Hi there,
Thanks for getting in touch. I've had a look over the initial results from your campaigns and your website. Happy to give you some of my initial thoughts and a bit of guidance based on my experience. I can see you've put some effort into testing different platforms, which is a good start, but there's definately some things we can improve on.
Honestly, a week is a very short time to gather enough data to make any big decisions, you'd usually want to run tests for a bit longer. But the early signs you're seeing do point towards a few key areas that need attention. The main issue, from what I can see, isn't just the ads themselves, but the foundation they're built on.
I'd say you need to fix the website first...
Just had a look at your website and tbh I can see why your ads aren't converting yet. Before you spend another euro on advertising, this is where I'd focus all my attention. With your current site, you'll probably continue to see very low conversion rates, which just means a high cost per lead and wasted ad spend.
You're selling a B2B SaaS product, which is a tough market. The decision to adopt a new tool isn't an impulsive one. Businesses need to be convinced, they need to trust you, and they need to see the value imediatly. Right now, your homepage is quite basic. It states you're "The new way to search for companies in Italy", but it doesn't really sell the 'why'. Why is it better? What specific problem does it solve for a sales manager, a marketer, or a business owner? You need to be more direct with your value proposition.
A few observations:
-> No Free Trial: This is a massive barrier. I looked at your pricing page, and you're asking people to pay straight away. Who is going to pay for a new B2B tool without trying it first? Your competition is almost certainly offering free trials, maybe even for several weeks, to get people in the door. I've run quite a few campaigns for B2B SaaS and a free, no-commitment trial is almost always the best offer. It gets people using the product, and once they see its value, they're much more likely to upgrade.
-> Lack of Trust Signals: Your website doesn't look all that trustworthy yet, which means I probably wouldn't feel comfortable putting my company's card details in. There are no customer testimonials, no case studies, no reviews, no logos of companies that use your service. These are hugely importand for building credibility. Even adding your company address and more contact options can help a lot.
-> Professional Copy: The copy is very functional, but it's not persuasive. You're not just selling a tool; you're selling a solution to a problem. A bit of professional sales copy could go a long way. It needs to speak directly to your ideal customer's pain points and show them how your tool is the perfect solution. We often use a specialised copywriter for this with our SaaS clients, and the difference it makes to conversion rates is huge.
You'll need a proper funnel and offer...
This links directly back to the website. Your 'funnel' is the journey you want a potential customer to take. Right now, it's a bit unclear. You're sending traffic to a website where the main action is to... search? Or to look at pricing? The path to becoming a paying customer isn't clear or compelling.
Your number one goal should be to get a user to sign up for a free trial. Everything on your landing page should be geared towards that single action. Remove distractions. Make the "Start Your Free Trial" button the most prominent thing on the page. Once you have their email, you've captured a lead. You can then use email marketing to onboard them, show them how to get the most out of the tool, highlight key features, and eventually push them towards a paid plan. That's how you build a scalable B2B SaaS funnel.
I remember one software client for whom we drove 4,622 registrations at just $2.38 Cost Per Registration with Meta Ads, and another for whom we secured 1535 trials, as mentioned, with Meta Ads. The common theme was a really compelling, frictionless free trial offer presented on a highly optimised landing page. Without that, you're fighting an uphill battle.
We'll need to look at your platform strategy...
Okay, let's talk about the platforms you've tested. Your initial feelings are pretty much in line with what I'd expect for a B2B service like yours.
Google Ads: You're right to be encouraged by this. You said the leads were high quality, and that's because you're catching people with active intent. They are literally searching for a solution to a problem you can solve. This is almost always the best place to start for B2B. Yes, the CPC is higher, but the lead quality justifies it. The fact you got no conversions is a landing page problem, not a traffic problem. Fix the website and the offer, and those high-quality clicks should start turning into trial signups.
Meta (Facebook/Instagram): As you've seen, this is tough for B2B. The lead quality is often 'meh' because you're interrupting people, not responding to a need. It can work for some B2B, especially for brand awareness or if you can really nail the targeting (e.g., targeting 'business page admins' or 'small business owners'), but for a specific tool like yours, I'd say it should be a lower priority than Google for now. It's probably not worth your budget at this early stage.
LinkedIn Ads: You've discovered the truth about LinkedIn – it's hellishly expensive. It has amazing B2B targeting options, no doubt. You could target "Sales Managers" in "Milan" who work at companies with "50-200 employees". That's powerful. However, the cost means you need a very high customer lifetime value and a perfectly optimised funnel to make it work. I remember one client where we managed to reduce their cost per lead by 84% on LinkedIn, but it took a lot of testing. For you, I'd agree with your instinct: pause LinkedIn. It's draining your budget, and you need to fix the fundamentals before you can even think about making that platform profitable.
You probably should think more about targeting and keywords...
Let's focus on Google Search, as that's your most promising channel. Your high CPC could be due to a few things. You need to do some proper keyword research to find more specific, long-tail keywords. These are longer phrases that are less competitive but show higher intent. For example, instead of just "aziende italia" (companies Italy), you could target phrases like "database aziende B2B italia" (b2b company database italy) or "trovare contatti commerciali" (find business contacts). This will attract more qualified searchers and likely lower your CPCs.
Here are some example keyword ideas you could start with:
| Keyword Idea (Italian) | Match Type | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| "database aziende B2B" | Phrase Match | Targets users specifically looking for a B2B database. High intent. |
| [lead generation b2b italia] | Exact Match | Very specific search for users looking to generate leads in Italy. |
| "elenco aziende per settore" | Phrase Match | Captures people who need to segment companies, a key feature of your tool. |
| software ricerca aziende | Broad Match | A broader term to discover new search queries, use with a low budget. |
Getting this structure right is really importand. You need to ensure your ad copy perfectly matches the keywords in each ad group, which improves your Quality Score and lowers your CPC. And all of it has to lead to that optimised landing page with the free trial offer.
This is the main advice I have for you:
| Area | Recommendation | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Website & Offer | Overhaul the landing page. Add trust signals (testimonials, logos). Hire a copywriter. Change main offer to a prominent Free Trial. | This is the biggest leak in your funnel. No amount of good traffic will convert on a site that doesn't build trust or has the wrong offer. |
| Google Ads | Double down here once the website is fixed. Conduct deep keyword research for long-tail keywords. Structure campaigns properly. | Your data already shows this is where your high-quality audience is. Fixing the site will unlock its potential. |
| Meta Ads | Pause for now. Revisit later for retargeting or specific awareness campaigns once you have a solid customer base. | Poor lead quality and low intent makes it inefficient for your budget at this early stage. Focus your money where it works. |
| LinkedIn Ads | Pause indefinately. The cost is too high for you right now. | You'll burn through your budget with no return until your funnel is converting at a very high rate. |
| Tracking | Ensure conversion tracking is setup perfectly to measure trial sign-ups, not just page views. | You can't optimise what you can't measure. You need to know exactly which keywords and ads are driving actual sign-ups. |
Getting all this right – the website overhaul, the copywriting, the deep keyword research, the campaign structuring, and the constant testing – is a lot of work. It's not just about setting up an ad; it's about building and managing an entire customer acquisition machine. There's lots of interconnected parts that all need to work together.
That's where a professional consultancy like us can make a huge difference. With years of experience, particularly with B2B SaaS clients, we can help you bypass a lot of the expensive trial and error. We can provide insights you might not have thought of and handle the entire implementation for you, ensuring that every euro you spend is working effectively to grow your user base.
If you'd like to discuss this in more detail, we'd be happy to book you in for a free, no-obligation consultation where we can go through your specific situation and map out a more concrete plan of action.
Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh
