Introduction
Core Software is an online store that sells digital software licenses, including Windows, Office, Antivirus, and Adobe products. The company was founded at the end of 2020 and began operations at the end of February 2021. Core Software’s mission has been to offer the most affordable prices for software licenses for all types of users.
The company’s vision has evolved over time, and the current goal is to offer a complete range of electronic and IT products and to expand into other European markets.
How did we start?
Core Software began collaborating with our team towards the end of April 2022. The first step towards online promotion was taken by the owner, who tested his own Facebook Ads campaigns for three weeks. Subsequently, he decided to work with an agency because the campaigns did not generate the desired results, and dedicating time to develop in this direction was not an option.
In this study, we will analyze the one-year evolution of a business starting from scratch in terms of online promotion.
Action plan
The first step was to understand the business with its needs and specifics, as well as the owner’s objectives. Since the products target a broad audience (teenagers, students, companies, schools, etc.), it was very important to define the mix of budgets and channels we would work with initially. Of course, in establishing these, we also considered that the business was in its early stages, and promotion costs needed to be balanced.
We started with Google Ads promotion, and later, we extended the promotion strategy with paid campaigns on Facebook and LinkedIn, adapting messages and targeting to reach the target audience.
Results and evolution
Launch of Google Ads campaigns
In April 2022, we activated the first Google Ads campaigns with the objective of increasing the number of purchases. The initial results were promising, with 204 purchases in the first month and a total value of 10,830 lei. Once the Google campaigns were launched, other traffic sources also began to generate more sales (organic and direct).
After the first three months of running, performance increased significantly: a 79% increase in the number of transactions and a 55% increase in revenue. We adopted a mix of search campaigns on long-tail keywords, segmented shopping campaigns by profitability, and brand protection.
Expansion into Facebook and LinkedIn Ads
At the beginning of October 2022, we extended the promotion strategy with campaigns on Facebook Ads and LinkedIn Ads. After opening these two channels, there was an improvement in brand growth, which led to better performance across all traffic sources (a conversion rate increase of 3.76% and a 110% increase in purchases compared to the previous period).
In Facebook Ads, we adopted a mix of traffic and micro-conversion campaigns to drive quality traffic to the site, purchase objective campaigns, and dynamic campaigns based on the feed. LinkedIn campaigns focused on legal entities, where we implemented traffic and conversion campaigns.
Overview of results after the first year
In the first year of running PPC campaigns, the business exceeded a turnover of 830,000 lei, and the conversion rate increased by 103% compared to the starting point, the first month of launching Google Ads campaigns.
In the first year of running PPC campaigns, the results were as follows:
- Significant increase in traffic and purchases.
- Increase in total purchase value and conversion rate.
- Cost optimization and ROAS improvement.
In the second year, results increased by 37%, maintaining the ROAS at values similar to 2022, a year in which the allocated promotion budget was lower.
What other channels did we approach?
In addition to the channels used for PPC campaigns, a valuable contribution was also made by the SEO strategy, which included on-site optimizations, blog articles, and link-building.
- By optimizing the site, we managed to increase visibility and positioning in organic search results.
- We created an editorial plan and published relevant blog articles for the target audience to generate quality organic traffic.
- Through the link-building strategy, we obtained backlinks from authoritative and relevant sites in the field. These backlinks increased the site’s authority in Google’s algorithm.
Conclusions
- Our team managed to efficiently optimize campaigns to achieve significant results in increasing the number of purchases and ROAS.
- Diversifying promotion channels contributed to reaching a wider audience and increasing the number of purchases.
- Through a strategic approach and constant performance monitoring, we were able to optimize campaigns in real time to maintain an upward trend.
Testimonial Vlad Bala – General Manager @Core Software
„I tested Facebook Ads on my own for 2-3 weeks, but with no results, and as soon as we started the collaboration, the difference in experience and professionalism you have was immediately visible, from the first campaigns. I am very satisfied with the collaboration with Gun Media and have nothing but praise. A great team!”