Skaalen Branded vs. Retirement Campaign Performance

Analysis of Google Ads campaign performance from the December 2025 monthly marketing review. Skaalen runs three campaigns — Branded, Retirement, and Competitor — against a $2,250/month budget, though only $1,200 was spent in the review period.

Campaign Snapshot

Total budget: $2,250/month
Total spent (November): ~$1,200 — significantly under budget, cause unclear

Branded Campaign

The strongest performer by a wide margin.

• CTR: ~77% — exceptionally high, indicating searchers are highly intent-matched
• Cost/conversion: $7
• Conversion rate: ~22%
• Top search terms: "Skaalen," "Skaalen Retirement," "Skaalen Stoughton"

Interpretation: These are largely people who already know Skaalen and are searching by name. The low cost reflects minimal competition — no competitors appear to be bidding on Skaalen's brand terms. While this means the campaign is capturing existing awareness rather than generating new demand, it protects branded traffic at very low cost.

Retirement Campaign

Drives volume but at significantly higher cost.

• CTR: ~6%
• Cost/conversion: $67
• Conversion rate: ~6%
• Spend: ~$677

Interpretation: At $67/conversion, this campaign is still cost-effective for senior living — a single placement generates revenue that far exceeds the acquisition cost. However, it is roughly 10× more expensive per conversion than the Branded campaign. The team noted growth opportunity here but flagged it as an area for optimization before increasing budget.

Competitor Campaign

Underperforming; under active evaluation.

• Conversions: 0
• Impressions: ~600 (low)
• Spend: Minimal

How it works: When someone searches for a competitor by name (e.g., "Kettle Park," "Nazareth"), Skaalen's ad can appear as an alternative. The campaign targets facilities that have recently undergone ownership changes and have low star ratings (Nazareth: 2 stars as of December 2025).

Decision (December 2025): Run for one additional month rather than reallocating budget. Rationale: recent ownership changes at both Kettle Park and Nazareth are generating inbound calls from unhappy residents, suggesting latent demand that the campaign may not yet have had time to capture. Re-evaluate at the ^[1] January 8, 2026 meeting.

"With the change of ownership at Kettle Park again... is that something maybe we would want to just run, continue running? It seems like there's an increase in calls from people over there." — Kris Krentz & Jenny, December 2025 call

Optimization Recommendations

Ad Copy / Headlines

Add headlines emphasizing longevity, stability, and the new U.S. News & World Report awards:
- "Caring Since 1900"
- "Non-Profit Senior Living"
- "Award-Winning Short & Long-Term Care"
- "Best Assisted Living" / "Best Nursing Care"

These directly counter competitor instability messaging and align with the broader ^[2] being pursued via billboard and Google Ads.

Keywords to Add

Broad terms currently missing from campaigns:
- "Assisted Living"
- "Senior Citizens Living"
- "Retirement Center"

Lead Form Extensions

Currently, lead forms exist only on landing pages. Adding Google Ads lead form extensions would allow immediate form fills directly from the search results page — faster lead capture without requiring a site visit.

Negative Keywords

225+ non-serving keywords identified as cluttering the account. Removing these reduces wasted spend and improves Quality Score.

Budget Allocation

The AI-generated recommendation suggested increasing the Branded daily budget from $20 to $66/day. The team elected to hold at current levels and revisit after the Competitor campaign evaluation in January.

Key Takeaways

1. Branded is the anchor. At $7/conversion, it's the most efficient spend and should be protected. No competitors are currently bidding on Skaalen's name terms.
2. Retirement drives growth at acceptable cost. $67/conversion is reasonable for senior living; optimize before scaling.
3. Competitor campaign needs more time or a pivot. Zero conversions after one month, but external conditions (ownership changes, low competitor ratings) justify a one-month extension before reallocation.
4. Under-budget spend warrants investigation. Only 53% of the monthly budget was spent — worth diagnosing whether this is a keyword volume issue, bid strategy, or ad scheduling gap.

Related

• ^[3]
• ^[4]
• ^[5]
• ^[6]