Free Guide · 2026 Edition

The Ecommerce Growth Blueprint

The paid media frameworks and supporting channels top DTC brands use to grow profitably in an AI-driven, signal-scarce landscape. Built from the playbook we run on $18M+ in managed ad spend.

How to build a paid media engine across Meta, Google, TikTok, and beyond
Why MER beats platform ROAS, with the formula and benchmarks by growth stage
How AI is reshaping discovery, creative, and media buying, and what to do now

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$18M+

Profitable ad spend managed

+9.5×

Average MER, top accounts

-71%

Cost per purchase, restructured campaigns

What's Inside

The whole growth engine, not just the ad account.

Paid media is the engine, but the entire vehicle wins the race. The Blueprint covers the engine and everything around it, condensed into frameworks you can act on immediately.

Paid media: the growth engine

How to evaluate Meta, Google, TikTok, and Pinterest for your brand, and why a deliberate media mix beats a single point of failure.

Creative that compounds

Why creative volume and diversity beat budget increases, plus the weekly testing cadence and UGC playbook that keep CPAs down.

CTV and the KPI cheat sheet

When Connected TV earns a place in your mix, and a channel-by-channel table of the metrics that actually matter.

MER over ROAS

Why platform-reported ROAS overstates reality, the MER formula, and benchmark ranges from early-stage to mature brands.

Winning in the age of AI

How AI answers are reshaping discovery (AEO), how AI changes creative and media buying, and five moves to make this quarter.

Channels beyond paid

The email and SMS flows, SEO, digital PR, and affiliate programs that compound returns and lower blended CAC over time.

Proof It Works

Case Study · KC HiLiTES

Making every ad dollar work 2.4x harder

Full-funnel paid media for an automotive lighting brand: restructured accounts, disciplined budgets, and creative testing measured against business outcomes, not vanity metrics.

10.0X

Blended ROAS, 2026 YTD

+145%

YoY return on ad spend

2.4x

Ad dollar efficiency

"The team at Strat88 have been instrumental in the growth of KC. I appreciate their work ethic, accountability, and overall integrity when working on vast and complex projects. I know I can trust them to provide best-in-class domain expertise when I need it the most. We have been working together for half a decade and love the work they produce in every aspect. Highly recommended."

Andy Wang

Head of Growth, KC HiLiTES

Who's Behind the Guide

Written by the team that runs this Blueprint every day.

Strat88 manages paid media for eCommerce brands across Meta, Google, TikTok, CTV, and programmatic. Everything in the Blueprint comes from work we do on live accounts.

Channel strategy and media planning

The channel mix, budget split, and funnel roles mapped to your goals and margins.

Paid social campaign management

Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, and LinkedIn run with disciplined structure and testing.

Paid search campaign management

Google and Microsoft accounts structured to capture demand without cannibalizing it.

Budget pacing and optimization

Spend managed daily against efficiency targets, with AI-assisted anomaly detection.

CTV and programmatic media

The Trade Desk, Disney+, and streaming inventory for brands ready to scale reach.

Reporting you can trust

Dashboards and reviews built on MER, CAC, and incremental revenue, not dashboard theater.

Quick answers

Is the Blueprint really free?

Yes. You get one email with the Blueprint attached. No credit card, no trial, no follow-up sequence unless you ask for one.

Who is the Blueprint for?

DTC and eCommerce founders and marketing leads spending on paid media, whether you run it in-house or manage an agency. It's most useful for brands doing real revenue who suspect their ad spend could work harder.

Will someone call me after I download it?

No. If the Blueprint is useful and you want help applying it, there's a link inside to book a call with us. That part is entirely up to you.