Cut Ad Spend 25% While
Program & Membership Inquiries Held Steady
and Cost Per Inquiry Fell 20%
YMCA of Central Texas serves Round Rock, Cedar Park, Hutto, Burnet, and the surrounding communities through its CHASCO and Twin Lakes branches, where afterschool, youth sports, camps, and membership fill the calendar. Over the trailing twelve months, Big Marlin Group cut the Google Ads budget by about 25 percent and the results held: 8,845 program and membership inquiries, within 6 percent of the prior year, at a cost per inquiry that fell about 20 percent, from $5.83 to $4.68. These inquiries are actions taken on the Y's website from an ad, clicks to register or join, calls, and form fills; tracking ends when a visitor continues into the Y's separate registration system, so they measure interest, not completed registrations. (Source: Google Ads (BMG), trailing 12 months ending June 29, 2026.)
The Results
Every figure below comes from the YMCA's own Google Ads account, comparing the trailing twelve months (ending June 29, 2026) to the prior twelve. The inquiries counted are registration and join clicks, calls, and form fills taken on the Y's website from an ad. Tracking ends when a visitor continues into the Y's separate registration system, so these measure interest, not completed registrations. The story of the year: a quarter less spend bought essentially the same volume of interest, at a lower cost per inquiry.
The Problem
YMCA of Central Texas runs a full slate of programs across multiple branches: afterschool care, youth sports, summer and holiday camps, homeschool programs, and memberships for families across Round Rock, Cedar Park, Hutto, and Burnet. Paid search is how the Y reaches a parent at the moment they look for an afterschool spot or a camp opening, across every one of those communities at once.
The mandate this year was efficiency. Budgets do not grow on their own, so the job was to do more with less: cut ad spend without cutting results. That meant pruning the spend that was not producing inquiries, concentrating budget on the programs that fill seats, and watching inquiry volume and cost per inquiry rather than chasing raw click counts.
The goal was efficiency: reduce ad spend while holding the volume of membership and program inquiries, and lower the cost of each inquiry so the YMCA's budget worked harder across every branch.
Rather than spend more to drive more inquiries, we tightened the account so that fewer dollars produced the same interest. We concentrated budget on the afterschool, membership, and seasonal sports campaigns that fill programs, trimmed the spend that was not producing inquiries, and accepted a small dip in raw volume in exchange for a much lower cost per inquiry.
THE CHALLENGES
Holding results on a smaller budget meant being disciplined about where every dollar went, and honest about what the numbers say.
Hold results while cutting spend
Cutting the budget about 25 percent usually means fewer results. The work was to concentrate spend on the programs that drive the most inquiries so volume held within 6 percent even as dollars came down, and cost per inquiry fell about 20 percent.
Many programs across many branches
Afterschool, membership, summer and spring-break camps, homeschool, and youth sports each compete for the same budget across the CHASCO and Twin Lakes branches. The afterschool and membership campaigns drove the most inquiries, so the account had to keep funding them while still covering seasonal demand.
Report the result honestly
The inquiries counted are registration and join clicks, calls, and form fills on the Y's website. Tracking ends at the Y's separate registration system, so these measure interest, not completed registrations, and the win is the same interest at a quarter less cost.
- Afterschool and membership led: The afterschool registration push drove 2,580 inquiries and the May membership campaign added 1,542, the two biggest engines of the year. (Google Ads (BMG))
- Less spend, steady results: Ad spend fell about 25 percent, from $55,097 to $41,408, while inquiry volume held within 6 percent of the prior year. (Google Ads (BMG))
- Cheaper per inquiry: Cost per inquiry fell about 20 percent, from $5.83 to $4.68, as the budget concentrated on the campaigns that produce interest. (Google Ads (BMG))
- A free grant engine on top: Separately, the Y's Google Ad Grant account grew inquiries about 34.5 percent while its cost fell about 68 percent, additional reach at a fraction of the prior cost. (Google Ads (BMG))
The Bottom Line
- A quarter less spend: Ad spend fell about 25 percent, from $55,097 to $41,408, while program and membership inquiries held within 6 percent of the prior year (Source: Google Ads, BMG).
- Cheaper per inquiry: Cost per inquiry fell about 20 percent, from $5.83 to $4.68 (Source: Google Ads, BMG).
- Steady interest at scale: 8,845 program and membership inquiries over the year, registration and join clicks, calls, and form fills on the Y's website (Source: Google Ads, BMG).
- A free grant engine on top: The Y's separate Google Ad Grant account grew inquiries about 34.5 percent while cutting its cost about 68 percent over the same year (Source: Google Ads, BMG).
The Results
A quick before-and-after on the paid-search account, trailing twelve months ending June 29, 2026 versus the prior twelve. All figures from Google Ads (BMG).
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