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Case Study · Paid Search · Telegram Promotion

From zero to 286 paid conversions — in 20 days

SMMBoost is a paid-promotion service for Telegram channels and social accounts. The category was new in 2019, with little paid-search competition. We ran Google Search, Display (GDN) and remarketing — with analytics set up end to end — and brought in 286 paid conversions at $0.67 each over a 20-day launch.

0
Paid subscribers acquired
$0
Cost per paying user
0
Days (campaign length)
Client
SMMBoost
Product
Telegram / Social promotion
Market
Eastern Europe
Period
2019
Channels
Google · Search · Display
Audience
Channel admins
Model
Paid subscription
Outcome
286 conversions · $0.67 each

01 — The Challenge

A first-mover advantage — but only if anyone could find the product

Telegram promotion services were a new category in 2019, with little search demand by name and little competition. The opportunity was real, but so was the difficulty: there was thin keyword volume to work with, and the path from landing on the site to paying had too many steps, so people dropped off before subscribing.

Zero paid advertising history — starting from scratch
Buyers didn't know a product like this existed yet
Too many steps between landing and payment — users dropped off
No data on which keywords or audiences would actually convert

02 — The Strategy

Capture every possible buyer — then close them with precision

In a low-competition niche, reach matters. We split the work between search (capturing active demand) and display (GDN, building awareness), with remarketing to bring visitors back.

01

Capture intent

Google Search reaches channel admins already looking for promotion tools — the highest-intent audience.

Google SearchHigh intent
02

Build reach

Display (GDN) reaches admins who haven't found the service yet, building recognition around the search campaigns.

Google GDNAudience targeting
03

Convert & retain

Remarketing closes the loop — re-engaging visitors who showed interest but hadn't yet upgraded to paid.

RetargetingBid optimization

03 — Execution

Built, measured, and tuned through the campaign

Google Search
Display
Remarketing
Semantic core
GA
Conversion tracking

Reach was aggregated across Google Search and Display for a complete read on cost per conversion.

Every step to a paid subscription was tracked

A free-to-paid path has several drop-off points. We set up analytics and goals to measure each stage — so optimisation was based on data, and we could see exactly where to cut friction before payment.

  1. 1 Visited the site from an ad
  2. 2 Browsed the service
  3. 3 Started registration
  4. 4 Completed free registration
  5. 5 Upgraded to a paid plan

First-mover advantage

In a new category, early entry means a lower cost per conversion

When a category is new, search competition is low — clicks are cheaper and each conversion costs less than it would in a mature market. SMMBoost's $0.67 cost per conversion reflects that early window, plus tight keyword and audience work to keep spend on buyers with real intent.

  • Semantic research mapped every keyword buyers would use — including adjacent search intent
  • Ad copy split-tested to find which benefit angle drove the most paid conversions, not just clicks
  • Audience targeting refined to channel admins and SMM managers — eliminating wasted impressions
  • UX friction identified: streamlining registration path before payment decision reduced drop-off

04 — The Results

286 paid conversions. 20 days. $0.67 each.

0
Paid subscribers
Google Search & Display combined
$0
Cost per paying user
Full campaign average CPL
0
Days (campaign length)
2019

Client-reported outcome: the advertising investment paid for itself over the campaign period.

05 — Why It Worked

Three moves that made $0.67 CPL possible

First-mover keyword capture

Few competitors bidding on Telegram promotion keywords meant clicks cost a fraction of mature-market rates. We mapped the relevant keywords early, before the niche filled up.

Intent-matched creative

Ad copy spoke directly to the channel admin's core pain — slow subscriber growth — not generic platform benefits. Higher relevance score, lower cost per click.

Conversion path optimization

We identified the exact step where users dropped off before paying — and restructured the UX path to move registration before the payment decision.

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