Case Study - 395% YoY Growth: Digital Strategy Generates 5,000+ Leads in 8 Months

Overview: Crafting a High-Ticket Lead Generation Strategy

While working with PizzaForno, we implemented a multi-step lead generation strategy to attract qualified prospects for their high-ticket licensing opportunity (over $100,000). This case study outlines the strategies we used to generate over 5,000 leads in under eight months.

Understanding the Problem

PizzaForno isn't your typical business by any sense. Their unique model revolves around licensing pizza vending machines to entrepreneurs, businesses, and organizations. Interested parties sign up through the website, and by the end of the sales process, they own and operate their own vending machine—similar to a franchise, but with a few key differences.

Our challenge was to create a lead generation strategy for their franchise-like opportunity. The process became particularly challenging when introducing a concept unfamiliar to most, with no "playbook" to follow.

Additionally, we needed to find and target leads capable of affording the high-ticket package (over $100,000) while conveying that it’s a complete turnkey business solution, not just a pizza vending machine. With competitors offering cheaper, lower-quality machines without extensive support, our strategy needed to differentiate PizzaForno's full-service package.

The Solution: Multi-Step Strategy for High-Ticket Lead Generation

To create a successful lead generation strategy, we began by analyzing the existing sales funnel. Since the company had been operating for a few years before we came on board, we gained a bird's-eye view of the existing processes. This helped us identify areas needing improvement and develop innovative strategies to streamline the lead generation funnel.

When all was said and done, the strategy we developed was intricate and multifaceted. It involved a series of targeted actions designed to attract, engage, and convert the right type of leads—those capable of investing in the high-ticket licensing opportunity.

Step 1: Optimizing Website Content & CTAs

Our team developed and manages the PizzaForno website, making us responsible for creating and maintaining all the content. That said, we had to ensure the content across the site, especially on the landing page where leads are directed, was optimized with the right messaging.

We strategically placed CTAs on all key pages, including the homepage and location-specific pages, guiding users to the landing page where they could learn more about the licensing opportunity.

Additionally, since the licensing model is PizzaForno's primary business focus, we aimed to make it a focal point on the website. To achieve this, users are greeted with two prominent red buttons as soon as they land on the homepage, one in the hero section and another in the navigation bar.

We also created a custom 'LinkTree' that is included in every bio across PizzaForno's social media platforms. On this page, we added another prominent red button to catch users' attention and direct them to the licensing landing page.

Our main goal with the content and site architecture was to simplify user navigation to the licensing page. By incorporating elements the way we did, it was clear where we wanted users to end up. And yes, it worked effectively.

Step 2: Creating a Landing Page that Converts

Once we had the entire website funneling users to the licensing page, the next step was optimizing it. This landing page is the primary funnel through which all potential leads must pass through in order to submit the licensing application form.

It’s also the main destination for our paid media traffic, making it essential for the profitability of our ad campaigns. For the page to effectively convert visitors into leads, it needed to accomplish a few key objectives.

These objectives included clearly conveying the offer, differentiating us from competitors, highlighting the benefits, filtering out unqualified leads, addressing FAQs, and most importantly, motivating visitors to take the desired action.

To ensure the landing page met that criteria, we first examined the scroll depth. We found that 25% of users don't scroll past the initial section. With this knowledge, we knew that this particular area needed to be optimized for maximum impact. The heatmap below displays the average fold and scroll depth of users on a desktop device.

To optimize this area of the landing page we added a clear heading that immediately informs the user of the page’s purpose: "Become a Licensee at PizzaForno". This is paired with a straightforward CTA that tells the user exactly what to do: "Apply Now". Below is a heatmap illustrating the effectiveness of this CTA.

Additionally, it's important to place your most impactful content above the average fold, which is the lowest visible point on the screen when a user first opens a page. Therefore, we prominently positioned a trust badge at the top of the page, instantly setting us apart from competitors and building credibility from the start.

"The Only Automated Pizzeria with UL and NAMA Certification"

Below, you can observe the average fold for mobile, which closely mirrors that of desktop. Given that nearly 80% of our traffic comes from mobile devices, we made sure that this page and the entire website were optimized for mobile screens to provide the best user experience possible.

Highlighting the Unique Selling Point (USP)

To further improve the landing page, we crafted persuasive copy to highlight PizzaForno's unique selling point (USP). This clear differentiation from competitors was woven into the content, emphasizing how PizzaForno offers an innovative, first-to-market business opportunity.

According to a study, website visitors typically spend an average of 54 seconds on a page. Therefore, we made the content easy to skim so it could be read quickly, maximizing the impact within the brief viewing window typical of most users.

Filtering out Unqualified Leads

The "cherry on top" of our landing page strategy was to filter out unqualified leads, specifically those who did not have the minimum required capital to invest in the opportunity. We achieved this by clearly displaying the licensing requirements at the forefront of the landing page, helping to preemptively sift through potential applicants who might otherwise congest the funnel.

We can observe the effectiveness of this strategy using heatmaps. As users reach the section that outlines the licensing requirements, the scroll depth shows a drop-off from 75% to 50%. Additionally, the heatmap shows where users move their mouse on the screen, providing insights into their engagement and interest levels.

This landing page has quickly become the most important section of the PizzaForno website, serving as the main funnel for all potential leads. In the past 8 months, the licensing page has attracted 117,150 out of 210,127 total users, accounting for about 55.75% of site traffic.

While we won’t dive into all the content and strategies we implemented on this landing page, you can see them in action here.

Step 3: Creating a Dedicated Form Submission Page

You might be wondering where the leads submit their applications. We created a separate page where the CTAs on the licensing page direct users to. Our goal was to design a simple form submission page without distractions to enhance user focus and improve conversion rates.

As PizzaForno uses HubSpot for their CRM, we utilized a HubSpot form embedded in an iframe. Unlike typical "email submission" or "contact" forms, this one captures a lot of detailed information. That's why we dedicated a separate page to it on the website.

Step 4: Enhanced Data Tracking With Custom Conversions

With the website content fully optimized and aligned with our objectives, we focused on tracking the success of our campaigns by monitoring "Leads," which refers to submissions of PizzaForno's licensing application form.

We integrated a custom Data Layer Variable in Google Tag Manager, enabling us to set up specific triggers to record a "Lead" event each time someone submits the form. This setup sends a signal to ad pixels that the licensing form submission is our target conversion, allowing us to run campaigns focused on this action across any ad platform we used.

Step 5: Optimizing Paid Ads for Lead Generation

While we were already generating some leads through the website, we knew we could significantly increase our numbers by dialing in our paid media strategy.

Video Creation for Paid Ads

Since we were promoting a unique business opportunity, we knew it was important to visually showcase the concept. To engage prospects, we created high-quality videos tailored for B2B marketing. These videos personalized PizzaForno's messaging and made the offer more accessible, helping potential leads better understand the business model.

Meta Ads Strategy

After testing various ad platforms, Meta (Facebook & Instagram) delivered the most qualified leads for PizzaForno. As a result, we chose it as the core platform for our paid media strategy. We started by experimenting with various creatives, headlines, copy, and targeting strategies.

Each ad included custom UTM tracking, allowing us to measure which ones were converting the most qualified prospects. As expected, the video ads performed best for open targeting by clearly presenting the offer upfront. For re-targeting, however, high-quality images proved to be more effective. After extensive testing, we identified a winning combination of headlines, content, and media. Then we scaled.

Step 6: HubSpot Automated Workflows, Email Sequences, and Digital Info Products

With a strong lead generation system in place at the top of the funnel, we shifted our focus to improving the middle and bottom of the funnel to convert leads into customers. This case study just covers the strategies we used to find and attract potential prospects.

We won’t dive into the tactics we used after acquiring a lead in this post. However, if you’d like to learn more, we wrote a separate case study about it here. It provides a detailed look at the strategies we used to improve the sales process through the use of automated workflows, email sequences, and digital info products.

Client Testimonial

Streamlined Lead Generation: 8 Months of High-Impact Results

By integrating these strategies with ongoing testing, monitoring, and optimization, we developed a lead generation funnel that continues to deliver consistent results.

Since the campaign launched 8 months ago in January 2024, we have generated over 5,000 leads at an average cost of $11.90 per lead. This represents a 395% year-over-year growth in lead generation.

After implementing the funnel, the cost-per-lead (CPL) dropped from $150 to $11.90—a 92.07% decrease based on previous metrics. In other words, a 1159% improvement in lead acquisition cost. Yes, you read that right.

The new website and landing page optimization we implemented also significantly improved conversion rates, with form submissions rising from 3.54% to 25.93%. In other words, a 630% increase in submission conversion rates.