One of the best ways to grow is by implementing strategies that have proven successful for other businesses. In this post I’ll walk through a digital advertising case study for a client in the manufacturing space with a modest budget and show you the strategies and tactics that lead to significant growth and reduced spend.
First, the Results
Jan. 31 – March 24, 2020 (year-over-year snapshot)
During the first two months of implementing a new digital advertising strategy for our manufacturing client, our team was able to triple the quantity of hard leads year-over-year with half the spend. We did so by driving the cost per lead down from $261 to $39.
Needless to say, the client was thrilled and is now much better positioned for a positive year from a digital advertising and lead generation perspective.
How We Accomplished Such Fantastic Results (and Tips for How You Can, Too)
1. Google Paid Search Restructuring
During our initial deep dive into the client’s Google Ads account, we identified a number of instances where we could cut out wasted spend and double-down on positive results.
For example, when reviewing keyword performance there were clear keywords that had spent a lot of budget but weren’t contributing to conversions. Cutting these keywords out of the account freed up more budget to spend elsewhere.
Additionally, we identified keywords that ranked very well organically that the client was also spending ad dollars on.
Expert Tip #1: When you’re ranked at the top of SERPs organically, there’s usually no reason to spend ad dollars on those same keywords.
Also, our client had one division of its company bidding on its brand name on Google with a low spend. Cutting out this ad spend, as well, saved even more budget to allocate elsewhere.
Expert Tip #2: The auction insights report within your Google Ads campaigns will show you which competitors are bidding on the same terms as you are, as shown in the image below.
2. Facebook & Instagram Remarketing
On average, 96-98 percent of your website visitors will not convert. However, they browsed your website, learned about your brand, may have considered your offering, and are substantially more likely to convert than any other audience.
Don’t let that go to waste! It doesn’t matter if you’re a B2B or B2C - getting back in front of your website visitors works, and it works well.
The average adult in the USA spends about three hours per day on social media. Conveniently, it also happens to be incredibly affordable to advertise here. Since this is where users hang out, it’s the perfect place to run your remarketing ads.
Expert Tip #3: When running Facebook Ads, you have countless ad formats you can choose from. One that works well is called Facebook Lead Ads. With this format, when a user clicks your call to action button, they are taken to a form directly on Facebook that auto fills their information.
This ad type caters to a seamless user experience with less friction, since the user doesn’t even have to leave Facebook to complete the form. Below is an example of what the Facebook Lead Form process looks like.
3. Google Display Remarketing
Continuing with the remarketing concept, Google Display allows you to step outside of social media and expand your brand’s digital presence across Google’s network of 3M+ websites and mobile apps. Serving banner ads as users surf the web and use mobile apps keeps your brand top of mind while the consumer is in the buying stage.
Expert Tip #4: Designing nicely branded banner ads with a holistic, cross-channel perspective delivers a consistent brand message to your audience. Here’s an example:
By combining the three tactics shared above, we were able to drive impactful results for our client and substantially lower their cost per conversion. We hope our tips will help you optimize your own digital ad spend and grow your business, as well.
Request a Complimentary Digital Advertising Account Audit
If you need help getting the best possible performance from your Google, Facebook and LinkedIn ad accounts, Northwoods is offering a free digital advertising audit (a $750 value) for a limited time. The only requirement is that you have an active advertising account with any of these three platforms.
To request a free audit, visit our Digital Advertising services page and request a consultation. We look forward to helping you optimize your ad performance!