Franchise Business

Case Summary

We were able to convince our client to experiment with Digital Ads.  They had been running traditional ads in registries and magazines, on billboards, over the radio and at trade shows for years, and they agreed to carve out 25% of his annual marketing budget for AdWords.  The result were astounding.  By carefully tracking performance with Goal Setting, we were able to determine that the AdWords budget accounted for 65% of his overall sales with the traditional marketing budget for the year representing only 35% of sales.

Client Challenge

Our client is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of seasonal screen enclosures, greenhouses, Florida rooms and year-round sunrooms, solariums and conservatories.  We were contacted by a well-established North American franchise that was distraught over it’s lack of control of its own SEO for it’s region. It was frustrating to pay for expensive corporate marketing budgets without being able to have a hand in how they were being spent. Our client was looking for a solution.

Hypothesis

Leveraging our deep knowledge of SEO, we would launch a competitive website-driven keyword strategy and support it with content marketing. From customer insight, we believed that we could correctly segment and attract the geographic and demographic traffic that fit the client’s target. We believed that this strategy would deliver quality leads to our Client, and as a result, create a positive Return on Investment.

Solution

Through leveraging our client’s deep knowledge of their own geographic market, and then applying that to our own knowledge of SEO, we selected several tools that we thought would drive ROI. We launched a series of keyword-driven websites, including fully optimized calls to action (CTAs) for desktop and mobile use.  Each site followed very carefully crafted on-page and off page SEO messaging, and was supported by smartphone- and tablet- responsive infrastructure.  We used Google AdWords to drive customers to the Client’s website and Google Analytics to measure the success of communications (activity) and conversions (sales). AdWords and Analytics provided the data we needed to develop an exclusion, interest, and categorical optimization strategy.

After four months of running a Google AdWords campaign that featured text, display and retargeting, the Client crossed its monthly break-even point. AdWords helped to drive prospects to the website, and the website helped to convert prospects into customers. From there it was off to the races. After eighteen months, the franchise was securing more business through its digital marketing channels than it was through its traditional print, billboard and radio strategy. Google Analytics could demonstrate that digital marketing accounted for 65% of revenue, but accounted for only 25% of the ad budget in the first eighteen months of use. Meanwhile, traditional marketing accounted for 35% of revenue, but 75% of the advertising budget.

After four months of running a Google AdWords campaign that featured text, display and retargeting, the Client crossed its monthly break-even point. AdWords helped to drive customers to the website, and the website helped to From there it was off to the races. After eighteen months, the franchise was securing more business through its digital marketing channels than it was through its traditional print, billboard and radio strategy. Google Analytics could demonstrate that digital marketing accounted for 65% of revenue, but accounted for only 25% of the ad budget in the first eighteen months of use. Meanwhile, traditional marketing accounted for 35% of revenue, but 75% of the advertising budget.

Conclusion

Digital marketing has been an extremely positive experience for the Client. In the beginning, there were mixed feelings about whether digital marketing would work. Once the whole team could see the enormous benefit of the optimized site and the AdWords campaigns, there was great enthusiasm for the strategy. The client recognizes the need for balance in traditional and digital marketing, and has since adjusted ad spend to be 75% digital marketing and 25% traditional marketing. Sales continue to grow.

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