Viva Italia is a brand that specialises in offering a small range of Italian products, aiming to reach a wider audience and boost online sales. To achieve this, they partnered with our Candid Marketing to launch a new website and an integrated digital advertising campaign.

We were tasked with creating a new website for Viva Italia, optimising their online presence, and running a Google Ads campaign to drive traffic and conversions. 

The goal was to increase brand visibility, build an engaged audience, and boost online sales for the client. The ad push began at the end of February, here are the first two weeks worth of results. 

Week 1: Initial Ads Performance

The first week of the Google Ads campaign marked the beginning of our partnership. With the new account set up, we ran the ads and tracked key metrics to gauge initial performance. The results were promising:

• Impressions: 2,211
• Reach: 1,464 people
• Page Likes: 64
• Cost per Like: $0.34
• Total Spend: $21.81
  

The results from week 1 showed a solid start, with 64 new page likes at a reasonable cost of $0.34 per like. This was an encouraging outcome for the first week of a campaign, particularly with the challenges of launching a new account and establishing initial engagement.

Week 2: Improved Campaign Performance

The second week continued to show positive results, with the campaign steadily improving. We noticed key improvements in both reach and efficiency:

• Impressions: 3,282
• Reach: 2,298 people
• Page Likes: 73
• Cost per Like: $0.29
• Total Spend: $21.17

In week 2, we saw a significant increase in impressions (up by 1,071 from week 1) and reach (up by 834 people). The cost per like also dropped to $0.29, a 14% improvement from the previous week, indicating greater campaign efficiency. The steady performance in week 2 was a positive sign that the campaign was gaining traction and performing well.

Recent Ads Report: Conversions & ROAS Success

As the campaign progressed, we began to see even more impactful results. In recent ads reports, Viva Italia achieved notable success in driving conversions and sales.

• Orders Received: 4
• Conversion Value: $261.88
• Ad Spend: $47.82
• ROAS (Return on Ad Spend): 547%

These results were outstanding, showing a high return on investment for the ads. For every dollar spent on advertising, the campaign brought in $5.47 in revenue. With a total spend of just $47.82, the 4 orders generated $261.88 in sales. The high ROAS of 547% was a clear indication that the campaign was highly effective in driving sales.

Additionally, the momentum from the campaign has been strong, with daily orders starting to come through, signaling that the campaign is scaling and continuing to deliver results. We’ve taken steps to further optimise the campaign to keep up the momentum and drive even more conversions in the coming days.

Conclusion:

The digital advertising campaign for Viva Italia has proven to be highly successful in its first few weeks. With increasing engagement, improved cost-efficiency, and outstanding sales results, the campaign has shown significant potential. By optimising the ads, we’ve been able to achieve a ROAS of over 500%, and the client is already seeing daily orders, indicating sustained growth.

As we continue to refine the campaign, we expect even stronger results in the future. This case study demonstrates how effective digital marketing strategies can rapidly scale and deliver a strong return for brands, even in the early stages of a campaign.

Through ongoing optimisation and monitoring, we expect even greater success for Viva Italia in the future.

At Candid Marketing, we specialise in helping businesses streamline operations while maximizing growth. Over a sustained period of 6 months, Candid Marketing has helped to transform Griffith Golf Club’s operations. As a venue that offers membership, hosts events, runs an e-commerce platform, and maintains a large database of clients, our innovative strategies have successfully transformed the way this venue operates – boosting revenue, efficiency, and overall customer engagement.

Converting the Website into an E-Commerce Powerhouse

Our first major step was to turn the venue’s website into a fully functioning e-commerce platform. By integrating seamless online purchasing capabilities for both membership renewals and event tickets, we not only enhanced the user experience but also simplified the entire process.

Automating Membership Renewals for Greater Efficiency

A key pain point for the venue was manual membership renewals. By automating this process with email and SMS marketing, we significantly reduced the time spent on manual renewals. This allowed the Griffith Golf Club operators to focus more on running their business and less on administrative tasks. Additionally, we streamlined the conversion from paper-based renewals to a digital process, speeding up membership sign-ups and renewals – helping the club grow its member base more effectively.

Creating a New Revenue Stream through E-Commerce & Digital Marketing

Opening up the e-commerce side of the business wasn’t just about memberships – it also presented an opportunity to tap into a new revenue stream. By leveraging Google Ads and optimising SEO, we helped the venue expand its reach to customers beyond its immediate geographic area. Now, the Griffith Golf Club is selling products across Australia, growing their brand, and increasing revenue in ways they never imagined.

Digitising Sponsorship Opportunities

The venue also had a variety of sponsorship opportunities, but much of the paperwork involved in securing sponsorships was time-consuming and cumbersome. We digitised this process, allowing the Griffith Golf Club to easily manage sponsorships and make these opportunities available to the general public. This streamlined approach not only improved efficiency but also opened up new channels for revenue and partnership. 

The Results?

In just a short 6 months, we’ve helped the Griffith Golf Club increase revenue, reduce administrative burden, and expand its reach through e-commerce and digital marketing. With a more efficient system in place, the venue is now able to scale with ease – focusing on growing their business rather than getting bogged down by manual tasks.

At Candid Marketing, we pride ourselves on driving real results for our clients. For nearly a year, we’ve been employed by a traditional bricks and mortar store looking to increase their e-commerce business and enhance their online presence, increase traffic, and convert sales – effectively supporting their brick-and-mortar operations. And over the course of a recent 3-month campaign, we achieved a significant increase in both website traffic and revenue – amounting to almost $17K in sales! 

Here’s a look at how our comprehensive approach delivered measurable success:

Optimising Website Experience & Targeting Buyers

We began by updating the website layout to create a more intuitive shopping experience. Along with this, we launched a highly targeted Google Ads campaign designed to attract the right buyers to the site. This combination resulted in increased traffic, along with more engagement and on-site browsing. For example, we restructured the product collections, segmenting men’s and women’s categories separately, alongside ‘Most Popular Products’ and a ‘Recently Added’ collection to guide users more effectively.

Driving Conversions with Cart Abandonment Automation

Understanding that abandoned carts are a major pain point, we implemented a 3-step automated follow-up system. By connecting the Shopify API with Candid Connect, we captured user information and cart details, automatically inviting customers back to complete their purchase. This process helped recapture lost opportunities and increase conversions.

Scaling with Google Shopping Ads

To further expand reach, we implemented a paid and organic Google Shopping strategy, making the business’s products available to potential buyers across Australia. By feeding product data into Google Shopping, we ensured visibility to a broader audience, driving more qualified traffic to the site.

The Results?

In April, Candid Marketing is buzzing with excitement as our Director and Software Creator, Cassandra Cadorin, has been invited to present at two prestigious global summits – London’s Women Changing the World Global Summit and Paris’ Venture Capital World Summit. Cassandra will be presenting on CanTicket, an innovative project and time management software solution developed by her! 

Cassandra’s inspiration for CanTicket came from her 16 years of experience working as part of a remote team, where she faced consistent frustration with project management deliverables and tools at every level of an organisation. She would receive out-of-work hours requests and questions about project timelines and budgets, which made her realise that project management solutions on the market don’t understand small business operations!

Determined to find a better way, Cassandra developed CanTicket, which streamlines project management, increases accuracy and efficiency, and is more straightforward to use. Her Italian heritage and experience in the industry constantly drive her to push the boundaries of what’s possible and find a better way to do things.

Cassandra’s presentation at the Women Changing the World Global Summit and Venture Capital World Summit will showcase the benefits and unique features of CanTicket. This opportunity will allow her to reach a wider audience and inspire other business leaders to explore innovative solutions to common industry challenges.

In addition to her presentations on the global stage, Cass will also be making multiple guest appearances on the new podcast ‘She’s the Boss.’ The podcast features conversations with inspiring female leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators, who share their personal and professional journeys, insights, and advice on how to succeed in business and life.

Our team would just like to say how proud we are of our leader and founder for all her achievements and we are so excited that CanTicket is being put on the world stage! We have been using CanTicket at Candid Marketing since the Beta version and we look forward to seeing the impact it will have in the industry and the positive change it will drive for all businesses alike.

We are back, as promised, with Part 3 of our blog on The Secret to a Successful Advertising Campaign! 

In Part 1 we covered Strategy and Building a Strong Foundation, Part 2 we talked about An Omnichannel Approach and last but not least, this blog focuses on setting a Reasonable Budget and Expectations.

So, let’s go…

3. Reasonable Budget and Expectations

As Henry Ford said “A man who stops marketing to save money, is like a man who stops a clock to save time”.

Although you should never underestimate free word-of-mouth marketing, as mentioned previously, it can only go so far (literally, sometimes restricted by location). And although word-of-mouth is considered free, there are certain costs along the way to achieve it in the first place. This might look like a thank you card with your products presented in a beautiful and branded custom box that makes their experience of receiving the product more enjoyable and gift-like. It might be the time you take on Google and social media platforms to reply to all your audience’s questions and reviews. Regardless, building that word-of-mouth costs money one way or another.

Effective marketing is credible, unique and most of all, memorable. Enough money should be allocated to your campaign to account for flexibility (some examples outlined in Part 1: Strategy blog) and ad frequency – the most important element for ad memorability.

We are not saying that you have to have an exorbitant budget for a successful campaign, but a lot of people underestimate the effort and time it takes to create an effective campaign from front end to backend (website banner designs, email header designs, email copy, social media graphics and videos, social media copy and the majority of it isn’t really visible such as SEO, website speed optimisation, coding certain discounts or functions to an existing website that may not have the ability to integrate… and so, so, so much more). This tends to lead people to a budget that is not relative.

So please don’t underestimate the power of marketing, investing in it will help secure more customers, increase your sales, help brand awareness and is usually always worth that initial investment.

Here’s the links in case you missed them:

The Secret to a Successful Advertising Campaign: Part 1
The Secret to a Successful Advertising Campaign: Part 2

Follow these tips to make your next marketing campaign super successful!

Kind regards,
Ash from the Candid Marketing Team

In order to maximise the effectiveness of your marketing campaign, it is important to consider utilising a variety of channels. This may include traditional media such as television, radio, print, and outdoor advertisements, as well as digital media such as websites, social media, search engine optimisation, content marketing and email campaigns. By utilising multiple channels, you can increase the reach and visibility of your message. 

That is why Part 2 of our blog focuses on an Omnichannel Approach –

2. An Omnichannel Approach

We suggest an omnichannel approach to reach as much of your audience as possible! Think about your target audience and who they really are, what they like to do, and read, watch, where they go… This can help identify many avenues of advertising that could be suitable and you may be surprised on the ROI with some!

Despite the digital revolution, traditional marketing like print is not dead, in fact in the B2C market it is making quite the resurgence! Think business cards, branded pens, apparel, pull up banners, menus, local magazines, loyalty cards, thank you cards, branded packaging, gift certificates (people still love having something physical to gift), brochures, newspaper classifieds (use a border), billboards, stubby coolers, shop exterior signage, vehicle branding… The list goes on. Whatever you do, the main thing to consider is that it fits your audience and your branding stays consistent.

Trade shows and exhibitions are essential to some types of wholesale and manufacturing businesses, as well as businesses that provide goods and services directly to other businesses. Display design, booth location and pre- as well as post-show mailings are carried to high degrees of sophistication. This can be a very large expense, so small businesses may opt to participate in a smaller scale with local markets or shows.

Word-of-Mouth is an overlooked pillar of successful marketing. Satisfied customers are your best advertisements! Word-of-mouth advertising is so effective as it has the qualities of strong credibility, high audience attention levels and friendly audience reception. It may even include promotional trial demonstrations and free sampling! at little or no cost to the business.

However, we ARE in the digital age and most of us have become accustomed to having everything at our fingertips! In order to survive and complete, your business, no matter what its size or the industry that you operate in, must be digitally active, responsive and flexible.

Digital marketing is highly interactive and can reach a wide, varied and infinite audience, including the ever-growing mobile consumer. Digital marketing delivers higher conversion rates, more sales and bigger ROI from your campaigns. It is effective in ALL industries and connects businesses with their ideal customers through Google SEO & PPC.

There are so many forms of digital marketing, it is important to always reflect on your strategy, goals and target audience to know what will best work for your business.

Digital Marketing includes (but is not limited to):

• Social Media Marketing
• SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
• PPC (Pay Per Click)
• Email Marketing
• Mobile Marketing
• Content Marketing
• Affiliate Marketing
• Website
• Google Ads
• Google My Business Listing (GMB)
• Influencer Marketing
• Video & Audio Advertising

So now that you understand the benefits of having an Omnichannel Approach – keep an eye out for next week’s blog where we share the final part to having a Successful Advertising Campaign.

See you then!

Kind regards,
Ash from the Candid Marketing Team

What’s the difference between an advertising campaign and a successful advertising campaign? Results. 

An advertising campaign is successful when it has reached your target audience and achieved its intended purpose – whether the goal was to increase brand awareness measured in an increase of followers, increase revenue through a sale, create hype for your ecommerce launch that can be seen in website traffic and conversions… The list goes on.

Here are our tips (and secrets) to get the most out of your campaign:

1. Strategy

Every successful marketing campaign starts with a strong strategy foundation.

Get your campaign off on the right foot by having a primary and clear campaign goal with a well thought out plan on how to achieve it. Don’t just think about it, write it all down.

Planning helps determine who your target audience/s are, the kind of message they will most likely interact with, when and where is best to reach your target audience, and how you should allocate your budget for the best ROI (return on investment).

Strategy will also clarify how you should measure the success of your campaign. Don’t just check this once the campaign has ended, this should be looked at regularly and your strategy should be ongoing.

For example, an ecommerce store runs a sale for a key promotional period, let’s say Black Friday – Cyber Monday and wants to see a large increase in sales. The owners have invested in google ads, emailed their database, advertising actively on their socials with videos, pictures of their most popular products, interacting with their audience etc… Looking at the analytics, they can see that most website conversions are coming from their email and particularly Facebook for the social platforms. The owners can decide whether to invest in some Facebook ads to leverage this and whether to send a secondary email out. However, they also notice that whilst they are having an exceptional increase in website traffic, the conversions are not as good as they could be. Which leads to questions such as:

• Is the offer competitive enough?
• Is the CTA (call to action) clear enough?
• Is the website slowing down with the traffic, deterring customers?
• Is the UX (user experience) clear and easy to purchase your products for the user?
• How long after being on the site do they leave? Is it at checkout or are they losing interest after a few seconds?

The owners identify that users are leaving at checkout… Possible reasons being the cost of postage or their limited payment options. They decide to start offering free postage on purchases over ‘x’ amount for the remainder of the sale and add a payment option that allows consumers to pay in smaller instalments. They immediately see an increase in conversions vs traffic and unexpectedly also see an increase in the average spend amount from sales with the payment option they added!

At the end of the promotion, the owners happily had a large increase in sales due to their exceptional and ongoing strategy through the promotion. The percentage of dollars per channel will also help determine where they will spend their money for future campaigns for the best results.

Hope this information can contribute to a super successful campaign for you!….but we aren’t done yet….We have two more invaluable tips coming to you this month!

This week you learnt about the importance of Strategy. Keep a look out next week for our second campaign tip to make your marketing campaign a successful one!

Kind regards,
Ash from the Candid Marketing Team

In today’s highly competitive market, businesses like yourself are increasingly relying on the power of marketing to stand out from their competitors and gain market share. One of the most effective ways to market your business is to think like your consumer; focus on the benefits of your product rather than your product itself. 

The benefits of a product or service are the only reason why a consumer would purchase the product or service. Understanding what makes your product or service appealing maximises your ability to market it effectively. What are your target audiences’ pain points and why is your product or service the solution? By highlighting and demonstrating the benefits of your product you can attract more customers, increase sales and build customer loyalty – giving them reason to choose YOU over your competitors.

For example, if a business is selling a new phone, they should focus on the benefits of every feature that make it unique and have a positive impact on the consumer’s life, rather than just simply listing the technical specifications. Such as: Feature – 5000mAh Battery

Why is that Unique? Most phones only have a battery of 3000mAh.

Benefit to customers – Talk, play and use your phone for longer without running out of charge!

Customers are more likely to purchase a product when they understand the advantages it offers them, so emphasising the benefits of a product can help convince customers to make a purchase. This can also help to ensure customers remain loyal to your business and are more likely to recommend you to others.

Get in your customers head and then market accordingly!

Let’s start from the beginning… How do you identify the value or benefits of your service or product?

1. Ask your customers directly – reach out to them via surveys or interviews to get direct feedback on what they like about your products. This can be done through email, phone, or in-person.
2. Review customer feedback on your products to get an understanding of what customers like about them, and more importantly, WHY.
3. Monitor social media and online conversations about your brand on social media to uncover what customers are saying about your products.
4. Analyse customer purchase data to identify the most popular products and understand why customers are choosing them over others.
5. Monitor customer service interactions to understand the most common requests and complaints. Recognise what customers like and don’t like about your products.

How do you market your product or service benefits?

1. Educate your customers by making sure they understand why your product is valuable and what it can do for them. Provide detailed descriptions and demonstrate the benefits of your product, so customers know the true value of what you are offering. Use visuals, case studies, videos and a variety of others to illustrate these to your audience. Focus on the value.
2. Encourage customers to leave reviews and testimonials about your product. This can be a great way to show potential customers the value of your product and build trust.
3. Offer customers a no-risk trial period or demonstration of your product. This allows them to try out the product before making a purchase and helps build trust. This option might not be suitable for all markets, but can be quite broadly applied. Examples include face/skin product testers and free samples, free consultation or quotes, a one-week trial of a new software, cooking demonstration with free food samples and much more…
4. Leverage social proof (such as customer reviews, recommendations and endorsements) to demonstrate how other customers have benefited from your product.
5. Create targeted ads that appeal to your target audience based on what you have learnt about them. Use visuals, language and messaging that resonates with them specifically.

By taking the time to market the benefits of your products, you will be able to create a powerful and engaging message that captures your audience. This helps to drive sales, increase customer loyalty and build a positive reputation for your brand. By getting into the minds of your consumers and understanding their needs and wants, you can create effective marketing campaigns that will lead to higher conversions and more satisfied customers!

Thanks for your time –
The Candid Marketing Team

If you’re an agency owner, then you know how important it is to keep track of your costs, staff performance and expenses to ensure your business’s success. Here are the top 3 areas where agencies lose profit and where CanTicket is focused on;

Do you hate your job? 

Do you spend your time dreaming up weird and wonderful ways to start your own business? 

Do you long for the day when you can finally quit your day job and work for yourself? 

Do you have an idea for an online business, but don’t know where to start? 

If you said YES! – Read on. 

If you said NO! – Read on too, you may be inspired