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From $2,000 to $10,000 Per Month paid in Advertising Investment

Posted by Lizanne du Plessis on June 29, 2026

Nothing demonstrates the trust, performance and long-term value of a digital agency better than a client partnership that grows over time. Since appointing Eco Africa Digital in August 2023, Saruni Basecamp has continuously scaled its digital marketing investment and has already increased ad spend by 5x in response to consistent improvements in results.

Saruni Basecamp Samburu Warrior Eco Digital Africa Success
From $2,000 to $10,000 Per Month in Advertising Investment

Saruni Basecamp is a leading luxury safari brand operating 13 premium lodges across Kenya.

In August 2023, Eco Africa Digital was appointed to help strengthen the brand’s international digital presence, build a larger qualified audience, increase direct engagement with potential guests, and create a scalable digital marketing ecosystem capable of driving measurable growth.

Starting Position

  • Advertising Budget: $2,000 per month
  • Markets: USA, UK, UAE and Europe
  • Focus: Luxury safari travellers
  • Channels: Meta Ads, Google Ads, Retargeting and Email Marketing
Our Approach

Phase 1: Building the Audience in 2024

Before meaningful sales growth can occur, a tourism brand must first build a database of qualified potential customers.

Our initial focus was therefore on social media awareness, audience growth, and lead generation.

The Results
  • Reach exceeding 779,000 potential travellers on social media
  • Over 3,000 qualified newsletter leads generated via social media
  • International audience growth across key luxury travel markets
  • Highly engaged remarketing audiences established

These leads became the foundation of a long-term sales and retargeting ecosystem.

Looking Ahead: 2025 and Beyond

Phase 2: Turning Attention Into Revenue in 2025

Once a strong audience base had been established, the strategy evolved.

Social media campaigns continued building awareness while simultaneously feeding highly qualified audiences into advanced retargeting campaigns.

Google Ads focused on capturing travellers actively searching for luxury safari experiences, while remarketing campaigns ensured previous website visitors remained engaged throughout the decision-making process.

The combination of:

  • Social Media Advertising
  • Audience Building
  • Retargeting
  • Google Search Advertising
  • Continuous Optimisation

created a powerful digital sales engine.

Saruni Basecamp Success story Eco Africa Digital
The Result in 2025

Average Google Ads Return on Ad Spend: 7,500%

Throughout 2025, Google Ads generated an average Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) of approximately:

7,500%

In practical terms:

Every $1 invested in Google Ads generated approximately $75 in direct booking revenue.

This performance was achieved through continuous optimisation, audience refinement, strategic retargeting, and highly targeted search campaigns.

The Ultimate Vote of Confidence in 2026

The strongest proof of success is not a graph.

It is the client’s willingness to continue investing.

August 2023

Advertising Investment

$2,000 per month

    ↓

May 2026

Advertising Investment

$10,000 per month

The budget increased fivefold over the course of the 2.5 year partnership.

This investment was spread across:

  • Social Media Advertising
  • Google Advertising
  • Retargeting Campaigns
  • Audience Development
  • Email Marketing

Businesses do not increase marketing budgets by 500% unless they are seeing measurable value and consistent returns.

What Made The Difference?

Success did not come from Google Ads alone.

The results were achieved through a fully integrated digital marketing strategy:

Social Media Advertising

Building awareness and introducing the brand to new audiences.

Audience Development

Creating large pools of qualified potential travellers.

Retargeting

Re-engaging previous website visitors and interested prospects.

Google Ads

Capturing high-intent users actively searching for luxury safari experiences.

Email Marketing

Nurturing prospects and maintaining engagement throughout the booking journey.

Each element strengthened the next, creating a marketing ecosystem that became more effective over time.

Key Results At A Glance
Metric Result
Current Partnership Started August 2023 till recent in 2026
Initial Monthly Ad Budget $2,000
Current Monthly Ad Budget $10,000
Newsletter Leads Generated Per Term 3,000+
Monthly Social Media Reach Achieved 779,000+
Average Google ROAS (2025) 7,500%
Start your digital marketing journey with us

Further Reading

CNBC Forbes Africa Marketing Money Media Interview Lizanne Du Plessis May 2026

From SEO to GEO: What Tourism Brands Need to Know in the Age of AI

 

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Eco Africa Digital site visit to Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary for AI digital marketing and conservation tourism strategy.

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There's a dangerous misunderstanding taking hold in digital marketing: that AI means replacing human storytelling with automated content. For conservation brands especially, that's exactly the wrong instinct. AI should make the human story easier to find and easier to act on — and nowhere is that more obvious than at Care for Wild Rhino Sanctuary in Mpumalanga.

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SEO vs GEO Clusters: How Tourism Brands Win in the Age of AI Search

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If your tourism brand is still relying on isolated blogs and basic SEO tactics, you’re already falling behind. Search has changed. We are no longer optimising only for Google’s ranking algorithm; we are now optimising for AI systems that choose which brands to recommend. And this is where SEO clusters and GEO clusters become critical.

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