Targeted advertising is the perfect tool for promoting sports nutrition and dietary supplements. It allows us to reach an audience interested in a healthy lifestyle, fitness, and proper nutrition.
We can deliver our unique value proposition directly to the right audience by tailoring ads to specific interests, geographic regions, and demographic traits. Building strong relationships with our customers by bypassing competitors.
Client
We’ve been working with this client since early 2024. The initial request focused on increasing the number of potential customers.
The company offers consumers sports nutrition and vitamin complexes designed to help them reach their fitness goals. Orders are delivered via Nova Post.
Client’s key advantages:
- Products recommended by champions
- Guaranteed top-quality goods
- Use of organic ingredients
- Instant delivery across Ukraine via Nova Poshta
- Easy returns and exchanges following Article 9 of the Law of Ukraine on Consumer Protection
- Bonus: 5% discount for website registration
With this information in hand, we began setting up the targeted advertising campaign.
Workflow
At the first stage, we created an ad account and built a detailed product catalog for advertising purposes. Market and competitor research gave us insight into the needs of the target audience interested in sports nutrition. This analysis revealed that banners are the primary source of product information for Ukrainian consumers. In other words, the banner had to include as much product detail as possible. Based on this, we adapted the banner designs to effectively communicate the key benefits of the client’s products to the audience.
At the second stage, we launched ad campaigns focused on the client’s priority products, as agreed upon in advance. We targeted a broad audience of users who had previously purchased from the client, along with lookalike audiences of users who had shown interest in similar products on social media. Once the audience was gathered, we proceeded with launching retargeting campaigns.
Overall Goals of the Advertising Campaigns:
- Attract potential customers
- Increase the number of calls/inquiries
- Drive targeted traffic to the website
- Boost brand awareness
Campaigsі Settings:
- Geo-targeting: Ukraine
- Schedule: 24/7
- Devices: Mobile and desktop
- Budget: Dynamic, starting at $1,000
- USP: Made in Germany, branded raw materials, additional German quality certifications, and a team of over 60 top-tier athletes
Thanks to these settings, we were able to achieve broad audience reach across Ukraine and ensure uninterrupted ad delivery. Leveraging the client’s unique selling points allowed us to stand out from competitors and attract potential customers.
Tasks completed during the first month of collaboration included:
- Writing ad copy for banners
- Creating headlines for creatives
- Setting up advertising audiences
- Collecting Instagram users and website visitors for retargeting audiences
- Launching the configured ad campaigns
Results from the first week/month of running creatives:
Fig. 2 – Results from the first month of running creatives (goal — Add to Cart)
- 28 completed purchases in total
- Product ROAS ranged from 0.9 to 7.57 (which equals 90%–757%)
The ROAS metric highlighted the varying effectiveness of different ad channels and products. Based on this, we reconfigured the current campaign to focus on the “Purchase” objective.
Campaign performance results for all products, Lookalike Audience:
Fig. 3 – Campaign results for all products, LAL audience
- 18 purchases;
- ROAS 7,8-11,3 (i.e., 780-1130%).
18 completed purchases with a ROAS ranging from 7.8 to 11.3 indicate that every unit of investment in advertising generated between 7.8 and 11.3 UAH in profit. This result shows that the ad campaigns were set up effectively and delivered the expected return.
Data on retargeting audience performance:
Fig. 4 – Retargeting results
- 4 purchases;
- 10,32 ROAS (1032%).
Despite the relatively small number of purchases, the ROAS indicates a high return on investment for the campaign targeting the retargeting audience. Users who had previously shown interest in the product (visited the website, added items to the cart, etc.) are the most valuable audience segment and are more likely to convert after repeated exposure to the creatives. This makes them a promising group for further engagement and ad scaling.
Overall performance of all active campaigns:
- 50 purchases;
- 299 add-to-cart actions;
- 5,62 average ROAS (562%).
- 303,58 UAH as the average cost per purchase.
The configured ad creatives effectively captured the attention of potential customers and encouraged interaction with the product. Every sixth add-to-cart action resulted in a purchase, which accounts for nearly 17% of all conversions. On average, the revenue from sales driven by targeting exceeded ad spend by a factor of 5.62, confirming the overall effectiveness of the campaigns during the first month of work.
The add-to-cart rate is high, and the conversion rate still has room for improvement. Therefore, we shifted our focus to optimization efforts aimed at boosting campaign performance.
We also had the opportunity to direct potential customers to Direct, where experienced managers handled inquiries and provided consultations. This communication channel has already proven its effectiveness, resulting in a significant number of successful sales.
Optimization work in the following periods
Ad campaign optimization:
- Adjusting ad objectives (from “Add to Cart” to “Purchase”)
- Launching new campaigns with various goals (sales, brand awareness, conversion growth)
- Relaunching campaigns (retargeting)
- Disabling underperforming campaigns and ad sets
- Scaling effective campaigns
- Adding new products to existing campaigns
- Launching new/promotional offers and products
Budget Optimization:
- Ongoing optimization of bids and budgets
- Disabling underperforming ad groups
- Allocating budgets to high-performing groups and campaigns
Creative Optimization:
- Regular optimization of visual elements (banners)
- Replacing ineffective banners
- Developing new creatives to refresh campaigns
- Creating and testing new creatives (including Reels with bloggers/influencers)
- Updating banners for specific products
Audience Optimization and Analysis:
- Continuous analysis and refinement of audiences
Testing different audience segments and types (automated, Advantage+ with catalog products) - Creating new relevant audiences
Other Tasks:
- Setting up a new ad account
- Ongoing ROAS monitoring
- Conversion analysis (add to cart, purchases)
- Analyzing user behavior on the website
- Integrating new payment systems (e.g., PayPal)
We conducted weekly in-depth data analysis using Google Analytics 4, cross-referencing it with information from Business Manager to ensure accurate evaluation of ad campaign performance. For this purpose, we implemented UTM tags and verified that the data was being correctly tracked and displayed in Analytics.
Target audience
At the initial stage, we conducted detailed segmentation of the target audience, identifying groups that matched different product categories. We specifically focused on active users who care about their health and appearance. For male audiences, we created segments targeting people interested in sports, workouts, and sports nutrition. Additionally, we leveraged audience interests aligned with the client’s product range to precisely identify potential buyers. To streamline the process, we also utilized Facebook’s Advantage+ audiences.
Careful segmentation of products across ad groups and campaigns allowed us to identify the most promising items and optimize ad budgets. Our analysis showed that Advantage+ campaigns were the most effective method for reaching the target audience.
A/B testing of different banner variations revealed that the best-performing ads were those that clearly emphasized the key product benefits. This insight enables us to create more effective ad materials and improve click-through rates.
The food and sports supplement niche is subject to strict regulations by Meta. The platform imposes requirements for certain product categories that we must follow when preparing ad creatives. Ad campaigns can be paused or blocked without prior notice to the advertiser due to the nature of this niche. This creates additional challenges in optimizing and planning advertising activities. Because of potential restrictions and ongoing changes in Meta’s policies, campaign outcomes are difficult to predict. Given the niche specifics and constantly evolving advertising rules, our strategy remains flexible. We closely monitor Meta’s latest policy updates and quickly adapt our approach accordingly.
The client is actively involved in the process and considers our suggestions for optimizing targeted ads. We regularly discuss different options and explain the reasoning behind our recommendations. We’re glad that most of our ideas are implemented in the project, while the final decision always remains with the client.
Targeted advertising results for sports nutrition products
As of November 2024, the client’s account had 8 active ad campaigns. Let’s take a look at their performance:
Fig. 5 – Ad performance results for November 2024
- 2 146 add-to-cart actions
- 516 total purchases
- 162,35 UAH average cost per purchase
- 11,2 average ROAS (1120%)
The client’s products are in demand, as reflected by the high number of add-to-cart actions and completed purchases. The conversion rate from add-to-cart to purchase is around 24%, meaning roughly one in four add-to-cart actions results in a sale. An ROAS of 11.2 is a strong indicator of advertising effectiveness. Every dollar invested in ads generates 11.20 $ in revenue.
We also have comparative data for both periods to review:
Fig. 6 – Comparative data: January 2024 vs. November 2024
Data from the ad account for January and November 2024:
Fig. 7 – Comparative data: January 2024 vs. November 2024 (Facebook Ads)
- +474.33% increase in add-to-cart actions
- +719.05% increase in the number of purchases
- -20.82% decrease in cost per purchase
- +2.7 ROAS (270% increase between the two periods)
The configured ads effectively captured user attention and encouraged meaningful engagement with the store’s products. A 719% increase in purchases demonstrates the strong performance of the advertising campaigns and the accurate targeting of user segments. The ads not only attracted interest but also successfully converted potential customers into actual buyers. At the same time, the increase in purchases led to a nearly 21% drop in average purchase cost. Although ad spend rose by 548%, this increase is fully justified by the substantial growth in sales.
Targeted advertising successfully delivered on its objective, driving a significant increase in sales while reducing the average cost per purchase. We continuously track the client’s key KPIs and remain focused on enhancing the personalization and performance of our campaigns. By doing so, we aim to maximize return on investment and support long-term, sustainable business growth.
