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From Low ROAS to 2x Returns: Optimizing Programmatic Campaigns in 3 Steps

You launched your programmatic campaign with high hopes.

You’d heard it’s the future of ad buying: efficient, targeted, and scalable. But months in, your ROAS is stuck at 0.7x. You’re spending more than you’re earning, and you’re left wondering:

Why isn’t this working?

You’re not alone. Many advertisers with existing programmatic campaigns find their returns stuck or slipping, even as they invest more budget into the channel. The issue isn’t programmatic itself, it’s how you optimize it.

Programmatic thrives on data, speed, and precision. But without intentional optimization, it devolves into “set-it-and-forget-it” spending, wasting budget on low-value impressions.

The good news? With three focused steps, you can turn low ROAS into 2x returns.  

Step 1: Stop Waiting, Optimize in Real Time

Here’s a hard truth: If you’re adjusting your programmatic campaigns weekly (or less), you’re leaving money on the table.  

Traditional campaign optimization—reviewing data on Mondays for the prior week—worked in the era of manual ad buys. But programmatic moves at milliseconds. User behavior shifts, trends spike, and audience intent fluctuates by the hour. A campaign that performed well at 9 AM might tank by 3 PM, thanks to changes in user mood, competition, or even local events (like a rainstorm keeping people indoors).  

What to do:  

  • Track 3 real-time metrics:

Focus on cost per conversion (CPA), click-through rate (CTR), and conversion rate. These three metrics reveal whether your ads are resonating (CTR), how much you’re paying to win conversions (CPA), and if users are taking action (conversion rate).

  • Set up alerts:

Use your programmatic platform to flag dips (e.g., “CPA spikes by 20%”) or spikes (e.g., “CTR drops below 1%”). Tools like GatherStar, for example, let you customize thresholds so you’re notified the second performance slips.

  • Adjust bids on the fly:

If a segment (e.g., “women 25–34 in Texas”) suddenly shows a 30% higher conversion rate, raise bids to capture more of that traffic. If a placement (e.g., a news site’s sidebar) sees plummeting CTR, lower bids or pause it temporarily.

Why it works: A 2024 study by eMarketer found that advertisers using real-time optimization saw 41% higher ROAS than those optimizing weekly. Real-time adjustments let you double down on what’s working before your budget is wasted on what’s not.  

Step 2: Cut “Budget Bleeders” (and Reallocate to Winners)

Even the best campaigns have dead weight: publishers, audience segments, or ad formats that drain budget without delivering returns. These “budget bleeders” are often hidden in spreadsheets or buried in dashboards—but they’re killing your ROAS.  

Imagine you’re running a campaign for a fitness app. Your data shows 10% of your budget goes to a publisher with a 5% CTR but a 0% conversion rate. Another 15% is spent on a “yoga enthusiasts” segment that clicks often but never signs up. Together, these bleeders eat 25% of your budget—budget that could fund high-performing sources.

What to do:  

  • Audit performance by source:

Break down your campaign data by publisher, placement (e.g., homepage vs. article footer), audience segment, and device. Look for sources with: ROAS below your benchmark (e.g., <1x) CPA 30%+ higher than your average High impressions but low conversion rates (a sign of irrelevant traffic)

  • Cut ruthlessly, but strategically:

Pause or reduce spend on bleeders. Don’t worry about “missing out”. Cutting underperforming sources increases overall campaign efficiency by freeing up budget for top performers.

  • Reallocate immediately:

Take the budget from bleeders and funnel it into sources with ROAS 1.5x+ above your benchmark. For example, if a “home workout” segment has a 2.2x ROAS, increase bids here to capture more of that audience.

Step 3: Use Analytics to Uncover “Hidden Wins”

Most advertisers stop at surface-level metrics: “We hit 1.2x ROAS this month.” But to double your returns, you need to dig deeper. Analytics should answer: Why is this segment performing? When do conversions peak? Which creatives drive the highest intent?  

Basic dashboards won’t cut it. You need tools that connect dots across the customer journey—from ad click to purchase, and every step in between.  

What to do:  

  • Map the full funnel:

Look beyond “clicks” to see where users drop off. For example, if 100 users click your ad, but only 10 reach checkout, and 2 convert, the problem might be your landing page—not the ad itself. Tools like GatherStar’s campaign analytics layer let you track funnel stages, so you can fix bottlenecks.

  • Segment by behavior:

Identify micro-audiences that outperform the average. A fashion retailer, for example, might find that “users who viewed size charts” have 3x higher conversion rates than those who didn’t. Target these users with tailored ads (e.g., “Need help with sizing? Chat now!”).

  • Test and iterate on creatives:

Use analytics to see which ad copies, images, or CTAs drive the highest ROAS. A 2024 report by McKinsey found that creative optimization—backed by analytics—boosts ROAS by 27% on average. For instance, if “limited-time offer” ads perform 50% better than “sale” ads, double down on that messaging.

  • Leverage time and location data:

Notice conversions spike on weekday evenings in California? Increase bids during that window. See mobile users convert at 2x the rate of desktop? Prioritize mobile placements.

From Stagnant to Scaling: Your Next Move

Low ROAS isn’t a death sentence for your programmatic campaigns—it’s a signal. By optimizing in real time, cutting bleeders, and using analytics to find hidden wins, you can turn 0.7x into 2x (or more).  

The key? Consistency. Optimization isn’t a one-time task—it’s a weekly (even daily) habit. And you don’t have to do it alone. Platforms built for programmatic optimization, like GatherStar, streamline the process: real-time alerts, source-level performance tracking, and deep funnel analytics—all in one place.  

Ready to stop wasting budget and start doubling returns? Pick one step to implement this week. Real-time optimization is a great starting point. You’ll see results in days, not months.  

P.S. If you’re stuck parsing the data, reach out. Our team uses these exact steps to help advertisers scale their programmatic ROAS. No guesswork required.

If you’re looking to craft more effective, AI-driven ad experiences, start with GatherStar today. And if you want dedicated expert support to maximize your results, reach out to the GatherStar team to explore how we can help elevate your programmatic campaigns.