Solved: Stagnant Lead Gen - Scaling B2B Ad Campaigns Needed

Hi there,

Thanks for getting in touch, happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance on your B2B lead gen in London. It sounds like you're struggling to get targeted leads that convert, which is a pretty common problem. You're not alone, don't worry!

We'll need to look at your ideal customer persona...

First things first, let's really drill down on who your ideal customer is. I mean really drill down. It’s more than just "businesses in London". What size are they? What industry are they in? What are their specific pain points? Who are the decision makers you need to reach? I'd say that if you don't have a crystal-clear picture of your ideal customer, your targeting will always be a bit hit-and-miss. Think about the specifics: are they tech startups clustered around Shoreditch? Or established financial firms in Canary Wharf? Or maybe creative agencies in Soho? Each of these have slightly different challenges and can be reached in different ways.

For example, I remember one campaign we ran for a Software company where we targeted CTOs and Heads of IT at SMEs with between 50-200 employees working in marketing and advertising. Define your target audience as granular as possible and you're much more likely to see good results.

I'd say you should re-evaluate your advertising platform...

You mentioned that your lead generation feels stagnant. I'd ask which ad platforms are you currently using? For B2B in London, LinkedIn is usually your best bet as you can target with great precision. It can be more expensive than other platforms like Meta (Facebook/Instagram), but the quality of leads can be much higher. However, are your ideal customers actively searching for solutions like yours? If so, Google Search Ads could be a great option to drive traffic from people searching for help. If they aren't actively searching, social media ads with conversion optimisation could be the better option, but you need to get the targeting right. Think about if you need to reach specific decision makers in specific industries - if so, LinkedIn Ads with their narrow B2B targeting options are perfect.

You probably should test LinkedIn Matched Audiences...

I'd definately test LinkedIn Matched Audiences. You can upload a list of your current customers (or even a list of target companies) and LinkedIn will find similar profiles. This can be a really effective way to expand your reach and find new, high-quality leads. Are you using any data enrichment tools like Apollo.io or ZoomInfo? You can use these to build targeted lists of companies and contacts to upload to LinkedIn. This allows you to focus on decision makers at target companies.

Also, don't forget about retargeting. Show targeted ads to people who have visited your website but haven't yet converted. Remind them of the value you offer and encourage them to take the next step, and try offering a special offer.

You'll need to review your offer and your ad creatives...

Let's face it, most B2B offers are pretty bland. Is your offer really compelling enough to grab people's attention? A generic "contact us" or "request a demo" is unlikely to cut it. Think about offering something of real value, like a free consultation, a useful guide, a free tool or a free audit, depending on your service. This gives people a reason to engage with you and allows you to build a relationship. We've found that offering a free strategy review has had success in the past.

I'd ask, are your ad creatives visually appealing and attention-grabbing? Do they clearly communicate the value you offer? Are you testing different ad formats (image, video, carousel, conversation ads)? Consider what you want to achieve. Is your main objective to start conversations? If so, then you probably need to run a conversation ad. Is your objective lead generation? If so, you'll want to test LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms - these open up a popup after someone clicks on the ad and autofills their details.

Also, are you A/B testing your ads? This is where you test different versions of your ads (headlines, body copy, images, calls to action) to see which performs best. We've had software clients see really good results with UGC videos. This can be a really effective way to optimise your campaigns and improve your ROI.

You'll want to check your landing pages...

A lot of people overlook this, but your landing pages are just as important as your ads. Are they optimised for conversions? Do they clearly communicate the value you offer? Are they easy to navigate? Do they have a clear call to action? If your landing pages are slow to load, difficult to navigate, or don't clearly communicate the value you offer, you're going to lose leads. People won't convert if they don't feel like your website is trustworthy. Some trust badges can help, such as reviews and testimonials from customers, links to places where you sell your products, social profiles, publications you've been featured in and your address.

Consider your sales process - what do you want people to do to become a qualified lead that you can turn into a customer? Usually, the first step is to either fill out a lead form or to schedule an intro meeting or consultation. You could also offer a free audit or strategy review. Depending on what the first step is that people need to take, this is what your website's start page should lead people to. Optimise this page with sales copy, and make it really persuasive to take that first step. I'd recommend getting some professional copy written for this.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:

Scaling B2B lead generation can be tricky, especially in a competitive market like London. Getting all of these points right requires specialist experience. You may want to consider working with someone who has expertise in scaling software campaigns. I remember one campaign where we reduced a £100 CPA to £7 CPA for a Medical Job Matching SaaS using Meta Ads and Google Ads.

If you'd like to discuss your specific situation in more detail, I'd be happy to offer a free consultation.

Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh