Return to Case Studies

Driving Data-Driven Marketing Decisions for Homestar Finance

Client: Homestar Finance
Industry: Mortgage Lending
Services Provided:

  • Attribution Modeling
  • Full-Funnel Marketing Measurement
  • ROI & ROAS Calculations
  • Marketing Performance Analysis

Overview

Homestar Finance, a leading mortgage lender, has partnered with us for over five years to refine and optimize their marketing measurement strategy. Unlike agency-side projects, this collaboration involved working directly with the client, ensuring they had full visibility into their marketing funnel, precise attribution, and clear ROI calculations. Our work also played a crucial role in supporting their marketing agency by providing robust data insights to enhance decision-making.

Challenges

As a financial institution with a multi-channel marketing approach, Homestar Finance needed:

  • Comprehensive Attribution Modeling – To understand which channels and campaigns contributed most to loan applications and customer acquisition.
  • Full Marketing Funnel Measurement – Capturing data from initial engagement to final conversion and beyond.
  • Agency Support with Reliable Data – Ensuring their marketing agency had the insights required to optimize campaigns effectively.
  • ROI and ROAS Calculations – Evaluating the return on investment from various marketing activities to guide future budget allocation.
  • Better Decision-Making for Marketing Spend – Helping internal teams determine where to invest for maximum impact.
  • Understanding What Works and What Doesn’t – Providing ongoing data analysis to refine and improve performance over time.

Solution

Our long-term engagement with Homestar Finance has been built on delivering accurate, actionable insights that help both their internal marketing team and their agency make better strategic decisions.

  1. Attribution Modeling Across the Full Funnel
    • We implemented multi-touch attribution models to track customer interactions across paid search, organic traffic, social media, and email marketing.
    • Leveraging Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Google Tag Manager (GTM), we built custom tracking frameworks to ensure accurate data collection.
    • Attribution reports provided clarity on how different touchpoints influenced conversions.
  2. Comprehensive Funnel Tracking
    • We structured custom conversion paths to analyze user behavior from the first touchpoint through to mortgage application submission.
    • Integrated tracking for offline conversions, helping Homestar Finance understand how digital campaigns influenced phone inquiries and broker interactions.
  3. Agency Support & Reporting
    • Built automated performance dashboards using Google Data Studio and Supermetrics to provide the agency with real-time insights.
    • Delivered custom marketing evaluations to help the agency refine campaign strategies.
    • Worked closely with the agency team to ensure marketing efforts aligned with Homestar’s business objectives.
  4. ROI & ROAS Analysis
    • Developed cost-per-acquisition (CPA) and return on ad spend (ROAS) calculations for paid media campaigns.
    • Conducted deep-dive evaluations to identify underperforming campaigns and shift budget towards higher-impact efforts.
    • Provided detailed reporting on the lifetime value (LTV) of acquired customers, offering a holistic view of marketing effectiveness.
  5. Data-Driven Marketing Investment Decisions
    • Enabled data-backed budget allocations, helping Homestar Finance optimize their marketing spend across channels.
    • Delivered ongoing performance evaluations, ensuring their team had continuous insights into what’s working and what needs adjustment.

Results

Over our five-year collaboration, Homestar Finance has significantly improved their marketing efficiency:

  • More Effective Budget Allocation – With clear attribution data, they can now confidently invest in channels that generate the highest return.
  • Improved Agency Performance – Data-driven insights have empowered their agency to make smarter optimizations, resulting in stronger campaign outcomes.
  • Increased ROAS and Lower CPA – By continuously refining media strategies, Homestar has achieved better returns on ad spend and lower acquisition costs over time.
  • Stronger Decision-Making Culture – Marketing decisions are now fully backed by accurate data, eliminating guesswork.
  • Deeper Understanding of Customer Journeys – Homestar Finance can now track exactly how customers move through the funnel, from lead to mortgage approval.

Why the Partnership Works

Our collaboration with Homestar Finance thrives because we act as an extension of their internal team, providing the analytics expertise necessary to optimize their marketing investments. By working alongside both their team and their agency, we ensure that every marketing dollar is accounted for and strategically spent to drive growth.

Testimonial

“The insights and analytics expertise from Tell No Lies have completely transformed how we measure marketing performance. Over the past five years, their work has helped us and our agency make smarter, data-driven decisions that maximise our investment. They are an invaluable partner in our growth.”

Mandy Sly 
Executive GM, Marketing and Customer Experience
LinkedIn