<div class="gn-article"><div class="gn-hero gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-hero__image"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa12308427d87bcd6cbf00_651d3d56b7d7fac8115eb883_626bda2cf8b0ef4edb263dba_Appoin%252520(5)%252520(1)%252520(1).png" alt=""></div> <div class="gn-hero__head"> <span class="gn-kicker"><span class="dot"></span>Growth</span> <h1 class="gn-title">Quality over Quantity – Improving the Value of your Inbound Leads</h1> <div class="gn-meta"> <strong>The GO Network</strong> <span class="pip"></span> <span>15 June 2022</span> <span class="pip"></span> <span>10 min read</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gn-body"> <p class="gn-lede gn-reveal">Your inbound lead strategy is only as good as the opportunities and conversions it creates.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Similarly to how getting a high amount of traffic to your site is only positive if you are attracting the right visitors, this is where the old saying 'quality over quantity' comes into play.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>If you are attracting quality customers from the offset, it is a lot easier to close a sale.</strong> You will also be saving money and time by not having to chase leads that won't convert.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">We recently sat down with members from our network to explore the many strategies available for improving the quality, conversion rate and value of your inbound leads.</p> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">01</span>Investing in the Value of your Inbound Leads: Getting Started</h2> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Assessing your inbound lead generation strategy</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">Everyone has channel strategies and different targets across multiple areas. For many marketers, the constant goal is usually to drive more leads. However, whether these are qualified leads isn't always taken into consideration.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">According to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldeandigital/" target="_blank">Michael Dean</a>, Head of Digital at <a href="https://fox.agency/" target="_blank">Fox Agency</a>, <strong>you first need to be able to agree and define what a good lead is.</strong></p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"What do your current customers look like, and are they still valid? <strong>Know what good looks like and map it back down the funnel.</strong> Think about how you move from a lead to an MQL."<cite>Michael Dean · Head of Digital, Fox Agency</cite></blockquote> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Michael Dean, Head of Digital at Fox Agency on investing in the quality of your inbound leads" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa122f8427d87bcd6cbeb1_62a9a33e70ccd110fd7395b3_Fox%2520Agenxy_Article%2520Quote.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Michael Dean, Head of Digital at Fox Agency, on defining what a good lead looks like.</figcaption> </figure> <p class="gn-reveal">Getting internal stakeholders to provide feedback from the offset can also strengthen your understanding of what 'good' looks like for your leads.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"If you can get sales and product development involved with marketing from the offset, <strong>you can get a lot of insights around why people need this product/service</strong>. This will help you refine your message and improve the quality of your leads."<cite>Michael Dean · Head of Digital, Fox Agency</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Evaluating the current performance of an inbound lead strategy</h3> <h3 class="gn-reveal">What do your 'good' leads look like?</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">Before engaging in any new strategy, it's important to evaluate where you currently are and what your leads look like.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">For <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dollyjduffy/" target="_blank">Holly Duffy</a>, Head of Digital Marketing at <a href="https://www.delineo.com/" target="_blank">Delineo</a>, you can start by "understanding the different audience segments, and what the personas are.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>This way, you can focus on which leads are going to generate the highest ROI.</strong> Making sure you understand this audience insight and how the value proposition fits between the different audience is one of the most important elements of the strategy."<cite>Holly Duffy · Head of Digital Marketing, Delineo</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Understanding your lead generation within your wider business</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">For Michael, it's critical to understand where you are as a business.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"There is no point in setting massive targets if you don't understand where you are today. <strong>You can't just turn a strategy 'off and on' again.</strong> You need to understand how one thing impacts another. <strong>If no one knows who you are, they are not going to buy anything from you</strong>, so we need some awareness."<cite>Michael Dean · Head of Digital, Fox Agency</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Evaluate each touchpoint of a customer journey</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">Continuing with the 'turning off and on' analogy, Holly warns against people believing they can just 'turn on the taps' and drive leads.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>Every user is on a considered journey</strong>. You need to look at each touchpoint of this journey, because it's taking longer to drive users through to the point of sale."<cite>Holly Duffy · Head of Digital Marketing, Delineo</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>Consider your attribution strategy, and how different parts of the journey may be impacting the quality or volume of leads being driven</strong>. Is PPC actually your best channel, or are the landing pages on other channels not up to scratch? Walk through the journey and assess at each stage for a stronger view of the real strengths and weaknesses of your strategy.</p> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Holly Duffy, Head of Digital Marketing at Delineo on investing in the quality of your inbound leads" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa122f8427d87bcd6cbebe_62a9a3627fb04f17dd6af741_Delineo_Article%2520Quote.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Holly Duffy, Head of Digital Marketing at Delineo, on evaluating each touchpoint of the customer journey.</figcaption> </figure> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">What this means for you</div> <h4>Key points to better understanding your existing strategy</h4> <ul> <li><strong>Understand what a good lead actually looks like.</strong> Use customer research, conversion metrics, and your existing brand identity to define this.</li> <li><strong>Involve internal stakeholders in providing feedback on your current process,</strong> across many areas of the business.</li> <li><strong>Evaluate each step in your current channel strategies for lead generation</strong>, not just the first touchpoint.</li> </ul> </aside> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">02</span>Investing in the Value of your Inbound Leads: Targeting</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">Part of evaluating your current lead generation strategy should revolve around who you are targeting.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">As <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlottegc/" target="_blank">Charlotte Graham-Cumming</a>, CEO of <a href="https://www.icebluesky.com/" target="_blank">Ice Blue Sky</a> explains, "the first part of the process is <strong>knowing who you're going to go after and who you need to convert</strong>. The second part is <strong>being relevant and helpful</strong>."</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Targeting using organic content</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">To be relevant and helpful, content plays an important role.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Charlotte goes on to say that "<strong>helpful, practical, and relevant content is what people are wanting.</strong> You need to craft the content in a way that speaks to the people and the problems they are trying to solve."</p> <p class="gn-reveal">This is echoed by Holly, who explains that "digital channels are moving towards broad targeting."</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>We need to try and capture the data ourselves by offering a user something that is of value to them.</strong> We can then use this data to nurture the customers through the funnels. When we can't target them specifically, it's best to focus on content and value."<cite>Holly Duffy · Head of Digital Marketing, Delineo</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">In-channel vs on-site targeting and conversions</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">When using content to target and convert potential customers, different channels will be used to push and promote it.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong>With lead forms available in-channel, is there a difference if someone converts here as opposed to on-site?</strong></p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"You will see a higher conversion when someone converts in-channel, but <strong>you always need both</strong>. The website is still the hub, and I don't agree that you should keep everything in different channels. <strong>Have the conversations where people are having the conversation</strong>, but don't throw everything away and forget about your website."<cite>Michael Dean · Head of Digital, Fox Agency</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">Charlotte explains that "your website is not usually someone's first port of call when it comes to interacting with you. There is most likely an intent behind the visit, so you don't want to make it difficult for people when they are on your site. <strong>You need to understand where it fits in across the customer journey</strong>."</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Holly reminds us that it's important that your website is optimised for SEO.</p> <aside class="gn-quote gn-reveal"><q>People almost forget that you can drive large amounts of enquiries through a good SEO strategy, and in doing so, you can drive down costs.</q><cite>Holly Duffy · Head of Digital Marketing, Delineo</cite></aside> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Don't focus on volume</h3> <p class="gn-reveal"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lewisvasper/" target="_blank">Lewis Vasper</a>, Director of <a href="https://call360.co.uk/" target="_blank">Call360</a> reminds us to target quality over quantity.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"It comes back to the title of this workshop – quality over quantity. People will focus on volume but won't talk about quality. <strong>You need to ask yourself – are we generating money from these leads?</strong>"<cite>Lewis Vasper · Director, Call360</cite></blockquote> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Lewis Vasper, Director of Call360 on investing in the quality of your inbound leads" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa122f8427d87bcd6cbeb6_62a9ce4947d29301b90ab6b3_Call360_Article%2520Quote.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Lewis Vasper, Director of Call360, on focusing on quality over volume in lead generation.</figcaption> </figure> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">What this means for you</div> <h4>Improving your leads with better targeting: key learnings</h4> <ul> <li><strong>Create personalised, helpful content to target the relevant people,</strong> particularly practical support.</li> <li><strong>Understand where your website fits in the customer journey</strong> and balance it against your in-channel activity.</li> <li><strong>Optimise your website for SEO</strong> to drive better returns over time.</li> <li><strong>Don't focus on volume.</strong> Add metrics and KPIs based on likelihood of conversion, personas and qualification.</li> </ul> </aside> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">03</span>Investing in the Value of your Inbound Leads: Improving Conversion</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">Getting leads is only half the battle.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">By definition, improving the quality of your leads should also improve the rate at which you convert them. But how do you up the conversions once the lead is through the door?</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Vetting and qualifying leads</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">For Michael, there are a number of metrics by which to qualify your leads before you push them to the sales team:</p> <ul class="gn-reveal"> <li>Job titles and other 'filterable' data fields</li> <li>Frequency of engagement through activity tracking</li> <li>Historic conversion rates from leads within a particular group</li> </ul> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"You can also look at how frequently people are engaging. <strong>Are they a one-off visitor or are they coming back for more of your content?</strong>"<cite>Michael Dean · Head of Digital, Fox Agency</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Tracking and processes</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">Another way to measure the quality of a lead is by tracking and improving your own reporting and visibility of the lead's journey.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>If you are only measuring last touch, you're getting the wrong information.</strong> You need to understand where the leads are coming from, and what is starting that journey."<cite>Michael Dean · Head of Digital, Fox Agency</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">However, one pain point that can complicate tracking a customer journey are offline interactions.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>Not being able to track offline interactions can often make it difficult to understand where there might be gaps in the journey.</strong> Offline tracking platforms can help you <strong>realise where these gaps are</strong>, because a lot of the time it might not even come down to lead gen, or the marketing team/agency, it could be around the price of a product/service. It's about having visibility of the entire customer journey, how they interact with your brand, and how they purchase with you."<cite>Lewis Vasper · Director, Call360</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Conversion processes between teams</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">Capturing and converting leads is very rarely a one-team job.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Marketing and sales must work together in order bring in and close a sale.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">To help with this cross-team process, Charlotte recommends <strong>putting leads into different pots depending on how people got to them.</strong></p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"This way, the sales process can be more personalised. Marketing can help by creating personalised videos or PDF resources that look very tailored and give that one-to-one experience. <strong>It's effective to grade the handover points into different types of actions</strong>."<cite>Charlotte Graham-Cumming · CEO, Ice Blue Sky</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">Michael backs this up by saying that this is one of the most common misconceptions he sees in lead gen strategies.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>There is no point in sales doing one thing and marketing doing another.</strong> They both must be aligned. It's also important to shift your focus onto what the lead does and how much money it brings in. Do you really need four hundred leads a month, or do you just need ten? What's the revenue?"<cite>Michael Dean · Head of Digital, Fox Agency</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">Charlotte also emphasis that it's also important not to pass leads on to sales too soon. "Sometimes, <strong>more nurture needs to be involved beforehand.</strong>"</p> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">What this means for you</div> <h4>Improving the conversion rate of your inbound leads: key learnings</h4> <ul> <li><strong>Adapt your performance reporting and KPIs to reflect what 'good' leads look like</strong> for you.</li> <li><strong>Invest in tracking the full journey for your leads</strong>, from offline to in-channel to your site, for better chances to convert.</li> <li><strong>Segment your leads based on activity,</strong> and employ different actions to fit this.</li> <li><strong>Ensure a clear 'handover' process</strong> that doesn't fall down for you at the last minute, working across your business to make this happen.</li> </ul> </aside> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">04</span>Investing in the Value of your Inbound Leads: External Support</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">As with any marketing strategy, external support from specialist agencies can be a great way to help increase capacity and ensure the most chance of success.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">But at which point should you bring an external partner on board?</p> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Supporting on assessing your current strategy</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">For Michael, he recommends support at the strategy stage.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Get an external person to facilitate an internal discussion. <strong>Get someone independent to put the gel together from a strategic point of view.</strong> Alongside this, don't underestimate how much investment you need to put into strategy. <strong>The value is not in just the tactics and delivery.</strong> You want to be looking at 50% of your budget in strategy and 50% in delivery to get a good breakdown."<cite>Michael Dean · Head of Digital, Fox Agency</cite></blockquote> <h3 class="gn-reveal">Support getting buy-in from stakeholders</h3> <p class="gn-reveal">Helping to get buy-in from stakeholders is another way agencies can support marketeers who are on the brand side.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"<strong>We can give in-brand marketeers the knowledge, facts, and comfort to take it to the board</strong> to say, 'we're measuring marketing metrics incorrectly, these are only vanity metrics.' It's about being brave and saying I'm not going to do four hundred leads a week anymore, I'm going to do ten."<cite>Charlotte Graham-Cumming · CEO, Ice Blue Sky</cite></blockquote> <figure class="gn-fig gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-fig__media"><img alt="Charlotte Graham-Cumming of Ice Blue Sky on investing in the quality of your inbound leads" src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/68fa122f8427d87bcd6cbeba_62a9a45debf20be241433213_Ice%2520Blue%2520Sky_Article%2520Quote.png" width="auto" height="auto" loading="auto"></div> <figcaption>Charlotte Graham-Cumming, CEO of Ice Blue Sky, on helping brand-side marketers make the case for quality over volume.</figcaption> </figure> <p class="gn-reveal">This idea of performance being based on 'vanity metrics' is echoed by Michael.</p> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"We're still stuck in a world where a lot of the KPIs are activity metrics. Marketing is focused on activity, and sales are based on revenue. <strong>Activity metrics help us understand how we're doing in the context of that activity, not the context of business</strong>."<cite>Michael Dean · Head of Digital, Fox Agency</cite></blockquote> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">05</span>Final considerations: improving your inbound lead value</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">Ultimately, the exact strategy that works for you will not be a specific channel, or process. It will be the one that matches your business.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">However, before you set out renewing your lead generation effort, ask yourself the following:</p> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">What this means for you</div> <h4>Before you renew your lead generation effort, ask yourself:</h4> <ul> <li><strong>How many of my current leads are actually going to convert?</strong></li> <li><strong>Is my lead generation strategy bringing the right level of intent?</strong></li> <li><strong>Am I handing leads over at a natural point?</strong></li> <li><strong>Which steps across my channels are causing me to miss out?</strong></li> <li><strong>How much do I know about what happens before and after the lead comes through?</strong></li> <li><strong>Where could a specialist boost my return in the long run?</strong></li> </ul> </aside> <p class="gn-reveal">These learnings were all shared in one of our virtual workshops for business leaders. To join an upcoming session, take a look <a href="/events">here</a>.</p> <p class="gn-reveal"><strong><em>The GO Network is a free-to-use marketing intermediary, connecting in-house marketers with vetted agencies that fit their actual needs. If you're looking to review or take on support, </em></strong><a href="http://www.thegonetwork.com/get-in-touch"><strong><em>let us know here</em></strong></a><strong><em>.</em></strong></p> </div></div> <aside class="gn-related gn-reveal" data-auto="related-reading"> <div class="gn-related__label">Related reading</div> <ul class="gn-related__list"> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/round-up-the-fundamentals-of-a-great-cross-channel-inbound-campaign" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Round-up: The Fundamentals of a Great Cross-Channel Inbound Campaign</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Four agency experts share the checklist covering consistent creative, SEO, targeting, and KPIs to build a high-converting cross-channel inbo</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/smarter-not-harder-driving-stronger-data-and-insights-from-your-marketing-strategy" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Driving Stronger Data and Insights from your Marketing Strategy</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Agency experts share how to frame, translate, and automate analytics, turning overwhelming data into strategy-shaping insights that prove ch</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/round-up-how-to-get-more-from-your-creative-strategy" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">Round-up: How to Get More from your Creative Strategy</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Agency experts share how to align creative campaigns with business goals, break down silos, and prove ROI on every activation.</span> </a> </li> <li class="gn-related__item"> <a href="/articles/ai-powered-personalisation-at-scale" class="gn-related__link"> <span class="gn-related__category">Expression</span> <span class="gn-related__title">AI-Powered Personalisation at Scale</span> <span class="gn-related__excerpt">Agency experts reveal how to combine data, creativity, and automation to deliver smarter targeting and prove ROI from AI-driven personalisat</span> </a> </li> </ul> </aside>