Social Media: Instagram | Facebook
John Parkes is a Master at driving web traffic. For more than five years now John has been a coach and stage presenter to tens of thousands of marketers looking to up their Facebook ads game. As Chief Traffic Architect at ClickFunnels, he runs the entire organic and paid traffic teams and dominates the markets he jumps into. Having spent millions in ads and generated tens of millions he knows his way around ad campaigns like the back of his hand. John has been featured on several podcasts: FunnelHacker Radio, Just The Tips, Next Level Facebook Ads Podcast, Trent Talks, and The Big Shift to name a few. Whether it's optimizing things on the campaign, audience, or ad creative level, John is the man with the skills, strategy, and experience to create world-class results.
Here's what John had to say about driving traffic and media buying best practices:
Q- What's working in the ads space right now that is making the BIGGEST difference between ads that crush it, and ads that don't perform as well?
A- The biggest wins we're seeing right now come from using a mix of image, video, and search ads. The images and video seem to complement each other (because Meta knows what an individual is more likely to engage with). Then as you make all of that 'noise' on social media, make sure you have search ads running that will capture anyone who remembers seeing your ads on social and then google's you. The overall performance will be higher if you have all three running vs running one type in isolation.
Another thing that's working really well lately is user-generated content (UGC). When happy customers create videos or comments/reviews about your product, it provides a level of social proof that's hard to beat. You can find this content organically from customers' comments on your posts, posts in your groups or even posts on their walls. Another way to get UGC is to actively reach out to micro-influencers. You can offer them a small fee or some free product in exchange for their review. A third approach is to use a platform called Billo.app (coupon code CFUN-TCVO-BILLO for a $50 credit) which can help connect you with inexpensive creators who can generate UGC for you.
Q- How does your team determine whether a paid ad is performing well and should continue running, or be refreshed? Do you have specific KPIs or metrics that you use as a guideline?
A- Think of the entire customer journey like a chain, where each link must be strong to convert someone into a buyer. The first link in this chain is your CPM (cost per thousand impressions). If your CPM is too high, nothing that follows will work effectively. Stop that ad set, make an adjustment, and launch again to get a lower CPM. While CPM costs vary greatly by audience, a general rule of thumb is that if it's above $60 and you don't know why, turn it off, and adjust.
Next, I look at the link click-through rate (CTR). This tells me if the ad copy and visuals are resonating with the audience enough to get a click-through to the landing page. Try to get a CTR better than 1%. Over time, a declining CTR could signal ad fatigue, meaning it's time for a creative refresh.
Then comes cost per lead (CPL). Are people willing to give you their personal information on your landing page? If so, you've successfully taken the first step in earning their trust AND you've started building your list that can be a continuous free source of sales.
After that, I check the cost per acquisition of a sale (CPA). All of the links in the proverbial chain above have to be in place for this one to fall in place. Don't think you'll magically get sales at a good price if you have weak links leading up to this point.
Lastly, the most critical metric is Return on Ad Spend (ROAS). This compares how much revenue your ads generate versus how much you've spent to generate that revenue. Determining a sustainable ROAS for your customer acquisition offers is key to maintaining growth in your company.
Q- What's been the most game-changing discovery or "lesson-learned" while you've been driving Traffic for ClickFunnels?
A- One of the most game-changing discoveries while driving traffic for ClickFunnels was the retargeting method I show in this video. It's a way to set up a retargeting campaign in such a way that allows for Meta's AI to optimize the sales you'll get by layering audiences based on how long it's been since they've visited your site. It adds a triple layer of emotion, logic, and urgency-based ads (and sometimes social proof) and if you get it right, it's a set-it-and-forget-it kind of campaign. It won't fatigue because the audiences aren't allowed to see any ad for more than a short window so the ads remain fresh. This is very different from prospecting campaigns, which target cold traffic and fatigue frequently. With prospecting it's critical to always be testing and creating new, fresh content.
Q- What is the biggest MISTAKE you see business owners making with their ads?
A- One common mistake I see business owners making is chasing the cheapest CPA (cost per acquisition). This often leads to frustration, low volume, and low-quality customers with short lifetime value (LTV). Instead, set a CPA threshold. Calculate what you can afford to spend—say $75 to acquire a customer—and be ok with any sale, ad, campaign, and audience that falls within that range. By doing this, you'll find more quality customers, and you can scale your campaigns with better volume and profit over time. This also allows you to experiment with richer, more diverse ad creatives, rather than always going for the "cheap win" that often results in flighty, inconsistent buyers.
Q- What is your favorite organic traffic-driving strategy for someone who doesn't have an ad budget yet?
A- There are so many ways to generate organic traffic without paying for it. One of the most effective methods is to leverage other people's audiences. If you're just starting out building you don't want to wait for people to organically find you and follow you… that would take forever to get your business off the ground. Instead, reach out to people in your niche (those with offers that complement, but don't compete with you) who have already established audiences. It doesn't matter the format, any will do. It could be a podcast, a blog, a YouTube channel, an email list, or a social media following. You'd be surprised how many of them are tired of constantly coming up with the next piece of content for their audience to consume. Get to know enough about their message, craft a piece of content FOR them, and then offer it to them. It could be a blog article you write (or have written) for them, a video you outline/script and offer to produce with them, or a podcast episode you outline and offer to produce with them. Just figure out how your message and your expertise can be valuable to their followers. Some will say no, more than you think will say yes, and they'll often let you plug in your own website, offer, or social media. This is a free way to get in front of established audiences and in turn get traffic to your funnel and build your audience.
