How Online Aannemer Nearly Killed a Winning Campaign, Until Octanist Showed the Real Results
A recruitment campaign seemed to prove Facebook Ads beat Google Ads, until Octanist revealed which leads actually became hires. See how Offline Conversion Tracking changed everything.
When Volume Misleads: The Hidden Truth Behind Lead Generation
At Online Aannemer, we manage lead generation campaigns for clients across different industries. For one fast-growing company looking to attract new job applicants, we launched both Google Ads and Meta (Facebook) campaigns, with the goal of increasing qualified applicants.
From the start, we expected Google Ads to outperform. We even allocated five times more budget to it. But as the campaign ran, the data told a different story.
The Unexpected Winner
Within weeks, Facebook began generating far more leads, and at less than half the cost per lead (CPL) compared to Google Ads.
Encouraged by these results, we shifted the budget to make both platforms equal. The volume kept growing. On paper, everything looked great.
The HR Bottleneck
But then the HR team reached out. They were overwhelmed by the flood of incoming leads. Recruiters couldn’t keep up, and more importantly, nobody knew which leads actually turned into hires.
It was clear: the campaign was driving volume, but not necessarily quality.
Discovering Octanist
That’s when we introduced Octanist.
With Octanist’s easy-to-implement Offline Conversion Tracking, we connected the campaign data directly to the company’s HR system. This allowed us to automatically track which applicants were actually hired, without any manual work.
Suddenly, we weren’t just counting form submissions, we were tracking real business results.
The Eye-Opening Results
After just a few weeks of data collection, the truth became clear:
While Facebook generated a higher number of leads, Google Ads delivered 12× more real hires.
Without Octanist, we would have unknowingly shifted our budget away from the real performer. We had been optimizing on CPL (Cost per Lead), a metric that looked good but told only half the story.
With Octanist’s Offline Conversion Tracking, we optimized on actual outcomes, not assumptions.
Why Octanist Made the Difference
Octanist made advanced offline tracking accessible and reliable.
- Fast setup via WordPress, GTM, or direct API connection
- Full automation between web leads and CRM/ATS systems
- Real-time reporting on qualified and converted leads
- Seamless feedback to ad platforms like Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and GA4
The result? We finally had the clarity to invest in what truly drives growth: quality, not just quantity.
Final Takeaway
Octanist didn’t just track conversions, it saved this campaign.
By connecting online campaigns with offline outcomes, we gained visibility into what really mattered.
And that’s exactly what Octanist was built for: helping marketers make smarter, data-driven decisions that improve both performance and ROI.
Ready to See What Octanist Can Do?
Book a free demo or try Octanist free for one month
Discover how Offline Conversion Tracking can turn your “best-looking” campaigns into your best-performing ones.