Summary
Annuity.org is a premier digital resource for people researching annuities and structured settlements. The website provides factual, informative articles on complex financial topics and connects users interested in selling their annuity or structured settlement with purchasing firms.
The Challenge
Annuity.org’s longstanding digital presence and ongoing paid media advertising were already garnering impressive results. Annuity.org turned to Knucklepuck’s Paid Media Team to explore growth strategies to increase its number of qualified leads while driving down cost per acquisition as low as possible.
Knucklepuck’s challenge was to identify growth opportunities in an already efficient account while optimizing cost per acquisition.
The Solution
Knucklepuck began analyzing performance data to isolate differences across various metrics and ad schedules, such as time of day and time of week ad placement. Constant communication with the Annuity.org team — including weekly check-ins — led to a trusting relationship that allowed for further testing and optimization.
Knucklepuck ran Annuity.org campaigns with a robust marketing mix across three major platforms: Google Ads, Bing Ads and Facebook Ads. Our strategy relied heavily upon executing identified growth opportunities, manual bidding, control of keyword matching and client communication.
Campaign Audit
Knucklepuck’s Paid Media Team evaluated historical performance through a detailed Paid Media Account Audit, including time of day and time of week analysis, to determine how to shift budget throughout the month. We used this historical data to develop predictive forecasting — which also takes into account industry insights, current events and other social constructs such as holidays — that informs monthly qualified lead goals and budget allocation.
We also completed weekly performance analysis and mid-month campaign analysis to determine how to amplify successful strategies and strengthen under-performing campaigns. Once the campaign captured a pre-qualified lead, the Paid Media Team followed up with Annuity.org to confirm the lead was a legitimate prospect.
Bid Optimization
Analyzing ad spend and keyword bidding and matching also played a key role in Knucklepuck’s strategy for Annuity.org. Our bidding management plan included:
- Allocating the budget — including manual bidding based on daily, weekly and monthly performance — to maximize the reach of effective campaigns
- Adding negative keywords to block out irrelevant searches and curb spend
- Adjusting keyword bids across matchtype — exact match and broad match, for example — to account for a user’s intent and therefore target more qualified leads
Client Communication
Constant communication with Annuity.org was an essential part of the campaign strategy to ensure it was yielding ideal results. Our Paid Media Team worked directly with the president of the company to relay updates on the campaigns, spend and new opportunities for campaign shifts. Such findings were communicated on weekly phone calls and via near daily emails to keep Annuity.org heavily involved in the decision-making process. Knucklepuck and Annuity.org also met monthly to discuss the account budget and goal proposals.
The Results
After only four months of work, Knucklepuck was able to meet Annuity.org’s goals. As a result of our strategy, Annuity.org spent less on advertising and saw a significant increase in qualified leads. Knucklepuck’s campaign management also resulted in increased click traffic and a decreased ratio of ad spend per qualified lead.
The results Knucklepuck drove show there is always room for improvement, even in longstanding, high-performing paid media advertising campaigns.
