In an effort to help Karibu Loo Ltd (the for-profit company created by Friends of Ngong Road to provide employment for our graduates and create a revenue source to support our mission) gain more visibility and boost traffic to our refreshed website, we have been running two digital marketing campaigns. The website refresh and ad campaigns are executed by members and graduates of the TechMates training program on our campus in Nairobi.
Google Ads are the cornerstone of our marketing
In March 2021, Karibu Loo launched a Google Ads campaign. The Google Ads program enables users to create online ads that reach targeted audiences interested in the offered products and services.
After a “start-up” period, the campaign was a success, driving a significant increase in call volume and resulting in stronger business performance.
Year-to-date, we have received over one million impressions, garnered over nineteen thousand clicks, and achieved 282 conversions (conversions are artificially depressed because customers are able to call us directly without being measured by Google). Using these metrics, the Google Ads program is Karibu Loo’s most successful digital marketing campaign.
Facebook Ads are proving to be very successful
Karibu Loo began testing Facebook ads in 2021 on its Facebook page. Ads ran featuring our loos and various offers and headlines (see the three examples below). For very low expenditure ($8.00 – $10.00 USD weekly) we received very satisfactory weekly impressions (between 2000 and 8000), high click-through rates, and several direct contacts. This led us to believe that a full Facebook ads campaign had merit.
They launched the full Facebook campaign after Kenya’s August 2022 general election. Since its inception, the campaign has contributed significantly to Karibu Loo’s brand visibility. Our own U.S.-based creative genius volunteers, Steve Kotvis and Paul Schupanitz, created the campaign, focusing on our program graduates who work full- or part-time as “Associates” for Karibu Loo.
With the tagline ‘Use our loos and educate too’ and a photo of Associates/program graduates (see the three examples below). The campaign fueled Karibu Loo’s Facebook growth, gathering 70k users, securing 2k likes, and strengthening community engagement. Most of these ads are reaching 20,000 – 35.000 viewers weekly and generate between 100 and 500 “likes” each. The more people who “like” our page, the easier it is for others to discover our brand.
The TechMate assigned to Karibu Loo (Tabitha) presents the results of both campaigns at our weekly Karibu Loo staff meetings. She, along with other TechMates, refreshed the Karibu Loo website, improved our SEO (Search Engine Optimization) status, and continually refine our Google Ads and keyword usage.
Karibu Loo is very proud of these successful campaigns.
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