Digital Advertising
Whether you're starting from scratch or starting over, you're in the right place.
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Are your competitors showing up more often than you?
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Are you spending money on advertising without a real picture of what's working?
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Are you unsure where to even start with digital advertising?
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Do you have a strategy behind your ad spend, or are you just guessing?
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Bottom line: Is your business growing as fast as you want it to?
Digital Advertising Strategy
The platform isn't the problem — your strategy is.
We hear two stories a lot:
"I've never done this before."
You know your customers are online. You just don't know where to start, what to spend, or which platforms actually make sense for your business.
"I've tried it and it didn't work."
You ran ads. You got reports. You got impressions. You didn't get much else — and you're not sure what went wrong.
Both are more common than you'd think. And both point to the same root problem.
Digital Advertising Strategy
Running ads without a solid strategy is a waste of your marketing dollars.
A real marketing strategy means:
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Knowing exactly who you're trying to reach
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Understanding where they are in their buying process
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Saying the right thing at the right moment — not just showing up
Done right, digital advertising keeps your business visible from "I've never heard of them" all the way to "I'm ready to buy." That's what we build.
How Digital Advertising Works
The best strategies reach people throughout the customer journey.
The old sales funnel is dead. Real customers don't move in a straight line — they search, get distracted, come back, read reviews, ask a friend, and eventually decide. But even in a non-linear journey, there are distinct moments where the right ad can make a real difference.
The goal isn't to push people through a funnel — it's to be there at every moment that matters, however they get there.
Awareness: They don't know you yet.
Before anyone can choose you, they have to know you exist. This is about showing up for the right people before they're even actively looking — so when the need hits, you're already familiar.
Consideration: They're looking around.
Now they have a need and they're researching. This is where being visible when someone searches for exactly what you offer becomes critical — and where staying in front of people who've already found you keeps you in the running.
Research & Discovery They're going deep.
They're comparing options, reading reviews, visiting websites, asking for recommendations, and circling back again. This stage can last days or weeks. Businesses that stay visible throughout this loop are the ones that make the short list.
Decision They're ready to act.
All that visibility pays off here. The right message at the right moment — a strong offer, a clear next step, an ad that speaks to someone ready to decide — can be the difference between them choosing you or your competitor.
Loyalty They've already bought.
This is where most businesses check out. But a customer who's had a great experience is one of the most valuable audiences you can advertise to. They refer people, come back, and keep your brand alive in conversations you'll never see.
Want to dig deeper?
We wrote an in-depth blog post about how the modern customer journey works.
Marketing Budget Calculator
How much should you spend on marketing?
Why Cougar Digital Marketing?
13+ years of campaigns built around real goals.
We're not a national agency routing your account through layers of people. We're a local team with a genuine stake in seeing the businesses here succeed.
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Campaigns built for your specific goals
Because there's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all digital advertising strategy.
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Direct access to your team
No account managers, no handoffs. Direct access to the team actually running your campaigns.
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Honesty and transparency above all
Real numbers, plain-English reporting, and real transparency when it comes to what's working and what isn't.
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A partner, not just an agency
We're invested in what happens after the campaign goes live — not just in delivering a thing and moving on.
Digital Advertising Case Study for a Tri-Cities Auto Repair Shop
What happens when you pair a new, modern website with a hyper-focused Google Search Ads strategy?
leads in the first year alone
Online Advertising Platforms
The right tool for the right moment.
There's no "best" platform to run digital ads on. There's the right one for your goals and where your customers actually spend time.
Google Search Ads
You either show up when someone searches for what you offer, or your competitor does. High intent, low waste — this is the most direct form of digital advertising there is.
Facebook & Instagram Ads
Reach the right people before they're ready to buy — and stay connected with existing customers and warm leads while you're at it. Powerful targeting, wide reach, full funnel.
YouTube Video Ads
Video lets people get a feel for who you are in a way static ads can't. YouTube puts that in front of a large, targeted audience at exactly the right stage.
Streaming TV Ads
Streaming TV ads put your brand in living rooms with digital-level targeting and none of the traditional TV price tag. Most of your competitors aren't here yet.
Display Advertising
Targeted ads served across thousands of sites and apps, based on who your audience is. Built for longer buying cycles where multiple touchpoints matter.
AI-Optimized Campaigns
The latest AI-driven ad tools automatically optimize placements, audiences, and spend across multiple channels at once. Powerful when guided by the right strategy — flat-out wasteful without it.
125+ 5-Star Reviews
Don't take our word for it.
Fantastic service! Cougar Digital gave me very professional one-to-one couching! This is making a significant impact on my projects!
We absolutely loved working with Cougar Digital on the launch of our new website and throughout several incredible photo shoots. From start to finish, their team was creative, responsive, and truly understood our vision.
Josh Kandle was able to complete a wonderful presentation to my Introduction to Business class at Columbia Basin College. He brought to life the world of Marketing on the internet and how to use it effectively and consistently. The students left the presentation with knowledge they could go out and use immediately. He was great!
Cougar Digital's team has provided us with fast and courteous service that is paying dividends. We couldn't be more pleased with their positive, can do attitude and would recommend them to anyone wanting to separate themselves from their competition. Aperneo thanks you as well!
Cougar digital was awesome to work with. They made the website design experience very simple and were very helpful in accommodating my companies' specific needs!
Working with Cougar Digital to launch a campaign for kids to support the Prosser Boys & Girls Club. I was impressed with their creativity, professionalism, and attention to detail. They helped us to achieve incredible results and bring our ideas to life!
Josh has a great eye and delivers on what he promises. Easy to work with and very responsive.
Sonar Insights had the pleasure of partnering with Cougar Digital Marketing & Design, LLC on two separate occasions - a video campaign for the Benton Franklin Census 2020 and a video for a client. It was a big undertaking to take the script sand creatively execute on them. Josh Kandle and his team did a masterful job at realizing the vision for the projects with a fantastic end product. Could not be more pleased!
I highly recommend Cougar Digital. I am currently working with them on 3 separate projects. They took over 2 community based websites that were painful to use and turned them into user friendly, performant websites. Their website & database design is outstanding and they have consistently exceeded my expectations. It has been a pleasure working with everyone at Cougar Digital!
Cougar Digital has been extremely easy to work with. The owner and staff are all courteous and friendly. We're really happy with our experience with the whole team and their overhaul they did on our website. I would definitely recommend them if you're needing to update your website. They've been great and are always happy to help!
Josh at Cougar Digital built us a beautiful website! He and Travis are wonderful to work with and made the whole process easier than I imagined it would be. I would recommend them to anyone that wants a great, quality website
Working with Josh at Cougar Digital Marketing & Design was an excellent experience! The process was incredibly collaborative, allowing us to bring our vision for the Pasco School District Career Guide to life. Josh listened to our ideas, provided valuable insights, and worked tirelessly to ensure the final product exceeded our expectations. We are thrilled with the outcome and can't wait to share our new Career Guide with our students and families. Highly recommend Cougar Digital for any design and marketing needs!
Josh was quick to reply and great to work with. I would highly recommend and look forward to the next opportunity we get to work with him.
Cougar Digital took my website to a whole new level! They are very professional and knowledgeable and did excellent work. They also filmed a few videos for me that turned out amazingly well! They were very responsive to what I wanted and envisioned and were extremely patient with me. I would highly recommend them to anyone!
Cougar Digital answered the phone, literally. During a company name change, we reached out to multiple design and marketing groups from the Tri-Cities to Walla Walla to Spokane. Although we'd left messages with each vendor, Cougar was the only one courteous enough to respond. After a couple consultations, Joshua Kandle, Director of Marketing took charge of the design of our new company logo. With patience and professionalism, he listened to our concepts and following a series of modifications, he created a logo that is printed on millions of labels and boxes that're shipped globally. The logo is headlined on our website and our email, along with being printed on our work garments. Digital art might be easy with today's technology, but without Joshua's patient nature and ability to listen to our ideas, the incredible logo wouldn't have been possible. Vehemently I recommend Cougar Digital. They're professional yet personable. They're communicative and driven while remaining patient.
If you need a website. Call these guys and you won't be disappointed. You'll be surprised at how affordable they are and with the great LOCAL customer service they provide. These guys know their stuff.
Josh and the Cougar Digital team did an amazing job with a drone video production that included narration. The quality of audio and video show a professional production level. I appreciate the attention to detail and quality of work by the Cougar Digital team.
Josh and Cougar Digital did an amazing job on a video for an event. We were super proud to show it to donors and had a wonderful response by community members regarding the video. Well done Josh and Cougar Digital!
This team is awesome! they truly have most things figured out and thought through before you walk through the door. And the unknowns are easily resolved with their level of professionalism! We cant say enough about Ashley the design manager and Josh the photographer! They both made the process fun and easy and we were constantly surprised by the “WOW” factor! Thank you all and we look forward to future growth for both our small businesses.
Travis and his team are top notch and very professional! They kept us on tract to make our website target date with daily/weekly tasks. They made the job seamless and supported us through the whole process! Our site is interactive with our industry software because Travis took the extra time to learn what we needed to make it work. Thank you so much Cougar Digital!
The Cougar Digital team is fantastic. We recently revamped our website. I worked closely with Faith and she was super friendly and helpful every time we talked whether it was email, phone, or in person. The whole team works together to make sure everything is perfect and taken of. They really took our needs into consideration. Thanks!
Josh did a great job making a couple of highlight videos for me. Easy to work with and prompt service
Josh and his crew go above and beyond. He offers very personalized service and is always willing to go the extra mile. He never hesitates to come in to my office and personally show my staff how they can maximize their services. I've wasted too much money over the past few years on worthless SEO. It's great to have someone local who is accountable and provides fantastic service!
Our website turned out great! Nick was super easy to work with really made the process a breeze. Josh was our photographer for our website, after seeing the results from the first shoot we had to schedule for another! The pictures turned out better than imagined. Josh did a great job staying out of our crews way but managed to catch all the action with great detail. 10/10 would recommend to anyone!
Cougar Digital Marketing & Design does outstanding work. Prosser School District has utilized their expertise on multiple occasions to assist in communicating our message. They are easy to work with and most importantly, they deliver!
Cougar Digital has been great to work with! With their support we have seen significant improvement with our marketplace campaigns.
We are SO grateful with Josh from Cougar Digital! We are a community workspace and Josh came in and took some fantastic pictures of our brand new space! We are very pleased with the work that he did!
Cougar Digital went above and beyond to ensure our complete and total satisfaction with creating and launching our new website which can be a challenging process when multiple opinions are involved. Josh in particular was very attentive, patient and helpful throughout the creative process and also with recommendations for SEO and innovative solutions for soliciting reviews and feedback from customers to boost online reviews. He also facilitated communication with our existing IT support to smoothly transition our domain and emails. I highly recommend the expertise of Cougar Digital for help with all things digital. If they don't offer a solution themselves, they will help you find one!
Ashley redid our website. She was professional, quick, and listened to all of our requests. Thank you!
Cougar Digital has truly exceeded expectations with their outstanding work on our website. From start to finish, their team demonstrated peak professionalism, creativity, and technical expertise. The design they crafted for our website is nothing short of spectacular. It perfectly captures the essence of our brand while ensuring a visually stunning and user-friendly interface. Every detail was meticulously planned and executed, resulting in a site that not only looks impressive but also functions seamlessly! 100% Recommend Cougar Digital to all businesses.
Always a pleasure to work with the Cougar Digital Marketing & Design team! They excel in creativity, effectiveness and efficiency.
Working with Cougar Digital on our logo design was fantastic! Their creativity, professionalism, and attention to detail brought our vision to life, delivering a result that exceeded our expectations. Highly recommend their team!
These guys are great! It's always an interesting scenario when you begin a relationship with a new company. I will say that from experience Cougar Digital is one of the easiest and highly educated companies to work with. If you have a question a quick email or call gets an answer. If you have an idea these guys will without a doubt help to the best of their ability. I'm no expert in the marketing world but Cougar Digital makes me feel like I have everything I would ever need at my fingertips. Thanks a ton guys, we look forward to our continued partnership!
Cougar did a wonderful job with our new site. Ashley and Travis were extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly. We will definitely be coming back for any needs in the future!
We've had a great experience working with Cougar Digital. We purchased a package deal with a new logo, photography and web design for the Grace Brethren Church of Sunnyside. Nick and Josh were both great to work with. We've had a lot of positive feedback on the work they've done.
Travis Hartliep and his crew are amazing! I worked with Josh on designing a book cover and he was great... was willing to work through numerous changes and updates, suggested helpful things to push the project along, and was very patient and courteous. We came in on budget and on time for the project and the end result was fantastic. I highly recommend Cougar Digital for any and all of your design and marketing needs.
Cougar Digital should be your only call for web design. I would give them 6 stars if I could. #Silverline
Great company! Love how quickly Josh responds to our needs, questions and requests! Highly recommend them
Working with the Cougar Digital Marketing team was an absolute delight. Truly good people who are VERY skilled at what they do. Running a large regional food company, it's a blessing to work with an experienced digital team here locally, and not have to seek services in the Seattle or Portland market. I highly recommend working with Cougar Digital!
We had the privilege of working with Cougar Digital to create a video for our annual Hospice Gala, and we couldn't be happier with the results. The team captured the heart of what we do beautifully, creating a piece that was both moving and true to our mission. Josh, in particular, was outstanding. His compassionate approach made our interviewee feel comfortable and valued, allowing them to share their story openly and genuinely. The video resonated deeply with our guests, effectively conveying the essence of hospice care and the impact of our work on patients and their families. Thank you, Cougar Digital, for helping us share our story in such an impactful way!
I honestly don't know where to start. My partners and I could not be happier with the process from start to finish working with Ashley and Cougar Digital Marketing. It was an absolute pleasure working with Ashley and I would recommend her to anyone who is looking to either create a website for their business or enhance their current one like we did. The service and pricing we experienced completely exceeded our expectations.
I really love the team approach with Travis and the group, they are very professional, organized, and skilled at what they do. I wish I had employed them for my website and advertising years ago. I regret spending so much money trying to do it on my own or with cheap services that took my money and did nothing. I feel like they are MY team, and I feel I'm not alone trying to achieve my business goals to get my services out to the public.
Mykaela Faulconer at Cougar Digital is one of my favorite people to work with, ever, across the board. She is incredibly talented, and has done consistently stellar graphic design for me and my team at Tri-City Orthopaedic Clinic. I have never had a bad interaction with Mykaela, and she goes above and beyond to provider exemplary customer service at every turn. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to work with Mykaela on a daily basis. Everyone at Cougar Digital is amazing, and I would recommend them whole-heartedly.
I asked Cougar Digital to create a logo for my organization and make my handmade and very rinky-dink brochure and booklet look professional. They came through with flying colors. They gave me several options for a logo, listened carefully to my feedback and then sent me exactly what I wanted when I myself didn't know what it was I exactly wanted. Their team helped me narrow down the important information, put it in an order that made sense and then make it look fantastic. Everyone who has seen the finished product has been so impressed. Through the entire process, I found them to be easy to work with, easy to communicate with, speedy and responsive to emails and phone calls and patient when we came up against a deadline crunch (through no fault of their own). I would give Cougar Digital my highest recommendation.
Ashley is very easy to communicate with and quick to respond when you have questions. Ashley is very attentive to your ideas. My website gets very high compliments.
It is always a pleasure working with Cougar Digital, especially with Josh and Mykaela. It's been a very good partnership with them. Very professional, always available for any questions or inquiries. Looking forward for more years of partnership.
Digital Advertising FAQs
Questions? We've heard 'em all.
If you’re thinking it, there’s a good chance someone else asked it too.
How much should I budget for online advertising?
That depends on your goals and how competitive your industry is—but we’ll help you find a smart place to start. We’ll never push you to spend more than you’re ready for, and we’re upfront about where your budget is going. Whether you want to test the waters or scale up, we’ll build a plan that fits.
Check out our marketing budget calculator for a ballpark starting range →
How will I know if my ads are working?
That depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. A brand awareness campaign is going to look different than a lead generation campaign—because success means different things. If you’re focused on getting your name out there, we’ll look at reach, impressions, video views, and engagement. If you’re aiming for leads or sales, we’ll track clicks, form submissions, calls, and conversions.
That’s why strategy matters. Before we launch anything, we’ll talk through your goals and set clear expectations about what success looks like. Then we’ll send you monthly reports with real numbers—not just marketing jargon—and walk through the results together. You’ll always know where things stand, and what we’re doing to make them better.
How soon will I start seeing results?
Some campaigns (like Google Search ads) can generate clicks right away. Others, like brand awareness or retargeting, take time to build momentum. We’ll let you know what to expect based on your goals and the platform we're using—but in general, we aim to start learning and optimizing within the first 30 days.
Why do I need different types of ads? Shouldn’t one be enough?
Because most people don’t go from “never heard of you” to “take my money” in one click. The customer journey isn’t linear—it usually takes multiple touchpoints to build awareness, earn trust, and prompt action.
That’s why a strong ad strategy usually includes more than one type of campaign. For example:
- Awareness ads introduce your brand to new people.
- Consideration ads speak to people who already showed interest (like visiting your site).
- Remarketing ads follow up and give them a reason to come back.
- Nurture campaigns keep you top of mind over time.
We build your campaigns to work together—so your future customers don’t just see you once and forget. They see the right message, at the right time, in the right place.
Digital Marketing for Busy Professionals
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