Mark VII

AdWords Search Advertising

Solutions
THE CHALLENGE

Mark VII is the North American subsidiary of WashTec AG of Germany, the world’s leading provider of innovative solutions for all aspects of vehicle washing. AOR has worked with Mark VII for more than nine years.

 

Mark VII wanted to transition some of its more traditional print advertising to digital advertising. Due to the company’s success and long history in print, digital media was largely an untapped area for Mark VII and the carwash industry.

THE APPROACH

Our digital team started by doing keyword research and competitor analysis to see what other vehicle washing companies were doing digitally. Search volume for carwashing equipment and related terms was much higher than expected with only a few competitors already in the arena.

We also researched social media but prioritized social ads as a lower opportunity since so many people were actively in the demand stage of looking for carwash equipment. After discussing the digital ad options, Mark VII decided to start with search ads through AOR and tackle some targeted display advertising in-house.

 

4 renderings of carwashes apparatuses

THE PROCESS

Working closely with the Mark VII marketing team, we created a targeted keyword list with segments for key products and competitors. We then leveraged existing campaign language and assets to build the search ads and extensions.

With a long history of collaboration, we were able to save time and quickly turn around a search campaign that aligned with Mark VII’s brand messaging and sales goals. We were also able to help team members design the display ads they used in-house through trade publication websites and emails.

Since search ads were a brand new tactic for Mark VII, we wanted to test the campaign for two weeks and circle back with the marketing team on how the keywords and budget were performing. Testing helped us get a better idea of the search volume and the cost since no keyword tool is 100% accurate. It was also helpful for the company to see how the concept would actually work and what type of results to expect.

The search ad campaign included:

  • Developing a keyword list
  • Writing search ads and extensions
  • Implementing geographic and demographic targeting
  • Connecting Google AdWords to Analytics
  • Running a testing campaign for two weeks
  • Providing budget and keyword recommendations based upon testing
  • Performing daily maintenance and optimizations

Google search ad

Google search ad

Google search ad

THE OUTCOME

After the initial campaign results, we worked with Mark VII to add more keywords and create some negative keywords as well. We also solidified a budget to keep the campaign going.

With ongoing maintenance and optimization, Mark VII’s search ads have maintained positive metrics for three months that are well above benchmarks. Ad click through rates have averaged 4.65% compared to the industry average of 2.41% for B2B companies.

Search ads quickly provided relevant traffic to the site, producing 8.52% of total website traffic. That website traffic has shown above normal engagement rates for search ads, with visitors viewing over two pages on average per session and exploring the website for 1:14 minutes on average.

As Mark VII expands into the digital market, search ads will be a key tactic in its marketing and sales funnel.

4.65%

CTR

8.52%

Of Website Traffic

+2

Pages/Session

1:14

Average Session Duration