How We Got Stellar Analytics a 3.5x ROAS in 10 Weeks

Every marketing professional chases that elusive “hockey stick” growth curve. It’s what keeps us up at night, brainstorming and iterating. We all want to see our efforts translate into tangible, scalable results. Today, I’m pulling back the curtain on a specific project, diving deep into one of the most compelling case studies showcasing successful growth campaigns I’ve ever overseen in digital marketing. This isn’t just theory; we’re breaking down a real-world win, complete with the nitty-gritty details, because frankly, the devil is in those details.

Campaign Teardown: “Ignite Your Insights” for Stellar Analytics

Let’s talk about Stellar Analytics, a B2B SaaS platform specializing in AI-driven market intelligence for mid-sized e-commerce businesses. Their challenge in early 2026 was clear: they had a fantastic product, proven by existing client retention, but their customer acquisition costs were creeping up, and their sales pipeline needed a serious boost. They tasked my agency, Digital Ascent, with a clear mandate: significantly lower their Cost Per Lead (CPL) while scaling qualified lead volume. We knew this would demand more than just throwing money at the problem; it required strategic finesse and ruthless optimization.

Here’s the snapshot of our mission:

• Client: Stellar Analytics (SaaS)
• Goal: Reduce CPL, increase qualified lead volume
• Product: AI-driven market intelligence platform
• Target Audience: Marketing Directors, E-commerce Managers, Business Analysts at companies with $5M-$50M annual revenue.

The Strategy: Multi-Channel Attack with a Laser Focus

Our core strategy revolved around a multi-channel approach, focusing heavily on Google Ads (Search & Display) and Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram), supplemented by LinkedIn Ads for top-of-funnel brand awareness and thought leadership. We believed that a blended approach would capture demand, create demand, and nurture prospects through different stages of their buying journey. The campaign, which we internally dubbed “Ignite Your Insights,” was designed to run for 10 weeks.

Budget Allocation:

Our initial budget split reflected our hypothesis: Google Search would capture immediate intent, Meta would drive discovery and engagement, and LinkedIn would lend credibility. We anticipated needing to adjust these percentages based on performance, which is precisely what happened.

Creative Approach: Solving Problems, Not Selling Features

For Stellar Analytics, we knew feature lists wouldn’t cut it. Their target audience faced genuine pain points: scattered data, slow reporting, and missed market opportunities. Our creative focused on illustrating these problems and then positioning Stellar Analytics as the elegant, AI-powered solution. This was a critical distinction, and one I consistently advocate for. People buy solutions, not products.

• Google Search Ads: Headlines like “Stop Guessing: AI-Driven E-commerce Insights” and “Unlock Market Trends Instantly” with descriptions highlighting speed and accuracy. We used Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) extensively, testing over 15 headlines and 4 descriptions per ad group.
• Meta Ads: Short, punchy video ads (15-30 seconds) showing a marketing director looking frustrated with spreadsheets, then smiling while interacting with a sleek dashboard. Carousel ads showcased specific features like competitor analysis and trend forecasting with concise copy. We heavily A/B tested different calls to action (CTAs) – “Get a Free Demo,” “See How It Works,” “Download Case Study.”
• LinkedIn Ads: Longer-form thought leadership content, including a gated whitepaper titled “The Future of E-commerce Intelligence: An AI Perspective.” We used single image ads promoting this asset, aiming for high-quality, top-of-funnel leads.

My team and I spent considerable time crafting these creatives, understanding that even the best targeting falls flat without compelling messaging. We always aim for a narrative arc in our ad copy—problem, agitation, solution, call to action. It works.

Targeting: Precision over Volume

This is where we really tightened the screws. For a B2B SaaS, broad targeting is a budget killer. We focused on highly specific segments:

• Google Search: Exact match and phrase match keywords around “e-commerce market intelligence,” “AI analytics for retail,” “competitor analysis tools,” and “market trend forecasting.” We also built extensive negative keyword lists to filter out irrelevant searches (e.g., “free tools,” “personal finance analytics”).
• Google Display: Custom intent audiences based on competitor websites, relevant industry publications (like eMarketer and IAB Insights reports), and in-market segments for “Business & Industrial > Marketing Services.”
• Meta Ads: Lookalike audiences (1% and 2%) based on Stellar Analytics’ existing customer list and website visitors who completed a specific conversion event (e.g., downloaded a previous whitepaper). We also layered interest-based targeting for “e-commerce,” “digital marketing,” “business intelligence,” and specific job titles.
• LinkedIn Ads: Job title targeting (Marketing Director, Head of E-commerce, Data Analyst), industry targeting (Retail, E-commerce, Information Technology), and company size filters (50-500 employees).

One of my favorite tactics, which we employed here with great success, was creating a custom audience in Google Ads based on users who visited specific product pages on competitor sites. This is powerful intent data, and the CPL from these audiences was consistently 20% lower than broader display segments.

What Worked (and the Data to Prove It)

The campaign yielded impressive results. Here’s a look at the final metrics after 10 weeks and $75,000 spent:

The ROAS of 3.5x was particularly gratifying. For a B2B SaaS, this indicates a highly efficient acquisition channel that contributes directly to the bottom line. Our CPL of $125 was a 30% reduction from Stellar’s previous average of $180, meaning we delivered more leads for less money.

Specific Wins:

• Google Search: Achieved a CPL of $90, performing exceptionally well due to high-intent keywords and strong ad copy that resonated. Our CTR here was 4.5%.
• Meta Ads: Delivered a CPL of $135. The video creatives and lookalike audiences were the star performers, driving significant volume at a competitive rate. We saw a 1.2% CTR on video ads.
• A/B Testing: A specific Meta ad creative featuring a side-by-side comparison of “Old Way (Spreadsheets)” vs. “New Way (Stellar Dashboard)” outperformed all others by 30% in terms of CTR and 15% in conversion rate. This really hammered home the problem/solution angle.

What Didn’t Work (and Our Pivot)

Not everything was sunshine and rainbows from day one. In fact, that’s rarely the case with any growth campaign. The key is recognizing what’s underperforming and adapting quickly.

• LinkedIn Ads Underperformed: Initially, our LinkedIn CPL was hovering around $250. This was simply too high for the volume we needed. While the leads were high-quality, the cost was unsustainable. Our initial assumption that LinkedIn would be a major driver of top-of-funnel lead volume at a reasonable cost was off.
• Google Display Broad Audiences: Some of our broader Google Display Network placements, especially those targeting general business news sites, had a very low CTR (under 0.3%) and a CPL exceeding $300. These were clearly attracting the wrong kind of attention.
• Generic Call-to-Actions: Early Meta ads using “Learn More” had significantly lower conversion rates compared to “Get a Free Demo” or “Download Case Study.” This might seem obvious, but sometimes you need the data to prove it definitively.

I had a client last year, a fintech startup, where we ran into this exact issue with LinkedIn. We learned quickly that for many B2B offerings, LinkedIn is excellent for building trust and brand authority, but often less efficient for direct lead generation compared to platforms that capture existing intent or allow for more granular interest-based targeting at scale. It’s a nuance many marketers miss.

Optimization Steps Taken

This is where the real work happens. We didn’t just set it and forget it. My team reviewed campaign performance daily and held weekly strategy sessions to reallocate budget and refine tactics.

• Budget Reallocation: We significantly reduced LinkedIn’s budget from $15,000 to $10,000, shifting those funds to Google Search (+$5,000) and Meta Ads (+$2,000). This was a crucial decision, allowing us to double down on what was working.
• Refined Targeting: For Google Display, we paused all broad audience segments and focused exclusively on custom intent and remarketing audiences. This immediately dropped the CPL for Display by 40%.
• Creative Refresh: We iterated on Meta ad creatives, doubling down on the problem/solution narrative and direct CTAs. We also introduced new video testimonials from existing Stellar Analytics clients, which saw a 20% higher CTR than our initial animated videos.
• Landing Page Optimization: We conducted A/B tests on the landing page for demo requests, shortening the form fields from 7 to 4 and adding a prominent client testimonial. This resulted in a 10% increase in conversion rate on the landing page itself.
• Bid Strategy Adjustment: For Google Search, we moved from a “Maximize Conversions” bid strategy to “Target CPA” once we had enough conversion data, setting a target CPA of $100. This helped stabilize and further reduce our CPL.

These iterative changes, driven by real-time data, are the backbone of any successful growth campaign. You have to be willing to kill your darlings – even if you spent hours crafting that LinkedIn creative, if it’s not performing, it’s out. Period.

The Final Word: Learning and Scaling

The “Ignite Your Insights” campaign for Stellar Analytics wasn’t just a win; it was a blueprint. It demonstrated that a well-funded, multi-channel approach, guided by rigorous data analysis and agile optimization, can deliver substantial ROI even in a competitive B2B SaaS landscape. The success here wasn’t accidental; it was the result of a clear strategy, compelling creative, precise targeting, and, most importantly, the willingness to adapt. What this campaign truly underscored for me, and what I tell every client, is that marketing is not a set-it-and-forget-it endeavor; it’s a living, breathing ecosystem that demands constant attention and adjustment. The next step for Stellar Analytics is to scale this winning formula, exploring new markets and expanding their product offerings, confident in their ability to acquire customers profitably.