Case Studies
Proving That “Investing in a Full-Funnel Approach” Is More Than a Trendy Catch Phrase
When a leading online payroll provider found itself over-reliant on bottom-of-funnel paid search, rising costs and flattening growth signaled it was time for change. They turned to Seer to help pivot from a performance-only mindset to a sustainable full-funnel strategy that could generate demand, lower costs, and prove ROI across every stage of the journey.
Overview
A healthy funnel balances demand creation with demand capture to turn brand awareness into measurable efficiency.
Internal pressures from finance, the board, and shareholders to drive sales led to the client pouring the majority of its marketing budget into bottom-of-funnel paid search. While this drove short-term lead volume, it also created diminishing returns, inflated acquisition costs, and left brand awareness underdeveloped in a crowded payroll software market.
Seer introduced a data-informed, full-funnel programmatic strategy designed to expand reach, lower costs, and demonstrate measurable impact across the customer journey. By strategically reallocating budget to upper- and mid-funnel channels, the client gained a more efficient acquisition model while building brand equity to fuel future growth.
Client
Leading Online Payroll Provider
The Challenge
→ Over-reliance on paid search: With most of the budget locked into bottom-funnel tactics, acquisition costs skyrocketed while growth opportunities stalled.
→ Pressure for immediate results: Shareholder and board demands for short-term lead generation deprioritized long-term brand building.
→ Attribution gaps: Previous awareness efforts failed due to weak attribution models, leaving leadership skeptical of upper-funnel investment.
→ Rising CPLs: Dependence on search led to unsustainable cost-per-lead increases amid heightened market competition.
The Strategy
To bridge the gap between brand and performance, Seer rolled out a full-funnel paid media program leveraging precision targeting, diverse channels, and creative testing.
1. Audience Strategy: Identified and targeted audiences with contextual and behavioral signals of payroll interest, aligning messaging to their journey stage.
2. Channel Mix: Deployed programmatic display, native, and connected TV (CTV) to expand reach where users naturally spend time.
3. Creative Testing: Rotated value-driven offers, such as “Get 6 Months Free”, to prompt engagement, with insights used to refine messaging.
4. Budget Optimization: Gradually shifted spend from brand search into high-performing programmatic channels as efficiency improved.
The Results
→ Launched StackAdapt programmatic (CTV, native, display) in February 2025
→ By March, Brand Search CPQL decreased by 57%, the most efficient cost achieved all fiscal year
→ Reallocated 60% of Brand Search budget with only a 6% dip in qualified lead volume, proving upper-funnel tactics could fuel bottom-funnel efficiency
By reframing the client’s approach to marketing investment, Seer demonstrated that building brand awareness and driving efficiency are not competing goals, but complementary levers for growth. With attribution models in place and programmatic results to prove ROI, the client is now positioned to expand its full-funnel strategy across channels, reducing dependence on search, diversifying its media mix, and building a more resilient path to growth.