From 45% to 5.65% ACOS in Just 30 Days — A Beauty Brand’s Ad Spend Makeover with Nexa Solutions Hub

We started with a full audit of the campaign account. The structure was disjointed with multiple overlapping broad-match campaigns and aggressive bids eating up budget. We paused every campaign and rebuilt everything from scratch, one controlled campaign at a time.

We separated keyword targets into three intent groups: branded, category-based, and competitor-focused. Each group had its own campaign and budget, giving us clarity and precise control over performance and spend.

Using Helium 10, Brand Analytics, and our in-house data system, we conducted deep keyword mining. We focused on high-converting long-tail phrases and skin/hair-specific concerns that aligned with the beauty product’s core benefits.

We launched exact match campaigns first, followed by phrase match once we identified profitable terms. Broad match was avoided completely during the initial 30 days to prevent irrelevant clicks and overexposure.

Negative keywords were implemented aggressively. Our team reviewed past search terms and eliminated dozens of poorly performing queries that were generating clicks without conversions.

We added ASIN-targeted Sponsored Product campaigns against direct competitors with weaker reviews, higher pricing, or poor imagery. This allowed us to intercept customers at the comparison stage and offer a superior option.

Manual bid optimization became a daily routine. Bids were adjusted based on keyword ACOS, conversion rate, and placement metrics. Underperformers were paused quickly, while proven keywords were scaled.

We strategically layered in Sponsored Display ads for retargeting purposes, focusing on audiences who viewed the product but didn’t purchase. This campaign had an ACOS below 4%, helping re-engage lost shoppers.

To support ad performance, we helped the client optimize the product listing—revising bullet points, adding targeted backend keywords, and enhancing the main image. The improved listing increased the conversion rate, making our ads even more effective.

We used placement modifiers only on keywords with consistent sales under 7% ACOS. This helped gain premium visibility (top-of-search and product pages) without ballooning costs.

Midway through the month, we ran a 5-day limited coupon promo synced with our highest-performing keywords. This triggered urgency and helped us generate a sales spike that boosted keyword rankings and organic visibility.

We implemented an 80/20 budget strategy—funneling the majority of the spend into the top 20% of keywords driving the majority of revenue. This kept the account lean and efficient.

We A/B tested different ad creative headlines and product image formats to improve click-through rates. The winning variation increased CTR by 18% and reduced CPC by 22%.

We built a clean Sponsored Brands campaign that targeted key long-tail keywords with strong branding and added cross-selling benefits with a simple landing page layout.

Dynamic bidding was turned off in favor of fixed, manual bidding. This gave us tighter cost control and removed volatility from daily performance metrics.

We monitored keyword rank daily using our internal tools and adjusted bids based on organic position. If a keyword was already top-ranked organically, we reduced ad spend to avoid overlap.

To capture high-intent audiences, we used Sponsored Display’s “Views Remarketing” and “Similar Product” segments, targeting shoppers browsing related beauty products in the same price bracket.

We avoided automatic campaigns entirely in the first 30 days. Once we had solid performance data, we launched a highly restricted auto campaign with bid caps and negative phrase controls purely for harvesting new keyword data.

A weekly performance report was delivered to the client showing sales, ROAS, ACOS, impressions, CTR, and strategic updates. The clarity and transparency changed the client’s outlook completely.

By the end of the 30-day window, we had achieved what once seemed impossible: ACOS dropped from 45% to 5.65%, sales hit $168,091, 648 orders were delivered, and the ROAS surged to 17.70—all from a modest $9,494 in ad spend.