COMPANY · ADALAB
Redefining the role of Google and Meta in the acquisition funnel
From optimising channels to understanding acquisition quality.
Acquisition and Growth strategy across Google, Meta, SEO, agencies, content and Sales.
Generating leads was not enough
Google and Meta accounted for a similar share of investment, but the volume of leads generated by Meta did not necessarily translate into the same quality.
The next step was to look beyond the form and understand what happened after a user submitted their details.
The question was no longer how many leads each channel generated, but what those leads were worth.
Lead quality began after the form
Together with the Sales team, I worked on a new way to identify leads who had shown genuine interest and had a first conversation with the sales team.
- Form
- Lead
- Genuine interest
- First conversation with Sales
Each channel began to play a different role
Meta generated interest and volume, but many of the leads from remarketing did not go on to become customers. Google, on the other hand, made it possible to capture users who were already actively searching for information.
- Meta · Interest
- The user researches
- Google · Active demand
- Lead
From lead volume to demand generation
Initially, a significant share of investment was concentrated on remarketing because it generated the highest volume of leads. Analysing what happened next showed that many of those leads did not go on to become customers.
Remarketing began to be used more selectively, particularly for promotions and communications aimed at users who had already shown interest:
- Exclusive discounts
- Scholarships
- Targeted promotions
Meta’s broader strategy included:
- Broad audiences
- Lookalike audiences
- Interests
From capturing demand to improving its quality
While Meta helped to generate interest, Google made it possible to capture part of that demand when users were actively searching for information.
- Expanding generic keywords
- Negative keywords
- Improving traffic quality
- Work on brand searches
Meta helped to spark interest. Google captured part of that demand once users were ready to search.
Google and Meta were not working in isolation
When investment in Meta was reduced too far, a drop was also observed in Google. This behaviour showed a relationship between the two channels within the acquisition process, so reducing one could not be assessed solely on its direct performance.
More qualified leads and a more complete view of the funnel
+20%
Qualified leads
During the first year
+10%
Approximate increase in leads from Google brand searches
During the period analysed
The work made it possible to move from a view focused on lead volume towards a more complete understanding of acquisition and its quality.
The lesson was to look beyond the platform
A channel should not be judged solely by what happens within the advertising platform. Understanding lead quality and looking at the relationship between Google, Meta and Sales made it possible to make decisions with a more complete view of the acquisition process.
A channel’s performance does not end when the lead is generated.
01 · Funnel perspective
Looking beyond the initial conversion to understand lead quality.
02 · Investment judgement
Understanding the role of Google and Meta within a joint strategy.
03 · Connection with the business
Working with Sales to incorporate signals from after acquisition.