--- title: Paid Media That Sales Can Trust | LeadCoverage Case Study --- [ Back to Case Studies ](https://leadcoverage.com/case-studies/) Case Study  ·  Paid Media # Paid Media That Sales Can Trust How Shiplify, a freight-data startup, built a high-efficiency paid engine that earned sales team buy-in and drove consistent self-serve pipeline, with costs falling year after year. $109K in marketing-attributed pipeline all-time 220 MQLs and 69 SQLs generated all-time 29% lower cost per acquisition since inception ($174 → $123) $2.29 cost per click, below the $3.50 industry benchmark 50%+ of form submissions driven by paid media The Challenge ## Two jobs, one program, built from scratch Shiplify had strong product-market fit with Tier-1 LTL carriers but needed to expand into shippers, brokers, and a self-serve subscription tier. Paid media had two jobs: acquire low-cost self-serve subscribers efficiently, and feed pipeline for higher-value enterprise conversations, all measured directly against revenue. The program needed to be built from the ground up, with no prior paid media infrastructure in place. The Opportunity ## Win efficiency, and win sales' trust A program structured around intent and pain-point specificity could acquire self-serve subscribers cheaply while feeding genuinely qualified enterprise pipeline, and prove it against revenue. Done right, paid would not just hit volume targets, it would earn the rarest endorsement in marketing: a quota-carrying sales team vouching for its lead quality. The Solution ## Four campaign layers, mapped to intent LeadCoverage built a Google-led paid program structured around intent and pain-point specificity, with four distinct campaign layers, all feeding a unified landing page and SDR follow-up tied directly to paid form fills. 01 · Brand ### Capture High-Intent Search A brand-terms campaign capturing 100% of Shiplify-specific search intent. It became the account's primary driver of volume and efficiency, protecting brand integrity and converting high-intent visitors at low cost. 02 · Accessorials ### Segment by Pain Point The most granular and highest-performing campaign, segmented by specific delivery pain points, forklift fees, lift gate charges, loading dock issues, with ad copy tailored to each. This campaign produced the most qualified leads in the account. 03 · Tariff ### Capture Consideration Demand Mid-funnel search targeting users researching linehaul rates, operational logistics tools, and tariff rules, capturing consideration-stage demand without competing against bottom-funnel brand terms. 04 · Display ### Build Top-of-Funnel Awareness A top-of-funnel awareness campaign using 35+ image assets across the Google Display Network to build brand recognition with logistics and operations audiences. Responsive search ads, dynamic UTM tracking, and 25-44 demographic targeting (70%+ of conversions) supported the whole architecture. The Results ## Efficient, attributable, and sales-endorsed - **$109,142 in marketing-attributed pipeline,** with 358 total form submissions from paid and organic sources. - **220 MQLs and 69 SQLs all-time,** producing 39 opportunities and 11 deals. - **CPA improved 29.3% since inception:** $174 in 2024, $142 in 2025, $123 in 2026. - **$2.29 average CPC vs. a $3.50 benchmark,** with Google Search CTR reaching 9.30% in Q4 (benchmark 2.65%) and Display CTR at 9.51% (benchmark 0.4%). - **Paid drove ~40% of all site traffic and 50%+ of form submissions** (76% of tracked form fills attributed to paid, 24% organic). - **Sales validated paid leads as the highest-converting, highest-quality leads in the funnel,** the closest available signal to a quota-carrying endorsement of the program. Why It Matters ## The endorsement that matters most Efficiency metrics win budget, but sales buy-in wins programs. By structuring paid around intent and pain-point specificity, measuring everything against revenue, and driving costs down year after year, LeadCoverage built a paid engine that does not just generate leads, it generates the leads the sales team trusts most. For a self-serve-plus-enterprise SaaS business, that combination of low-cost acquisition and quota-carrying validation is the whole game. Learn More ## Explore more from LeadCoverage [LeadCoverage: Leader in GTM in Supply Chain at-a-Glance Deck ](https://the-gtm-operating-layer--i42jb7h.gamma.site/) [LeadCoverage | HubSpot Implementation Partner ](https://leadcoverage-6tcko58.gamma.site/) [Lead the Market with an Index ](https://lead-the-market-rn7rgxv.gamma.site/) [Three Strategies Working in Supply Chain Marketing ](https://three-proven-strategies--aopdmjj.gamma.site/) [Why PR Matters in Supply Chain ](https://leadcoverage-pr-tu7p524.gamma.site/) [Understanding Intent Data ](https://understanding-intent-dat-zr7h1wq.gamma.site/) [Analyst Relations: Where Market Leadership is Earned ](https://analystrelations-where-m-14eomi8.gamma.site/) [The Revenue Engine Workshop with CEO, Kara Smith Brown ](https://the-revenue-engine-works-1ng6coj.gamma.site/) ## Ready to build your revenue engine? We make market leaders. [Visit LeadCoverage](https://www.leadcoverage.com) [The Revenue Engine](https://www.therevenueengine.com)