Authentic local video, hyper-local targeting, and a $10/day budget doubled foot traffic and daily purchases for a Vancouver comic shop in 30 days.
The Challenge
Vesperia Comics had something special to offer Vancouver: a curated mix of comic books, manga, anime merch, collectibles, and niche fandom items that weren’t easily found anywhere else in the city. What they didn’t have was visibility.
Despite a vibrant product lineup and a passionate owner, Spencer Campbell, the shop faced the uphill battle many new brick-and-mortar businesses experience: people in the community didn’t know the shop existed. Print advertising was too expensive, organic social growth was slow, and competing online felt intimidating. Vesperia wanted to connect with the Greater Vancouver fandom scene, but first locals needed to know the shop was even there.
Our Solution
We offered Vesperia a cost-effective, hands-on promotional package designed to build local awareness quickly, blending strategic video content, hyper-local targeting, and structured testing, all engineered to stretch a $10/day budget as far as possible.
1. Strategy: clear, local, and conversion-driven. We built around three pillars: visibility (target Greater Vancouver people already interested in anime, manga, comics, and collectibles), recognition (use video to make owner Spencer the familiar face of the brand, leaning into authenticity over polish), and repetition (keep Vesperia top-of-mind with a layered engagement and retargeting structure).
2. Filming and scriptwriting. We ran an on-site filming session for short, approachable videos that felt local and genuine: store walkthroughs, close-ups of featured merch, and Spencer introducing himself and the location directly. We produced three videos, each ending with a clear CTA and a location mention in both the caption and Spencer’s dialogue.
3. Trial reels and creative A/B testing. We posted all three as Instagram Trial Reels, testing hooks, pacing, owner-first vs product-first approaches, and text-on-screen variations. We prioritized intent metrics (video creative comments, saves, shares, follows) over likes. The standout hook, “To all the Weebs in Vancouver,” instantly resonated; once identified, we removed its trial status and pinned it as the evergreen shop video.
4. Precision targeting: a four-layered structure. To get the most from $10/day, we ran four simultaneous ad sets: broad Vancouver (no filters, to let the algorithm find pockets), a Vancouver anime-interest stack (Pokemon, One Piece, Marvel Comics, Gundam, Dragon Ball, Magic: The Gathering, Naruto, and many more) via our Meta ad services, a hyper-local walkable radius, and high-intent BC retargeting of recent video viewers and account engagers. Retargeting delivered the majority of high-value engagement.
5. Rollout: smart use of organic and paid. We focused entirely on Instagram in month one to leverage native Reel exposure, build organic momentum, and gather clean data, then expanded into Facebook for broader reach once we had a winning creative.
Results
Within the first month, on only $10/day, foot traffic doubled, daily purchases more than doubled, paid shares surpassed 1,000, and post saves reached 123. Convention attendees recognized the shop from the videos, and multiple customers said they visited specifically because of the Instagram content. The real impact wasn’t the social metrics, it was the steady stream of new customers walking through the door and discovering Vesperia for the first time. After month one, pinning the top creative, continued retargeting, and the Facebook expansion drove increasing conversions and consistent brand lift.
“Thanks to Strataigize Marketing’s efforts, we received positive feedback from customers and even convention attendees who recognized us from social media. The team was extremely hands-on, receptive to my input, and being local made communication easy. I’m really happy with the results.”
Spencer Campbell, Owner, Vesperia Comics
Conclusion
Vesperia Comics didn’t need a massive budget, just a strategic partner who understood how locals discover new businesses today. By combining authentic video storytelling, smart testing, hyper-local targeting, a disciplined $10/day strategy, and conversion-focused retargeting, we helped transform Vesperia from a hidden gem into a recognized destination for Vancouver’s anime and manga fans.