Initially, Home Security Store focused on search advertising and partnered with a performance-driven agency, WebMetro, to optimize its campaigns for more effective results. WebMetro reorganized and refined Home Security Store's search campaigns until they began performing optimally. Looking to benefit from the synergies of search and display combined, Home Security Store decided to invest more heavily in the Google Display Network, specifically with Dynamic Remarketing campaigns.
Approach
Started off using search ads on Google.com
Expanded to text and image ads on the Google Display Network
Used Dynamic Remarketing to show more personalized ads to their site visitors
Also used Keyword Contextual Targeting to add another layer of relevancy
Goals
Reach new customers and also maintain ROI
Results
After implementing Dynamic Remarketing, Home Security Store saw a 4.3 to 1 return on investment (ROI), meaning that every $1 invested in the campaign generated a profit of $4.30
Home Security Store combines search and display to exceed its ROI goals and re-engage customers using Dynamic Remarketing
Since the early 1990s, Home Security Store has brought a do-it-yourself approach to residential security. Specializing in wireless alarms and surveillance systems, Home Security Store was one of the first online retailers to sell this type of equipment directly to homeowners, cutting out middlemen and bypassing installation costs. Along with wireless alarms and accessories, Home Security Store also sells a wide range of safety and surveillance products, from survival gear to baby monitors to GPS units.
With about one-third of its orders coming from repeat customers, Home Security Store knows the importance of creating and maintaining a positive experience for buyers. "Our goal is to win over customers and continue that relationship," says Annie Blanco, marketing manager at Home Security Store. To reach both new and repeat customers all over the web, Home Security Store uses Google AdWords and the Google Display Network.
Adding display to the mix gives reach at scale
Initially, Home Security Store focused on search advertising and partnered with a performance-driven agency, WebMetro, to optimize its campaigns for more effective results. WebMetro reorganized and refined Home Security Store's search campaigns until they began performing optimally. "Once we got the account in order, we were able to meet our targets and begin branching out more aggressively into display campaigns," says Chris Lantzy, a campaign manager at WebMetro. Looking to benefit from the synergies of search and display combined, Home Security Store decided to invest more heavily in the Google Display Network.
For Home Security Store, the choice to use the Google Display Network to reach customers everywhere was clear. "Google offers an extensive network with potential for impressions at scale. We've found that search and display are complementary, so there's potential for really great success for us when using them together," says Annie.
We've found that search and display are complementary, so there's potential for really great success for us when using them together.
Delivering the right message to the right customer
To help its client achieve its ROI goals — an important metric for Home Security Store — WebMetro built Dynamic Remarketing campaigns. With Dynamic Remarketing, Home Security Store can reconnect with people who previously visited its site by showing them ads as they browse other sites in the Google Display Network. Ad text and images are dynamically customized for each individual based on the specific products or pages previously viewed on the Home Security Store site.
"Dynamic Remarketing allows us to recapture our audience on a more personal level, based exactly on what part of our site they looked at. If they looked at survival gear, we might show them an ad featuring survival food," explains Annie. She adds that Dynamic Remarketing gives Home Security Store a chance to rekindle with customers on a one-to-one basis and remind them of offers. "It's as if we were there in person, saying, "óCome back in. This is what you looked at last time. We got this new product,'" she says.
Since Dynamic Remarketing automatically tailors ad content to each person, users get a more relevant and useful ad experience, and Home Security Store achieves targeted reach. Not only is ad content more relevant with
Dynamic Remarketing, but Home Security Store adds another layer of relevancy with ad placement with Keyword Contextual Targeting. Using Keyword Contextual Targeting lets Home Security Store show its remarketing ads to interested consumers while they are actively engaging with directly related content. "We don't want to bombard customers with frivolous marketing," says Annie. "With Dynamic Remarketing, we're actually connecting with the right customer with the right ad on the right page."
Creating flexible remarketing lists with new remarketing tag
WebMetro helped Home Security Store build both product- and manufacturer- specific remarketing lists, as well as a list targeting people who had abandoned their shopping carts without converting. To build and modify these remarketing lists easily at any given moment, WebMetro uses the new remarketing tag, which makes advanced remarketing strategies easy. This single tag allows WebMetro to implement new targeting strategies with ease and flexibility. For example, when WebMetro wants to experiment with targeting certain groups of people, it no longer needs to ask Home Security Store to add new code to its site each time. This flexibility saves time for both WebMetro and Home Security Store, and enables them to experiment, innovate and find which targeting setups work best.
Exceeding ROI goals with Dynamic Remarketing
After implementing Dynamic Remarketing, Home Security Store saw a 4.3 to 1 return on investment (ROI), meaning that every $1 invested in the campaign generated a profit of $4.30. This ROI exceeded the team's goals and even peaked to a nearly 5 to 1 ratio — nearly $5 for every $1 invested — after a recent holiday promotion, during which Home Security Store paired Dynamic Remarketing with Keyword Contextual Targeting to further define its audience segments. Additionally, with the new remarketing tag, Home Security Store can make decisions on the fly about who it wants to target, then implement these changes quickly — a key ability during promotions and sales.
WebMetro says the ROI achieved with Dynamic Remarketing nears Home Security Store's strong search ROI. "Right out of the gates, Dynamic Remarketing performed at a high level. It's shown consistency and the potential to grow," says Chris. Annie adds, "It's really getting every bang for our buck." WebMetro is exploring incorporating Dynamic Remarketing into other campaigns with a more sophisticated approach, and Chris believes it could become a channel as ROI-efficient as search.
Growing business with the right solutions
In addition to search, display and Dynamic Remarketing, one of Home Security Store's top-performing campaign features Product Listing Ads, which are search ads that include richer product information like product image and price. To interact in an engaging way with its audience, Home Security Store also has a YouTube channel to which it frequently posts product review videos, as well as a Google+ page featuring content from its blog. Both Home Security Store and WebMetro say Google's suite of tools helps them grow their business and give a competitive edge.
"As Google has grown, so has our company," says Annie. With Google as a partner, WebMetro can provide its clients the performance-focused service it aims to deliver. Last year, WebMetro grew its clients' conversions over 120% while their investment grew by only 58%, and Chris says Google's support and innovation played a significant role in this achievement. "There are always so many new features and developments coming out of AdWords — betas, new products, new ways to target users," he says. "I love working firsthand with the innovations from Google."
