Implant lead volume and cost per lead, by channel, by month
Meta is 85% of implant leads, so when total volume moves, Meta moved it. Meta has drifted from 222 in April to the mid-160s and is pacing lower in October, even though September Meta spend was healthy at $49 a lead. The real question is why Meta cost per lead nearly tripled from spring to summer as the budget grew. Google Ads is being wound down, down 74% year to date.
Meta is 85% of every implant lead, so it is the engine and it defines the trend line. Volume peaked at 222 in April and has drifted to the mid-160s; October is pacing near 84 against a 169/mo baseline. Every large month-over-month swing in total volume is a Meta swing.
Meta's best month was April: 222 leads at $29 a lead on $6,397. By July the agency spent $10,089 and got only 128 leads, $79 a lead. Spend rose over 50 percent and volume fell. Why did Meta efficiency degrade exactly as budget went up?
Google is being wound down: spend cut 46% ($4,797 to $2,606/mo), but leads fell faster, down 74% (35 to 9). The remaining budget now buys almost nothing: $290 a lead in September versus $137 in January. Keep and fix, or cut and move it to Meta.
Through the 13th, implant leads are pacing -51% vs the Jan to Sep baseline, almost entirely Meta. September Meta ran a healthy $8,130 at $49 a lead, so the softness is not an underfunding problem. October spend has not been provided; confirm Meta is live and send October spend so this month can be scored.
Lead volume by channel
Each lead counted once, by the month it first came in and its first-touch channel, across both CRMs. October is month-to-date through the 13th and is shown in italics.
| Month | Meta | Google Ads | Organic / SEO | Other / Direct | Total | MoM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 155 | 35 | 9 | 31 | 230 | |
| Feb | 169 | 30 | 10 | 4 | 213 | -7% |
| Mar | 148 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 178 | -16% |
| Apr | 222 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 245 | +38% |
| May | 191 | 20 | 4 | 3 | 218 | -11% |
| Jun | 175 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 197 | -10% |
| Jul | 128 | 19 | 2 | 3 | 152 | -23% |
| Aug | 171 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 191 | +26% |
| Sep | 166 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 177 | -7% |
| Oct (MTD) | 38 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 44 | -75% |
| YTD | 1563 | 191 | 44 | 47 | 1845 |
Baseline (January to September monthly average): Meta 169, Google Ads 21, total 200. October MTD 44 leads in 13 days annualizes to roughly 97.
Spend vs leads
Actual ad spend next to the leads it produced, month by month. The point is the mismatch: monthly spend swings widely while leads do not move with it. October spend has not been reported. "Paid leads" counts Meta plus Google only.
| Month | Meta spend | Meta leads | Google spend | Google leads | Total spend | Spend MoM | Paid leads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $6,258 | 155 | $4,797 | 35 | $11,055 | 190 | |
| Feb | $5,785 | 169 | $4,754 | 30 | $10,539 | -5% | 199 |
| Mar | $7,105 | 148 | $2,939 | 27 | $10,044 | -5% | 175 |
| Apr | $6,397 | 222 | $2,690 | 20 | $9,087 | -10% | 242 |
| May | $6,316 | 191 | $2,475 | 20 | $8,791 | -3% | 211 |
| Jun | $7,840 | 175 | $2,849 | 16 | $10,689 | +22% | 191 |
| Jul | $10,089 | 128 | $2,769 | 19 | $12,858 | +20% | 147 |
| Aug | $10,933 | 171 | $2,555 | 12 | $13,488 | +5% | 183 |
| Sep | $8,130 | 166 | $2,606 | 9 | $10,736 | -20% | 175 |
| Oct (MTD) | pending | 38 | pending | 3 | pending | 41 | |
| YTD (Jan to Sep) | $68,853 | 1525 | $28,434 | 188 | $97,287 | 1713 |
Monthly Meta spend ranged from $5,785 to $10,933, a 89% swing, with no matching move in leads. The clearest mismatch is July: the highest Meta spend to that point ($10,089) produced the fewest Meta leads of the year (128). April did the opposite, 222 leads on just $6,397. Inconsistent monthly spend with flat demand is itself an accountability question.
Efficiency
Agency-reported ad spend by platform, divided by that platform's implant leads. These are actuals for January through September; October spend has not been provided yet, so October cost per lead is pending. SEO / organic spend is not yet included.
| Month | Meta spend | Meta CPL | Google spend | Google CPL | Blended paid CPL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | $6,258 | $40 | $4,797 | $137 | $58 |
| Feb | $5,785 | $34 | $4,754 | $158 | $53 |
| Mar | $7,105 | $48 | $2,939 | $109 | $57 |
| Apr | $6,397 | $29 | $2,690 | $135 | $38 |
| May | $6,316 | $33 | $2,475 | $124 | $42 |
| Jun | $7,840 | $45 | $2,849 | $178 | $56 |
| Jul | $10,089 | $79 | $2,769 | $146 | $87 |
| Aug | $10,933 | $64 | $2,555 | $213 | $74 |
| Sep | $8,130 | $49 | $2,606 | $290 | $61 |
| Oct (MTD) | pending | pending | pending | pending | pending |
| YTD (Jan to Sep) | $68,853 | $45 | $28,434 | $151 | $57 |
Heat is relative to each channel's own history: Meta green below $55 / red above $75; Google green below $175 / red above $250. Meta spend rose from $6,258 in January to a $10,933 peak in August while cost per lead worsened from $29 (April) to $79 (July). Google spend was cut 46% but its cost per lead still climbed to $290.
By month
Stacked. The blue band is Meta; it is the whole top of the funnel.
Two different stories: Meta drift, Google structural decline.
Meta budget ramped into the summer; Google was cut. October not yet reported.
Meta efficiency worsened as budget rose; Google pulled away.
Accountability
Specific, per channel, with the numbers to back each answer. These are the questions this report exists to force.
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