How to Maximize Lead Quality

I was a lead performance marketer at Meta for 6 years. Here’s how I would go about predictably increasing your lead quality. There are few components here: 1️⃣ Where you send your traffic to is insanely important. Lead forms are going to get you higher volume, but lower quality. Website you’re going to see higher quality, but much lower volume. 2️⃣ Asking the right kind of questions and filtering out information is crucial for both of these. So make sure to qualify your leads based on the info/answers they give. Examples: - Only collecting work emails, not counting the gmail.com’s. - Setting up your forms so that if someone answers incorrectly, they don’t get counted towards the optimization. 3️⃣ Another big tool you can use that will drastically improve your quality? Passing back data. You can tell Meta what kind of people went through your entire funnel 10-20 days after you launch. In turn, you’re going to have that much more specificity and info on who it is you should be targeting, leading to more quality within your leads. In short, these are the most important components when it comes to optimizing your data. And if you’re doing them correctly, you’ll be able to stretch each ad dollar a lot more, and put you in a great spot to see an impressive ROI with your ads.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗿, 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀. But most businesses are playing the wrong game. ➡️ More traffic. ➡️More clicks. ➡️More leads. And yet... sales stay the same. 𝗪𝗵𝘆? 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝘆. The goal of search marketing isn’t to flood your inbox with tyre-kickers. It’s to attract high-intent, ready-to-buy leads who already want what you sell. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝟭% 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀: ✅ They Optimise for conversions Not just traffic – High-ranking pages mean nothing if they don’t convert. Focus on search intent, landing page experience, and conversion paths. ✅ They double down on commercial intent keywords Forget the vanity metrics. The best leads search for terms with buying intent (e.g. “best [solution] for [pain point]” or “top-rated [service] near me”). ✅ They use content to pre-sell Blogs, case studies, and product pages should eliminate many doubts and objections before they even book a call. ✅ They segment and filter PPC traffic Not every click is worth paying for. Use negative keywords, audience targeting, and tighter ad copy to repel time-wasters, and those are outside of your ICP. ✅ They track the right analytics CTR and impressions don’t pay the bills. Set up lead and conversion tracking, and revenue attribution (if appropriate) to measure real impact. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼: ❌ Stop chasing every keyword Ranking for everything makes you relevant to no one. Choose high-value keywords that attract decision-makers. ❌ Stop offering generic lead magnets If your lead magnet attracts every freebie seeker under the sun, then guess what you'll get.....nothing!! ❌ Stop treating SEO and PPC as separates The best strategies blend organic and paid, reinforcing authority while capturing high-intent searchers instantly. The businesses that win aren’t the ones with the most leads. They’re the ones with the right leads. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿-𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀.. 🟢 Your close rate skyrockets. 🟢 You waste less time on dead-end calls. 🟢 Your marketing spend goes further. Is this something you've encountered and struggled with? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear your thoughts. ⬇️

Before 2020, we thought more leads meant more business for our clients. We'd deliver truckloads of "leads" to our agency partners. High-fives all around. Then 30 - 40% lead rejections. Just frustrated clients and burnt-out teams. That experience shaped EvolveBPM's approach from day one (resulting in <5% lead rejections). Here's our playbook: 1. Examine each "gem" closely We study behavior signals, not just contact forms. Are they really ready to buy? 2. Polish only the best 50 qualified, ready-to-talk prospects outperform 500 "maybe someday" contacts. Always. 3. Set them in the perfect context Content that speaks directly to pain points (or their most pressing need). When a lead reaches out, they're practically pre-sold. 4. Align the settings Sales and marketing agree on what "qualified" means. No more "these leads suck" drama. 5. Use the right tools (but don't rely on them) Tech helps, but it's not magic. Strategy first, always. The result for our agency partners? - Shorter sales cycles - Higher conversion rates - Clients who renew and expand Switching from "more is more" to "better is better" isn't easy. But it's worth every ounce of effort. Now, I want to hear from you: 🔹 What's your biggest lead quality challenge? 🔹 Have you found a creative way to qualify leads? 🔹 If you could wave a magic wand and fix one thing in your lead gen process, what would it be? Drop your thoughts below. Let's learn from each other's worlds. #Intent #B2BMarketing #LeadGeneration #IntentData #QualityOverQuantity

Last year our company had a huge problem — and it wasn’t from the “usual suspects” Usually, if the pipeline dips, we assume it’s low lead flow or bad lead flow. Nope. Ours was much deeper: Our market completely misunderstood who we were. And it was our fault. Here's what happened 👇 First, I needed to figure out WHY. While reviewing our demo requests, I noticed something strange: Marketing leaders kept reaching out about website product tours for lead gen. But that’s not what we sell. Or who we sell to. We're a platform that enables enterprises to demonstrate the value of AI-driven solutions through live sales demos and proof of concepts. Big difference. The hard truth? A quick website and content audit revealed that -Our content attracted the wrong personas -Our messaging spoke "marketing" when we needed to speak "sales" and “solutions” -Our positioning missed our core value prop completely So, we immediately made three significant changes: Stripped *everything* about marketing, websites, and lead gen from our marketing Went all-in on our AI-first approach and synthetic data capabilities (our true differentiator) Built strategic partnerships to show how we enhance existing sales tech stacks The results -Our lead volume dropped 📉 -Deal size? 4X BIGGER 📈 Our conversion rate jumped significantly. The lesson? Don't be afraid to sacrifice quantity for quality.

Stop Chasing Cheap Leads; Start Focusing on ROI. Cheap leads ≠ Better leads.  They may just waste the sales team's time. If you’ve been in marketing long enough, you know the pitfalls of focusing on Cost Per Lead (CPL) over true ROI. Cheaper leads may sound appealing, but they come with hidden costs:  ❌ Lower quality, meaning they aren’t actually a fit   ❌ Higher churn rates, leading to more turnover   ❌ Lower lifetime value (LTV), impacting long-term revenue  Here’s a quick example: We worked with a company that had fallen into the CPL trap—lots of leads, but low ROI. Our approach was to start by: 🎯 Refining their audience targeting, making sure we were engaging the right accounts from the start. ⏳ We optimized their ad copy 🛬 Redesigned the conversion funnels to guide these prospects in a more relevant, value-focused way.  The results? A 158% increase in pipeline while only increasing spend by 89%.  So what should we focus on instead? Down funnel metrics that matter to sales: Cost Per Meeting, Cost per MQL (if it’s predictive), and Pipeline Return on Ad Spend (Pipeline-RoAS).  When we target, engage, and qualify better, we reduce waste, improve lead quality, and drive measurable revenue. Let’s move away from “more leads at a lower CPL” and focus on ROI-driven marketing that aligns with high-value customers.  The strategy was integrated across product marketing, demand generation, and the sales team responsible for responding to the ads.

Most teams think more leads = more sales. That’s wrong. I’ve seen companies pull in thousands of leads a month. And still miss quota. Why? Because the leads suck. → Sales wastes time chasing people who will never buy. → Marketing burns budget on campaigns that look good but don’t close deals. → The pipeline fills up, but the bottom stays dry. A big pipeline means nothing if no one is converting. Here’s how you fix it and how to do it faster with Clay: ✅ Score your leads. → Use Clay to enrich each contact with job title, seniority, tech stack, and hiring signals. → Push only high-quality SQLs into your CRM. ✅ Use intent-based marketing. → Clay lets you track firmographic changes like funding rounds, hiring spikes, or tech adoption. → Reach out when timing is right, not just when someone downloads a PDF. ✅ Tighten your targeting. → Clay can filter leads by revenue, headcount, industry, and more. → Build lists that actually match your ICP. ✅ Build nurture sequences. → Use Clay to auto-trigger personalized emails based on lead behavior or data changes. → Stay top of mind without spamming. ✅ Track conversions, not lead count. → With Clay, you can monitor which data sources or segments lead to real deals. → Double down on what works and cut what doesn’t. Lead volume is a vanity metric. Lead quality drives revenue.

It's not enough to get leads; they need to be the right leads. That's what I discussed in my last post. Budgeting wisely means focusing on quality rather than quantity.  So, how do we do that? 👉🏾 Start by knowing your ideal customer. I know you've heard this many times, but it's amazing how many companies skip this step.    👉🏾Get clear on who you're trying to reach. The more specific you are, the better. 👉🏾Don't just create content for the sake of creating. Focus on targeted content for your ideal customer, not your assumptions. 👉🏾Using intent data can reveal companies actively researching solutions like yours. This data lets you focus your efforts on the accounts most likely to convert. 👉🏾If relevant, use ABM to target specific, high value accounts. From experience, a well-structured plan can improve lead quality and maximize your budget. 👉🏾Rework and optimize your existing landing pages. Ensure they are clear, concise, and focused on a single call to action. This will help improve your conversion rates. 👉🏾Don't just generate leads and then forget about them. As elaborate as your marketing and lead generation plan is, you should also have an elaborate plan for nurturing these leads at each stage of the buyer's journey. 👉🏾Always keep a close eye on your metrics. What's working? What's not? You can use this data to improve your lead generation efforts continuously. I know that improving lead quality is an ongoing and time-consuming process. However, a strategic approach coupled with a willingness to experiment and adapt is worth the long term payoff. #demandgeneration #b2bmarketing #marketingstrategy

If I were a marketing manager with a <$2,000 budget, here’s what I would prioritise. Priority 1: Optimise the website weekly - Optimise every day. Double down on what’s working and fix what’s not. - Dedicate 3-4 hours weekly for website review. - Examine top-converting pages. - Ensure above-the-fold content builds trust (reviews, brand logos, key benefits, CTA) - Are all CTAs clear and action-oriented? - Check site health using Ahrefs/Semrush and fix critical issues. - Use MS Clarity to understand and reduce bounce rates. - Improve speed with Google PageSpeed insights. Priority 2: Optimise content for SEO -  If you don’t have a big budget for paid media, this is your best bet. - Identify low-hanging-fruits with Ahrefs (pages ranking 4–20). - Use Surfer SEO or SERP analysis for content refinement. - Analyse competitors and build a solid plan to beat them - Not just for content, but also UX, design, messaging, and CTAs. - Optimise 3–4 articles per week. - Publish a weekly expert blog/resources (get input from your team). - Keep an eye on ranking drops for top keywords. Priority 3: Review CRM, attribution & revenue - Ensure forms are working and leads are being captured. - Attribute leads to the correct source. - Review the user journey, first touch, last touch, and everything in between. - Don’t just track lead volume, focus on high-quality MQLs. - Assign a $$ value to each lead and track which pages drive the most revenue. - Tie everything back to revenue, this should be your ultimate KPI. - If you notice an unknown/direct source, call them or delegate it to sales (don’t leave it unknown). - Ensure sales teams are following up and closing deals on time. - Get feedback from sales on lead quality, add an “MQL feedback” field in your CRM. - Keep notes and define action items to improve the site, user journey, and key pages for next week. Priority 4: Get more reviews/testimonials - This is tough for marketers since they don’t always have direct client contact. - Make it a weekly goal (aim for >1 weekly). - Work with the fulfilment and sales teams to prioritise this. - More Google reviews improve local SEO. - More reviews = better SEO, more trust, and higher rankings. - More trust = better conversion rates. Priority 5: Brand awareness and retargeting on Meta - Run small-budget ($500-1k) paid ads and retargeting on Meta. - Focus on brand awareness to drive cheaper clicks. - Retarget with offers, extra value, guarantees, or incentives. - Keep creatives simple, use raw, candid images, product shots, and UGC. - Candid videos, screen shares, and real-talk videos work better than over polished graphics. - Prioritise clear messaging and keep pushing. - Stay front-of-mind, results may take time, but consistency pays off. I couldn't fit everything here due to LinkedIn's limit. Check the comments for more. And let me know if there's anything you'd add!

How B2Bs can improve Google Ads lead quality 3 strategies that don't involve offline conversion tracking – 1. 𝗣𝗶𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘂𝘁𝗺 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 Pull a list of leads from your CRM going back at least one sales cycle (ideally longer). Ensure you include the utm term column in the report. The utm term property denotes which keyword a prospect searched before submitting a contact form. Filter the report by all leads that converted to: • MQL • SAL • SQL • Opp • Customer Use the utm term column to understand which keywords are driving pipeline. Create an All Star Keyword campaign targeting only these keywords. Ensure 60%+ of budget goes here to maximise lead quality. Next, filter for all disqualified leads. Any keywords that haven't converted to pipeline AND lead to disqualified leads should be paused or removed from targeting. 2. 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 Google Ads has the highest intent traffic. But it's also the most inconsistent when it comes to quality. One of the ways you can mitigate this is to self-qualify prospects through ad copy. As an example, we often run the following ad copy formula to weed out poor fit leads: • pinned headline 1: dynamic keyword insertion • pinned headline 2: qualification criteria (such as ICP job title or industry call out) • pinned headline 3: features, benefits, CTAs You can also add the ICP qualification copy to your landing page to hammer the message home. Disqualifying poor fit leads BEFORE they click or submit a lead form will help train the algorithm on what a good quality lead looks like. Over time it'll learn to find more good quality and less poor quality leads. 3. 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 / 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗸𝗲𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 You should be reviewing your keyword strategy regularly. Finding new potential keywords to target at least every 3 months. But, it's almost impossible to know exactly what keywords will and won't perform well using the Google Ads keyword planner alone. A good work around is to use a tool like Semrush for keyword research. Semrush has a function that tells you whether keywords are information, navigational, commercial or transactional. Commercial keywords = searchers considering options   Transactional keywords = searchers ready to buy You should prioritise commercial and transactional keywords to ensure better quality traffic and leads. – Here's the bottom line: Everybody says they want more leads. Until they realise optimising for "more leads" doesn't = more revenue. Use the 3 strategies outlined in this post to increase volume of leads that ACTUALLY convert to pipeline and start driving more revenue from your ads account. _ P.S. What tactics are you using to drive better quality leads on Google Ads?

"Just give the lead to Partner XYZ." "Why?" "Because I like them." 🚩 Lead distribution like this is one of the fastest ways to lose partner trust. Here’s what bad looks like: ❌ Spray and pray by sending out a lot of leads to multiple partners without criteria considerations and transparency ❌ Playing favorites with leads going to the “friendliest” partner, not the most capable ❌ No thoughtful context and prep on the leads which reduces conversion win rates for the partner ❌ Delayed distribution. Time kills deals. 📩 Here’s what good looks like: ✅ Customer centric criteria. Focus on the needs of the customer and choose partners based on merit that can best serve the customer. Examples: Relevancy of their portfolio of work (proof points) based on vertical, segment, function, use case, capacity needs, regional support, language requirements and capabilities required. I've built an AI matching system that can do this in <1 minute, explain the scoring and provide a summary of the top 3 partner recommendations. It saved me SO much time vs the manual look ups. ✅ Clear rules of engagement communicated to the entire partner community. Share exactly what your merit based criteria is, so partners understand how the lead routing works. This builds trust. It also teaches your partners to be customer centric. And the best part? It gets them to start tracking the data and qualitative case studies in a customer centric way. ✅ Speed + context, one of my favorite combos. You need to leverage AI to intelligently and effectively summarize leads and next steps and route these to partners with a tight SLA and with a human in the loop (especially in the early stages) for quality control. ✅ Data, data, data. You need to track the lead distribution down the funnel to ensure you know what's working and what isn't. Don't "set it and forget it." Set it, track it and report it. But a question that often comes up is...How do you get the reporting from partners? Build it in your partner program requirements. Want leads? You'll need to report back on your ability to effectively close and deliver success to those customer leads.