Performance marketing is getting more competitive every day. Ad costs are rising, targeting restrictions are tightening, and consumer attention is harder to capture.

Yet, some brands continue to scale profitably while cutting ad spend—proving that the right strategies can drive massive growth.

So, what are they doing differently? We analyzed case studies of five brands that have mastered performance marketing, and here’s what we found.

1. Test Multiple Offer Types

A great offer can make or break your ad performance. But most brands only test one or two promotions before settling on a “winning” discount. One brand that scaled from $30K to $100K/month in just 67 days took a different approach—they tested over 70 offers in a single month.

What They Tested:

✅ Percentage discounts vs. dollar-off deals (e.g., “20% off” vs. “Save $10”)

✅ Limited-time offers (e.g., “48-hour flash sale”)

✅ Bundled discounts (e.g., “Buy 2, Get 1 Free”)

✅ Risk-free guarantees (e.g., “You don’t pay unless you get results”)

Why It Works:

Not all discounts resonate the same way. Some audiences respond better to a percentage-off deal, while others prefer a dollar-off savings. Testing different ways of framing your offer helps you unlock higher conversion rates.

💡 Takeaway: Offer testing isn’t just about discounts—it’s about positioning value in different ways. If you’re not actively testing, you’re leaving conversions on the table.

2. Experiment with Creative & Hooks

Your ad creative is the first thing potential customers see, and the first three seconds determine whether they keep watching or scroll past. One brand doubled their revenue in just three weeks by aggressively testing different hooks in their UGC (user-generated content) ads.

What They Tested:

✅ 5-10 variations of UGC ads with different openers

✅ Customer testimonials as ad hooks

✅ A/B testing short-form vs. long-form ad copy

✅ Tested a minimum of 50 hooks in a CTR campaign to get an engagement metric

✅ Were running 50+ ads at any given time

Winning Hook Example:

❌ Bad: “Our moisturizer hydrates your skin.”

✅ Good: “Dry, flakey skin? Watch this moisturizer delete dry skin in 7 days.”

Why It Works:

The best hooks create curiosity and make people want to learn more. Testing different angles helps you find what resonates most with your audience.

💡 Takeaway: Your hook determines whether people stop scrolling or not. Test different messaging angles to maximize engagement.

3. Leverage Influencer & Fan Pages for Ads

Running ads from your brand’s page can work—but running ads from influencer or fan pages can reduce costs by 30-50%. One brand dramatically lowered their customer acquisition cost (CAC) by using whitelisted influencer accounts and fan pages to promote their products.

What They Did:

✅ Whitelisted influencer pages to make ads feel more organic

✅ Used customer review pages to run product ads

✅ Created fan pages for their category and ran ads from there

✅Started an affiliate program or contact their customers to get free video content. Remember, you’ll have to give a good payout to run their content as ads! 

Why It Works:

People trust influencer recommendations more than direct brand ads. When an ad looks like a natural recommendation from a trusted source, engagement and conversions go up—while costs go down.

💡 Takeaway: Running ads from influencer or fan pages can make them feel more authentic, leading to lower ad costs and higher conversions.

4. Refine Your Audience Strategy

Most brands rely on basic demographic targeting—age, gender, interests—but real scaling happens when you focus on behavior-based segmentation. One brand went from $14K/day to over $83K/day during BFCM by refining their audience strategy.

What They Did:

✅ Segmented audiences by behaviors, not just demographics

✅ Tested different audience avatars (young vs. old, various interests)

✅ Ran audience tests – Try lookalikes of high-LTV customers & Amex card holders, interest targeting, and wide open targeting

Why It Works:

Instead of just targeting “women 25-45 interested in beauty,” they found specific audience segments based on actual purchase behaviors. This dramatically increased return on ad spend (ROAS).

💡 Takeaway: Audience testing isn’t just about interests—it’s about finding which behavioral segments convert best.

5. Prioritize Retention & Lifetime Value (LTV)

Many brands focus only on customer acquisition, but scaling isn’t just about getting new customers—it’s about keeping them. One brand cut ad spend by 66% and still grew revenue by shifting their focus to retention.

What They Did:

✅ Increased AOV (average order value) with upsells & bundles

✅ Boosted LTV through email & SMS marketing

✅ Create lookalike audiences out of Amex credit card holders (yes! They do spend more).

Why It Works:

Acquiring a new customer is expensive. If you don’t have a strategy to increase repeat purchases, you’re leaving money on the table. A well-optimized retention strategy lets you grow even when reducing ad spend.

💡 Takeaway: Long-term success isn’t just about acquiring new customers—it’s about maximizing value from the ones you already have.

Final Thoughts

Winning with digital ads isn’t about running one great campaign—it’s about continuously testing and refining your strategy.

✅ High volume testing and testing different offers to see what converts best. Most brands that are scaling are running 2-3 offer pages at once

✅ Experiment with creative & hooks to grab attention fast – YOU ARE MINING ATTENTION ON SOCIAL PLATFORMS

✅ Leverage influencer & fan pages for more organic-looking ads

✅ Segment audiences by behavior for higher ROAS

✅ Prioritize retention & LTV to build sustainable growth

Want help applying these strategies? AdCrunch has helped brands scale from five to seven figures through structured offer testing, ad creative optimization, and audience refinement. Reach out for insights or introductions to performance marketing experts who can take your brand to the next level.