Paid Media
Optimizing Paid Search to Attract Sales-Ready Leads for a B2B SaaS Company
A leading provider of cloud-based spend management solutions empowers businesses to automate and optimize their accounts payable (AP) processes. In 2024, the company embarked on a strategic shift in its digital advertising approach - prioritizing lead quality over quantity to drive revenue impact and maximize marketing ROI.
The Challenge
At the beginning of 2024, the company faced critical issues in its paid search campaigns that were hindering its ability to generate sales-ready leads:
Low-Quality Leads from Search Partners
While search partners delivered high traffic volumes, the majority of leads lacked purchasing intent or were entirely unreachable by the sales team.
Broad Match Keywords Driving Irrelevant Clicks
Broad match targeting yielded high click-through rates and conversion numbers but failed to engage decision-makers actively seeking an AP automation solution.
Inefficient Lead-to-Sale Conversion Rates
Despite seemingly strong top-of-funnel performance, low CPCs and high conversion rates, these leads were not translating into revenue-driving opportunities
The Solution
To transform its paid search strategy, the company partnered with Marcel Digital to implement a data-driven, revenue-focused approach that aligned marketing efforts with sales objectives:
Eliminating Low-Intent Traffic from Search Partners
Internal sales data revealed that leads from search partners had minimal engagement or purchasing intent.
By pausing all search partner campaigns, the company immediately improved lead quality and ensured budget was allocated to channels that delivered sales-qualified prospects.
Refining Keyword Targeting for Sales Enablement
The team moved away from broad match keywords, which had been attracting unqualified searches.
Instead, phrase and exact match targeting was prioritized, ensuring ads reached users with demonstrated intent to purchase AP automation solutions.
Reallocating Budget to High-Performing Campaigns
With search partners removed and keyword targeting optimized, the company reinvested in Google’s core search network.
Budget was strategically shifted toward campaigns with historically high lead-to-sale conversion rates, ensuring marketing spend contributed directly to revenue generation.
The Results
By focusing on high-value prospects, the company achieved its most successful digital performance to date:
Lead-to-Sale Conversion Rate Increased
With unqualified leads removed, the percentage of marketing-generated leads converting into customers rose significantly.
Sales-Qualified Leads (SQLs) Improved
The sales team reported higher response rates and stronger engagement from prospects, enabling more productive sales conversations and shorter sales cycles.
Revenue Surpassed Targets
Despite generating fewer overall leads, digital advertising outperformed revenue goals, proving that a precision-driven approach yields greater business impact.
The Conclusion
This experience underscores the importance of aligning digital marketing efforts with sales objectives to drive revenue growth.
Not all leads are created equal
high-volume, low-cost clicks may look appealing on paper but can waste budget if they don’t convert into revenue.
Precision targeting outperforms broad reach
phrase and exact match keywords delivered higher-quality inquiries and improved conversion rates.
Sales and marketing alignment is essential
by eliminating low-quality sources and refining lead acquisition, the company created a more efficient demand generation engine.
By prioritizing conversion efficiency over raw lead volume, the company turned 2024 into a milestone year for digital success - demonstrating that smarter, data-driven marketing delivers real business results.
