# Marketing & Paid Acquisition **For:** marketing staff tracking ad spend, campaigns, and paid acquisition performance **What you'll learn:** how to access the Marketing area, view campaign performance, track spend by platform, monitor paid acquisition metrics, and configure marketing settings. > This is a **how-to guide for the dashboard**, not the API. If you're building an > automated marketing reporting system or integrating with ad platforms instead, see the > [Usage Guide](/usage-guide). --- ## Before you start You'll need an admin login for your store and the **Marketing** section visible in the left navigation. If you don't see it, ask your administrator to grant marketing access. Throughout this guide, screenshots use a **demo store** — the names, campaigns, and spending shown are fake. --- ## 1. Access the Marketing area Log in to the admin dashboard and click **Marketing** in the left navigation. ![The Marketing link in the left navigation](images/marketing/nav-marketing.png) The Marketing area has three main sub-sections: - **Campaigns** — view and manage your marketing campaigns - **Paid Acquisition** — track customer acquisition through paid channels - **Settings** — configure marketing integrations and preferences --- ## 2. View campaign performance Click **Campaigns** in the Marketing section to see an overview of your active and past campaigns. ![The Campaigns page showing campaign performance](images/marketing/campaigns-list.png) For each campaign you'll see: - **Campaign name** — the name you assigned when you created the campaign - **Platform** — which ad platform or channel the campaign is running on - **Status** — whether the campaign is active, paused, or completed - **Spend** — the total amount spent on that campaign (in dollars, as a decimal: 49.99) - **Performance metrics** — impressions, clicks, conversions, and return on ad spend (ROAS) Click any campaign row to open its detail page and see a deeper breakdown of performance over time. ![A campaign's detail page with performance trends](images/marketing/campaign-detail.png) --- ## 3. Track spend by platform The Marketing dashboard shows a **Spend by Platform** widget at the top, which aggregates spending across all your ad platforms (Google Ads, Facebook, TikTok, etc.). ![The Spend by Platform widget showing spending breakdown](images/marketing/spend-by-platform.png) This gives you a quick view of: - Which platforms are getting the most budget - How much you've spent on each platform this month or period - Total ad spend across all channels Use this view to balance your marketing budget and identify which channels are most cost-effective. --- ## 4. View paid acquisition metrics Click **Paid Acquisition** to see how many customers came to your store through paid ads and what they spent. ![The Paid Acquisition page showing acquisition by channel](images/marketing/paid-acquisition.png) The Paid Acquisition view shows: - **New customers acquired** — how many customers came from paid channels - **First-time purchase value** — the average and total revenue from those customers - **Breakdown by platform** — which ad platforms drove the most acquisitions - **Date range filter** — view data for specific time periods > **Tip:** A customer is counted as "acquired" on the date of their first purchase. If they came from a paid ad but didn't buy for several days, they'll appear in the acquisition report on the purchase date, not the click date. --- ## 5. Configure marketing settings Click **Settings** in the Marketing section to manage integrations and how marketing data is tracked. ![The Marketing Settings page](images/marketing/marketing-settings.png) From Settings you can: - **Connect ad platforms** — link your Google Ads, Facebook Ads, TikTok, or other ad accounts - **Set conversion tracking** — configure how purchases and other customer actions are tracked - **Manage permissions** — control who on your team can view or edit marketing campaigns --- ## 6. Note: deeper marketing analytics Some marketing analytics — like detailed creative performance, audience segmentation, or attribution modeling — may live in a separate marketing analytics tool. Check your team's documentation or contact your administrator if you're looking for reports that aren't in the OmniCart admin dashboard. The admin dashboard focuses on **spend tracking, campaign status, and basic acquisition metrics**. For advanced analysis, you may need to access a dedicated analytics or creative management platform. --- ## Quick reference | Task | Where to find it | |------|------------------| | **See all campaigns** | Marketing → Campaigns → view list with spend and performance | | **View campaign details** | Campaigns → click any campaign row to open its performance page | | **Check spending by platform** | Marketing → view the Spend by Platform widget on the main page | | **Track new customers** | Marketing → Paid Acquisition → see customers acquired and their first-purchase value | | **Filter by date range** | Paid Acquisition or Campaigns → use the date range picker to view specific periods | | **Connect an ad platform** | Marketing → Settings → link your Google Ads, Facebook, or TikTok account | | **Configure tracking** | Marketing → Settings → set up conversion tracking for purchases and other actions | --- ## Common troubleshooting | Problem | Why it happens | How to fix it | |---------|----------------|--------------| | No campaigns are showing | Campaigns haven't been created yet or they're hidden in a filter | Check that the date range includes when campaigns were active; create a new campaign if none exist | | Spend numbers look wrong or zero | Ad platform account isn't connected or sync hasn't run yet | Go to Settings and verify your ad account is connected and synced within the last few hours | | Acquired customers total is lower than expected | Tracking code may not be installed or customers clicked ads but didn't purchase through a tracked link | Check Settings to confirm conversion tracking is enabled; verify the storefront has the tracking code installed | | I can't see the Marketing section | You don't have marketing access or the section isn't enabled for your store | Ask your administrator to grant marketing permissions or enable the Marketing section |