It’s Time to Rethink Your Lead Gen Strategy - Sophie Logan

Presented online for the Paid Search Association Conference in February 2025.

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Gone are the days when you could just put an enquiry form on a PPC landing page and people would flock to find out more about your product or service. Now potential customers want to see value, benefits and credibility before they’ll even consider becoming a lead.

This talk will explore strategies and tactics to help you to ensure that your Lead Gen strategy is working efficiently and effectively, so that your PPC campaigns can bring high-quality leads through the door. It will look at the pre and post-click experience, as well as what PPC can do to help nurture them throughout the sales journey and beyond.

Actionable insights:

1. A summary of the modern Lead Gen landscape, how it has evolved over the years and why it has changed

2. How to optimise the pre and post-click experience to ensure that potential customers feel both informed and persuaded, and ready to submit their details

3. How to nurture potential customers once they have submitted their enquiry form, and how PPC can be used to foster loyalty and repeat custom

Transcript

1. It’s Time to Rethink Your B2B Lead Gen Strategy Sophie Logan #PSAC25
2. • PPC Lead at Beauhurst • Based in Nottingham, UK • 10 years’ experience • Platinum Google Ads Product Expert • Search Engine Land Author #PSAC25
3. 1. An exploration of the modern B2B Lead Gen landscape #PSAC25
4. 1. An exploration of the modern B2B Lead Gen landscape 2. Optimising the pre and post click experience #PSAC25
5. 1. An exploration of the modern B2B Lead Gen landscape 2. Optimising the pre and post click experience 3. Utilising PPC for post lead submission success #PSAC25
6. The Modern B2B Lead Gen Landscape. #PSAC25 (Better the devil you know)
7. #PSAC25
8. #PSAC25
9. Most B2B Lead Gen marketing strategies include some form of PPC activities.
10. And who can blame them?
11. Businesses of all sizes acknowledging the importance of online advertising for B2B
12. Lower barrier to entry with self-managed accounts, AI and Smart campaigns Businesses of all sizes acknowledging the importance of online advertising for B2B
13. Good old peer pressure and a desire to ‘Keep up with the Joneses’ Businesses of all sizes acknowledging the importance of online advertising for B2B Lower barrier to entry with self-managed accounts, AI and Smart campaigns
14. Every platform telling business how easy and fruitful running PPC campaigns is… Businesses of all sizes acknowledging the importance of online advertising for B2B Lower barrier to entry with self-managed accounts, AI and Smart campaigns Good old peer pressure and a desire to ‘Keep up with the Joneses’
15. #PSAC25
16. • They are bombarded with advertising and they don’t trust it • They don’t like giving away their data • They go through endless amounts of touch points (especially to research trust and authenticity) • They get stuck in analysis paralysis #PSAC25
17. It may be getting “easier” for B2B Lead Gen brands to be advertising via PPC, but it is also getting harder for them to do so effectively and efficiently #PSAC25
18. Pre-Click B2B Lead Gen. #PSAC25
19. Ad copy #PSAC25
20. Authority #PSAC25
21. Authoritative messaging is direct and confident #PSAC25
22. We Have Been Providing Managed IT Services in the Derby Area for Over 20 Years. #PSAC25
23. With 20 Years’ of Experience, We Are a Leading Provider of Managed IT Services in Derby. #PSAC25
24. #PSAC25
25. Original: We are a commercial real estate agent in Nottingham and Derby. Chat GPT: We are Nottingham & Derby’s go-to commercial real estate agents with expert local knowledge. Let’s Talk! Edited: We are Nottingham & Derby’s go-to commercial real estate agents. #PSAC25
26. Targeting #PSAC25
27. Targeting Who you don’t want to reach #PSAC25
28. As the platforms get ‘looser’ with their matching, we need to get tighter with what we can control #PSAC25
29. Where to start with negatives/exclusions? #PSAC25
30. Think about what the product/service is and what is the opposite: • Expensive = add negative keywords associated to ‘cheap’, ‘free’ or ‘affordable’ #PSAC25
31. Think about what the product/service is and what is the opposite: • One time purchase = exclude current/previous customers from seeing your ads #PSAC25
32. Think about what the product/service is and what is the opposite: • You only serve the UK = Make sure you’re targeting the UK only and the location setting is set to ‘Presence’ and not ‘Presence or interest’ #PSAC25
33. #PSAC25 #PSAC25
34. Brand awareness #PSAC25
35. #PSAC25 Get yours business in the places where your prospective customers are going to be
36. #PSAC25 • Get on industry specific listing directories (for example for software: Capterra or G2) • Free-form ads on specific Reddit topics related to your product or service • Newsletter sponsorship of an leading event in your industry… [Also make sure your review profiles are up to date and include recent customer/client reviews!]
37. Post-Click B2B Lead Gen. #PSAC25
38. #PSAC25
39. Landing Page Optimisation #PSAC25
40. #PSAC25 1. Form optimisation
41. #PSAC25 Form Optimisation • Keep the number of fields to an absolute minimum (Sorry sales team)
42. #PSAC25 Form Optimisation • Keep the number of fields to an absolute minimum (Sorry sales team) • Be clear on what is optional and essential
43. #PSAC25 Form Optimisation • Keep the number of fields to an absolute minimum (Sorry sales team) • Be clear on what is optional and essential • Ask the basic questions first
44. #PSAC25 2. Be respectful of their data
45. #PSAC25 Be respectful of their data • Make sure your landing page includes whatever data protection/GDPR/consent requirements your country requires
46. #PSAC25 Be respectful of their data • Make sure your landing page includes whatever data protection/GDPR/consent requirements your country requires • Tell them what you’re going to do with the data and what the next steps are
47. #PSAC25 “Upon submission of the form below, our team will be in touch within 48 hours to discuss your demo booking.”
48. #PSAC25 3. Facilitate self qualification/disqualification
49. #PSAC25 Facilitate self qualification/disqualification • Give an indication of pricing, for example: Prices start from £XYZ… From £XYZ per month… £XYZ minimum spend…
50. #PSAC25 Facilitate self qualification/disqualification • Give an indication of pricing • Providing case studies
51. #PSAC25 Facilitate self qualification/disqualification • Give an indication of pricing • Providing case studies • Tell them who you are and aren’t suitable for
52. #PSAC25
53. #PSAC25 Remarketing
54. Their visit included visiting the ‘Pricing’ page Spent over 60 seconds on the website Only visitors who came through via PPC campaigns Excluding those who visited the ‘Careers’ page
55. #PSAC25 • A buyers guide • Customer quotes • Stats from case studies • Sale/promo information
56. Post-Submission B2B Lead Gen. #PSAC25
57. #PSAC25 Remarketing. Again.
58. #PSAC25 • Updating them about new features or business updates
59. #PSAC25 • Updating them about new features or business updates • Promoting relevant upsells or add on
60. #PSAC25 • Updating them about new features or system updates • Promoting relevant upsells or add on • Customer support and ongoing training
61. #PSAC25 Feed the conversion/customer data back into the machine
62. #PSAC25 #PSAC25
63. #PSAC25 #PSAC25 #PSAC25
64. #PSAC25 #PSAC25 #PSAC25 EXCLUDE YOUR CURRENT CUSTOMERS FROM YOUR CAMPAIGNS ESPECIALLY BRAND
65. Summary. #PSAC25
66. Ad copy should ooze with authority and confidence
67. Forms need to be concise and respect personal data concerns Ad copy should ooze with authority and confidence
68. Forms need to be concise and respect personal data concerns Ad copy should ooze with authority and confidence LP’s should provide qualifying information/criteria
69. Forms need to be concise and respect personal data concerns Ad copy should ooze with authority and confidence Remarketing can be used post submission & also post sale LP’s should provide qualifying information/criteria
70. Dexter, AKA PPC Pug Speaker Deck: MarketingSoph LinkedIn: Sophie Logan BlueSky: MarketingSoph #PSAC25