The Client
Pro Sports Plans runs FlagFootballPlans.com, a US online store for youth flag football playbooks, play-calling wristbands and coaching gear, along with WristCoaches.com and TBallPlans.com. We rebuilt their Google Ads in 2022, which brought in 3,200+ orders and $140K+ in ad revenue and more than doubled the return on ad spend.
Their buyers are volunteer coaches and parents who need a playbook before the first game of the season. They search for exactly what they need, "5 on 5 flag football plays", "7 on 7 wrist coach", and buy the same day.
"About 1.2x return in 2022. About 2.6x in 2024."
The Challenge
Google Ads for youth sports products is a small, seasonal market:
- Low-priced products. A playbook or a set of wristbands sells for tens of dollars, so every click has to count.
- Short buying seasons. Demand peaks before fall and spring leagues, then drops.
- Three brands, one budget. Flag football, wrist coaches and T-ball each have their own buyers and their own searches.
- A low starting return. In our first year the account returned about 1.2x, so the work was about efficiency, not just volume.
What We Built
1. Performance Max for All Buyers and for New Customers
A main Performance Max campaign and a second Performance Max campaign for new customers only, both bidding to maximize conversion value.
2. Search Campaigns for Every Brand
Separate Search campaigns for Flag Football Plans, Wrist Coaches and T-ball Plans, each rebuilt in later versions as the data came in.
3. Shopping for the Product Catalog
A Shopping campaign for the store's products, alongside Performance Max.
4. A/B Tests Across the Account
A/B tests on the Flag Football Search campaign, the T-ball Search campaign and both Performance Max campaigns, to find the bid strategy that returned the most.
5. Daily Optimization via Ad Campaign Concierge™
Every campaign was reviewed daily through our proprietary Ad Campaign Concierge™ system: search terms, negatives, budget shifts ahead of each season and bid strategy tests.
The Results
- 3,200+ orders and $140K+ in ad revenue, February 2022 to July 2024.
- ROAS more than doubled: about 1.2x in 2022, about 2.2x in 2023 and about 2.6x from January to July 2024.
- 2023 beat 2022 by about half in ad revenue: about $65,000 against about $43,000.
- Best month: August 2023, 340+ orders, as coaches got ready for fall leagues.
Key Takeaways
- Efficiency first in a low-price market. With products priced in the tens of dollars, raising the return mattered more than raising the spend.
- One campaign per brand. Flag football, wrist coaches and T-ball buyers search differently, so each brand gets its own campaign.
- Find new customers on purpose. A Performance Max campaign for new customers only kept growth from depending on repeat buyers.
- Plan for the season. Budgets rise ahead of fall and spring leagues and fall back in between.
Frequently Asked Questions
What ROAS can a youth sports products store get from Google Ads?
FlagFootballPlans.com's return on ad spend rose every year we ran the account: about 1.2x in 2022, about 2.2x in 2023 and about 2.6x from January to July 2024.
When do flag football coaches buy?
Right before the season. The account's biggest months were August and March, when coaches prepare for fall and spring leagues. August 2023 alone brought in 340+ orders.
Should a store with several brands run separate campaigns?
Yes. FlagFootballPlans.com, WristCoaches.com and TBallPlans.com each had their own Search campaigns, so each brand's budget followed its own buyers.
Does Performance Max work for niche sports products?
It did here. The main Performance Max campaign was the largest in the account and drove the most orders, and together with a second Performance Max campaign for new customers only it produced well over half of the account's conversions.
About This Campaign
E-commerce Google Ads for a youth sports products store, built with our proprietary Ad Campaign Concierge™ optimization system.
Industry: E-Commerce (Youth Sports Playbooks & Coaching Gear) Platforms: Google Ads (Performance Max, Search, Shopping) Location: United States (nationwide shipping) Account Duration: February 2022 to July 2024. The engagement has ended.
Orders and ad revenue are the store's purchase conversions recorded in Google Ads (flag football, wrist coach and basketball plan purchases) for our campaigns, February 2022 to July 2024. Calls from the ads and the website are excluded. Monthly order counts are rounded to two significant figures. All amounts are in US dollars and rounded down.