Full Blast Creative

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My name is Donita Fowler and I am the owner/operator of Ground Zero Digital Marketing. I do digital advertising for small businesses in and around Calgary.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Full Blast Creative?

While my background is in communications, I wasn’t confident developing Google AdWord or remarketing strategies for clients. I could post on social media platforms, but I wanted to be able to provide statistics around the ads and the audiences targeted. I was looking for a training opportunity to improve my skills in those areas.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Each month, they provide a 2-hour private coaching session in digital advertising and a 2-hour private coaching session in Google AdWords.

Now that I have more experience, I also go to them with specific challenges I’m facing with a client (e.g., an ad that I can't get any traction on). One client had very low relevance scores before I was hired. The first online ad that I ran was still quite low, so I worked on it with Full Blast. They helped me better define the audience for the ad. They also suggested changing the wording, and using one picture instead of a carousel.

For another client, they helped me clean up a Google AdWords account. It had been run with all the keywords lumped together in one campaign, which meant you couldn't really understand what worked well and what didn’t. Full Blast helped me understand how to break out keywords into seasonal campaigns, turning words on and off in strategic months.

What is the team composition?

I work primarily with their marketing consultant on digital advertising, and the owner on Google AdWords. I’ve also worked a little bit with their junior brand manager.

How did you come to work with Full Blast Creative?

I saw the marketing consultant speak at an event in Calgary, so I reached out to her to set up social media training. She introduced me to the owner who then began working with me on Google AdWords. I did speak to another agency before working with Full Blast, but didn’t like their answers to my questions.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent between $8,000-$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them in March of 2017, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

I had one client when I started working with them. I have eight clients now, and that is entirely due to Full Blast and the training they provide. The team is very smart, and they are really good at what they do.

For my client that never had a relevance score above a two, the coaching from Full Blast helped me increase the scores up to eight and nine. That made the ads perform better and require less spend by the customer, which made the client very happy. Their coaching on Google AdWords helped me provide clarity to the other client’s campaign. Now I really understand when keywords are doing well and the optimal times to use them.

How did Full Blast Creative perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great; very responsive. They’re willing to work with me on solving my client’s problems, even if it’s outside of our scheduled coaching sessions. If I have something urgent, I will always hear back from them that day, usually with a few hours.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They care that their ads are do well and that they're making money for the client, but they care most about the experience for your customer. That is really important.

I was also impressed that they understood that I wasn’t competing for the same type of clients that they serve, so they’re totally willing to teach me everything they know. They don't hold anything back, and they share all this knowledge with no expectations.

They’ve always treated me with utmost respect, and never once made me feel like I ask a silly question. They'll just explain it in a different way so that I can understand.