Case Category: PPC

About Icy Bear

Icy Bear is a dental company that provides high-quality teeth whitening products in the UK. It was founded in 2020 by celebrity dentist Hannah Kinsella and has quickly become a popular brand in the UK market. With a focus on social responsibility, Icy Bear offers palm oil-free, SLS-free, and animal cruelty-free products that are all produced in the UK.

Icy Bear’s product development is exclusively led by top dental professionals who work to keep the brand on the cutting edge of the market. The company’s range of teeth-whitening products includes toothpaste, whitening strips, toothbrushes, and whitening gel kits. They have all been designed to provide customers with effective and safe teeth whitening solutions that adhere to strict dentistry guidelines.

With a commitment to social responsibility and a focus on staying at the forefront of the dental market, Icy Bear is poised to continue its success in the UK and beyond through strategic digital marketing.

Team

Icy Bear Team

Action Plan

In order to reach and attract new customers, Icy Bear wanted to expand its presence on social media platforms and run sponsored posts on Facebook. By leveraging the power of social media, the company aimed to connect with its target consumer and build brand awareness among a wider audience.

To create a successful Facebook ad action plan for Icy Bear, we strategised around a number of key points, including the following:

• Identified target audience: Mapped out the demographics, interests, and behaviours of their ideal target audience.
• Developed ad content: Created engaging ad copy which featured high-quality images and videos to show off the benefits of Icy Bear’s teeth whitening products.
• Choose ad objectives: Selected appropriate ad objectives, such as brand awareness, lead generation, and sales, to ensure that the ads were optimised for the desired outcome.
• Monitored ad performance: Regularly tracked the performance of the Facebook ads, including metrics such as click-through rate, conversion rate and ROAS.
• Tested and refined the ad campaign: Continuously tested different ad copy, images, and targeting options to identify what works best for the target audience and made adjustments to improve performance.

By following these steps and continuously refining the Facebook ad action plan, we were able to reach and engage with its target audience, build brand awareness, and ultimately drive sales of its teeth whitening products.

Audience Targeting

Planning out audience targeting for Facebook is an essential part of any successful ad campaign, and it was particularly effective for a brand like Icy Bear. They have a celebrity founder known for her role in the Real Housewives of Cheshire, which means she already had an existing fan base. To take advantage of her celebrity status, we used Facebook’s audience targeting features to reach audiences who show an interest in reality TV and celebrity culture.

We also created a lookalike audience based on existing Icy Bear website visitors. This helped us reach new customers who have similar interests and behaviours to their existing traffic. These people are more likely to be interested in the brand and buy their teeth whitening products.

Another approach we adopted was retargeting web visitors via Facebook ads who did not make a purchase. With this method, we could get back in front of people who had already been attracted to the Icy Bear brand and try to hook them into completing a purchase.

Facebook Ad Creative

Product Images

When creating the product image ad copy, we ensured the text was engaging and contained high-quality images. The ad creative also showcased the fact that Icy Bear has award-winning products, which helps affirm the fact that they are a quality brand.

Carousel Ads

To make the carousel ads as appealing to the target audience as possible, we used models inspired by glamorous reality tv personalities. This helped the carousel ads tell a visual story while promoting the different Icy Bear products and their benefits.

Influencer Content

We identified that Icy Bear’s ideal customer would respond well to influencer content. These influencers were able to create short-form videos that appealed to their followers and helped spread awareness of the Icy Bear brand and products.

Results

Through ongoing monitoring and refining ad copy to appeal to Icy Bear’s ideal consumer, we were able to reach new customers and retarget those that failed to initially make a purchase. They made £14.4k worth of sales in lookalike ads and a further £6.3k in sales from remarketing on Facebook. This equated to a total of 9X ROAS and 17X ROAS on remarketing with Facebook Ads.

Conclusion

The Facebook ad campaign implemented for Icy Bear was a success in increasing brand awareness and driving sales of their teeth whitening products. By targeting the right audience and using engaging ad creatives, the Facebook ads were able to convert over £20k worth of sales and a 9X ROAS.

The use of influencer marketing on Facebook also helped to increase brand awareness and reach new audiences while maintaining the brand’s messaging and authenticity. In order to continue the success of the Facebook ads, it’s important for Icy Bear to regularly analyse and optimise their ad targeting, ad creative, and messaging. This will help to ensure that the ads are reaching the right audience and driving the desired actions.

Overall, the success of the Facebook ad campaign showcases the effectiveness of social media advertising for small businesses like Icy Bear. By using the right targeting and creatives, small businesses can compete with larger brands and drive significant results.

About Icy Bear

Icy Bear is a dental company specialising in teeth whitening products. It was founded by celebrity dentist Hannah Kinsella in 2020 and is fast becoming a popular UK brand. They have a range of teeth whitening products, including toothpaste, whitening strips, toothbrush and whitening gel kits.

The Icy Bear brand prides itself on being palm oil-free, SLS-free, and animal cruelty-free. All their products are also produced in the UK and adhere to strict dentistry guidelines. Top dental professionals exclusively work on product development and strive to keep the brand on the cutting edge of the market.

Team

Icy Bear Team

Action Plan

When Icy Bear first approached us, they were searching for the fastest way to increase their online sales via their website. We started off with an organic SEO for dentists approach and then switched over to Google Ads campaigns to give them a push to help drive traffic and conversions.

We worked closely with Icy Bear to develop a tailored Google Ads campaign. There was a strong focus on keywords relevant to Icy Bear’s products, and we created engaging ad copy to entice potential customers. In addition, we provided guidance on how to optimise their website for search engines and online sales. This helped ensure that their site appeared high in SERPs when potential customers searched for teeth-whitening products.

Throughout the Google Ads campaign, there was a strong focus on delivering more sales while lowering CAC and increasing ROI. To achieve this, we had to closely monitor the ad performance, get creative with ad copy, and ensure the site was optimised for a simple purchasing experience.

Results

The results from the Google Ads campaign showed PPC was the best option for Icy Bear to get fast converting sales and get ahead of their competitors. With export ad management, we achieved £165K in revenue with only £12K invested to ad spend. This equates to a phenomenal 13x ROAS – an impressive figure considering teeth whitening products have fierce competition.

Clicks and Conversions

• There were 63.7k clicks during the campaign, of which 4.63k visitors converted into online sales.

• The total revenue generated was £165k, which only cost Icy Bear £2.63 per conversion.

Performance Max Campaign

• We created a campaign specifically to maximise conversion value which performed exceptionally with an average conversion rate of 9.59%.

Branded Search

• The branded search campaign also provided some fantastic results, with 7,762 clicks and a conversion rate of 9.19%. 

Conclusion

The Google Ads campaign implemented for Icy Bear was an outstanding success. The campaign generated impressive results, with 1 million impressions and 63.7k clicks, demonstrating the high level of interest generated by the campaigns.

Most importantly, the campaign resulted in £165,000 in converted sales and generated an impressive 13x ROAS and an average ROI of 10x. This highlights the campaign’s effectiveness in generating revenue for Icy Bear and demonstrates the power of testing and refining Google Ad campaigns.

The success of the campaign was not only due to the expertise of our team but also to the close collaboration with Icy Bear. By working together, we were able to create a tailored campaign that targeted the right audience and delivered fantastic sales results.

About Hex Performance

Hex Performance is an awesome company that’s changing the game when it comes to cleaning and laundry care products. They’re all about delivering top-notch cleaning power while keeping things eco-friendly. Founded in 2012, these guys have made a name for themselves by shaking up the traditional detergent scene and making it better.

The team at Hex Performance knows that regular detergents just don’t cut it. They leave behind residue, create build-up, and can’t handle tough stains and odours. Hex Performance has developed fantastic formulas that give you mind-blowing results without harming the planet.

The secret sauce behind Hex Performance’s success is their special tech called Hex Molecule. This genius invention works at the teeny-tiny molecular level to dive deep into your fabrics, kick out stains, and make odours disappear. Say goodbye to grime and hello to fresh, clean clothes that look and smell amazing!

And get this. You can find Hex Performance products on Amazon. So, whether you need to tackle sweat, dirt, oils, or bacteria, their lineup has got you covered. Best of all, their detergents are safe for you and Mother Earth because they ditch all the nasty stuff like harsh chemicals and optical brighteners.

Hex Performance is rocking the cleaning world with their effective, eco-friendly solutions. Get ready to level up your laundry game with these awesome products!

Team

Hex Performance Team

Action Plan

Hex Performance approached us to help them with PPC advertising for their Amazon store. With our deep expertise and proven track record in maximising PPC campaigns, we were a great partner to help Hex Performance achieve their business goals.

One main reason Hex Performance sought out assistance was to supercharge their visibility and reach on Amazon. As a growing company, Hex Performance understood the importance of standing out in a crowded marketplace. Our knowledge of Amazon’s advertising platform and ability to optimise PPC campaigns meant that Hex Performance could gain a competitive edge and increase their chances of being discovered by more customers.

NUOPTIMA’s expertise in PPC also helped Hex Performance make the most of their advertising budget. With precise targeting, strategic bidding strategies, and continuous campaign optimisation, we were able to maximise the ROI for Hex Performance. This meant that every dollar spent on advertising had the potential to generate more sales and drive business growth.

Our data-driven approach also allowed Hex Performance to gain valuable insights into consumer behaviour, keyword performance, and market trends. This information proved invaluable for refining Hex Performance’s overall marketing strategy and making informed decisions to drive future growth.

By partnering with NUOPTIMA for their Amazon PPC needs, Hex Performance unlocked a powerful tool for boosting their brand visibility, increasing sales, and optimising their advertising budget. Together, we formed a winning combination that propelled the company’s success on Amazon’s competitive marketplace.

Customer Review

Keyword Bidding and Organic Approach

In an effort to boost sales on Amazon, we implemented a strategy of increasing the aggressiveness of keyword bidding. However, upon analysis, we discovered that this approach didn’t lead to a significant increase in order volume. Instead, we observed that the increased PPC spending appeared to cannibalise their organic keyword performance. 

Recognising the need for a more sustainable long-term solution, we shifted Hex Performance’s focus towards improving organic impressions and positions. They soon understood that achieving better visibility in organic search results would have a more impactful and enduring effect on sales.

By prioritising organic keyword optimisation, we aimed to increase Hex Performance’s brand visibility to a broader Amazon audience without solely relying on paid advertising. Enhancing their organic search rankings would drive more traffic to their listings and foster stronger customer trust and loyalty.

This strategic shift in focus demonstrates the commitment to pursuing sustainable growth on the Amazon platform. By balancing PPC efforts with a focus on organic impressions and positions, we aimed to achieve a more holistic and effective sales strategy for long-term success.

Amazon ad spend fluctuation throughout the campaign period.

Special Offers

We implemented various Amazon deals to help attract customers and drive sales. We utilised different tactics, including adding coupons and running lightning deals. These strategies aimed to offer enticing discounts and incentives to shoppers, ultimately increasing the likelihood of conversions.

By adding coupons, Hex Performance customers were able to save money on selected products. These digital coupons could be applied at checkout, giving buyers an instant price reduction and encouraging them to make a purchase on Amazon.

Additionally, we took advantage of Amazon lightning deals. These time-limited promotions offered significant discounts on select products for a short period. We strategically scheduled lightning deals in February to create a sense of urgency and drive customer engagement during that time frame.

These Amazon deals allowed Hex Performance to effectively capture the attention of potential customers and incentivise them to choose their products over competitors. By combining coupons and lightning deals, we created an attractive value proposition that enticed shoppers to make a purchase within the specified promotional period.

Results

Hex Performance achieved some outstanding results during their 32-week contract with NUOPTIMA. They experienced a remarkable 6x ROAS, generating six figure PPC sales and achieving an improved 17% ACOS.

Ad Spend vs Total Sales

• Hex Performance ran Amazon PPC ads over a 32-week period which resulted in six figure PPC sales.

PPC Ad Sales

• The sales generated during the Amazon PPC campaign fluctuated due to issues with stock availability.
• Hex Performance still produced some impressive sales figures, with the highlight being week 20, when we sold five figures worth of products in 7 days via Amazon ads.
• Sales then took a drop following the unavailability of stock, which resulted in the PPC being switched off to not waste spend.

Organic Sales

• As ad spend of this value is not always possible, we assisted with an organic marketing strategy to ensure continued sales and an improved 6x ROAS.
• Total organic sales for the 32-week contract hit six figures.

Total Sales Minus PPC Spend

• The total Amazon sales for PPC and organic for the entire contract period were seven figures.

Conclusion

Our partnership with Hex Performance in managing their PPC ads on Amazon has yielded impressive results. Hex Performance’s decision to seek the expertise of the NUOPTIMA team has proven to be a game-changer for their business.

One of the standout achievements is the remarkable 6x ROAS that Hex Performance experienced by the end of the 8-month contract. This outstanding result demonstrates the effectiveness of NUOPTIMA’s strategic approach in driving sales and maximising the impact of every advertising dollar spent. Hex Performance’s investment in PPC has paid off, generating six figures in PPC sales. This substantial revenue boost validates the campaign’s success and highlights the potential of PPC advertising on Amazon as a powerful sales driver.

Another key metric that showcases the effectiveness of NUOPTIMA’s efforts is the 17% ACOS. The reduced ACOS of 17% from the 46% mid-campaign point signifies the optimisation and efficiency achieved by targeting the right audience, refining bidding strategies, and continually optimising the PPC campaigns.

These impressive results highlight the tangible benefits that come with partnering with specialised marketing agencies. Hex Performance has achieved not only remarkable sales growth but also gained valuable insights into consumer behaviour and market trends.

Overall, Hex Performance’s Amazon PPC ads have proven to be a great success, leading to substantial revenue growth, a remarkable ROAS, and a highly efficient advertising cost of sales. We also managed to reduce their ad spend and help boost their organic sales, setting the stage for continued success and growth in the future. Working with our marketing and growth team undoubtedly positioned Hex Performance as a dominant player in the competitive Amazon marketplace.

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About 96North

96North began selling on Amazon in August 2020. They had found an interesting niche where consumers were underserved with an all-natural candle solution. 96North is a 100% soy wax candle brand that contains no paraffins. 

Typically, most candles contain paraffins in the form of wax. Paraffin wax is a soft wax made from petroleum by-products. When paraffin candles burn, they emit black soot and fumes—similar in chemistry to diesel exhaust. 

However, soy candles present many benefits over paraffin. For example: 

• Soy wax burns at a lower temperature, making the candle last longer than a paraffin alternative. It is a more cost-effective solution for consumers 
• Soy candles are completely biodegradable and easy to wash up if any wax spillages occur.
• Soy is completely natural, sustainable, renewable and grown on farms from the soybean plant. 
• Soy candles produce a stronger scent because the wax burns at a lower heat and creates a larger melt pool, so the oils evaporate better from a larger surface area, releasing more scent into the air!

The 96North team approached NUOPTIMA with two lines of SKUs, their luxury and classic candles. 

Team

Action Plan

NUOPTIMA acquired 96North when they were very close to a stock out. In other words, they were unable to sell more products instantaneously but were looking for a partner to help drive growth. 

This partnership presented an opportunity to demonstrate how important on-page improvements can be to conversion rates, review collection rates and clickthrough rates. Our immediate action plan was to:

• Clean up PPC campaigns and ensure the budget is spent efficiently 
• Optimise listing
• Optimise review gathering and visibility 
• Optimise product pricing 

Once we had revitalised the PPC account and listings, our goal was to scale ad spend to increase monthly sales above $100,000. The secondary benefits of increasing ad spend were that we would significantly increase our review count and improve our organic positions across all relevant keywords – making 96NORTH less reliant on PPC in the long-term.

Improving CTRs by 59%

Clickthrough rates from search to product page are mainly dependent on four main factors and several sub-factors. The four major factors are:

• First image creative
• Title
• Number of reviews and rating
• Pricing and psychological offer 

Improving Titles

Product titles are one of the most prominent click through rate features. To create a good title, it’s imperative to get into the consumer’s mind and understand how competitors are describing themselves.

A good title achieves two things. It communicates the main features that a consumer cares about, and it distinguishes your product as superior to competitors. This means if your product has features which are better than others, they should be on display.

Before & After

96NORTH Home Sweet Home Candle | Large 3 Wick | New Home Housewarming Candle | New Home Gifts for Home | 100% Soy Wax

The above title failed to communicate the scent, the burn time, the primary features and the associated benefits. 

We discovered these were the main decision-making factors and optimised the title accordingly. We pushed the name very early in the title, added the 3 wick feature (given this was associated with the market leader), communicated the burn time and mentioned ‘all natural’ (another key selling point). 

There was extra space in the title, so we had an opportunity to discuss the main benefits and enter some relevant search keywords. This plays to improve ranking but also to improve the conversion rate on the page itself. It’s less likely to improve the click through rate given the latter half of the title gets cut off. 

96NORTH Fresh Linen & Soft Amber Candle | Large 3 Wick Jar Candle | 12 Oz Up to 50 Hours Burning Time | 100% All Natural Soy Wax | Relaxing Aromatherapy Candle | Housewarming Gift for Women and Men

Pricing Optimisations 

We noticed 96North’s product listings were not taking advantage of Amazon’s pricing features and that the product could be priced higher while still increasing sales count.

After conducting a pricing analysis of competitor ASINs, we decided to increase pricing from $22.99 to $24.99, representing an 8.6% increase.

Increasing the price also allowed us to introduce a 10% coupon code that would apply if the consumer bought 2 or more products (5% if the consumer bought 2), while not reducing the gross margin and operating profit massively. 

When 96North wants to revert the pricing back to their original in times of high stock or sales, they will be rewarded with a SAVE 8% badge which further increases the conversion rate on page.

Review Collection

Across both 96North’s Luxury and Classic collections, we increased the review count in totality from 669 to 1268. This involved optimising the review gathering processes, including using best in class tools to remind buyers to leave feedback.

A+ Content & Bullets

Title and pricing changes played a significant role in increasing conversion rates. The boost was also supported by an improvement in PPC targeting and a refresh of the product listing, including the bullets and product attributes.

PPC Optimisation

Testing & Scaling Ad Spend

From May to September, we tested a range of different keywords and implemented campaigns across a variety of different ad units, including sponsored display, product and brand campaigns. The purpose of this exercise was to uncover keywords and ad units where we could increase ad spend and generate more revenue while maintaining TACOS at a similar level.

In general, we place great emphasis on testing before we engage in a new strategy. Extensive testing allows us to decipher what performs well and what doesn’t before we allocate our full marketing budget and increase ad spend on individual campaigns. Within our tests, ad spend is more conservative to ensure we didn’t waste money on low-yielding keywords and ad units. And then, once we compile the data, we increase spend gradually across our successful tests and remove keywords, ad units or campaigns with unsatisfactory results. 

An example of one of our most successful tests was across the keywords “candle” – 148,152 search volume and “candles” – 409,824 search volume. While it may seem obvious to bid on these keywords due to their relevance and massive search volume, PPC is hypercompetitive and CPC is costly, meaning it is more difficult to achieve good results than it would be on keywords with lower search volume. Despite the competitiveness, our tests elicited positive signals, so we increased ad spend to see what we could achieve.

From August until September, 96NORTH generated a staggering $6,500.49 of additional revenue at a 27.25% ACOS, purely from bids on these two keywords. And after implementing these keywords in August, we showed a growth of 101% in total product volume compared to the previous month ($47,415 in July vs $95,585 in August).

Another example of a successful test was targeting longtail variations of the keyword candle, such as ‘vanilla candle’, ‘vanilla scented candle’ and ‘vanilla soy candle’. This campaign generated $4,714 in revenue from $1,467 in spend, equalling a 31.13% ACOS.

Focusing on CVR and TACOS

Your listing and PPC account share a symbiotic relationship – if one isn’t optimised, the other won’t perform. As exhibited earlier in the case study, we invested a lot of time and resources into perfecting our listings to improve our CVR. And the main catalyst of this decision was to improve the performance of our PPC campaigns. We knew once we improve CVR it has a positive, domino effect:

Bigger percentage of customers convert > ACOS remains the same / reduces across PPC campaigns > Amazon sees campaigns performing well, pushes organic positions higher >  more organic sales > TACOS remains the same / improves, despite increased ad spend

If we compare the results from May to September, the above sequence validates this hypothesis:

At the start of the year, we optimised our listings and increase CVR by 31%.

• January CVR: 15.4% > June CVR: 20.2%

Now our conversion rates were higher and we had finalised the optimal strategy for PPC, we increased ad spend to scale revenue.

• May TACOS: 18.53% > September TACOS: 16%

Our TACOS reduced by 2.53% despite significantly increasing ad spend. This was because our PPC campaigns were performing well with increased conversion rates and sales, which meant that our organic positions and sales grew across a variety of new and existing keywords, resulting in a reduced TACOS.

Geographical expansion

Part of our strategy for scaling 96North was expanding into new territories. In June we began this journey, starting with the UK. We registered a local trademark successfully, placed new orders for inventory to a 3PL, transferred inventory to a UK FBA warehouse and opened our listings on the UK marketplace.

The main benefit of already attaining a presence on the US marketplace was that the reviews we gathered in the US are retained and visible on the UK marketplace. As reviews are the most important currency on Amazon, it meant that, overnight, we were one of the major players in our niche in the UK, without spending any PPC budget or generating a single sale.

Once we started spending budget on PPC, we were able to see good sales, conversion rates ACOS and TACOS figures from the get-go. Below is a breakdown of our results in just 2 months:

• £10,273 in revenue
  
  
• Optimised PPC with 32% ACOS
  
  

Our expansion won’t stop here – we are planning to enter the German and Japenese marketplaces once we consolidate our position as market leaders on the UK marketplace.

Revenue Growth

In Q3, we achieved some truly staggering results, scaling revenue from $4,752 in May to $129,501 in September – that’s a massive 988% increase! Below is a breakdown of the milestones in only 4 months.

• We expanded to the UK and achieved £10,273 in sales in just 2 months UK
  
  
• Meanwhile, in the same month of June in the US, we doubled our sales from the previous year.
  
  
• In July – which is notoriously one of the harder months of the year on Amazon – our sales bettered the sales of previous years Q4.
  
  
• In July, we almost tripled sales from July the previous year.
  
  
• We continued this trend in August and September, tripling sales from the previous year.