Well Life grows sales with Multi-platform campaigns

Background

Imagine high heels that are actually comfortable. Thanks to a solution that Barbara Jude Frerichs developed, it’s become a reality. Her goal to make high heels more comfortable to wear turned into the launch of a new online wellness and aromatherapy company just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Frerichs’s business, Relief Brands LLC, started with High Heel Hero, a CBD pain cream specifically made to reduce the swelling and pinch pain that can occur while wearing high-heel shoes. “It’s a good product,” she said, but it had limited demand when the pandemic began, and fewer people were wearing flashy shoes for work, special events and nights out.

That’s when she made the transition to selling a range of personal wellness, aromatherapy, pet shampoos, conditioners and cleaning products made with natural, plant-based ingredients. They’re sold under the Well Life brand via an e-commerce site. “Well Life products are made to bolster the lives of our pets, ourselves and our planet,” she said.

Her focus on expanding Well Life product sales came as many people, while spending more time at home, focused on wellness and buying products that are good for them and the environment. At the same time, shopping online at e-commerce sites increased dramatically. Even with those advantages, however, bringing attention to the new brand and products represented a challenge.

Engaging Microsoft Advertising leads to more traffic

Frerichs knew that using search advertising would be key to launching the new brand and attracting potential customers who might be interested in Well Life products and its e-commerce site. But when she spent money on Google search advertising and ads that appeared on social media sites, traffic to the Well Life website did not grow significantly.

“After a little over a year of trying to get traction to the brand and build awareness leading to conversions and sales, I was so frustrated. I knew I was wasting money,” Frerichs said.

Then she received an email from Microsoft Advertising, asking if she would like to participate in a beta test for a new set of tools called Multi-platform campaigns. The new advertising tools allowed her to manage Facebook, Google and Microsoft Advertising in one place, monitor ad performance and show where to adjust her ad strategy.

Frerichs said she didn’t know Microsoft offered online advertising before she received the email. It sounded like a better approach that would save her time and money and keep her from further frustration.

From the start, she said working with the Microsoft Advertising program representative helped her better understand the strategy of building brand awareness.

More growth, more transparency for effective online advertising

Traffic soon increased at the Well Life website after starting to use the new tools. In fact, traffic grew by two and a half times during the first month, even though Frerichs’s advertising budget remained about the same as before. Traffic kept growing in the following months, leading to more sales as well.

At the same time, working with Microsoft Advertising helped her understand how to build a successful brand campaign and how the new tools were helping. Frerichs said she discovered through her own market research that the potential base of customers interested in plant-based, environmentally safe and environmentally conscious products spans across several demographics. Using Multi-platform campaigns, she’s learned how to better reach that broad audience with specific images and products. The tools then give her a better idea of which ad approaches work better than others.

“Working with my specialist really opened up an entirely new way of creating campaigns, knowing the desired outcome and monitoring our ad spend,” she said.

Adding Microsoft Advertising tools as sales grow

Now that web traffic and brand awareness is transforming into product sales for Well Life, Frerichs said she’s starting to use Multi-platform campaigns, as well as other Microsoft Advertising tools, for narrower campaigns and retargeting as needed. She also has added Microsoft Shopping Campaigns through the Merchant Center, which creates ads for specific products with custom images and details that show up on the search homepage.

“Results are being seen and will continue to grow over time,” Frerichs said. “To be able to just tweak all campaigns without having to totally re-launch is a great time and a money-saver,” she stated.

To learn more about Multi-platform campaigns and read about other customer advertising stories, visit Microsoft Advertising.