platforms rely heavily on machine learning to optimize campaign delivery.

When campaigns are adjusted—whether through new audiences, creative updates, or bidding strategies—the platform’s algorithm needs time to gather data and learn. That learning period is critical for improving performance.

If brands delay optimization until May, they’re also delaying the time needed for algorithms to stabilize and improve outcomes. Instead of entering summer with highly optimized campaigns, they’re essentially starting the learning process months later than necessary.

Brands that address performance early give their campaigns more time to refine targeting, identify high-performing creative, and build stronger optimization signals.

Creative Fatigue Happens Faster Than You Think

Another hidden cost of waiting is creative fatigue. Audiences exposed to the same ads repeatedly will eventually stop paying attention. Click-through rates decline, engagement drops, and costs begin to rise.

This doesn’t always happen overnight. It often starts subtly—small declines in engagement that slowly chip away at performance.

If brands wait until May to refresh creative, they may already be dealing with months of declining ad effectiveness. Reintroducing new creative concepts earlier in the year can maintain engagement and prevent those slow performance drops from gaining momentum.

Creative testing should be an ongoing process, not a reaction to a sudden performance problem.

Market Competition Doesn’t Wait

Digital advertising auctions are constantly shifting based on demand. Competitors adjust budgets, launch new campaigns, and experiment with different strategies throughout the year.

When brands delay optimization, they aren’t just standing still—they’re falling behind.

Competitors who refine their campaigns early gain valuable insights into audience behavior, messaging performance, and conversion drivers. By the time late adopters begin making adjustments, others in the market may already be operating with months of data and optimization advantages.

In competitive industries, those small timing differences can have a major impact on overall market share.

Seasonal Opportunities Can Be Missed

Another important factor is timing within the marketing calendar. Many brands see meaningful seasonal shifts in consumer behavior during late spring and early summer.

Travel bookings increase. Retail promotions ramp up. Events, graduations, and weddings drive additional purchasing activity.

If campaigns are still in optimization mode by May, brands may struggle to fully capitalize on these seasonal opportunities. Instead of entering these high-demand periods with well-tuned campaigns, they’re scrambling to fix performance while competitors are scaling what already works.

Early optimization ensures campaigns are stable and ready before seasonal demand spikes.

The Psychological Barrier to Change

So why do brands wait?

Often, it’s not a lack of awareness—it’s hesitation. Teams may want more data before making changes. Stakeholders may worry about disrupting campaigns that are performing “well enough.” Or organizations simply become busy with other priorities.

But in digital marketing, waiting for perfect clarity rarely works. Campaign performance improves through testing, iteration, and incremental adjustments.

The earlier those adjustments begin, the faster insights accumulate.

A Better Approach: Continuous Optimization

At Onya, we encourage brands to shift their mindset from reactive optimization to continuous optimization.

Instead of waiting months to evaluate performance, campaigns should be reviewed regularly. Early signals—whether they involve rising costs, declining engagement, or underperforming audiences—should trigger small experiments and adjustments.

These changes don’t need to be drastic. Often, simple improvements such as refreshing creative, refining audience targeting, or adjusting bidding strategies can produce meaningful gains.

Over time, these incremental improvements add up to substantial performance growth.

The Advantage of Acting Early

The brands that consistently outperform their competitors are rarely the ones with the biggest budgets. More often, they’re the ones that act quickly and learn faster.

By identifying performance issues early in the year, brands gain additional months to test strategies, refine messaging, and improve campaign efficiency. Those early insights build momentum that carries into the rest of the year.

Waiting until May, on the other hand, forces teams into a reactive position—trying to recover lost efficiency while the market continues moving forward.

In digital marketing, timing matters more than many brands realize.

The sooner performance issues are addressed, the sooner campaigns can start working harder for the business. And when optimization begins early, brands don’t just fix problems—they create a stronger foundation for everything that follows.

If you’ve run digital advertising in the past few years, you’ve likely noticed something frustrating: your ad costs keep creeping up. Cost per thousand impressions (CPMs) across major advertising platforms have steadily increased, and for many brands, this has become one of the biggest challenges in maintaining efficient marketing performance.

At first, many advertisers assumed this was a temporary fluctuation. But as we move further into the decade, it’s becoming clear that rising CPMs aren’t a short-term trend—they’re the new normal. Platforms are more competitive, privacy changes have altered the advertising ecosystem, and consumer attention is more fragmented than ever.

The good news? Higher CPMs don’t necessarily mean worse results. Brands that adapt their strategies can still drive strong performance. The key is understanding why CPMs are rising and how to adjust your approach accordingly.

Why CPMs Keep Climbing

The biggest driver of rising CPMs is simple economics: supply and demand. The number of advertisers competing for attention has grown dramatically over the last decade. Digital advertising is no longer just a tool for large brands with massive budgets. Small businesses, startups, creators, and direct-to-consumer brands are all competing in the same auctions.

At the same time, the available ad inventory hasn’t grown at the same pace. Platforms like social media feeds, streaming services, and video platforms can only show so many ads without damaging the user experience. When more advertisers compete for limited space, prices rise.

Privacy changes have also contributed to the shift. Updates such as app tracking restrictions and stricter data policies have made targeting less precise in some environments. When targeting becomes broader, advertisers often need more impressions to reach the right audience. That increased demand further drives up CPMs.

Finally, consumer behavior has changed. People are spending more time online across more platforms than ever before, but their attention is divided. Advertisers must work harder—and often pay more—to capture that attention.

Why Higher CPMs Aren’t Always Bad

While rising CPMs can feel like a negative trend, they don’t automatically mean your campaigns are performing worse. In fact, CPM alone isn’t a reliable measure of success.

What ultimately matters is the cost to achieve your desired outcome—whether that’s conversions, leads, or purchases. A campaign with a high CPM can still be extremely profitable if it drives strong engagement and conversion rates.

For example, many brands find that video-heavy platforms or premium placements carry higher CPMs but also deliver higher-quality traffic. If that traffic converts better, the overall return on ad spend can still improve.

Instead of focusing solely on lowering CPMs, brands should focus on improving efficiency across the entire marketing funnel.

Creative Has Become the Biggest Lever

As targeting becomes less precise and competition increases, creative quality plays a much larger role in advertising performance.

Platforms reward ads that capture attention and drive engagement. When users stop scrolling, watch your video, or interact with your content, the platform’s algorithm recognizes that your ad is valuable to the audience. In many cases, this leads to better delivery and improved performance metrics.

This means brands need to invest more heavily in creative testing. Instead of relying on one or two polished ad concepts, high-performing advertisers constantly test new visuals, messaging, and formats.

The goal is to find creative that resonates strongly with your audience. Even in a high-CPM environment, strong creative can significantly reduce cost per click and cost per acquisition.

First-Party Data Is More Valuable Than Ever

Another key way brands can adapt to rising CPMs is by strengthening their first-party data strategy.

When third-party tracking becomes less reliable, the value of data you collect directly from customers increases dramatically. Email lists, CRM data, loyalty programs, and website engagement signals all help advertisers create more meaningful audience segments.

These audiences can then be used for retargeting campaigns, lookalike modeling, and personalized messaging. Because these users already have some level of connection to your brand, they often convert at a much higher rate than cold audiences.

When impressions are becoming more expensive, reaching the right people matters more than ever.

Diversifying Your Media Mix

Another mistake many brands make is relying too heavily on a single advertising channel. When CPMs rise on one platform, performance can quickly become unpredictable.

Diversifying your media mix can help protect your marketing performance. Testing new channels—whether that’s emerging social platforms, retail media networks, streaming services, or search-based advertising—can open new opportunities to reach your audience.

Different platforms also play different roles in the customer journey. Some channels are excellent for awareness, while others are better for capturing high-intent users who are ready to purchase.

Brands that understand how these channels work together often see better overall performance, even when CPMs rise.

Focusing on Lifetime Value Instead of Immediate Returns

One of the most important mindset shifts brands need to make is moving beyond short-term performance metrics.

When advertising costs increase, campaigns focused solely on immediate purchases can become harder to scale. Instead, many successful brands are focusing more on customer lifetime value.

If a new customer is likely to make repeat purchases over time, acquiring them at a slightly higher cost can still be extremely profitable. This approach encourages brands to think more holistically about marketing, customer experience, and retention.

Investments in email marketing, loyalty programs, and post-purchase engagement can dramatically increase the long-term value of each customer acquired through advertising.

The Future of Digital Advertising

Rising CPMs are not a temporary disruption—they’re a reflection of a maturing digital advertising ecosystem. As more brands compete for attention and platforms evolve, the cost of reaching audiences will continue to rise.

But this doesn’t mean advertising is becoming less effective. It simply means the strategies that worked five years ago may not work the same way today.

Brands that focus on strong creative, smart audience strategies, diversified media investments, and long-term customer value will continue to thrive. In many cases, these brands will actually outperform competitors who remain fixated on lowering CPMs alone.

Success isn’t about finding the cheapest impressions. It’s about making every impression count.

Over the past few years, the paid media landscape has changed quickly. Privacy updates, rising CPMs, and shifting consumer behavior have forced marketers to rethink where and how they spend their advertising budgets. The platforms that once delivered easy wins don’t always perform the same way today, and new channels are constantly competing for attention.

At Onya, one of the most common questions we hear from brands is simple: Where should we actually be spending our ad dollars right now?

The reality is that TikTok, Google, Meta, and connected TV (CTV) can all be powerful advertising channels. But each platform works best in specific situations—and struggles in others. Understanding those strengths and limitations can help brands build a smarter, more effective paid media strategy.

TikTok: A Creative Powerhouse with a Discovery Engine

TikTok has quickly become one of the most influential platforms in digital advertising. Its algorithm is built around discovery rather than follower counts, which means brands have the opportunity to reach massive audiences—even without a large existing presence.

For awareness and top-of-funnel marketing, TikTok can be incredibly effective. The platform excels at introducing brands to new audiences through entertaining, authentic content. Products that lend themselves well to demonstrations, storytelling, or lifestyle visuals often perform particularly well.

But TikTok isn’t always the best platform for immediate conversion performance. While the platform’s shopping tools continue to evolve, many users still approach TikTok primarily for entertainment rather than direct purchasing. That means brands often see the best results when they treat TikTok as an awareness and engagement channel rather than a strict performance channel.

Creative also plays a huge role in success on TikTok. Highly polished, traditional ad creative often struggles to gain traction. The platform rewards content that feels native, casual, and authentic. Brands that approach TikTok like a social storytelling platform—rather than a traditional advertising environment—tend to see much stronger results.

Google: Still the Strongest Intent Engine

While social platforms focus on discovery, Google remains one of the most powerful intent-driven advertising channels available.

When someone searches for a product, service, or solution, they are actively looking for information or ready to make a purchase decision. That high level of intent is what makes Google advertising—particularly search campaigns—so valuable for many brands.

For businesses focused on lead generation or ecommerce conversions, Google Search continues to deliver some of the strongest performance in paid media. Shopping campaigns and Performance Max campaigns can also be highly effective when product feeds and tracking are properly configured.

However, Google isn’t always the right solution for every brand. Companies introducing entirely new products or categories may struggle if consumers aren’t actively searching for those products yet. In those situations, demand generation channels like social media can help build awareness before search demand begins to grow.

Competition is also increasing in many search categories, which means costs can climb quickly. Without strong landing pages, clear messaging, and effective conversion tracking, even high-intent traffic can fail to deliver strong results.

Meta: Still One of the Most Versatile Platforms

Despite the many changes that have affected digital advertising in recent years, Meta’s platforms—Facebook and Instagram—remain incredibly versatile tools for marketers.

Meta still offers some of the most advanced audience targeting and optimization capabilities in the industry. Its machine learning systems have become increasingly sophisticated, helping advertisers reach relevant audiences even with more limited tracking signals.

For many brands, Meta sits in the middle of the marketing funnel. It can drive both awareness and conversions, depending on campaign structure and creative strategy. Retargeting campaigns often perform particularly well on Meta because the platform can reconnect with users who have already engaged with a brand’s website or content.

However, success on Meta today requires a strong creative strategy. The days of running the same ad creative for months are long gone. Audiences move quickly, and creative fatigue can set in fast.

Brands that continuously test new visuals, messaging angles, and formats tend to see the best results. In many ways, Meta has evolved into a creative testing platform where the strength of the ad content plays a major role in performance.

CTV: A Growing Channel for Brand Visibility

Connected TV advertising has grown rapidly as streaming continues to replace traditional cable viewing. Platforms such as streaming apps, smart TVs, and digital video services allow advertisers to reach audiences watching long-form content in a living room environment.

CTV offers a powerful opportunity for brands looking to build awareness with high-quality video placements. The format combines the storytelling potential of television with the targeting capabilities of digital advertising.

For larger brands or those with strong video assets, CTV can deliver significant reach and brand visibility. It also tends to produce strong completion rates because viewers are often engaged with the content they’re watching.

That said, CTV isn’t always the best platform for direct-response campaigns. Attribution can be more complex, and immediate conversion tracking is often limited compared to platforms like search or social media.

Brands that approach CTV as an upper-funnel awareness channel typically see the best outcomes.

The Real Answer: Integration Matters More Than Platforms

While marketers often debate which advertising platform is “best,” the truth is that the most effective strategies rarely rely on just one channel.

Each platform serves a different role within the customer journey. TikTok introduces brands to new audiences. Meta nurtures engagement and retargets interested users. Google captures high-intent searches. CTV builds broad brand awareness with premium video placements.

When these platforms work together, they create a more complete marketing ecosystem.

At Onya, we often see the strongest results from brands that build balanced media strategies. Instead of chasing the newest platform or abandoning channels too quickly, successful advertisers focus on how each channel contributes to the overall funnel.

Paid media still works extremely well. But success depends less on choosing a single “winning” platform and more on understanding how each channel fits into the bigger picture.

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If you’re marketing to professionals, decision-makers, or niche B2B audiences, there’s one platform that consistently stands out: LinkedIn.

Every year we hear the same hesitation from clients: “Is LinkedIn too expensive?” or “Does LinkedIn targeting really work?” And every year, once campaigns are structured correctly, those same clients see why the platform remains one of the most powerful tools in the B2B advertising ecosystem.

As a digital marketing agency we can confidently say this: LinkedIn targeting is incredibly strong — but only if you understand how to use it properly.

The Biggest Misconception: Hyper-Granular = Better

LinkedIn built its reputation on job title targeting. And yes, targeting by job title can be powerful. But one of the most common mistakes we see is advertisers getting overly specific.

For example, instead of targeting broader categories like “Marketing Directors,” brands try stacking multiple ultra-specific titles, industries, company sizes, and seniority filters all at once. The result? An audience so small that delivery stalls or costs skyrocket.

LinkedIn’s algorithm performs best when it has room to optimize. That means giving it enough audience volume to test and learn. Hyper-narrow targeting may feel precise, but it often limits performance.

This year especially, the brands seeing the strongest results are balancing precision with scale. Instead of building tiny audiences, they’re using layered logic that allows the system to find high-quality users within a broader framework.

Understand the Core Targeting Levers

LinkedIn remains unmatched when it comes to professional data. Unlike platforms like Meta Platforms or TikTok, LinkedIn’s targeting is based on self-reported career information.

That includes job titles, seniority, company size, industry, skills, education, and even group membership.

But this year, what matters most isn’t just what targeting exists — it’s how you combine it.

Job titles alone can be messy. People phrase titles differently. One company’s “Head of Growth” is another company’s “VP of Marketing.” Instead of relying exclusively on title targeting, consider blending job function with seniority. For example, targeting “Marketing” as a function and layering in “Director+” seniority often performs more efficiently than listing 20 variations of marketing leadership titles.

Similarly, company size targeting can dramatically change lead quality. If you’re selling enterprise software but targeting companies with 1–10 employees, your CPL may look efficient, but deal quality will suffer.

The takeaway? Align targeting filters with your sales motion, not just audience accessibility.

Matched Audiences Are More Important Than Ever

In today’s privacy-conscious world, first-party data is gold. LinkedIn’s Matched Audiences feature allows you to upload contact lists, retarget website visitors, or engage account-based marketing (ABM) segments.

This year, we’re seeing strong performance from campaigns that combine LinkedIn’s native targeting with CRM-based lists. For example, uploading a list of existing prospects and building a lookalike audience off that list often produces better-quality leads than cold demographic targeting alone.

Retargeting also plays a critical role. LinkedIn traffic is expensive compared to other platforms, so it’s important to build remarketing pools. If someone visits your site, downloads a whitepaper, or watches 50% of your video ad, those users should be nurtured with sequential messaging.

The cost per click may be higher than other platforms, but conversion rates from retargeted LinkedIn audiences are often significantly stronger.

Expect Higher Costs — and Plan Accordingly

One of the realities of LinkedIn advertising is cost. CPMs and CPCs are generally higher than on Meta or Google Display. But that doesn’t mean the platform is inefficient.

You’re paying for data accuracy and professional intent.

A click from a CFO at a 500-person company is inherently more valuable than a general consumer browsing social media casually. The key is understanding lifetime value and downstream conversion metrics.

This year, successful LinkedIn advertisers are optimizing beyond cost per lead. They’re evaluating:

• Sales-qualified lead rates
• Pipeline contribution
• Deal close rates
• Revenue per lead
  

When you assess performance through a full-funnel lens, LinkedIn often outperforms cheaper channels in terms of overall ROI.

Creative Is Finally Getting the Attention It Deserves

Historically, LinkedIn ads had a reputation for being text-heavy and corporate-looking. That’s changing fast.

The platform has evolved to reward engaging, scroll-stopping creative. Native-feeling video content, founder-led messaging, and even lightly polished user-generated-style ads are outperforming overly formal creative.

This year, we’re seeing higher engagement from ads that feel authentic and conversational. Decision-makers don’t want to read another generic corporate pitch. They want clarity, insight, and credibility.

One mistake we frequently see is brands running the same static creative for months. LinkedIn’s smaller audience pools mean frequency builds quickly. Creative rotation is essential to avoid fatigue.

If you’re investing in LinkedIn ads this year, budget for ongoing creative testing. It makes a measurable difference.

Account-Based Marketing Is Stronger Than Ever

LinkedIn remains one of the most effective channels for account-based marketing. The ability to upload specific company lists and layer in job function or seniority targeting is a major competitive advantage.

For B2B brands focused on high-value deals, this level of targeting precision is powerful. Instead of hoping the right people see your ads, you can intentionally target decision-makers at named accounts.

However, the strategy must be coordinated with sales outreach. The strongest ABM results happen when paid media and sales teams align messaging and timing. Ads warm up the account while sales engages directly.

This year, ABM campaigns that integrate LinkedIn ads with email, SDR outreach, and even direct mail are outperforming isolated tactics.

The Algorithm Needs Data to Work

Like most ad platforms, LinkedIn’s system performs better with sufficient conversion data. One challenge many advertisers face is low conversion volume, especially for high-ticket B2B offers.

To help the algorithm optimize, consider softer conversion goals at the top of the funnel, such as content downloads or webinar registrations, before pushing hard on demo requests.

Building engagement and gathering signals allows the system to learn who interacts with your brand. Over time, this improves targeting precision for higher-intent offers.

Patience is key. LinkedIn campaigns often require more ramp-up time than consumer-focused platforms.

So What Should You Do Differently This Year?

If we had to summarize LinkedIn targeting best practices for this year, it would come down to three shifts:

1. Broaden your targeting slightly and let the algorithm optimize within reason.
2. Integrate first-party data and retargeting into your structure.
3. Evaluate performance based on revenue impact, not just surface-level metrics.
   

LinkedIn remains one of the most sophisticated B2B targeting platforms available. But success isn’t automatic. It requires thoughtful audience design, strong creative, proper measurement, and alignment with sales strategy.

When done correctly, LinkedIn targeting doesn’t just generate leads — it generates the right leads.