Advertising Operations Case Study

Building a Scalable Advertising Operations System

City Publications Atlanta relied primarily on Google Sheets, manual updates and team follow-ups to manage clients, creative production, campaigns, mailing data and reporting. I am helping design the company’s first connected operational framework—combining structured spreadsheets, CRM architecture, automation and campaign-data systems.

Role

Advertising Coordinator — CRM Automation and Marketing Operations

Engagement

June 2026–Present

Industry

Advertising and Direct Mail

Status

Ongoing

Platforms

GoHighLevel, Google Sheets, Apps Script, Monday.com, Slack, Leadpost

At A Glance

From Manual Coordination to a Connected Operating System

Starting Point

Manual and spreadsheet-dependent

Client records, creative actions, deployments, reporting and follow-ups were managed through separate Google Sheets and communication channels.

My Contribution

Operational systems built from the ground up

I mapped the processes, improved the existing trackers and began designing the CRM, automation and reporting infrastructure.

Direction

A connected advertising operations system

The goal is to give the team clearer campaign visibility, standardized workflows, better data and more scalable execution.

The Challenge

The Operational Challenge

City Publications Atlanta manages several interconnected parts of an advertising campaign. These activities were happening, but there was no established end-to-end workflow in GoHighLevel. Most of the work depended on Google Sheets, email, messaging and manual status checks.

  • Client onboarding and contracts
  • Creative assets and design changes
  • Offers and promotional details
  • Mailing and deployment schedules
  • QR codes, landing pages and campaign tracking
  • Mailing-list and CRM data
  • Performance reporting, renewals and upsells
Process Mapping

Before Automating the Work, I First Defined the Work

Because City Publications Atlanta did not have an established CRM workflow, the first step was not simply adding automations. I reviewed how client and campaign information moved through the business, identified the decisions required at each stage and organized those activities into a structured lifecycle.

01 Lead Intake

Capture lead and campaign details in a structured starting point.

02 Client Conversion

Move qualified opportunities into a defined client lifecycle.

03 Campaign Onboarding

Collect contracts, offers, assets and setup requirements.

04 Creative Production

Document instructions, manage proofs and confirm approval.

05 Tracking Setup

Configure landing pages, QR codes, UTM parameters, forms and analytics.

06 Campaign Scheduling

Connect creative, deployment and campaign timing.

07 Campaign Live

Keep campaign visibility clear once mail and digital assets are active.

08 Reporting

Consolidate data, match records and present results.

09 Renewal and Upsell

Identify next-step opportunities after campaign completion.

Core Workstreams

The Systems Built Around the Work

The project spans CRM design, spreadsheet operations, creative coordination, reporting, automation and digital campaign support.

Workstream 01

CRM Architecture

The need: The company did not have established GoHighLevel pipelines or operational automations.

  • Lead and client campaign pipeline structures
  • Opportunity stages based on the actual client lifecycle
  • Custom fields and campaign information groups
  • Tags, forms and lead-routing requirements
  • Internal-notification and follow-up logic
  • Renewal and upsell workflow planning
System Preview
Lead PipelineClient Campaign PipelineRenewal Logic
Workstream 02

Google Sheets Operations System

The need: Google Sheets was the primary operational tool, but records and responsibilities were distributed across different files.

  • Client database structure
  • Creative action tracking
  • Deployment tracking
  • Consistent statuses and validation rules
  • Cleaner management views
  • Automated dashboards and summaries
  • Removal of unused rows, columns and duplicated information
System Preview
Client DatabaseCreative ActionsDeploymentDashboard
Workstream 03

Creative-Production Coordination

The need: The design team needed a clear list of clients that were ready and still required action.

  • Limited the active queue to clients marked ready to proceed
  • Removed completed or non-actionable requests
  • Separated pending feedback from current design actions
  • Standardized instructions for headlines, offers, images, QR codes, ratings, expiration dates and disclaimers
System Preview
Ready to StartRequested ChangeProof StatusNext Action
Workstream 04

Reporting and Matchback Analysis

The need: Mailing files and client sales records used different structures and address formats.

  • Multi-file mailing-list consolidation
  • Multi-year sales-data processing
  • Address normalization
  • Duplicate-address detection
  • Confirmed, possible and unmatched classifications
  • Manual-review workflows
  • Reusable USPS address aliases
  • Client-facing matchback reports
System Preview
Mailing Records + CRM RecordsAddress CleaningMatching RulesAttribution Report
Workstream 05

Task and Communication Automation

The need: Task updates were maintained in Monday.com and repeated manually in Slack.

  • Notifications for new tasks and status changes
  • In-progress, blocked, completed and archived updates
  • Daily operating summaries
  • Monday start-of-week priority summaries
  • Friday end-of-week completion summaries
  • Task-owner grouping
System Preview
Monday.comAutomationSlack Summary
Workstream 06

Digital Campaign Support and Tracking

The need: Direct-mail campaigns needed stronger digital support and clearer client-facing performance presentation.

  • Responsive landing pages
  • Client case-study pages
  • QR-code destinations
  • UTM tracking
  • Campaign forms
  • Embedded videos
  • Tracking scripts
  • LeadPost pixel support
  • Calls to action
  • Mobile optimization
System Preview
Landing ExperiencesQR + UTMLeadPost PixelClient Results Pages
System Architecture

How the Operating System Connects

The engagement is ongoing, so the architecture distinguishes what is already improved, actively used, developed, in development or planned.

City Publications Atlanta logo Operations Hub
GoHighLevel Client Database Creative Tracker Deployment Records Monday.com + Slack Landing Experiences Mailing Datasets Matchback Reporting

Google Sheets operations

90%
IMPROVED AND ACTIVELY USED

Creative-production workflow

30%
IN DEVELOPMENT

Matchback-analysis workflow

75%
IN DEVELOPMENT

GoHighLevel architecture

40%
IN DEVELOPMENT

Monday.com–Slack reporting

100%
DEVELOPED

Renewal automation

20%
PLANNED
Engagement currently in progress

A Stronger Foundation for Scalable Campaign Operations

Clearer Campaign Visibility

Client information, requirements and status can be organized around defined lifecycle stages.

More Focused Creative Work

The design team receives a cleaner queue of clients that are ready and still require action.

More Consistent Records

Statuses, campaign fields and operational data are being standardized across systems.

Reduced Manual Reporting

Apps Script and task-summary tools reduce repetitive preparation and communication.

Improved Attribution Process

Mailing and CRM datasets can be compared through structured normalization and review rules.

Scalable CRM Direction

The company now has a defined plan for transitioning from spreadsheet-dependent operations toward GoHighLevel.

My Role

My Role in the Project

I worked across both the technical infrastructure and the day-to-day operational process—turning manual requirements into structured systems the team could use.

Strategy and System Design

  • Process mapping
  • CRM architecture
  • Pipeline and field design
  • Workflow planning
  • Database structuring
  • Reporting logic

Implementation and Coordination

  • Google Apps Script development
  • Spreadsheet management
  • Landing-page development
  • Matchback-analysis development
  • Creative-request coordination
  • Task and communication automation
Tools and Capabilities

Systems, Platforms and Skills Used

GoHighLevelGoogle SheetsGoogle Apps ScriptMonday.comSlackLeadpostHTMLCSSJavaScriptCRM ArchitectureMarketing AutomationData NormalizationDirect-Mail AttributionCampaign Operations

From Separate Trackers to a Defined Operating System

City Publications Atlanta’s transition is still underway, but the company now has a clearer operational direction. The work has established the structure needed to organize client campaigns, improve creative coordination, standardize campaign data, strengthen reporting and gradually introduce CRM automation.

Rather than replacing manual processes without understanding them, I first mapped how the work needed to operate and then developed the systems around it. This created a more practical foundation for future automation and growth.

Let’s Improve How Your Business Operates

Let’s build smarter workflows, stronger systems and a more efficient way of working.

Discuss Your Operations View More Case Studies
Stay informed

Subscribe to the newsletter

Get occasional updates on operations, systems, support strategy, and practical ways to keep your business running with more clarity.

  • Refined operational insights and workflow ideas
  • Practical support strategy for growing teams
  • Occasional updates from kimpaolo.co

Join the list

Enter your email to receive updates directly in your inbox.