The Key Role of CRM-Integrated Lead Attribution in Driving Local Lead Generation for Franchise Gym and Home Service Brands
In the franchise brand and multi-location business marketing world, generating high-quality local leads and ensuring they convert into valuable customers is crucial for sustainable growth. This is especially true in high-cost-per-lead (CPL) industries, including home service brands, gyms construction firms, lawyers, doctors, and other businesses where customer acquisition costs can be substantial. Lower-funnel PPC campaigns serve as the backbone for these businesses, driving valuable leads toward conversion. However, lead generation alone is not enough—without proper lead attribution and customer relationship management (CRM) integration, businesses risk losing visibility into the effectiveness of their marketing efforts.
In this post, we’ll explore the importance of lead attribution in lower-funnel PPC campaigns for franchise and multi-location businesses, why it’s crucial for high CPL industries, and how CRM integrations can help track key performance indicators (KPIs) like Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) and Cost Per Lead (CPL), ultimately boosting long-term customer lifetime value (CLV).
Why Lead Generation Campaigns Matter in High-CPL Industries
Industries like home services, construction, gyms, legal practices, and healthcare often see high costs per lead due to the competitive nature of their markets and the complexity of the services they offer. For example, a single lead for a home renovation project or a year long gym membership can cost significantly more than leads for lower-cost consumer products. That’s because these services require a higher level of trust and decision-making on the part of the customer. The stakes are higher, both for the customer and the business, making lead quality and conversion paramount.
Lower-funnel PPC campaigns are an essential tool for these industries because they target consumers who are closer to making a purchase decision. Unlike top-of-the-funnel efforts, such as brand awareness campaigns, lower-funnel strategies focus on driving conversions from users who have already shown intent by searching for specific services or products. Whether it’s booking a service, signing up for a membership, or scheduling a consultation, the goal is to turn these potential leads into paying customers.
The Role of Lead Attribution in PPC Campaigns
For franchise brands and multi-location businesses, lead attribution is a critical factor in proving the effectiveness of their PPC campaigns. Lead attribution refers to the process of identifying which marketing channels and touchpoints are responsible for converting leads into customers. Proper attribution allows marketers to allocate budgets more effectively, focusing on campaigns and channels that deliver the highest return on investment (ROI).
Without accurate lead attribution, businesses could waste valuable marketing dollars on channels that don’t actually contribute to conversions. Worse, they may overlook the most profitable sources of leads. For high-CPL industries, where every lead is an investment, this can quickly erode the effectiveness of a marketing strategy. Additionally, franchise and multi-location businesses, which often operate with smaller marketing teams, need to ensure they maximize the ROI of their campaigns.
Measuring Success with KPIs: ROAS and CPL
To demonstrate the value of PPC campaigns to franchisees or multi-location businesses, marketers need to show clear results in the form of KPIs such as Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) and Cost Per Lead (CPL). These metrics not only prove the efficiency of a campaign but also provide insights into where improvements can be made.
- ROAS (Return on Ad Spend): This measures how much revenue a business generates for every dollar spent on advertising. High-CPL industries depend on this metric to ensure that the value of the customers they’re acquiring outweighs the initial cost of acquisition. A poor ROAS could indicate that campaigns need optimization, or that marketing budgets are being wasted.
- CPL (Cost Per Lead): For high-cost service industries, the cost per lead must be carefully managed. A high CPL might be acceptable as long as the conversion rate and customer lifetime value (CLV) justify the investment. The right balance between CPL and ROAS helps businesses ensure they are getting the most value out of their campaigns.
However, to accurately measure these KPIs, lead attribution must be properly implemented. This is where CRM systems and integrations come into play.
CRM Integration: The Key to Effective Lead Attribution
For franchise brands and multi-location businesses, integrating their PPC campaigns with a robust CRM system is essential for accurate lead attribution and the tracking of long-term customer value. CRM integration helps businesses track where leads are coming from and how they move through the sales funnel, from the initial click to the final conversion.
One of the best examples of the importance of CRM integration is in the gym franchise industry. Gyms often run lower-funnel PPC campaigns designed to generate new membership sign-ups. However, the value of a single sign-up is not limited to the initial CPL; rather, the true value lies in the customer’s lifetime value (CLV). CRM integrations help gym franchises track not only how many leads come from PPC campaigns but also how long those customers stay subscribed and how much revenue they generate over time.
For example, a PPC campaign may initially appear costly if you only measure CPL, but when factoring in CLV—where a customer stays subscribed to a gym for months or years—it becomes clear that the campaign is actually highly profitable. Accurate lead attribution through CRM integrations helps franchise and multi-location businesses make these connections, enabling them to optimize their marketing strategies for long-term success.
Setting Attribution Rules for CRM Integration: A Complex Challenge
Accurate lead attribution in CRM integrations is essential but can be highly nuanced for franchise brands and multi-location businesses. One common challenge is geographical attribution. For instance, a lead may interact with an ad from Franchisee A, but the CRM system may attribute the lead to Franchisee B based on proximity to the customer. This misalignment can create conflicts and misrepresent campaign performance.
Another issue arises with phone calls. A potential lead may click a call button from a PPC ad but delay making the call, leading to breaks in the attribution chain. These gaps, especially across time zones, can cause leads to be attributed incorrectly or lost altogether.
Choosing the right attribution model—whether first-touch, last-touch, or multi-touch—is essential to ensure that credit is assigned accurately across campaigns. Multi-touch attribution often works best for franchise brands, as it reflects the multiple touchpoints a lead interacts with before converting.
CRM integration plays a key role in managing these complexities, ensuring that leads are tracked across channels and locations. In high-CPL industries, tracking long-term customer lifetime value (CLV) is vital for optimizing lower-funnel PPC campaigns and driving overall profitability.
Conclusion: The Essential Role of Lead Attribution in Franchise Lead Generation
For franchise brands and multi-location businesses in high-CPL industries, lead generation campaigns are critical for driving growth. However, to fully understand the value of these campaigns, businesses must implement effective lead attribution. This allows them to accurately measure key KPIs such as ROAS and CPL, providing insights into which campaigns are most effective. Additionally, CRM integrations are essential for tracking the long-term value of leads, particularly for businesses with subscription models like gym franchises.
Ultimately, by leveraging lead attribution and CRM integrations, franchise brands and multi-location businesses can optimize their lower-funnel PPC campaigns, drive meaningful results, and ensure long-term profitability from their lead generation efforts.
Looking to provide CRM Integrated Lead Attribution for your franchisees or your franchise brand clients? Get in touch! Adplorer can provide basic and custom CRM integrations for off the shelf and custom CRM systems. We work closely with our partners to create custom lead attribution models for your franchise brand needs. Click the button below to get in touch!
