Is Lead Gen Still Working? Case Study with Aktion gegen den Hunger

Background

Aktion gegen den Hunger (Aktion) had previously run Lead Generation campaigns with good results, thanks in part to high telemarketing conversion rates in Germany. However, their most recent Lead Gen campaign has not only outperformed previous tests but has also recruited a significant number of donors via the thank you page - often exceeding the immediate and 12-month ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) of direct-to-donate ads. In one particularly strong month, thank you page donations alone achieved a 1.63 ROAS 12 month ROAS.

While the handraiser’s topic undoubtedly contributed to its success, the initial cost per signer from Meta ads was only marginally lower than previous campaigns. It was largely the optimisations on the handraiser form and decisions of an investment based beyond CPL (cost per lead) which resulted in such a strong initial ROAS.

We explore what made this campaign so successful, and what lessons it might offer for markets experiencing declining email and telemarketing conversion rates.

The client

Aktion gegen den Hunger is the German affiliate of Action against Hunger. As well as aid delivery and direct response Aktion has an advocacy team, that campaigns in Germany on a range of issues. Managing this and all Meta ad activity was Felicitas Köppe and Nina Geisler.

The topic

The handraiser’s focus on advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza likely contributed to its success. The topic is emotive, timely, and strongly linked to Aktion’s work, as they are actively providing assistance to people in Gaza.

The constantly changing situation required the team to regularly update and review the handraiser - including ad creatives, email messaging, and telemarketing scripts. Aktion had planned to submit to the government and use the handraiser as an advocacy tool. So when the situation changed dramatically the first handraiser was closed and relaunched at one point, due to the ever changing news updates.

The ads

Unlike direct to donate ads, where we have found videos work best, simple image graphic ads have performed the best on this campaign. In particular they are well optimised for Instagram, where the majority of the leads come from. This has required a large amount of text information to be placed directly on the images, as accompanying text is often hidden from view on Instagram and Reel/Story placements. The ads also utilise coloured buttons and key words are circled or underlined, to draw attention as people quickly scroll through social media.

Lead Forms

Aktion used custom built forms over Meta Lead Form for their handraiser. The benefits of this approach were:

Enabling easy implementation. Germany requires double opt-in. All signatures have to be confirmed via a 'hard opt' (have to actively opt in) and then confirmed via clicking on a link in an email confirmation, in order for the email address to be usable.
Extremely well optimised donor recruitment journey within the sign-up process (see section below)
Allowed use and testing of ‘pop-up reminders', such as a pop-up for any who did not opt in to hear more to convince them to reconsider.
Increased barriers to signing which helped to recruit higher quality leads. The barriers to signing up are higher than a Meta Lead Form. The user has to exit Meta and those who do not wish to opt in to data are asked to do it a second time via a pop-up. These barriers mean that those less committed fall off the journey earlier and may help Aktion maintain an average telemarketing conversion of plus 10%.

We also utilised 'yes' & 'no' buttons throughout the journey, for questions such as do you wish to opt in to data or do you wish to donate. We found that using these buttons increased response, as people are more inclined to select 'yes', over 'no'.

Maximising online donors

The online handraiser contains not one but two donation asks. One on the 'thank you for signing' page that appears before the user has confirmed their email address. And again once the signer has returned to the handraiser after confirming their email.

Key performance indicators such as the percentage of signers who donate and the online donor ROAS are closely monitored. These insights inform both the handraiser content and decisions on which ads and audiences to invest in.

Looking beyond cost per lead

While ad cost per lead (CPL) is tracked, optimisation decisions are more heavily influenced by immediate online donor ROAS. Each step in the funnel is monitored - single opt-in rate, double opt-in rate, and conversion to online donor - helping identify specific areas for refinement.

The ads optimisation point

The ads were optimised to the point when the first stage of opt in was completed. This too likely helped to increase the signer quality as Meta optimisation discarded those who signed without opting in for more info. Bid caps have also been useful in control for the maximum willing to be made for an opted-in lead and have been adjusted up and down based on immediate ROAS. For example, when the ROAS is high the bid cap was relaxed as the amount we were willing to pay for an opted-in lead could be relaxed.

Ad Set structure

Thanks to high conversion rates, Lead Gen allowed for a more granular ad set structure:

Audiences were segmented by content type (video, image, carousel).
New content themes were launched in dedicated ad sets.
Underperforming ad sets were either paused or had budgets reduced, while new ones were added to grow the campaign.

Results

Average cost per double opt in lead: €3.49 (€1.28 for single sign-up, what would in UK count as an opted in lead)
37% of signers are 'callable leads' - with the telephone field not being mandatory.
3%+ of signers donate on the thank you page.
Overall 0.93 12 Month ROAS, on thank you page donations only, from handraiser launch in March 2024.

Top tips

Choose a timely, relevant topic, and update content regularly in line with current events.
Introducing barriers to sign-up may improve lead quality and help Meta optimise toward more committed audiences.
Look beyond CPL. Prioritise metrics like immediate online donor ROAS and telemarketing KPIs.
Use cost controls (e.g. bid caps) to adjust lead cost based on real-time ROAS.
Track % of new leads, especially if you plan to run multiple lead gen campaigns at once. This is something we are still putting in place at Aktion. There is a tendency for Meta to start going back to similar audiences and as GDPR limits trackable data, exclusion files are not fully effective. Tracking % new means you identify early if your campaign is failing to reach new audiences and if there is a need for more niche targeting.

What the client said:

"The results exceeded our expectations – not only did we generate high-quality leads at a lower cost, but we also managed to build trust and communicate credibly with our audience. Regular content updates and continuous optimization were key to the campaign’s success and ultimately led to a significant and lasting increase in donation income."