In this case study, you will learn how we transformed a failing Google Ads campaign into a massive success. Our team generated 752 leads within the first 90 days of the campaign. Here’s how we achieved it:
Background
We aimed to generate new leads and enable the sales team to follow up with the prospects.
At the same time, they browsed through the online inventory. Before employing our PPC management service, the client had already spent over $70,000 on paid ads within six years. They also invested tens of thousands of dollars in previous agencies that, per the client, “didn’t make much of a difference” to their business
So how did we turn this campaign around?
Let’s break it down!
Uncovering A Big Tracking Issue
The first issue we encountered when auditing the account was that the tracking needed to be set up. Accurate monitoring is essential to determine campaign effectiveness.
We noticed that the tracking reported tens of thousands of leads, which seemed off.
After investigation, we discovered that the account counted a lead every time someone hit a general page on their site, not a thank-you or confirmation page but a public page.
This resulted in the campaign reporting thousands of “leads” that didn’t exist.
Therefore, we eliminated any irrelevant conversion actions that skewed our data and began anew with new conversion tracking. We placed our conversion “goal” on the thank-you page after a lead filled out a form, ensuring we collected information from the lead.
Starting Fresh With New Search Campaigns
During the campaign research process, we worked with the client to determine the driving levers of their business and what they wanted to target.
After deciding on a theme, we conducted competitive research to determine what competitors were doing, what the offer should be, and what angles to use. In this case, our client wanted to target a general audience searching for used vehicles in their area. Since the previous campaign’s data was flawed, we began fresh with two new campaigns. The first campaign was themed around “Used Cars,” and the other campaign was a branded campaign. We crafted high-converting ad copy and paired it with tight ad groups. We always ensure that we use message matches to achieve the highest CTRs! We then used location targeting to limit where the ads were served to only their local area
Starting Fresh With New Search Campaigns
During the campaign research process, we worked with the client to determine the driving levers of their business and what they wanted to target.
After deciding on a theme, we conducted competitive research to determine what competitors were doing, what the offer should be, and what angles to use. In this case, our client wanted to target a general audience searching for used vehicles in their area. Since the previous campaign’s data was flawed, we began fresh with two new campaigns. The first campaign was themed around “Used Cars,” and the other campaign was a branded campaign. We crafted high-converting ad copy and paired it with tight ad groups. We always ensure that we use message matches to achieve the highest CTRs! We then used location targeting to limit where the ads were served to only their local area
Setting Up High Converting Landing Pages
In the past, the account drove traffic to their homepage. This is usually not optimal for lead generation campaigns because homepages are not designed for conversions.
Instead, we drove traffic to specific landing pages that matched what they were searching for and were optimized to convert highly. In this case, we developed a landing page based on used cars.
We noticed that competitors would send traffic to inventory pages because people wanted to browse the inventory, so we made that our offer.
This landing page collected the lead’s information and offered to “view” the inventory. That way, we collected information upfront, and the client’s sales team could follow up.
The Results
After setting up proper tracking, creating new campaigns, writing new ad copy, and creating custom landing pages, we turned on the traffic, and the leads started pouring in! Within 90 days, we had generated over 700+ leads, including 528 form fills, 224 phone calls, and 752 total leads.
This figure does not include over 1,033 site visits and 84 actions taken for directions. As we optimize this campaign, we plan to expand to other vehicle-type-specific landing pages (used trucks, used SUVs, etc.).
| Form Fills: | 528 |
| Phone Calls: | 224 |
| Total Leads: | 752 |
That is not including over 1,033 site visits (Not to the landing page) and also 84 actions taken for directions.
As we optimize this existing campaign, we also have plans to expand to other vehicle type-specific landing pages (used trucks, used SUVs, etc).
Conclusion
The right strategy can turn a failing campaign around, just like we did for this auto dealer. If you want to help turn your campaigns around, get more leads, or get more ROI from your ads, check out our PPC management program!