How We Helped 26% More People Seek Addiction Help While Reducing CPA By 23.5%

Reducing the harm caused by alcohol and drug addiction is no small challenge. For one leading Australian not-for-profit, connecting individuals and families with life-changing support tools was a critical mission. 

In 2024, they partnered with Reef Digital to drive more people to seek help through a targeted digital campaign.

The goal? Increase conversions—measured as completions of their online support tool—while improving cost-efficiency.

The stakes were high. The previous year’s campaign, while foundational, faced key challenges: higher costs, lower engagement, and limited platform optimisation. 

To make a bigger impact in 2024, we needed a fresh approach—one focused on smarter targeting, optimised messaging, and strategic budget allocation.

Here’s how we achieved this:

• A 26% increase in conversions—rising from 3,976 to 5,144.
• A 23.5% reduction in cost-per-acquisition (CPA)—from $20.10 to $15.87.
• Improved platform performance: Integration of Google Performance Max and Microsoft Search, alongside optimised Google Search.

Let’s dive in!

---

Step 1: Enhancing the Media Strategy

What We Did:

To maximise reach, cost-efficiency, and overall campaign performance, we adopted a multi-platform approach tailored to deliver the best results:

• Google Search: Allocated 87% of the budget to Google Search, prioritising high-intent users actively seeking addiction help. This platform acted as the backbone of the campaign.
• Google Performance Max: Introduced Performance Max to support incremental conversions by leveraging Google’s machine learning optimisation across multiple channels.
• Microsoft Search: Added Microsoft Search to expand reach and engage a unique audience segment often overlooked, driving additional cost-effective traffic and conversions.

Why It Worked:

Each platform played a strategic role in addressing the campaign’s goals:

1. Google Search:
   • Captured users with clear intent to find addiction support resources, ensuring we reached people actively seeking help at the right moment.
   • Focused on high-performing keywords to drive strong click-through and conversion rates.
2. Google Performance Max:
   • Delivered incremental sessions and conversions by utilising Google’s machine learning to identify opportunities across its entire ad ecosystem.
   • Lowered CPAs with good targeting inputs and creative optimisation, ensuring cost-effective results.
3. Microsoft Search:
   • Provided access to a distinct audience segment with minimal competition, achieving quality traffic at a low CPC of $2.23.
   • Supplemented campaign reach with 31 additional conversions, demonstrating its value as a cost-efficient, incremental platform.

By diversifying platforms and strategically allocating budgets, we created a media strategy that balanced intent, reach, and cost-efficiency—laying the groundwork for the campaign’s overall success.

---

Step 2: Optimising Messaging for Engagement

What We Did:

To improve engagement and drive action, we focused on refining campaign messaging based on audience insights and performance data:

• Identified Top-Performing Messaging Themes:
  • Addiction Services and Support: Messaging like “Access tailored support referrals based on your specific need and circumstances” emphasised the personalised and accessible nature of the help available.
  • Treatment and Prevention: Solution-focused messaging resonated strongly, with content highlighting actionable steps for recovery and prevention.

• Prioritised High-Impact Messaging Across Creatives:
  • Creatives were aligned with these key themes to ensure relevance and emotional resonance.
  • Action-driven messaging encouraged users to take the next step, whether for themselves or a loved one, fostering both empathy and urgency.

Why It Worked:

By tailoring messaging to audience needs and testing a focus on solutions rather than problems, we achieved measurable improvements:

1. Higher Click-Through Rates (CTR):
   • CTR on Google Search ads increased from 6.91% to 7.14%, demonstrating stronger engagement with more relevant and impactful messaging.
2. Improved Conversion Rates:
   • Conversion rates on Google Search jumped from 16.61% to 20.43%, showing that solution-oriented messaging motivated users to take action and complete the help tool.
3. Audience Resonance:
   • Messaging that emphasised actionable support and tangible outcomes struck a chord with individuals and families seeking addiction help, driving both clicks and meaningful conversions.

By aligning messaging with audience insights and focusing on solutions, we created content that not only engaged users but inspired them to take meaningful action—resulting in stronger campaign performance and higher conversion rates.

---

Step 3: Refining Keyword Targeting

What We Did:

To maximise cost-efficiency and drive quality traffic, we optimised Google Search campaigns with a focus on high-performing and long-tail keywords:

• Prioritised High-Intent Keywords:
  • Short-Tail Keywords: Targeted concise, high-volume search terms that captured users actively seeking help, such as:
    • “Alcohol help”
    • “Addiction services”
    • “Support for families of addicts”
  • Long-Tail Keywords: Focused on longer, intent-rich phrases like:
    • “How to help someone who drinks too much”
    • These terms attracted users with specific needs and a clear intent to take action.
• Budget Reallocation:
  • Monitored keyword performance closely to identify which terms delivered the best cost-per-click (CPC) and conversion rates.
  • Reallocated budgets toward top-performing keywords to maximise results while maintaining efficiency.

Why It Worked:

Refining keyword targeting ensured we reached the most relevant and motivated audiences:

1. Low-Cost, High-Quality Traffic:
   • High-performing keywords delivered strong engagement at a low CPC of under $3.10, ensuring budget efficiency without compromising reach.
2. Improved Relevance and Conversion Rates:
   • Short-tail keywords captured high-intent users searching for immediate solutions, while long-tail keywords attracted those with specific needs, leading to higher-quality conversions.
3. Focused Results:
   • By concentrating budget on the best-performing terms, we reduced wasted spend and achieved more conversions with greater ROI.

Through strategic keyword optimisation and budget allocation, we connected with users at every stage of their search journey, delivering cost-efficient traffic and high-quality conversions—ultimately driving the campaign’s success.

---

The Results

The 2024 campaign delivered exceptional improvements over the previous year, achieving significant gains in conversions and cost-efficiency through a strategic, data-driven approach.

Overall Campaign Performance

• 26% increase in conversions: Up from 3,976 in 2023 to 5,144 in 2024.
• 23.5% reduction in CPA: Dropped from $20.10 to $15.87, improving overall budget efficiency.

Platform Breakdown

1. Google Search:
   • CPA reduced to $15.01—a 25% improvement compared to 2023.
   • Conversion rate increased from 16.61% to 20.43%, demonstrating stronger audience engagement and relevance.
2. Microsoft Search:
   • Delivered 152,930 impressions and 2,161 clicks at a low CPC of $2.23.
   • Contributed 31 incremental conversions, proving its value in expanding reach at a low cost.
3. Google Performance Max:
   • Added an incremental 393 conversions at a CPA of $15.12, further improving cost-efficiency and supporting the campaign’s overall performance.

---

Key Takeaways

1. Diversify Platforms for Incremental Gains
   Integrating Google Performance Max and Microsoft Search broadened campaign reach and delivered additional cost-effective conversions, supplementing Google Search results.
2. Tailor Messaging for High Engagement
   Solution-focused messaging themes, such as tailored support and prevention, resonated strongly with audiences, improving click-through rates and conversion rates.
3. Optimise Keyword Targeting
   Refining keyword strategy with high-performing and long-tail terms drove high-quality, low-cost traffic, ensuring budget efficiency.
4. Allocate Budget Strategically
   Prioritising Google Search for high-intent traffic and reallocating spend based on platform performance helped maximise ROI and deliver measurable results.

---

Conclusion

The 2024 campaign achieved exceptional results by implementing a data-driven strategy that optimised platforms, messaging, and budget allocation. Through smarter targeting, refined keyword focus, and the strategic use of Google Performance Max and Microsoft Search, we successfully:

• Increased conversions by 26%.
• Reduced CPA by 23.5%.

This campaign not only delivered measurable results but also connected more individuals and families to life-changing addiction support resources.

Have questions about how we achieved these results? Get in touch to see how we can help your organisation achieve similar success.

The post How We Helped 26% More People Seek Addiction Help While Reducing CPA By 23.5% appeared first on Reef Digital Agency.