Paper Planes Academy (B2B online education): 685 sign-ups at $0.91 — 2.3x cheaper than planned, 200% ROMI

The task

Paper Planes Academy is the educational project of the digital agency Paper Planes. Our colleagues came with a double request: attract users to the “Marketing in B2B” course and at the same time bring new B2B clients to the agency itself.

The funnel entry point was the agency founder’s free book “Price Pressure”. The media buyer’s task — bring as many relevant leads as possible to this lead magnet.

What we did

The B2B problem. The decision cycle is long, several people are responsible for the decision, few buy right away. Judging performance right after the ads is hard.

A solution through data. We looked at the period in which purchases happen after sign-up and derived the exact conversion:

• in the first month after sign-up — 7%
• in the second — 3%
• every month after that — 1%

So a user can “warm up” for up to 6 months.

Unit economics. The conversion data gave an understanding of the target cost per sign-up — $2.12.

Creatives and offers. Facebook targeting did not help find the audience, so we bet on precise messages. Had a separate call with the client — spent an hour breaking down the problems, pains and sore spots of potential clients. On that basis we formed hypotheses and ready offers.

Results

The first launch immediately hit the right creatives. Over 3 weeks of the campaign: $620 spend, 685 sign-ups, $0.90 cost per sign-up — against a plan of $2.12.

Of those who signed up, 22 people bought the “Marketing in B2B” course — 3.2% of all sign-ups from targeting — for $1,858.

The traffic paid back in the first month: $1,858 revenue on $620 spend — 200% ROMI.

Insights

• In B2B online education you cannot judge ads by the moment of purchase: you need a warm-up model (7% / 3% / 1% by month, up to 6 months). This lets you count ROMI honestly and build long-term advertising.
• Unit economics at the start sets the target CPL ($2.12) — without it the launch goes in blind.
• In niches where Facebook targeting cannot find the audience, precise messages carry the result. An hour of breaking down pains with the client before launch is a mandatory step in forming hypotheses.
• The first-month payback gave grounds to build a long-term funnel: the collaboration has continued since February 2021.