Services
PPC – Ads
Industry
Sports
Client Challenge
When I started reviewing the SkatesUSA account, we were already in a strong position: they had steady web traffic and a loyal customer base. The challenge I faced wasn’t about fixing broken campaigns or starting from scratch; it was about figuring out how to maximize their Google Ads performance for seasonal sales without overhauling their existing, successful setup. With major holidays like Memorial Day, Valentine’s Day, and Women’s Day approaching, my goal was to seamlessly integrate limited-time offers into their ongoing campaigns to create a sense of urgency and amplify sales.
Phases of the Project: To execute this over our 12-month timeline from May 2024 to May 2025, I structured our approach into a continuous, cyclical strategy rather than launching disjointed campaigns.
- Phase 1: Strategic Campaign Refresh: Instead of building new campaigns for every single holiday—which takes weeks to gather meaningful data—I focused on embedding seasonal sales directly into our existing Performance Max campaigns. We created dedicated ad groups for each sale event, such as a targeted men’s shoe group specifically for the Memorial Day promotion.
- Phase 2: Execution of Urgency & Targeting: During the sales, we rolled out custom ad copy and banners that combined the brand’s action-oriented visuals with high-urgency messaging. I continuously updated the creatives as sales progressed to maintain urgency.
- Phase 3: Post-Sale Reset: The moment a promotional window closed, I immediately reinstated the account to its standard setup. This smooth transition prepared us for the next campaign without losing any valuable audience data or optimization history we had built up.
Functionalities Implemented: To make this strategy a reality, I implemented several advanced functionalities and campaign structures:
- Diversified Performance Max Campaigns: I structured campaigns to cover the entire product catalog broadly, while also utilizing category-specific campaigns for high-priority groups like skateboards, scooters, and men’s shoes.
- Local Store Targeting: I implemented a localized campaign specifically targeting customers near their physical Avalanche Skate Shop location to drive local conversions.
- Advanced Audience Segmentation: I segmented our audiences based on browsing behavior, purchase history, and engagement levels (like high-intent users versus cold prospects).
- Exclusion Rules: To avoid ad fatigue, I set up exclusion rules that prevented audience overlap and allowed us to tailor creatives specifically to segments like cart abandoners.
- Urgency & Scarcity Tactics: I integrated countdown timers, limited-time reminders, and scarcity messaging (e.g., “Only a few left!”) directly into our dynamic calls to action.
Conclusion: Looking back on the 12 months we ran this strategy, the decision to refine and refresh rather than rebuild was a game-changer. By focusing on strategic efficiency, we optimized our time, ad spend, and resources. The results were phenomenal: we scaled ad spend by 44 times and achieved a 37x increase in conversion value. We also steadily improved our Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) from 5.0 to 5.78, proving that aligning seasonal e-commerce operations with precise, urgent ad campaigns is an incredibly powerful engine for growth.