Google Ad Grants
Optimising search for a fitness NFP
Overview
Live Life Get Active (LLGA) entered the crowded charity sector with a strong proposition but they found it hard to get the awareness and response they needed. LLGA turned to us to ensure their Google Ad Grants were having the most impact possible.
Now, after a few months working together to optimise their Google Ad Grants account, new sign-ups from paid search have significantly improved and website traffic has tripled. With more relevant traffic flowing to LLGA’s website, conversions are also rising.
Problem
Poor response to existing digital strategy, no-cut through in cluttered market
Solution
Go local, optimise keyword searches, target community groups
Results
Three-fold increase in website traffic.
“Working with the team at Marlin (formerly Leafcutter) has been a breath of fresh air! We sought them out because of their specialisation within the NFP sector and their industry knowledge and experience have been extremely beneficial. Within three short months, we have been able to turn a lagging AdGrants account into a well-performing marketing channel, with little to no work required on our behalf. We look forward to working with them in the future.”
Alex King, Marketing and Communications ManagerLive Life Get Active
The Challenge
Live Life Get Active (LLGA), is a new non-profit organisation in the health and fitness industry. They needed to build awareness and wanted to use Google’s Ad Grants program to help spread the word.
Google’s Ad Grants provides eligible non-profits and charities with US$10,000 worth of in-kind ad spend per month – which can paid out Australian charities’ marketing budgets by a significant AU$170K each year. It also enables organisations to reach people they might not ordinarily reach – if campaigns are managed effectively.
Live Life Get Active were keen to get started with the program. They engaged external help from another digital marketing agency, set up their account and launched their campaign. They didn’t see much impact on website activity or class registrations. It felt like an opportunity wasted.
Knowing they could do better, they turned to us for help.
The Solution
Part of our role as an agency is to bridge the gap between the objectives of a campaign and what’s possible. So we sat down with LLGA to define what success looks like to them. Their specific goals were:
- Increase website traffic
- Increase registrations for classes
- Increase brand awareness
- Identify new opportunities and get the most out of their Google Ad Grants account
After assessing their current Google Ads campaign we uncovered a couple of key reasons the results had been disappointing: a mismatch in the search intent, keywords were too broad, and there was no geographical targeting. A mismatch in intent meant that the intent behind the searches was different to the solution LLGA provided. While targeted keywords were bringing in health-related traffic, they did not relate to the website – resulting in visitors immediately exiting the site.
LLGA’s classes and events take place in local communities, so people are highly likely to attend one near their home or workplace.
After extensive keyword research, we developed a highly localised strategy, targeting specific keywords people search for. We broke campaigns up into geo-specific ads and matched them with available classes, for instance, “free yoga classes Leichhardt”. We also adjusted their bid strategy to improve traffic and conversion performance.
Once we implemented these changes, it was time to test and learn. It’s only through continuous monitoring and optimising ad copy, keywords, strategy and spend that we can continue to lift the results of a campaign.
We continue to manage LLGA’s Google Ads account and report back monthly on key metrics and campaign performance, so they’re always up to date with how their campaigns are tracking.
The Results
Although the campaigns have only been active since August 2019, LLGA has already seen healthy increase inactivity. New sign-ups from paid search have significantly improved and website traffic has tripled. With more relevant traffic flowing to LLGA’s website, conversions are also on the rise.
Google Ad Grants can help organisations reach more supporters and raise awareness– but it’s not for everyone and there are a number of criteria you need to meet to be eligible. If you have specific goals you hope to achieve from Ad Grants, let’s chat. We can audit your account and tell you how you can maximise your free ad money and include it in your digital marketing strategy.
