Campaign ownership
I handle builds, launches, optimization, reporting, and delivery issues across paid social and search.
Paid Media Portfolio
Darnell Walker Jr.
Paid Media Specialist
Google Ads and Acadium certified, with a Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate credential and hands-on experience in paid media, digital media buying, Meta Ads, Google Performance Max, and customer, vendor, and client engagement. I hold an associate degree in Business Administration from Lawson State Community College and focus on improving campaign performance and reach.
My background includes marketing, brand promotion, and client service. I work well under pressure, communicate clearly, solve problems creatively, and pay close attention to the details.
4 yearsAgency paid media experience
74Accounts supported at once
$400K+Paid media spend overseen
5+Major ad platforms
How I work
Hands-on from setup through reporting.
I keep the client goal in view while staying close to the details. My work covers campaign builds, lead forms, audiences, pacing, tracking, QA, troubleshooting, and next-step recommendations.
Team collaboration
Client Services, account managers, creative teams, vendors, strategists, and platform specialists.
Selected case study
Walker's Renton Mazda lead generation
Platform: Meta Ads
Campaign: Lead forms
Period: July 21 - September 8, 2026
44Lead forms
$2,028.51Total spend
$46.10Overall cost per lead
608Link clicks
My role
The dealership wanted a simple way to collect leads from people interested in specific Mazda models. I worked with Client Services on the lead form, built the campaign, ad sets, and ads, then handled the launch, pacing, and budget.
Optimization decision
The CX-50 ad set delivered most of the lead volume, but it also reached the highest frequency. I monitored repetition and adjusted targeting inputs to help control fatigue without losing the strongest source of leads.
Plan
Worked with Client Services to begin the lead-form process and confirm the campaign goal.
Build
Created the campaign structure, three vehicle-focused ad sets, lead ads, and budget setup.
Launch
Completed setup and QA, launched the campaign, and monitored early delivery.
Optimize
Tracked pacing and frequency, refined targeting, and added relevant interest signals at the ad-set level.
Report
Compared lead volume, cost per result, clicks, impressions, and frequency across ad sets.
| Ad set | Leads | Spend | CPL | Clicks | Impressions | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mazda3 | 7 | $436.85 | $62.41 | 87 | 9,311 | 2.23 |
| CX-50 | 36 | $1,441.64 | $40.05 | 507 | 33,476 | 3.60 |
| CX-90 | 1 | $150.02 | $150.02 | 14 | 3,061 | 2.08 |
| Total / overall | 44 | $2,028.51 | $46.10 | 608 | 45,848 | - |
Lead distribution
What worked
The CX-50 ad set generated 82% of total leads.
It produced 36 of 44 lead forms and delivered the lowest cost per lead at $40.05. That made it the clear volume and efficiency driver within the campaign.
Source: Meta Ads Manager ad-set export. Attribution: 7-day click or 1-day view.
Selected case study
Empire Mazda service traffic campaign
Platform: Meta Ads
Campaign: Landing-page views
Period: August 8, 2025 - September 19, 2026
12,713Landing-page views
$6,819.31Total spend
$0.54Overall cost per LPV
2.61MImpressions
My role
Empire Mazda of Green Brook wanted more traffic to its service website and a better way to reach past customers. I built and launched the campaign, ad sets, and ads, then watched pacing and spend.
Optimization decision
I worked with Client Services to request customer lists that could be used at the ad-set level. That gave the campaign a direct way to reach previous vehicle buyers with service messaging.
Build
Created the campaign, ad-set structure, ads, and landing-page-view optimization setup.
Launch
Completed QA, launched the campaign, and monitored early delivery.
Manage
Tracked pacing and budget performance across the in-market and retargeting ad sets.
Improve
Requested customer lists so previous buyers could be reached with service messaging.
Compare
Reviewed traffic volume and cost per result to compare retargeting with in-market targeting.
| Audience | LPVs | Spend | Cost / LPV | Impressions | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer retargeting | 7,508 | $3,129.44 | $0.42 | 1,846,149 | 32.55 |
| In-market | 5,205 | $3,689.87 | $0.71 | 762,857 | 3.60 |
| Total / overall | 12,713 | $6,819.31 | $0.54 | 2,609,006 | - |
Landing-page view distribution
What worked
Retargeting produced more traffic while spending less.
The retargeting ad set generated 7,508 landing-page views, 2,303 more than the in-market ad set, while spending $560.43 less. Its $0.42 cost per landing-page view was 41% lower than the in-market cost.
Source: Meta Ads Manager ad-set export. Result metric: landing-page views. Attribution: 7-day click or 1-day view.
Campaign rebuild
McGrath City Honda: shifting from traffic to website leads
Platform: Meta Ads
Original objective: Traffic
New objective: Website leads
The problem
The traffic campaign was not producing enough meaningful results for the dealership.
The decision
I moved the strategy to an on-site website lead campaign so the optimization goal matched the action the dealership actually wanted.
My role
I built the new campaign, ad set, and ads, completed setup and QA, launched the ads, and checked that delivery started correctly.
Why the switch mattered
A traffic campaign is built to find people likely to click. A website lead campaign is built around the action the dealership actually wants, giving the platform a clearer signal and the account a better way to judge performance.
Diagnose
Reviewed the traffic campaign and saw that the objective was not aligned closely enough with lead generation.
Rebuild
Created the website lead campaign, ad set, ads, destination, and conversion setup.
Launch
Completed QA, launched the new ads, and confirmed delivery.
Monitor
Tracked lead activity, spend, pacing, and delivery instead of judging the campaign on clicks alone.
Freelance Case Study
Oceanview Capital Properties: A Small-Budget Traffic Test
Platform: Meta Ads
Goal: Direct-booking website traffic
Test: One week | $35 budget
56Landing-page views
$30.47Spend from the $35 test
$0.54Overall cost per landing-page view
2,395People reached
My Role
The client wanted more visits to the booking website for his short-term rental properties. I created the Facebook page, built the campaign, ad set, and two ads, launched the test, and monitored the budget and early results.
What I Learned
The Penthouse ad drove more volume with 38 landing-page views. Groovy Blue was more efficient at $0.47 per view, about 19% lower than the Penthouse ad.
Set Up the Page
Created the client's Facebook business presence for the rental brand.
Build
Created the campaign, ad set, two property ads, destinations, and budget setup.
Launch
Completed QA, launched the test, and checked delivery.
Monitor
Watched spend, pacing, landing-page views, cost per result, reach, and CTR.
Plan the Next Test
Keep the higher-volume Penthouse ad live while testing new versions of the more efficient Groovy Blue angle.
| Ad | LPVs | Spend | Cost / LPV | Impressions | Reach | CTR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groovy Blue | 18 | $8.47 | $0.47 | 868 | 679 | 1.96% |
| Penthouse | 38 | $22.00 | $0.58 | 2,227 | 1,716 | 1.80% |
| Total / Overall | 56 | $30.47 | $0.54 | 3,095 | 2,395 | 1.84% |
Source: Meta Ads Manager ad-level export, August 20 - September 18, 2026. These are early results from an ongoing campaign.
Selected Deliverables
The Work Behind the Campaigns
The planning, trafficking, reporting, and tracking documents that supported public-health and performance campaigns.
Media Planning
ALS Registry 2025 media planning, EOTF campaign plans, paid media research, and advertising-opportunity reviews.
Creative Specs and Trafficking
AmeriCorps NCCC and VISTA specs, CDC Screen for Life specs, HRSA materials, OIDP spec sheets, and platform-ready campaign setup.
Reporting and Insights
ALS awareness reporting, HRSA paid reports, AmeriCorps and HHS performance analysis, and Google Ads reporting.
Tracking and Operations
HRSA UTM generators, AmeriCorps and OIDP master trackers, campaign SOPs, QA, and launch documentation.
Experience
Paid media across platforms and industries.
Automotive, public health, real estate, film and production experience across Meta, Google, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
Campaign execution
Builds, creative setup, lead forms, QA, launches, revisions, and daily optimization.
Measurement
GA4, Google Tag Manager, UTMs, conversion events, reporting, and attribution troubleshooting.
Budget management
Monthly pacing, spend monitoring, delivery checks, reallocations, and account-level oversight.
Platforms
Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads, TikTok Ads, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
Reporting
Excel, Power BI, platform reporting, performance summaries, and clear recommendations.
Operations
Salesforce, TaskRay, Canva, Prisma, Mediaocean, Backpack, and Shape.
Certifications
Google Ads Video and Display, Google Analytics, Acadium, and Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate.
Certifications and Training
Credentials in paid media, digital marketing, and hands-on campaign work.
Career history
Force Marketing
AutomotiveRan dealership campaigns across Meta, Google, and TikTok. My day-to-day work covered campaign builds, pacing, tracking, QA, lead generation, inventory ads, reporting, troubleshooting, and support across a large account load.
Fors Marsh
Public healthManaged work across Meta, Google Ads, LinkedIn, and Pinterest and oversaw more than $400,000 in spend. I supported ALS Registry, HRSA, AmeriCorps, CDC Screen for Life, and OIDP with media plans, UTMs, trafficking, and reporting.
Martin Retail Group
AutomotiveLaunched paid social across Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. I used Power BI, Prisma, and Mediaocean to keep campaigns organized across more than 10 markets.
Anywhere Real Estate
Real EstateWorked in a customer-service and client-facing role, creating Facebook ads, email flyers, print pieces, and digital materials while coordinating with agents, clients, vendors, production teams, and media partners.
Snakybyte Productions
Film and productionHelped with Meta campaigns, content scheduling, community engagement, and performance tracking.
Recommendations
What people I've worked with say.
The feedback I hear most: I learn fast, take initiative, support the team, and stay dependable when the work gets busy.
“One of the most driven and positive team members I've worked with.”
“Hard working, smart, and able to hit the ground running on any task.”
“His ability to adapt quickly, support his peers, and deliver high-quality results speaks to his potential.”
“I was able to have Darnell on our Paid Media team and recommend him in any future role. He always shows up with a positive attitude and is an extremely hard worker. We were thankful to have him!”
Let's Connect
Let's Talk About the Next Campaign
I'm interested in paid media or account-focused work where I can own campaign details, solve performance problems, and work directly with clients and internal teams.