Case Study
More than doubling annual paid attributed sales
125 percent more sales with 12 percent lower media cost per sale.
Four15 helped a scientific imaging equipment company turn paid media into a measurable source of instrument sales. A three-year review reported paid-attributed sales rising from eight in 2020 to 13 in 2021 and 18 in 2022. Over the same period, reported media cost per sale fell from $17,851 to $15,666.
The relationship began in February 2020 and continued through the supplied August 2024 notes. By the December 2023 review, the client reported $1.68 million in paid-attributed revenue for the year to date. The company was subsequently acquired by a larger scientific-instrument business during the engagement.
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Reported paid media results
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2020
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2021
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2022
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|---|---|---|---|
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Instrument sales
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8
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13
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18
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Quote requests
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82
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128
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122
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Media cost per sale
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$17,851
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$16,109
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$15,666
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These are client-reported paid-attribution figures. Both comparison years fall within the engagement; 2020 is the first documented year, not a full pre-agency baseline.
At kickoff, the business was using time on site as its primary advertising KPI and reported approximately seven instrument leads per month. Most closed opportunities were described as word of mouth, and the website transition had left gaps in historical attribution. The team needed to connect advertising with meaningful inquiries and eventual sales.
This was a specialized buying process. Researchers could influence a purchase without controlling the budget, and institutions often needed grants before placing an order. A quote request, a software download and a completed instrument sale represented very different stages of intent.
By 2022, reported annual sales from paid media were 125% above the 2020 level. Quote volume grew 49%, while the ratio of reported sales to quotes rose from approximately 10% to 15%. The commercial result improved faster than inquiry volume, although the annual ratios are not matched-cohort conversion rates.
The sales growth required additional investment; it was not achieved by cutting the overall media budget. The improvement was in the reported media cost of acquiring each sale, which declined approximately 12% across the three-year comparison.
Four15 rebuilt and expanded search coverage around relevant imaging applications, product categories, competitors and branded demand. Query reviews and negative keywords helped control irrelevant traffic in a niche where superficially related searches could be poor commercial fits.
The December 2023 campaign review listed 62 quote conversions from the nonbrand IVIS Alpha search campaign, compared with 16 from branded search. Dynamic search and application campaigns added further inquiries. This demonstrated that the program could reach buyers beyond people already looking for the client by name.
LinkedIn campaigns used technical notes, scientific posters, webinars and product education to reach relevant research audiences. Targeting evolved through job titles, skills, institutions, company lists and geography. The team reviewed both researchers who could influence a purchase and contacts closer to a buying decision.
Retargeting and lower-funnel offers gave those audiences a route back to the sales team. Campaigns tested product specifications, replacement-system messaging and opportunities to ask specialists questions. This suited a considered equipment purchase that rarely happens after one ad click.
Four15 separated quote requests from software requests, webinar registrations and other activity. The team worked with HubSpot and sales reporting to review quote sources, follow up on sales outcomes and understand acquisition costs. The annual quote-to-sale review provided a more useful commercial view than traffic metrics alone.
That discipline continued in 2024. The team asked whether recent quotes had entered the pipeline, were disqualified or still required grant funding, and checked original versus latest traffic sources. These questions helped distinguish genuine sales progress from an increase in form submissions.
The December 21, 2023 review reported $1,680,445 in paid-attributed revenue and 156 quote requests, approximately 28% more quotes than the 122 recorded for 2022. This is a year-to-date snapshot rather than a final audited annual result. It shows continued commercial contribution, although it does not establish that sales or revenue increased every year.
In February 2024, a larger scientific-instrument company announced its acquisition of the business. Four15’s engagement continued through the supplied August 2024 notes. The acquisition is a broader company milestone; the specific advertising contribution is supported by the reported instrument sales, acquisition costs and paid revenue.