For years, businesses relied on single-channel advertising, running ads on Facebook or Google and tracking results inside the platform. But as digital marketing evolved, tracking customer journeys got more complicated. Now, customers don’t just see one ad and buy, they interact with multiple platforms before making a purchase. If you don’t know which channel is actually driving sales, you’re making blind decisions with your ad spend. That’s where Ralph Burns, Founder & CEO of Tier 11, comes in.
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The Death of Single-Channel Advertising
There was a time when businesses could rely on a single advertising platform to drive sales. A well-placed Facebook ad or a Google search campaign was often enough to attract customers and generate a solid return on investment. But today, consumers don’t behave the same way. They see an ad on Instagram, then search for the company on Google. They might watch a YouTube video, check reviews, or even wait until they receive an email before making a purchase.
The problem? Every platform claims credit for the sale. Businesses look at their ad reports and see impressive return-on-ad-spend (ROAS) numbers from multiple sources, but the revenue doesn’t add up. Without a clear attribution system, companies risk scaling the wrong ads, cutting effective campaigns, or wasting money on channels that aren’t actually driving conversions.
According to Ralph, understanding multi-channel attribution is no longer optional. Companies that fail to track where their actual customers are coming from will never scale efficiently.
The Hidden Gaps in Your Ad Data
Many businesses believe they have a strong handle on their advertising performance. They see positive metrics inside Facebook Ads Manager or Google Analytics and assume they are making data-driven decisions. But Ralph explains that these numbers are often misleading.
Ad platforms use their own algorithms to attribute sales, which means they are incentivized to take as much credit as possible. This leads to inflated ROAS figures and a distorted view of which campaigns are truly effective. Without a proper tracking system in place, brands may unknowingly spend thousands on ads that look profitable on paper but aren’t actually delivering sustainable growth.
At Tier 11, Ralph and his team focus on real revenue impact rather than surface-level ad performance. They work with brands to clean up their analytics, implement advanced tracking, and ensure marketing decisions are based on actual buying behavior not just what the ad platforms claim.
Why Most Ad Agencies Are Doing It Wrong
Many agencies focus on making their numbers look good rather than helping their clients grow. They showcase impressive ROAS figures without diving deeper into whether the business is actually making money.
Ralph believes this is a fundamental flaw in the industry. Instead of obsessing over in-platform metrics, agencies should align their strategies with business objectives. If the goal is new customer acquisition, they should track how many first-time buyers are coming in, not just how many conversions a campaign is reporting. If profitability is the priority, agencies should focus on increasing lifetime value rather than just generating short-term sales.
Businesses working with ad agencies need to demand more than just reports filled with impressive-sounding numbers. They need transparency, real revenue insights, and strategies that lead to sustainable scaling.
Making Black Friday and Holiday Campaigns Profitable
Seasonal promotions like Black Friday can be incredibly lucrative, but only if they are executed correctly. Many brands fall into the trap of increasing ad spend without a real strategy, leading to wasted budget and disappointing returns.
Ralph explains that success during high-traffic seasons isn’t about running more ads—it’s about running the right ones. Businesses need to analyze past performance, identify their most profitable products, and structure campaigns that maximize return on investment. Instead of spreading their budget across too many products or audiences, they should double down on what works.
At Tier 11, Ralph’s team helps brands fine-tune their holiday strategies by eliminating wasted spend, refining targeting, and leveraging data-driven insights. This approach ensures that businesses aren’t just chasing revenue spikes during the season but setting themselves up for long-term growth.
How Businesses Can Take Control of Their Advertising
Scaling a business through digital advertising requires more than just launching campaigns and tracking basic metrics. Brands need to understand their entire marketing ecosystem, analyze customer journeys across platforms, and make informed decisions based on reliable data.
The key is to stop relying solely on what ad platforms report. Businesses should implement proper attribution models, use independent tracking tools, and measure success based on real revenue impact rather than inflated ROAS figures. For those struggling to scale or make sense of their ad data, Tier 11 provides the expertise needed to build a sustainable, high-growth advertising strategy.
If your business is ready to take advertising to the next level, connect with Ralph Burns at tier11.com.
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