Füm

CASE STUDY

How Füm Increased Profits 4X with Factor One Marketing

CASE STUDY

How Füm Increased Profits 4X with Factor One Marketing

279%

increase in ROAS
from Performance
Max campaigns

40%

decrease in CPA
for Performance
Max campaigns

215%

increase in ROAS
for non-branded
search campaigns

“The Factor One team is very effective, they over-communicate, and they are very inventive. They have a wealth of knowledge on Google Ads work which is very beneficial to us.”

Daniel Ogden,

Chier Marketing Officer, Füm

“The Factor One team is very effective, they over-communicate, and they are very inventive. They have a wealth of knowledge on Google Ads work which is very beneficial to us.”

Daniel Ogden,

Chief Marketing Officer , Füm

Results

4x

increase in profitability

279%

ROAS from Performance Max campaigns

Factor One Provides

  • Transparent reporting via
    Looker Studio
  • Testing and experimenting to
    unlock new audiences
  • Ability to navigate Google ads
    policies and resolve bans
  • Expert marketing team

Customer

Füm

Industry

Retail

Location

Canada & US

Industry

Retail

Location

US & Canada

Füm is a diffusive device that delivers natural-flavored air allowing people to quit negative habits and instill positive ones. Füm has no vapor, harmful chemicals, 4X or nicotine.

The Challenge

Driving eCommerce sales on Google Ads without remarketing

Daniel Ogden, the Chief Marketing Officer at Füm, had the herculean task of driving eCommerce sales for a product that he couldn’t remarket on the Google Ads platform.

While Füm’s device helps people kick bad habits, Google’s crawlers and staff often confuse it with vapes, leading to ad restrictions and bans that interrupt potential sales.

At first, Daniel and his team handled Google advertising in-house. However, they struggled to keep their ads up to date. They also didn’t have access to Google Ads products in beta that could potentially help them find new ways to market their devices.

For these reasons, Daniel decided to outsource their Google Ads management to a full-service marketing agency, but that agency didn’t return strong results.

Daniel decided that Füm needed to work with a Google Ads specialist, and he chose Factor One Marketing.

“Navigating Google’s restrictions and complying with ad policies are the biggest challenges for us. We struggled with a lot of ad bans due to the nature of our product.”

The Solution

A proactive Google Ads agency that can navigate Google restrictions

Daniel was immediately impressed by Factor One Marketing’s focus on data and analytics. Factor One continually kept Daniel and his team in the loop by presenting data from Google Ads, YouTube, and other platforms to them in visual dashboards and reports via Looker Studio.

Daniel also appreciated Factor One’s ability to proactively find untapped opportunities. When Google released Performance Max in beta, Factor One immediately saw its value and used it to unlock new customer segments across YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail, and Maps.

When a customer review went viral on TikTok, Füm was poised to take advantage of the spike in interest. Factor One quickly optimized branded search campaigns to find people searching for Füm’s name.

As the traffic from the branded search campaign converted into sales, Factor One identified audiences and customer segments with the highest conversion rates and added them to Füm’s Performance Max campaigns. This, in turn, uncovered even more potential customers.

The Factor One Marketing team also took on the time-consuming role of navigating Google’s complex ad policies, resolving disapproved ads efficiently to keep Füm’s ads running longer. Factor One is also working on getting Füm whitelisted so they could potentially set up retargeting campaigns.

“One of the things I love the most about Factor One is that they make sure that we’re always testing, exploring, and looking for more opportunities. Other agencies do the bare minimum but Factor One has been very explorative.”

The Result

4X increase in profits

By partnering with Factor One, Füm experienced
a 4X increase in profitability.

3 months after the viral video, Füm experienced:

  • 279% increase in Return On Ad Spend from Performance Max campaigns
  • 40% decrease in CPA for Performance Max campaigns
  • 215% increase in Return On Ad Spend from non-branded search campaigns
  • 42% decrease in CPA for non-branded search campaigns

The results were so good, Daniel became excited and stressed when Füm’s inventory began to  out. Still, he was determined to keep Füm’s Google campaigns live because they were performing so well. Factor One worked closely with Daniel to ensure they walked the fine line between generating sales via Google Ads without overselling.

Today, Füm is primed for future growth, thanks in part to their partnership with Factor One Marketing. Daniel is confident that Factor One can scale to support Füm even as it reaches new levels of success.

“Factor One helped us scale our Google campaigns and earn more profit than before.”

Get the most out of your Google advertising dollars with a partner you can trust.

Choose a partner that’s in your corner no matter what.

Get the most out of your Google advertising dollars with a partner you can trust.

Choose a partner that’s in your corner no matter what.

Lightbody Marketing

CASE STUDY

How Lightbody Marketing Partners with Factor One to Deliver More Value to Clients

CASE STUDY

How Lightbody Marketing Partners with Factor One to Deliver More Value to Clients

“When clients are primed for Google Ads, we can say we’ve got the team that’s going to make a difference to their bottom line. Then we introduce them to Factor One.”

Dave Rossborough

Owner & Chief Strategist, Lightbody Marketing

“When clients are primed for Google Ads, we can say we’ve got the team that’s going to make a difference to their bottom line. Then we introduce them to Factor One.”

Dave Rossborough,

Owner & Chief Strategist, Lightbody Marketing

Factor One Provided

  • Consistent onboarding process
  • Customized approach for every client
  • Clear roadmaps and expectations
  • Ability to leverage Google Ads changes
  • New way to steward prospective clients
  •  

The Client

Lightbody Marketing

Industry

Marketing

Location

Canada & US

Industry

Marketing

Location

US & Canada

Lightbody Marketing is a digital marketing agency that helps businesses of all sizes take control of their online presence, develop successful marketing strategies, and execute digital campaigns to reach their business goals.

The Challenge

Finding a reliable Google Ads partner

With his background in Google advertising, Dave Rossborough, Owner and Chief Strategist of Lightbody Marketing, can quickly assess whether self-proclaimed Google Ads specialists truly know what they’re doing. 

This expertise came in handy when Dave launched Lightbody Marketing in 2012. He wanted to provide Google Ads advertising services to his clients but didn’t have the bandwidth to deliver those services in-house.

When he searched for a partner, he quickly found that many agencies and contractors that professed to have deep Google Ads expertise really didn’t. Refusing to commit his clients to  underperforming Google Ads campaigns, Dave and his team decided to focus on advertising channels they could manage internally to ensure high quality.

Fortunately, this situation didn’t last long. Shortly after launching his consultancy, Dave was introduced to Factor One Marketing. From their first meeting, Factor One demonstrated Google Ads expertise that even surpassed Dave’s own depth of knowledge. Just as importantly, Factor One’s approach matched Lightbody Marketing’s commitment to consistency and transparency.

“I didn’t always feel confident recommending Google Ads to clients because the partners we had worked with in the past often couldn’t get the results we wanted.”

The Solution

Factor One Marketing: A specialized Google Ads partner

Dave was impressed with Factor One’s streamlined onboarding process from the very first client. Everything Factor One needs to run successful campaigns is clearly communicated to clients at the start of every engagement, which takes pressure off Lightbody Marketing as the overarching partner. 

At the same time, Factor One adapts their approach to the specific needs and abilities of every client. They won’t recommend a YouTube-only campaign if the client doesn’t have video assets and has no capacity to create them, for example.

Factor One also sets clear expectations with clients, both short- and long-term. When clients have a clear picture of goals, timeframes, and budgets, they’re much more likely to buy in.

The ability of Factor One to quickly adapt to changes in the Google Ads landscape also gives Lightbody Marketing’s clients an advantage. When Performance Max was introduced, for example, Factor One received early access as a Certified Google Ads Partner. They swiftly adjusted how clients built their assets and campaigns to suit this new ad type, taking full advantage of the new offering ahead of competitors. 

Factor One is generating such great results, Lightbody Marketing adjusted the split between Google Ads and social channels for some clients. Whereas most client budgets were divided 70/30 (70% social and 30% Google) before, the split is now closer to 20/80.

“Factor One was able to take Performance Max to market for some clients before most of the market had it. And still, most of the market doesn’t know what Performance Max is or how to utilize it. It’s going to be a rude awakening for them when it becomes mandatory.”

The Result

Delivering even more value to clients

Dave has numerous examples where Factor One Marketing helped Lightbody Marketing deliver strong results for clients. In one instance, a client in a competitive industry grew from a six- to a seven-figure business after working with Lightbody Marketing and Factor One. 

Another client used to shut down their business seasonally due to low demand. Now, they make three-quarters of the revenue they’d normally reach in their high season during “off-season” months. In fact, the Lightbody Marketing and Factor One teams are now hitting this client’s original annual goal every month!

The Factor One partnership has also given Lightbody Marketing a new way to steward prospective clients. When a client hesitates to commit to a full engagement with Lightbody Marketing, Dave will sometimes recommend they start with Factor One. Once the client achieves great results with their Google advertising, they often return to discuss a broader engagement with Lightbody Marketing.

“I often recommend Factor One to prospective clients. Factor One will run their campaigns for three to six months to build up revenue. Once that client sees the revenue, and understands my recommendation was a good one, they’re very likely to come back and ask us to advise them on everything.”

Learn how we can work with your marketing agency to deliver more value to your clients.

Choose a partner that’s in your corner no matter what.

Learn how we can work with your marketing agency to deliver more value to your clients.

Choose a partner that’s in your corner no matter what.

Suncoast Enclosures

Suncoast Enclosures Case Study Cover Page

CASE STUDY

How Suncoast Enclosures Achieved 200X Return on Google Ads Spend With Factor One Marketing

CASE STUDY

How Suncoast Enclosures Achieved 200X Return on Google Ads Spend With Factor One Marketing

“Last year, we spent just over $100,000 on Google Ads and generated close to $20 million in business. Working with Factor One Marketing is a no-brainer in terms of ROI.”

Devin Smith,

GEneral Manager, Suncoast Enclosures

“Last year, we spent just over $100,000 on Google Ads and generated close to $20 million in business. Working with Factor One Marketing is a no-brainer in terms of ROI.”

Devin Smith,

General Manager, Suncoast Enclosures

Results

600%

increase in new conversions

91%

decrease in cost per conversion

Factor One Provided

  • Google Ads audit, campaign
    creation & management
  • YouTube Ads set up,
    creative & optimization
  • Performance Max campaigns
  • Expert marketing team

The Client

Suncoast Enclosures

Industry

Retail

Location

Canada & US

Industry

Retail

Location

US & Canada

Suncoast Enclosures manufactures and installs high-end outdoor living spaces including screen rooms, sunrooms, patio covers, and louvered roofs. The company markets directly to homeowners and also partners with dealers. Suncoast Enclosures’ mission is to help people spend more time on their decks and extend their outdoor living spaces to make them more enjoyable.

The Challenge

Attracting high-quality leads without increasing advertising costs

Devin Smith, the General manager at Suncoast Enclosures, was not impressed by the work their ‘marketing guy’ was doing.

His team didn’t receive any updates about the status of their Google marketing accounts unless they asked. To make matters worse, Devin never received any ideas on how to improve Suncoast’s marketing or new keywords that they could target.

While there were some positive results, Devin realized
that their marketing person wasn’t an expert.

With the company releasing new products, opening new stores, and marketing to dealers, Devin knew that Suncoast had to work with a marketing expert to achieve their vision for the company.

Suncoast needed to work with a proactive partner that would deliver high amounts of quality leads at a profit as the company expanded. A marketing company that could grow with Suncoast as they grew to continue to be able to meet their needs.

Enter Factor One Marketing.

“Working with us was a side thing for our last marketing guy, we only got what we asked for. If we left him alone, he left us alone and collected his monthly fee.”

The Solution

Optimizing Google Ads, Setting up YouTube Ads, and Using Performance Max Campaigns

Devin knew that the Factor One team was a perfect fit as soon as he met them. Their expertise, professionalism, and dedication to understanding
Suncoast’s business shone through.

First, Factor One Marketing audited Suncoast’s Google Ads account to plug money leaking holes and refine targeting. They built new Google Ads campaigns to promote Suncoast’s products to prospects that were likeliest to convert.

Best of all, Factor One introduced YouTube Ads to showcase Suncoast’s products in action and stir up customer desire for outdoor products. Devin is glad that Factor One connected his team with excellent video content creators.

To reduce lead conversion costs further, Factor One utilized Google’s newest ad format called Performance Max campaigns. This format allowed them to target audiences whose profiles were similar to those who had previously converted on Suncoast’s ads and find more like them. They also manage SEO optimizations and write blog posts.

When Suncoast expanded into the United States, Factor One was instrumental in setting up a successful brand marketing campaign to attract dealers across the USA.

“Factor One helped us rank our US Google My Business page on organic search results without a physical location.”

The Result

200x Return on Google AdWords
Spend

The ROI of Suncoast’s partnership with Factor One has been astronomical. The company generated $20 million in business from $100,000 in Google Ads spend.

Suncoast has seen a 600% increase in new conversions thanks to Factor One’s management of their Google Ads, Youtube Ads, SEO, and Performance Max campaigns

Devin has noticed a 91% reduction in cost per conversion and a reduction of Suncoast’s average cost per click to well below $1 with some campaigns such as YouTube running at an average of just $0.02 a view!

Factor One’s performance has been so exceptional that when Suncoast opened a new office, they didn’t consider any other forms of marketing. They knew that doing Google marketing with Factor One was going to work.

Today, Suncoast is dominating organic search rankings. Prospects say, ‘I can’t wait to build my new house and do a Suncoast Enclosure.’

“Suncoast Enclosures is a household name thanks to Factor One Marketing. We’re dominating our niche because prospects search for ‘Suncoast’ instead of competitive generic terms.”

Suncoast Enclosures gets the most out of thier Google advertising dollars with a partner they can trust.

Choose a partner that’s in your corner no matter what.

Suncoast Enclosures gets the most out of thier Google advertising dollars with a partner they can trust.

Choose a partner that’s in your corner no matter what.

4iiii Innovations

4iiii Case Study Cover

CASE STUDY

How Factor One Marketing Helped 4iiii Innovations Increase Return On Ad Spend by 1,064%

CASE STUDY

How Factor One Marketing Helped 4iiii Innovations Increase Return On Ad Spend by 1,064%

“We’ve spent a year working with Factor One, and we’re not going anywhere from these guys. They know what they’re doing. They put in the time to understand our business, and they’ve given us the results.”

Shane Pegg,

Director of Brand, 4iiii Innovations

“We’ve spent a year working with Factor One, and we’re not going anywhere from these guys. They know what they’re doing. They put in the time to understand our business, and they’ve given us the results.”

Shane Pegg,

Director of Brand, 4iiii Innovations

1,064%

increase in ROAS

4x

increase in D2C sales

2x

increase in website traffic

Factor One Provided

  • Google Ads set up and management
  • Analytics-drive Google Shopping optimisation
  • YouTube Ads creative and management
  • Customized Data Studio Reports
  • Excellent customer support

The Client

4iiii Innovations

Industry

Retail

Loction

Canada & US

Industry

Retail

Location

US & Canada

4iiii is a sports technology company based in Cochrane, Alberta. They are best known or their power meters which help both recreational cyclists and elite athletes measure their cycling power.

The Challenge

Growing D2C sales and brand awareness internationally

Nobody cold calls a business anymore, right? 

Wrong. Shane Pegg does.

As the Director of Brand at 4iiii, Shane was looking for a strategic partner who could help grow brand awareness and sales.

Normally, a significant chunk of 4iiii’s business is overseas in Europe, Asia, Australia, and the USA. They rely on distributors and channel partners for business. But Shane noticed consumers were expressing direct interest in their products on their website.

Shane knew that in order to grow the Direct to Consumer (D2C) side of the business and increase brand awareness, they needed to use Google Ads. But his small marketing team had limited expertise in that area. Yes, they had a website, social media, and an e-commerce site, but they were looking for bigger results. He needed a partner who understood Google Ads to manage the budget and leverage the platform to drive sales.

So Shane googled “ad agencies in Calgary” to see what would pop up. That’s when he found Factor One Marketing ranking in the top 3 results. Shane was looking for a strong, local agency and seeing that Factor One was based in Calgary, he picked up the phone and gave them a call.

To his surprise, the company’s president, Jason, answered. After talking with Jason, it sounded like Factor One Marketing was the agency he was looking for based on their expertise in marketing and advertising on Google.

“We didn’t have any efforts around Google Ads at that point. We knew it was important to do, but we hadn’t really gone big with it. We really only had social media marketing, some industry advertising, and some print advertising.”

The Solution

Setting up Google Ads, Google Shopping, and YouTube Ads

Following that phone call, Jason handed Shane and 4iiii off to Tyler at Factor One Marketing. Together, they brought 4iiii onto the Google Ads platform.

As a certified Google Partner, Tyler guided Shane on the best way to spend 4iiii’s advertising budget for maximum results using Google Ads.

But a major win for Shane and 4iiii was Tyler noticing other growth opportunities besides Google Ads. He introduced Shane to Google Shopping and YouTube Ads. He pitched in on YouTube Ads creative and optimized Google Shopping ads. Tyler also helped 4iiii optimize their website and set up Shopify Plus.

Google Shopping Case Study Factor One Marketing 4iiii Innovations

The 4iiii team always has data analytics at their fingertips thanks to Tyler creating custom Data Studio Reports. The customized metrics make it easy for 4iiii to make presentations to the board and track the performance of each campaign.

The best part of Tyler and Factor One Marketing is that they are proactive in providing insights like industry trends to help 4iiii grow and where to shift budget spending to cash in on those trends. Even when Shane asks a question, Tyler goes above and beyond answering it by providing articles and graphs to back up his insights.

To Shane and the 4iiii team, Factor One Marketing is a true partner.

“They are an extension of our in-house team. When we say, who is on our digital marketing? It’s Factor One.”

The Result

1,064% increase in ROAS

Thanks to Factor One Marketing’s expertise
and deep understanding of 4iiii’s business, ROAS has increased by 1,064%. Tyler and Factor One Marketing used data and analytics to target the right people at the right time. This drove a 4x increase in online D2C sales without increasing the advertising budget.

4iiii Google Shopping Case Study Factor One Marketing

4iiii’s website traffic has also doubled because of the excellent optimization advice. Brand awareness has increased for 4iiii and its channel partners, especially in the US market. This growth has been reflected in the increasing number of US dealers that want to partner with 4iiii.

Factor One Marketing has exceeded Shane’s expectations. 4iiii can count on Factor One Marketing to deliver on their promises because they understand 4iiii’s needs.

For Shane, that cold call turned into a trusted, productive partnership with no end in sight.

“Factor One are experts in their field, they’re enjoyable to work with, they take their job seriously and they do it with excellence.”

Get the most out of your Google advertising dollars

Choose a partner that’s in your corner no matter what.

Get the most out of your Google advertising dollars

Choose a partner that’s in your corner no matter what.

Google Shopping Factor One Marketing Case Study 4iiii

BNA Debt Solutions

BNA Debt Solutions Case Study Cover

CASE STUDY

How Factor One Marketing used YouTube to double BNA Debt Solutions' ad coversions

CASE STUDY

How Factor One Marketing used YouTube to double BNA Debt Solutions' ad conversions

“Factor One Marketing has been great about taking our small advertising budget and making the most of it on Google and
YouTube. Our business has definitely grown, and there’s no way we could have gotten to the point we’re at without them.”

Gerri Nykyforuk
Manager & Team Lead, BNA Debt Solutions

“Factor One Marketing has been great about taking our small advertising budget and making the most of it on Google and
YouTube. Our business has definitely grown, and there’s no way we could have gotten to the point we’re at without them.”

Gerri Nykyforuk 

Manager & Team Lead, BNA Debt Solutions

103%

increase in ad conversions

96%

increase in conversions based on brand name

40%

decrease in overall cost per conversion

What We Provided

A cost effective YouTube ad campaign

  • Comprehensive research targeted high-value keywords
  • Bespoke ads engaged audiences
  • Ad sequencing reiterated core messages
  • Platform expertise to navigate tight restrictions

The Client

BNA Debt Solutions

Industry

Financial

Loction

Alberta, Canada

Industry

Financial

Location

Alberta, Canada

BNA Debt Solutions has been helping local Albertans overcome their debt for over 25 years. As Licensed Insolvency Trustees who specialize in Consumer
Proposals and Assignments in Bankruptcy, BNA Debt Solutions is able to negotiate legally binding contracts with creditors so that their clients can reduce their debt and move forward with their lives.

The Challenge

Building a brand amid heavy ad restrictions

As the manager and team lead at BNA Debt Solutions, Gerri Nykyforuk’s biggest mission is to help people deal with their debt. But she couldn’t do that if no one knew what BNA was or how to find them online.

Because Google places heavy restrictions on the debt servicing industry, Gerri was in dire trouble. Communicating why BNA wasn’t just another debt counselor was already hard enough. Google’s policies wouldn’t let her use certain keywords or remarket to previous visitors.

With a limited budget and resources, building a respected online brand looked hopeless. To succeed, Gerri needed a partner with unparalleled knowledge of Google who would take the time to understand her business and forge a way forward. Fortunately, Gerri knew just the right person for the job.

“Advertising on Google has been a nightmare for a long time. Our hands were tied. We're a small company and not that savvy with internet marketing. We had to trust someone who knew what they were doing, and someone who was a lot more creative than us.”

The Solution

A marketing agency that never
backs down

For years, Gerri had trusted the team at Factor One Marketing to handle web services for BNA, but their marketing expertise on Google and YouTube coupled with their innovative thinking made them the perfect
solution to her predicament.

As certified Google partners, Tyler and his team began petitioning Google to loosen ad restrictions on BNA, but they weren’t going to just sit back and wait. Because debt solution services is such a competitive industry and
cost per conversion was so high, they saw a unique opportunity for BNA to establish its brand through YouTube advertising.

Using its network of marketing experts, Factor One Marketing crafted a video advertisement that not only explained one of BNA’s most valuable services but also emphasized brand-related keywords over more expensive generic ones. And it did it all within BNAs’ budget and Google’s restrictions.

Since remarketing wasn’t an option, Factor One Marketing used an approach called ad sequencing to tell a story to viewers based on their engagement with previous ads. This was also in addition to helping Gerri gain traction on other Google services, like building up over 100 Google reviews.

“Tyler and his team really went to bat and fought for us. They got really creative in a a number of ways to get our brand and services out there.”

The Result

Doubled conversions at a
significantly lower cost

Thanks to Factor One Marketing, BNA Debt Solutions’
YouTube advertising campaign is an enormous success.
In a matter of months, total ad conversions doubled, and
conversions based on branding keywords were up 96
percent. What’s more, Factor One Marketing was also
able to reduce the cost per conversion by 40 percent.

Thanks to comprehensive reports provided by Factor One Marketing, Gerri is able to see that nearly one hundred thousand people within her YouTube target audience were watching the ads, and 35 percent of them were watching the entire ad, resulting in much higher quality leads. At the same time, Factor One Marketing was also able to help finally get BNA Debt Solutions certified on Google so they could advertise more effectively.

The impact this has had on Gerri and her team is transformative. Despite being a small business, BNA is now able to compete against companies several times its size with just a fraction of the advertising budget. It’s just another success in a long partnership between Factor One Marketing and BNA Debt Solutions.

“Those conversions were huge for our business. If we wouldn't have had this marketing plan our numbers would never have grown the way they have.”

Get the most out of your Google advertising dollars

Choose a partner that’s in your corner no matter what.

Get the most out of your Google advertising dollars

Choose a partner that’s in your corner no matter what.

AQ Outdoors

AQ Outdoors Case Study

CASE STUDY

How Factor One Marketing Helped AQ Outdoors Increase Sales by 45% During the COVID-19 Pandemic

CASE STUDY

How Factor One Marketing Helped AQ Outdoors Increase Sales by 45% During The COVID-19 Pandemic

“Factor One has years of experience with Google Ads and really knows its stuff. I’ve always trusted them to have our best interests at heart.”

Simon Coward
Owner, AQ Outdoors

“Factor One has years of experience with Google Ads
and really knows its stuff. I’ve always trusted them to
have our best interests at heart.”

Simon Coward
Owner, AQ Outdoors

Factor One Provided

  • Online retail expertise to turn in-store visits into online sales
  • Analytics-driven
    recommendations to optimize online sales
  • A strong partnership, even
    during the most trying times

The Client

AQ Outdoors

Industry

Retail

Loction

Alberta, Canada

Industry

Retail

Location

Alberta, Canada

AQ Outdoors provides equipment to paddle sports enthusiasts across Canada. From its retail locations in Calgary and Edmonton (branded Aquabatics) and its online store, the company sells paddle boards, kayaks, roof racks, splitboards and accessories. AQ Outdoors is also instrumental in fostering a community of outdoor adventurers through lessons, guided tours and rentals of paddle equipment.

The Challenge

Retail locations forced to close due to COVID-19

COVID-19 couldn’t have come at a worse time for AQ Outdoors. Having recently opened a new retail location in Edmonton, the company was stretched financially. Thus, when authorities ordered Albertan retailers to close due to the pandemic, Simon Coward, owner of AQ Outdoors, foresaw the impact to his revenue.

He reluctantly laid off staff and reached out to vendors to discontinue service until further notice in an attempt to stem expenditures until stores could reopen and the company’s financial outlook was more certain.

One partner Simon contacted was Factor One Marketing, a Google Partner Agency. They’d been managing his Google Ads and Google Marketing for years, and he loved working with them—but he was gearing up to make a difficult break-up call.

"Having to close our doors and lay off staff was frightening. We started to prepare ourselves for the nuclear scenario—where we would have to shutter stores permanently because we have no sales."

The Solution

A rapid shift from in-store to online sales

To Simon’s surprise, Factor One refused to abandon AQ Outdoors. Instead, they asked him what he needed. Together, they came up with a solution that would allow Factor One to continue providing marketing and advertising to AQ Outdoors until business improved.


Simon was floored. Factor One did everything they could to make the deal fair and equitable to both parties. He’d never worked with a third-party partner that cared about his success as much as he did.

Factor One pivoted quickly. They moved away from promoting in-store visits to promoting online shopping, curb-side pickup, and contact-free deliveries.

They used Shopify metrics to see what categories of products were selling best. When they found that smaller items, such as life jackets and safety gear, were moving better than canoes and kayaks, they factored that information into its Google Shopping campaigns.

When certain products sold out and couldn’t immediately be restocked due to COVID-19, Factor One used a combination of Google Shopping and Shopify metrics to promote the items that were in-stock products, particularly those with high profit margins.

“I told Factor One we were going to have to cut things off, but they refused to sever our relationship. Instead, they continued hot at it for us until we could get back on our feet. They were in our corner the whole time, which was pretty remarkable.”

The Result

45% Increase in sales

Using data from Google Shopping, Google Search, and Google Display campaigns, Factor One helped AQ Outdoors optimize its online marketing campaigns. They tweaked campaigns based on Google Trends analysis
and before long their hard work paid off.

In just two months, AQ Outdoors online sales shot up by a huge 45%—and that number continues to grow.

But what Simon loves most about working with Factor One isn’t the maximized online profits (though he loves those too)—it’s the strong partnership. COVID-19 was a trial by fire, and Factor One has proven that they’ll do anything to help through good times and bad.

“When you go through a bonkers situation like this one, it puts a magnifying glass on your relationships with vendors and partners. Factor One showed us that our trust in them as a partner is warranted. And with their support, we’re on track to have our best year ever.”

Get the most out of your Google advertising dollars

Choose a partner that’s in your corner no matter what.

Get the most out of your Google advertising dollars

Choose a partner that’s in your corner no matter what.