Solved: Struggling to Generate Leads and Convert Sales for Small Business Client

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out. Happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance based on my experience running paid ad campaigns, especialy for small businesses and services which can have their own unique things to get right.

Lead generation for a small business is definitely possible with paid ads, but you gotta make sure you lay the right groundwork first. Just puttin' money into ads when things aren't setup proper is just gonna waste cash.

We'll need to look at the website first...

The very first thing I'd look at is the website or landin' page you're sendin' traffic to. You can have the best ads in the world, but if the website isn't doin' its job, you won't get leads. This is a really common issue I see, particlarly with small businesses who might not have a massive budget for a fancy site.

From what I've seen with clients, a poorly designed or slow website will just kill your conversion rates. People will visit, think "this looks a bit dodgy" or "this isn't loading quick enuff" and just bounce straight off. This means your cost per lead is gonna be sky high, if you even get any leads at all.

Think about what state the website is in now. Does it look professional? Does it load quick on mobile? Can people easily find what they need? For small service businesses, trust is a huge thing. People need to feel comfortable reaching out or booking you. Some trust badges could help, like any reviews you have, maybe links to places you're listed or featured, clear contact info, stuff like that.

Based on experience, sometimes a dedicated landin' page works better than sending people to the main website homepage. This page can be super focussed on the specific service you're advertising, with copy that speaks directly to the ad they clicked on. It should be real clear what you want them to do there.

I'd say you need a clear sales process...

Following on from the website, you need to have a clear idea of your sales process, especialy for turning those leads into actual sales. Paid ads can bring you enquiries, but the business needs a system for what happens next.

What's the goal for someone visiting the website or landin' page? Is it to fill out a form? To call you? To book a consultashion or a free audit? Whatever it is, that needs to be the main focus of the page. Everything on that page should be pushing people towards taking that specific first step.

You want to make it as easy as possible for someone to become a qualified lead you can then follow up with. If the main call to action is buried away or hard to find, or if the form asks for too much info, people just won't bother. Keep it simple, make it prominent.

Good sales copy on the landin' page can make a massive differance here too. It needs to be persuasive and clearly communicate the value proposition – why should they choose this business over the competition? What problem does the service solve for them? Some professional copy could really go a long way here.

You probably should think about where the customers are...

Once the website and sales process is solid, then you start thinkin' about the ads themselves. The most important part here is picking the right platform and gettin' the targeting spot on. The best place to advertise is wherever the ideal customer hangs out online and how you can reach them.

For many small service businesses, the customer is actively searching for a solution when they need it. Like if your client is an electrician, people only search for that when they have an electrical problem, not just generally. In these cases, Google Search Ads or Google Local Service Ads are usually the best bet. You target keywords that people are typing into Google, things like "Electrician near me", "Emergency plumbing service", "Local accountant", that kinda stuff. This puts you right in front of people with high intent, meaning they are actively looking to hire someone *right now*.

If the business is local, gettin' the geographic targeting right is absolutly critical. You want to fence it tight to the area they actualy serve. I remember one campaign we worked on for an HVAC company, and being hyper local there made all the differance. You don't want to waste your ad spend showing ads to people miles away who can't use the service.

If the target audience isn't actively searching, then social media or display ads might be an option. For B2B small businesses, LinkedIn can work because you can target specific job titles, industries, or company sizes, though it's often more expensive. For B2C services or small businesses targeting consumers, Facebook and Instagram can work, but the targeting is less precise for business needs compared to Google Search for intent or LinkedIn for B2B specifics. You'd need to rely more on interests or broader demographics, which can be hit or miss for lead gen unless you're targeting specific niche groups.

Also, think about phone calls. Alot of small service businesses still get a load of leads over the phone. Google Search Ads lets you use phone extensions so people can call direct from the ad. If the business can't take calls all the time, you can schedule the ads to only run when someone's available, or add a callback widget to the website.

You'll need proper tracking in place...

This might sound obvious, but trackin' everything proper is massively important, especialy for a small business where every lead counts and the budget might be tight. You need to know exactly where your leads are coming from and what's working.

This means setting up conversion tracking for whatever action you want people to take – form submissions, button clicks, maybe even phone calls if that's a key lead source. Alot of small businesses get calls, so make sure that is tracked rite. Google Ads and Meta Ads both have ways to track calls from ads or from the website. Get call trackin' setup if you haven't already. If you don't track proper you cant tell whats workin' and whats not, and you definitely can't optimise your campaigns to get better results.

Once you have tracking, you can look at the data. Where are people dropping off? Are they clicking the ads but not converting on the website? Is the cost per lead too high? This data tells you what needs optimisin'. You need to be constantly testing different things - different ad copy, different images, different headlines, maybe even different landin' pages. What messaging realy resonates with people? Is it about speed, price, quality? You need to test diffrent ads to see what clicks and brings in the leads at a reasonable cost. For optimising performance, I'd always split test creative and targeting within the same campaign structure where possible.

Think about the metrics: Do you have really low CTRs and high CPCs? That usually points to the ad creative or targeting needing work. Are you getting visitors to the landin' page but very few form fills or calls? That's likely an issue with the page itself - maybe the copy, the offer, or the call to action isn't persuasive enuff, or maybe the targeting is off and you're getting the wrong type of traffic.

This is an ongoing process. Paid advertising isn't a "set it and forget it" thing. You need to monitor performance regular, test new ideas, and tweak the campaigns based on the data to try and get the cost per lead down and the quality of leads up.

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:

Gettin' all this setup and running proper can take a bit of time and expertise, especialy with the continuous optimisation required to get the best results. If your client is serious about using paid ads for lead gen and doesn't have the time or experience in-house, it might be worth considerin' getting some expert help to get it right from the start or take over the heavy lifting.

We work with businesses on exactly this kinda thing. Happy to jump on a free consultation call to review your client's specific situation, website, and goals in more detail and give you more tailored advice. No obligation or pressure at all.

Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh