// How we work
How we work.
AceDigital provides advertising, websites, and measurement services for companies that want to attract customers online. We combine knowledge of how people make decisions with knowledge of how advertising platforms work. We do the work ourselves.
On this page you can read how we work: where we start, how a collaboration works and when we say no.
// The foundation
Psychology and platform knowledge, both necessary.
Applying behavioral psychology without knowing how ad platforms work yields little results. Conversely, the same applies: those who only know the settings of a platform miss how people make decisions. That’s why we combine the two. Furthermore, the measurement must be accurate, because without reliable figures you cannot make adjustments.
01
The message fits the stage of your customer
Someone who hasn’t yet recognized their problem needs a different message than someone who compares three providers. We use Eugene Schwartz’s awareness phases and insights into how people process information and make decisions to do this. Only when the message is clear by each phase do we choose the channel.
02
Working according to the platform's rules
Google, Meta and LinkedIn optimize based on conversion data. If the algorithm receives too few or incorrect signals, it reaches the wrong people and costs rise. Therefore, we follow the best practices of each platform and apply the psychology within them.
03
First, get the measurements right
With new customers, we often see that conversions do occur, but they are not measured or considered as direct traffic. Then everyone relies on incomplete data, including the algorithm. That’s why every journey, including a website, starts with measurement: server-side tracking, offline conversions, and the realization that you can’t measure everything.
// Before we begin
Let's take a step back first.
Customers often expect us to immediately launch campaigns or build a site. We first ask questions about the structure of the site because that’s usually where the problem lies, not in the ad account or the design. We always answer these four questions first:
Is it already selling somewhere?
Advertising reinforces what is already there. If there is no demonstrable interest in your product or service yet, then it is too early and we say that.
Is the destination ready?
Driving traffic to a page that doesn't convert costs money without producing results. Sometimes the website is therefore the first step.
Is the measurement correct?
Without reliable conversion data, we cannot send and the algorithm cannot learn. We will fix that before anything goes live.
Are the ingredients there?
There is enough budget to let the algorithm learn, enough content and a clear message. If that is missing and we cannot make it happen, then we won’t start.
marketing psychology
Predictive management: we let people know in advance that the first few weeks consist of questions and analysis. Those who know this experience that time as careful and not as slow.
// Two disciplines
Who does the work.
Mitchel does the advertising, Jacco the websites, the technology and the measurement. You have direct contact with the person who is doing the work. There is no account manager involved, and your work is not handed over to a junior.
// Advertising
Advertising along the customer journey.
Many campaigns get stuck on two things: they don’t guide the buyer through all the phases of the customer journey, and the platform doesn’t get the data it needs. Customer Journey Advertising is our approach to that. We create contact moments per phase and build them according to the platform’s best practices, so they reach the right people at reasonable costs.
- Foundation. Customer profile, message per stage, proposition check, measurement and business case.
- Live on one platform. Start small, gather data, adjust until there is a proof of concept.
- Optimise and scale up. Increase the budget once the campaigns are hitting their targets, only then a second platform.
// Websites and measurement
Websites that you manage yourself, with measurement starting from the very beginning.
Often a good strategy gets stuck on the website: the landing page is in an IT queue, the tracking measures the wrong things, and every change requires a consultation. Jacco therefore builds marketing sites that are independent of your internal systems and that you manage entirely yourself. Focused on conversion, with tracking, technical SEO, and privacy well-established before the first visitor enters.
- Introductions and strategy. Target audience, conversion points, technical requirements and how it aligns with your campaigns.
- Construction. Design, development, copywriting, tracking and SEO concurrently, with one structured feedback round. A maximum of two projects at the same time.
- Live streaming and watching along. For the first 30 days we check whether the measurement is correct and the conversions are coming in. After that, the site is yours.
// Pace
Start small, then scale up.
We start small, focused on one clear outcome: a proof of concept. We don’t scale too early, and we take into account the decision-making process of your customers, which can take weeks to months. In the first few weeks, that might feel slow, but that’s not how you spend a large budget before you know what works.
If the proof of concept is in place, you need to allocate budget to maintain and grow the results. Without additional budget and data, the algorithms lose their grip and you lose what you have built up. Additionally, we shift budget from campaigns that don’t work to campaigns that do work. That costs nothing extra.
How long it takes to say something reliable depends on the channel and the decision-making cycle of your customers. Expect two to six months for advertising, and about six weeks from initial acquaintance to live launch for a marketing site. In which numbers to use when writing numbers we explain what you should look out for at each stage.
marketing psychology
Commitment in steps: a proof of concept is a small first step. Those who have taken that step and see results experience scaling as a logical follow-up and not as a new decision.
// Collaborating
That's how collaboration works.
Each journey is different, but these four steps always come back.
01
Introductory call
A 30-minute conversation about your goal, offer, target audience, current figures and budget. After that, we both know if it fits. If it doesn't, we'll say so and you won't pay anything.
02
Analysis
We review your current setup, measurements and figures, calculate the business case and determine where we should start. Here we answer the four questions above.
03
Design and proof of concept
We build and go live, small and focused: with advertising on one platform, with a website with one feedback round. From that moment on, data starts to come in for uploading.
04
Scale up and adjust
We shift budget towards what works, ensure the algorithm receives the right signals, and continuously evaluate based on the numbers.
What we ask of you
Engagement and space. Think along, bring ideas to the table, and know what you want to achieve, but let us decide how to get there. In practice, this means providing timely feedback, appointing someone to make decisions, and taking on your own part of the work. And if it works, the ambition to create a permanent acquisition channel and grow from it.
// Where we draw the line
When we say no.
Our capacity is limited per service: a maximum of two website projects and a maximum of four advertising campaigns at the same time, so that each campaign receives the attention it needs. Therefore, we choose to say no in these cases:
- Too early. There is no product or service that sells anywhere yet. Advertising is an expensive way to find out if there is demand; that can be done more cheaply through product development.
- No destination. Driving traffic to a page that isn't going to convert. We'd rather build that page first.
- Ingredients are missing. There is not enough budget to let the algorithm learn, no content and no clear message, and no possibility to create that.
- A verdict within six weeks. That is too short a time to say anything reliable. This often leads to the idea ‘we tried advertising, it doesn't work’, While it hardly had a chance.
- Not wanting to change anything. Anyone who does not want to adjust the budget, distribution or partners if the figures so require, stands little chance of benefiting from our analysis.
If we see insufficient potential for a good result, we will say so upfront. That sometimes costs us a job, but prevents you from spending money on something that won’t work.
marketing psychology
Self-selection and credibility: we mention when we are not the right party. This makes it more credible when we say that we can help.
// The evidence
What this is based on.
Our approach is based on practical experience and research into decision-making and persuasion. These are the books we often turn to.
// Decision-making and influencing
- Cialdini, R.B. (1984). Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. HarperCollins.
- Cialdini, R.B. (2016). Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade. Simon & Schuster.
- Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
- Thaler, R. H. & Sunstein, C. R. (2008). Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness. Yale University Press.
- Ariely, D. (2008). Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions. HarperCollins.
- Pratkanis, A. R. & Aronson, E. (2001). The Psychology of Influence. W. H. Freeman and Company.
// Message, conversion and culture
- Schwartz, E. (1966). Breakthrough Advertising. Boardroom Inc.
- Johnson, B. & Eisenberg, J. (2011). Great Leads: The Six Easiest Ways to Start Any Sales Message. Copyblogger Media.
- Eisenberg, B. & Eisenberg, J. (2006). Call to Action. Thomas Nelson.
- Fogg, B. J. (2002). Persuasive Technology. Morgan Kaufmann.
- Meyer, E. (2014). The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business. Public Affairs.
// Frequently asked questions
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