Digital Marketing Case Study: Small Consumer Lending Org Builds Scalable Customer Growth Through Digital Strategy

Since 2000, Seattle area agency Lodestar Marketing Group has provided digital marketing services to some of the world’s leading brands and favorite local companies. With their experience and knowledge, they have helped clients achieve impressive results. In this case study, learn how Lodestar Marketing Group led a small lender into digital marketing, improving traffic quality and driving higher intent applications.

Introduction

A small consumer lending organization teamed up with Lodestar Marketing Group to grow its customer base and increase loan volume through digital marketing for the first time. Prior to this partnership, the company relied on traditional, in-person channels to attract borrowers. In the first few months, Lodestar Marketing Group established a solid digital foundation and improved traffic quality, borrower intent, and overall conversion performance.

Challenge

The client needed a reliable, scalable way to bring in new customers online without sacrificing lead quality. They had no established digital program or attribution system, so the team could not track which leads resulted in funded loans. The core challenge had two parts. Drive fast growth while keeping the focus on borrowers with strong intent who would move successfully through the funnel.

Our Strategy

1. Digital Campaign Rollout
   Lodestar Marketing Group rolled out Paid Search and Performance Max campaigns to reach consumers actively looking for lending options. Early performance showed strong engagement, with click-through rates and cost-per-click results that exceeded industry benchmarks. These signals confirmed that the targeting and messaging resonated with high-intent audiences.
2. Creative and Message Refinement
   Lodestar Marketing Group ran ongoing tests across ad creative and messaging. The team used qualification-focused language to draw in stronger applicants. These updates increased user intent and brought paid traffic closer to the client’s ideal borrower profile.
3. Improving Lead Quality Through Performance Optimization
   Throughout the program, Lodestar Marketing Group refined its approach to allocating direct budget to high-performing geographies, campaigns, and audience segments. These adjustments steadily improved application quality and kept the focus on borrowers more likely to be approved and ultimately funded.
4. Launching Offline Conversion Attribution
   A key milestone was the launch of an offline conversion API, which enabled the client to connect digital leads to closed loans. Once this system was active, campaigns were optimized for closed-loan outcomes rather than earlier funnel actions. This provided Google with stronger conversion signals and laid the foundation for long-term, scalable growth.

Results

Within just a few months, the program demonstrated strong traction and positive growth trends:

• Traffic Growth. Website sessions rose from about 6,720 in August to 9,527 in December. This reflects a 42% increase driven by stronger visibility in high-intent search results.
• Application Growth. Loan application submissions gained early momentum from launch through the end of the year as campaigns expanded and targeting improved.
• Higher Quality Traffic. Engagement improved month over month, with a growing share of sessions classified as engaged interactions.
• Paid Search Outperformance. Search campaigns consistently achieved click-through rates and cost-per-click results above typical industry benchmarks, indicating strong alignment with prospective borrowers.
• Future Focused Optimization. With offline conversion tracking active, the program now supports measurable growth in closed loans. Campaigns benefit from more accurate optimization signals along with ongoing creative and targeting improvements.

Conclusion

Lodestar Marketing Group supported this lending organization as it transitioned to digital marketing and built a scalable acquisition program targeting high-quality applicants. Through focused targeting, ongoing testing, and advanced tracking infrastructure, the client now grows closed-loan volume with greater efficiency and a structure designed for long-term customer growth.

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Small Consumer Lending Org Builds Scalable Customer Growth Through Digital Strategy