Google Ads + Meta Ads Battle Plan

Prepared by: Kelly Fitzgerald, Bull Moose Strategy LLC
Date: April 2, 2026
Current as of: April 14, 2026 | Last refreshed: April 14, 2026 | View archived versions →
Election: May 5, 2026 Republican Primary — Licking County Commissioner (22 days remaining)

April 14 Strategy Update: Google election verification CLEARED (verified by impressions). Google Search campaign geo-targeting and keyword match types overhauled — was serving nationally due to missing geo + broad-match keywords (9 clicks from Pender County NC before caught). Now locked to Licking County PRESENCE-only with PHRASE/EXACT match types and 34 new negative keywords. Traffic campaign added (4th Meta campaign). A/B analysis showed Campaign B outperforming A 2.2x CTR — 3 short-copy ads + 1 video ad created in B, 2 A underperformers paused. Campaign C launched Apr 12 (7 ads).

Google Search Keywords (Budget: ~$500)

Tier 1 — Candidate & Election (HIGH INTENT)

These are people actively looking for election information. Highest conversion value.

Removed Apr 14: county commissioner, ohio county commissioner, role of county commissioner — all three were running broad match and matching national traffic (8 of 9 clicks came from Pender County, NC searches for local commissioner meetings). Licking-County-specific keywords now carry the load.

Tier 2 — Local Geo + Issues

People searching about Licking County issues relevant to Mark's platform.

Removed Apr 14: licking county property tax — off-topic search intent (mostly people researching how to pay their taxes, not voters).

Tier 3 — Competitor Defense (NOT deployed)

Competitor-name keywords were considered but not activated. Rationale: (1) low search volume for these names in a local primary, (2) bidding on opponents' names risks ethics optics and invites retaliatory bidding on "Mark Van Buren," and (3) Mark's name-search defense is already strong via organic SEO and owned Meta ads.

Negative Keywords (43 active campaign-level)

Campaign-level broad-match negatives to block out-of-state and unrelated-intent traffic. Expanded Apr 14 after the Pender County NC incident.

Meeting / informational intent (not political ads)

meeting, meetings, agenda, live stream, livestream, minutes, recording

Out-of-state filter

north carolina, michigan, florida, tennessee, oregon, indiana, texas, georgia

Specific counties that generated wasted impressions

pender, stokes, cabarrus, pitt, montcalm, davidson, surry, forsyth, sampson, siler, wilson, durham, hillsborough, shelby, edgecombe, ottawa, dekalb, hill county, lane county

Pre-existing negatives (retained)

9 negatives originally set including: jobs, employment, hiring, real estate, homes for sale, licking county court, licking county jail, licking county dog shelter, licking county auditor

Geographic Targeting

Method: Google Ads location criterion set to geoTargetConstants/9058978 — Licking County, Ohio (county-level geo constant, officially: "Licking County, Ohio, United States").

Targeting type: PRESENCE — ads show ONLY to people physically in Licking County, not to people elsewhere searching about Licking County. (Default PRESENCE_OR_INTEREST was the root cause of out-of-state serving before the Apr 14 fix.)

Why not ZIP codes: Previously planned to use 38 ZIP codes covering Licking County. County-level geo constant is simpler and more complete (catches ZIPs we might have missed). PRESENCE-only filtering now does the geographic exclusion work that ZIP limits would have.

Ad extensions: No radius targeting (Google blocks it for political ads).

Google Search Ad Copy (3 variations)

Status: All 3 ads live as of Apr 14. Search campaign ENABLED with cleaned-up targeting. Early data before cleanup: 109 impressions, 9 clicks, 8.26% CTR — but 8 of 9 clicks were from out-of-state junk traffic. Fresh Licking-County-only data starts Apr 14.

Ad 1 — Experience

Headline 1: Mark Van Buren for Commissioner
Headline 2: 25 Years of Township Leadership
Headline 3: Republican Primary — May 5
Description 1: 25 years of township leadership. Harrison Township Trustee. OTA Board of Directors. MBA in Finance. The experience Licking County needs.
Description 2: Fiscal conservative with a proven record. Vote Van Buren on May 5th. Paid for by Citizens for Van Buren.
Final URL: citizensforvanburen.com

Ad 2 — Fiscal

Headline 1: A Conservative Voice for Licking County
Headline 2: Mark Van Buren — Fiscal Responsibility
Headline 3: Vote May 5 — Republican Primary
Description 1: 25 years managing public budgets. MBA in Finance. Mark Van Buren will bring fiscal discipline to the Commissioner's office.
Description 2: Protecting your tax dollars and agricultural land. Vote Van Buren, May 5th. Paid for by Citizens for Van Buren.
Final URL: citizensforvanburen.com

Ad 3 — Community

Headline 1: Mark Van Buren — Licking County's Own
Headline 2: Farmer. Trustee. Conservative.
Headline 3: Vote May 5 for Commissioner
Description 1: Born and raised in Licking County. Van Buren Acres farmer. 25 years of township leadership. Mark knows this community.
Description 2: Real experience. Real roots. Real results. Vote Van Buren for Commissioner, May 5th. Paid for by Citizens for Van Buren.
Final URL: citizensforvanburen.com

Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Ad Strategy (Budget: ~$1,500)

Audience Targeting

Primary audience: Licking County registered voters likely to vote in Republican primary
- Age: 25-65+ (primary voters skew older)
- Gender: All
- Location: Licking County, OH (ZIP codes above)
- Interests: Local news, Ohio politics, Republican Party, farming/agriculture, community involvement, property rights, fiscal conservatism
- Behavioral proxies for R primary voters: Fox News, Newsmax, NRA, Republican National Committee, conservative talk radio, Ohio Farm Bureau

Note: Meta CANNOT target by party registration (banned Jan 2022). Must use behavioral proxies.

Ad Concepts (3-5 variations, pending Mark's photos)

Concept 1 — Introduction / Name ID

Format: Single image (Mark headshot or farm photo)
Copy:
Mark Van Buren has been serving Licking County for 25 years — Harrison Township Trustee, OTA Director, Fire District VP, and Farm Bureau Treasurer. Now he's running for County Commissioner.

Farmer. Fiscal conservative. MBA in Finance. OTA Board of Directors.

Mark has the experience and the roots to lead Licking County forward.

Vote Van Buren — May 5th Republican Primary.

Paid for by Citizens for Van Buren

Concept 2 — Experience / Credentials

Format: Single image (Mark at township meeting or community event)
Copy:
25 years of township leadership — Harrison Township Trustee, OTA Director, TID VP, Fire District VP
Ohio Township Association Board of Directors
MBA in Finance

While others talk about leading Licking County, Mark Van Buren has been doing it for 25 years.

Vote Van Buren for Commissioner — May 5th.

Paid for by Citizens for Van Buren

Concept 3 — Fiscal Conservative

Format: Single image (Mark with farm/county backdrop)
Copy:
Licking County needs a Commissioner who understands budgets — not just approves them.

Mark Van Buren: MBA in Finance. 25 years managing public resources. A proven fiscal conservative who protects your tax dollars.

Vote Van Buren — May 5th Republican Primary.

Paid for by Citizens for Van Buren

Concept 4 — Farm / Agriculture

Format: Single image (Van Buren Acres)
Copy:
Mark Van Buren doesn't just talk about protecting Licking County's farmland. He lives it every day at Van Buren Acres.

As Harrison Township Trustee, Mark added agricultural zoning protections to keep developers from swallowing our farms.

As Commissioner, he'll do the same for all of Licking County.

Vote Van Buren — May 5th.

Paid for by Citizens for Van Buren

Concept 5 — Comparison (without naming opponents)

Format: Single image (Mark confident pose)
Copy:
Five candidates. One who's been doing the work for 25 years.

Mark Van Buren — the only candidate with 25 years of elected experience in Licking County government.

Experience matters. Vote Van Buren for Commissioner — May 5th.

Paid for by Citizens for Van Buren

Ad Format Mix

• Image ads: 70% of Meta budget — proven performer for local races
• Video ads (if produced): 20% — 15-30 second spots for YouTube crossover
• Carousel (if enough photos): 10% — "Meet Mark" story format

Campaign Structure (Meta — Current State, 24 active ads after Apr 14 pruning)

1. Campaign A — Awareness (Radius): 4 active / 2 paused | $22/day | Live since Apr 9. A01 Experience and A02 Fiscal paused Apr 13 after underperformance (0.06% – 0.41% CTR).
2. Campaign B — Awareness (ZIP): 9 active / 5 paused | $22/day | Live since Apr 9. 5 originals (after Apr 14 prune of 3 underperformers) + 3 short-copy + 1 video. Outperforming A by 2.2x CTR (1.16% vs 0.52%). Top ad: B06 Waste at 2.78% CTR.
3. Campaign C — Counter-Endorsement: 7 active | Launched Apr 12. Counter to Bogantz endorsement ads (Houser, Salvage). Features Mark's current credentials: OTA Director, Fire District VP, Farm Bureau Treasurer, 25 Years of Service.
4. Traffic Campaign: 5 active / 1 paused | $18/day | Launched Apr 13. Optimized for link clicks to citizensforvanburen.com. 4 image + 1 video ad.

Total Meta daily spend: $62/day | Through May 5: ~$1,364 projected.

YouTube Ad Strategy (Budget: ~$500)

Status: YouTube campaign ACTIVE and serving as of Apr 14 (69 impressions, 3 clicks). The 30-second video also running on Meta (Campaign B + Traffic).

Format

• 15-second non-skippable bumper ads OR
• 30-second skippable in-stream ads
• Geographic targeting: Licking County ZIP codes
• Demographic: 25-65+

Script Concepts (pending photos/video from Mark)

15-second bumper:
[Mark to camera or voiceover with photos]
"I'm Mark Van Buren. 25 years of township leadership in Licking County. Farmer. Fiscal conservative. I'm running for Commissioner. Vote Van Buren — May 5th. Paid for by Citizens for Van Buren."

30-second in-stream:
[Farm visuals / community visuals / Mark speaking]
"For 25 years, I've served this community — Harrison Township Trustee, OTA Director, TID Vice President. I've managed budgets, protected farmland, and built infrastructure. Now I'm asking for your vote for Licking County Commissioner. I'm Mark Van Buren — a farmer, a fiscal conservative, and a proven leader. Vote Van Buren in the Republican Primary, May 5th. Paid for by Citizens for Van Buren."

Timeline — 22 Days to Election (Early Voting Open Now)

Competitive Intel (as of April 14, 2026)

Mark will be the only candidate with professional digital advertising managed by a consultant. This is a significant advantage in a 5-way race where 3 of 4 opponents have zero digital presence. Note: Bogantz has upgraded his production quality since April 1 — moved from single-image ads to endorsement card format featuring David Houser (former Licking County Commissioner) and Richard Salvage (former LCRP Central Committee Chair). 3 active endorsement-format ads as of April 11. His total creative count remains 13 ads at an estimated $500–800 total spend. Smith and Snedden Jr have no active ad campaigns observed.

Mark's Campaign Status (as of April 14, 2026)

Budget Status (as of April 14, 2026)