Valley Axe
101 Local Leads in 60 Days — Including a 40-Person Group Booking
Client Overview
Valley Axe is an entertainment venue specialising in indoor axe throwing, knife throwing, beach volleyball and an advanced archery simulator, operating from two Ontario locations — Sarnia and Chatham.
The business wanted to strengthen its lead generation to increase bookings and overall revenue, and partnered with Merged Media to generate high-quality leads and convert them into bookings.
The Challenge
Valley Axe is a destination business with a defined catchment. A lead from outside Sarnia or Chatham is worth nothing, because the customer has to physically show up — and the venue’s biggest asset was also its blind spot.
Most people knew Valley Axe as “the axe throwing place.” The advanced archery simulator and the fully-licensed beach volleyball court went largely unnoticed — and group bookings, the highest-value events on the calendar, depend on people knowing the venue does more than one thing.
That meant the campaign had two jobs at once: reach only the people who could realistically visit, and widen what those people thought Valley Axe was.
Core Problems
- Leads outside Sarnia and Chatham could not convert — customers must visit in person
- The venue was known for axe throwing and little else
- Higher-value group bookings depend on awareness of the full range of activities
- Two separate locations needed to be served by one campaign
- The best-performing creative format was unknown at the outset
For a venue business, geography is not a targeting preference. A lead 200km away is a cost, not an opportunity.
The Solution
Merged Media built a tightly geo-targeted Meta campaign that tested four creative formats against each other while broadening the story from axe throwing to the full range of group experiences Valley Axe offers.
Target the Catchment, Not the Country
The campaign targeted individuals living in Sarnia and Chatham, Ontario, where Valley Axe’s two locations sit. By focusing on these specific geographic areas, the campaign reached local residents genuinely likely to visit and book in-person events.
Run It on Meta
Facebook and Instagram were chosen for their extensive user bases and advanced targeting capabilities, and for the sophisticated ad management tools that make tracking and optimising the campaign straightforward.
Test Four Ad Formats
Static still images showcasing the activities, landscape video commercials giving a dynamic view of the experience, vertical full-frame video built to fill the screen on mobile, and carousels letting people swipe through the range of offerings. The variety engaged users across different preferences and consumption habits while determining which format delivered the highest-quality lead at a scalable cost.
Sell the Whole Venue
Messaging emphasised the experiences beyond axe throwing — positioning Valley Axe as a unique venue for group events, and promoting the “Archery Time” advanced archery simulator and the outdoor beach volleyball court with its fully-licensed spectating area.
Integrate With the CRM
Leads flowed directly into Valley Axe’s customer relationship management system, enabling efficient follow-up and conversion and letting the team focus on engaging with leads rather than administering them. Every ad was built to be:
- Geo-targeted to the two locations Valley Axe actually serves
- Built to showcase the full range of activities, not just axe throwing
- Tested against three other formats for lead quality and cost
- Wired into the CRM so follow-up happened while the lead was warm
Results & Impact
First 60 days of the campaign, April 24 – June 23, 2024:
101 leads generated — a substantial pool of potential customers to follow up with and convert into bookings.
$18.38 average cost per lead — cost-effective lead generation within budget for a venue business.
2.36% link click-through rate — strong engagement and a high level of interest from the target audience.
$0.64 cost per click — efficient traffic driving genuine interest.
What This Means:
Valley Axe’s internal sales team followed up with the generated leads effectively, converting many into bookings and increasing revenue. One notable example: a single lead that resulted in a 40-person group booking — the kind of event that changes a month’s numbers on its own.
Why It Worked
Geography Was a Filter, Not an Afterthought
For a venue business, a lead outside the catchment is a wasted impression. Targeting Sarnia and Chatham made every lead theoretically bookable.
The Messaging Widened the Offer
Promoting the archery simulator and licensed volleyball court alongside axe throwing repositioned Valley Axe as a group-event destination rather than a single activity.
Format Testing Found the Efficient Creative
Four formats running against each other located the one delivering the highest-quality lead at a scalable cost, rather than assuming which would work.
Built for Mobile Consumption
Vertical full-frame video designed to fill the screen met the audience where they actually scroll, rather than repurposing landscape assets and hoping.
A Good Sales Team Turned Leads Into Revenue
The 40-person booking came out of 101 leads. The campaign created the opportunity; Valley Axe’s team closed it, with CRM integration keeping follow-up fast.
Key Metrics:
- 101 leads in the first 60 days
- $18.38 average cost per lead
- 2.36% link click-through rate
- One lead converted into a 40-person group booking
Working with Merged Media
Contact Merged Media today to start your journey toward business growth and success:
Valley Axe’s experience working with Merged Media was overwhelmingly positive. The partnership dramatically improved their lead generation, with targeted ads leading to significant bookings and increased revenue — demonstrating the power of targeted digital marketing in achieving concrete business objectives.
Phone: +1 866-798-7954
Email: info@merged.ca
Services in this case study: Meta (Facebook and Instagram) advertising and local lead generation for entertainment venues and destination businesses.
