Paid Search - Full Funnel CR% Focused Lead Gen

Paid Search - Full Funnel CR% Focused Lead Gen

Company
🏦 Santander
Skill Area
🌐 Organic and Paid Traffic
Tool Stack
SEMRushPythonLooker StudioGoogle Ads APIGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Tag ManagerAsana
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Overview

🔍 Context
Lead generation for personal loan and revolving credit in NL and BE markets using paid search (Google Ads primarily), with key focus on performance and full funnel conversion (initial accept → contract signing)
💬 Challenges
• Limited local brand awareness • Strict ROAS requirements (specific industry metric: ‘RORWA’ / Return on Risk Weighted Assets) • Long sales cycle (up to 2-4 weeks for lead maturity til contract signing) • Balancing lead volume with internal sales capacity as well as financial factors
🚀 Objectives
• Profitable inflow • Control (balance between varying business objectives) of lead inflow, while striking balance with internal sales capacity • Attract high quality customers with high acceptance rates • Set up tracking in full sales funnel process that touched multiple processes and at times offline (call)

Led high-quality lead generation for consumer loans via Google Ads in the Netherlands and Belgium B2C markets while collaborating with agency partners. Navigated challenging market conditions, including limited local brand awareness and a heavy reliance on non-branded keywords to reach users in active search. Maintained profitability under strict RORWA requirements despite lengthy sales cycles spanning initial acceptance, final approval, and loan booking. Successfully balanced lead volume with internal sales capacity constraints.

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Scope & Responsibilities

  • Strategy & Direction: Led all paid search initiatives and strategy across Netherlands and Belgium B2C markets while coordinating among in-house business needs and agency partners
  • Data and analytics ownership: Established and maintained comprehensive paid search data infrastructure for sales funnel conversion tracking and reporting
  • Agency collaboration model: Developed innovative revenue-share partnership structure to maximize scalability while bypassing internal OPEX budget constraints
  • Attribution framework: Implemented end-to-end attribution and conversion tracking connecting online activities to offline sales outcomes (KYC → Contract Signing)
  • Lead volume optimization: Conducted monthly strategic reviews with Head of Sales to adjust for fluctuating internal capacity and with CFO to ensure performance metrics remained on track
  • Channel optimization: Delivered continuous performance improvements through data-driven optimizations and innovative initiatives
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Example SEA Initiatives

Custom Bidding Python Algorithm

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  • Oversaw development of custom Python-based bidding algorithm analyzing performance against configurable business rules
  • The custom bidding model performed programmatic bid adjustments based on keywords, time of day, audience segments, and propensity scoring against the most current key business objective (AOV vs lead volume vs target amount brackets etc)
  • Continuously refined algorithm parameters based on evolving business requirements
  • Full project details: Custom bidding algorithm

Intent-based Ad Groups

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Facilitated end-to-end tracking implementation in data layer

  • Data layer implementation, tracking detailed event data (e.g. on loan calculator), and online user journeys to lower funnel & offline outcomes
  • Established linkages between key identifiers such as GCLID and Order ID across the end to end journey
    • Created custom attribution windows aligned with financial product sales cycle More information in data layer project item

Integration with Google Ads API for conversion imports

  • Conceptualized and drafted requirements for various IT touchpoints for direct integration between backend systems and Google Ads API for conversion imports
  • Built automated reporting dashboards in Looker Studio providing real-time performance metrics that relied on offline data sent via the API

Exploiting Synergies among SEO x CRO x Marketing Automation

  • Facilitated collaboration between SEO, CRO and Marketing Automation elements to maximize growth
  • Regularly monitored and identified high-performing SEO pages to guide paid search strategy (more info on SEO item)
  • Collaborated with CRM team for maintenance of an integrated marketing automation sequences (with thematic customization based on themed ad groups) with paid search campaigns to nurture leads, while ensuring flow of relevant data to CRM (SAS 360)

Tailored landing pages to maximize relevance

  • In collaboration with UX and CRO team (in-house + agency), created conversion-focused landing pages customized based on intent-level targeting
  • Implemented dynamic content insertion system for loan amounts to maximize ad relevance (example project: dynamic amount pages mentioned in SEO portfolio item)
  • Led comprehensive A/B testing program optimizing for both conversion rate and lead quality (see also: A/B Testing and CRO program)
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Performance highlights

  • Consistently met or exceeded online acquisition performance targets year-over-year, of 70% of which was comprised of paid + organic for b2c / direct channel (with 8 figure targets every year for paid search; in terms of booked loans volume)
  • Maintained high ad quality scores (mainly 9 & 10s average) in a competitive financial services landscape
  • Scaled lead generation while improving lead quality, resulting in 40% higher loan booking rates from paid search in comparison to other channels
  • Established and maintained agency relationship and commission structure which brought OPEX costs to minimal and placed costs in gross margin, allowing for much higher scalability and opportunity to bypass internal quarterly OPEX budget constraints