98% gross ROI across a multi-channel marketing mix
Every enrollment source measured together, from paid search to direct mail: a 98% gross ROI in October 2025.
-
98%
Gross ROI
Modeled commission minus total marketing cost, over that cost
-
$153,360
Modeled commission revenue
Solar and non-solar enrollments at flat assumed rates
-
$77,439
Total marketing cost
Every Google Ads campaign, the month's direct mail and the retainer
-
593
Total enrollments
Energized in October, every source counted
-
$130.59
Blended cost/enrollment
All channels combined
-
32.3%
Organic conversion rate
vs 26.8% for paid traffic
The challenge
An energy client was running campaigns across Google Ads, direct mail, and organic channels, but lacked visibility into true profitability. With a paid-heavy budget and multiple conversion touchpoints, they needed clarity on which channels to scale and which to trim, without guessing.
Goals
- Unify ROI measurement across all marketing channels
- Reconcile online events with offline enrollment data
- Identify clear scaling and trimming levers by channel
- Establish monthly P&L reporting with actionable insights
The approach
We built a unified analytics framework that connected digital events, call tracking, and offline enrollment data into a single source of truth. This allowed us to calculate true cost per enrollment by channel and model the impact of budget shifts before making them.
Key tactics
- Implemented cross-channel attribution connecting web events, calls, and enrollments
- Created campaign guardrails and target CPA thresholds by campaign type
- Developed landing page performance tracking segmented by traffic theme
- Built monthly P&L with plan-mix insights to model profitability scenarios
- Established sensitivity analysis for CPC changes and ROI impact
The results
The unified analytics approach revealed a highly profitable channel mix with clear optimization opportunities. Every marketing dollar brought in $1.98 in modeled commission.
The visibility problem
When we started working with this energy client, they had all the right pieces in place: Google Ads driving traffic, a direct mail program targeting warm audiences, and organic search generating leads. What they didn't have was a clear picture of which channels were actually profitable.
Monthly reports showed conversions and spend, but the gap between a "conversion" (a form fill or call) and an actual enrollment made true ROI invisible. They were making budget decisions based on incomplete data.
Building the attribution framework
We implemented a unified tracking system that connected three critical data streams:
- Digital events: Form submissions, rate comparisons, and engagement actions tracked through analytics
- Call tracking: Source-level attribution for every inbound call with disposition tagging
- Enrollment data: Offline enrollment records matched back to marketing touchpoints
This allowed us to calculate true cost per enrollment; not cost per lead or cost per click, but actual customer acquisition cost by channel.
What the data revealed
The unified view transformed budget conversations from guesswork to strategy:
- Premium product campaigns delivered the best efficiency at $139 cost per conversion, making them the clear priority for incremental budget
- Brand campaigns maintained $151 cost per conversion while protecting search impression share against competitors
- Organic traffic converted at 32.3% vs 26.8% for paid, a 5.5 percentage point advantage that justified continued SEO investment
The budget framework
With clear visibility into channel performance, we established guardrails for scaling decisions:
- Scale signal: Premium product campaigns while cost/conversion stays below $155
- Maintain signal: Brand campaigns within impression share targets
- Trim signal: Generic campaigns if cost/conversion exceeds $200
These thresholds were modeled against commission structures to ensure every budget shift maintained positive ROI.
Sensitivity analysis
We didn't just measure current performance, we modeled future scenarios. Sensitivity analysis showed that even with a 10% increase in CPC across all campaigns, overall ROI would remain above 70%. This gave the client confidence to maintain aggressive positioning during competitive periods.
The bottom line
October 2025 brought $153,360 in modeled commission on a $77,439 channel mix, every enrollment source counted: a 98% gross ROI. More importantly, the client now has the framework to make data-driven budget decisions month over month, with clear visibility into what's working and what needs adjustment.
Every marketing dollar brought in $1.98 in modeled commission. That's the power of unified analytics.
Key insights
- Organic traffic converted at 32.3% vs 26.8% for paid, a 5.5 percentage point advantage that justified increased SEO investment.
- The premium product campaign delivered the best cost per conversion at $139, making it the clear scaling priority.
- Brand campaigns maintained efficiency at $151 cost/conv while capturing high-intent search volume.
- Sensitivity modeling showed ROI remains above 70% even with a 10% CPC increase, providing budget confidence.
- Direct mail served as a net-positive supplemental channel, contributing additional enrollments at comparable efficiency.