Lead Generation & Demand

Comprehensive demand generation playbook for B2B SaaS companies focused on pipeline creation, CAC optimization, and multi-channel lead acquisition.

Quick Start

Define ICP — Identify ideal customer profile (firmographics, psychographics, technographics)
Map Funnel — TOFU → MOFU → BOFU stages with clear goals
Select Channels — Prioritize by CAC, lead quality, and timeline
Create Assets — Lead magnets, landing pages, nurturing sequences
Launch & Optimize — Track, measure, iterate continuously

ICP Framework

Firmographics

| Element | Question | Example | |---------|----------|---------| | Industry | What sector? | B2B SaaS, Fintech, Healthcare | | Company Size | Employee count? | 50-500 employees | | Revenue | Annual revenue? | $5M-$50M ARR | | Geography | Where? | US, UK, EU |

Psychographics

Values: What matters to them?
Pain Points: What keeps them up at night?
Goals: What are they trying to achieve?

Technographics

Current tools and stack
Technology gaps
Integration needs

Full-Funnel Strategy

Funnel Stages

| Stage | Goal | Content | Channels | Metrics | |-------|------|---------|----------|---------| | TOFU (Awareness) | Attract visitors | Blog, guides, calculators | SEO, social, content | Traffic, new visitors | | MOFU (Consideration) | Capture leads | Whitepapers, webinars, case studies | Email, retargeting, gated content | Leads, MQLs | | BOFU (Decision) |emos, consultations, Convert opportunities | D proposals | Sales outreach, direct | SQLs, opportunities |

Channel Strategy Matrix

Channel Performance (B2B SaaS)

| Channel | CAC Range | Lead Quality | Timeline | Priority | |---------|-----------|--------------|----------|----------| | SEO/Content | $50-150 | High | 6-12 months | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | | LinkedIn Ads | $150-400 | High | Immediate | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | | Google Search | $80-250 | Very High | Immediate | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | | Webinars | $100-200 | High | 2-4 weeks | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | | Email Nurture | $20-50 | Medium-High | Ongoing | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | | Referrals | $0-50 | Very High | Variable | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |

Budget Allocation ($30-50k/month)

| Channel | Budget | Expected MQLs | Expected SQLs | |---------|--------|---------------|---------------| | LinkedIn | $15k | 50 | 10 | | Google Search | $12k | 80 | 20 | | Google Display | $5k | 120 | 5 | | Meta | $5k | 100 | 8 | | Partnerships | $3k | 20 | 5 |

Lead Magnets

High-Converting Formats

| Type | Conversion Rate | Best For | |------|-----------------|----------| | Interactive Calculator | 15-30% | Technical evaluation | | Technical Guide/Whitepaper | 10-20% | Education | | Case Study (detailed) | 8-15% | Social proof | | Webinar Registration | 20-40% | Engagement | | Free Assessment | 25-40% | Qualification | | Code Repository | 10-25% | Developer trust |

Lead Magnet Hooks

Quick Win — "The 5-Minute Audit"
Forbidden Knowledge — "Secrets agencies don't want you to know"
Shortcut — "30-Day Framework Instead of 90 Days"
Social Proof — "How 500+ Founders Achieved X"
Diagnosis — "Discover Your Blind Spots"

Landing Page Framework

High-Converting Structure

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│ HEADLINE (Clear value proposition) │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ SUBHEADLINE (Supporting benefit)     │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ HERO IMAGE/VIDEO │ FORM              │
│ Visual proof        │ Name, Email    │
│                     │ Company        │
│                     │ [CTA Button]   │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ SOCIAL PROOF (Logos, testimonials)   │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ BENEFITS (3-5 key benefits)           │
├─────────────────────────────────────┤
│ SECONDARY CTA                        │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Conversion Checklist

[ ] Single, clear CTA
[ ] Minimal form fields (3-5 max)
[ ] Above-the-fold value proposition
[ ] Social proof visible
[ ] Mobile optimized
[ ] Fast load time (<3s)
[ ] No navigation distractions

Lead Scoring Model

Scoring Criteria

| Category | Criteria | Points | |----------|----------|--------| | Fit | Target industry | +20 | | | Company size 50-5000 | +15 | | | Decision maker title | +25 | | | Target geography | +10 | | Engagement | Downloaded lead magnet | +10 | | | Attended webinar | +20 | | | Visited pricing page | +15 | | | Multiple site visits | +5 each | | | Email engagement | +5 per click | | Negative | Student/academic | -30 | | | Competitor | -50 | | | Unsubscribed | -20 |

Lead Classification

| Score | Classification | Action | |-------|---------------|--------| | 80+ | SQL | Sales outreach | | 50-79 | MQL | Nurture + sales alert | | 20-49 | Engaged Lead | Continue nurturing | | <20 | Cold Lead | Long-term nurture |

Email Nurture Sequences

Welcome Sequence (New Leads)

| Email | Timing | Goal | |-------|--------|------| | 1: Welcome | Immediate | Deliver content, set expectations | | 2: Value Add | Day 2 | Related helpful content | | 3: Social Proof | Day 4 | Case study highlight | | 4: Education | Day 7 | Technical insight | | 5: Soft Offer | Day 10 | Introduce services |

Metrics Targets

| Metric | Target | |--------|--------| | Open Rate | >25% | | Click Rate | >3% | | Unsubscribe | <0.5% |

CAC Optimization

CAC Calculation

CAC = Total Marketing & Sales Costs / Number of New Customers

Benchmarks (B2B SaaS)

| Company Stage | Target CAC | LTV:CAC Ratio | |---------------|------------|---------------| | Early | $500-2000 | >3:1 | | Growth | $300-1000 | >4:1 | | Scale | $200-500 | >5:1 |

Reduction Strategies

Improve conversion rates — Better landing pages, forms
Increase organic traffic — SEO, content marketing
Referral programs — Leverage satisfied customers
Lead scoring — Focus sales on high-intent leads
Marketing automation — Scale without headcount

Attribution Modeling

Multi-Touch Attribution

| Model | First Touch | Middle | Last Touch | |-------|-------------|--------|------------| | First Touch | 100% | 0% | 0% | | Last Touch | 0% | 0% | 100% | | Linear | 33% | 33% | 33% | | Recommended (U-Shape) | 40% | 20% | 40% | | Recommended (W-Shape) | 40% | 20% | 40% |

UTM Structure

utm_source={channel}
utm_medium={cpc|email|organic}
utm_campaign={id}
utm_content={variant}
utm_term={keywords}

Lead Research Framework

Research Process

Analyze Product/Service — Understand value proposition
Define ICP — Industry, size, location, pain points
Find Companies for matching — Search companies
Prioritize — Score by fit (1-10)
Research Contacts — Identify decision makers

Output Format

For each lead provide:

Company name and website
Why they're a good fit (2-3 specific reasons)
Priority score (1-10 with explanation)
Target decision maker role
Personalized outreach strategy

Paid Media Playbook

LinkedIn Ads

Campaign structure: Awareness → Consideration → Conversion Targeting: Company size 50-5,000, Director+ titles, SaaS/Tech Creative: Thought leadership, social proof, problem-solution

Google Ads

Priority: Brand → Competitor → Solution → Problem → Display Bid strategy: Manual CPC → Target CPA at 50+ conversions Ad copy: 15 headlines covering value props, features, CTAs

Account-Based Sales (ABS)

When to Use ABS

| Criteria | Threshold | |----------|-----------| | ACV | >$25K | | TAM | <5,000 accounts | | Buying committee | 3+ stakeholders | | Sales cycle | >60 days |

ABS Framework

| Element | Execution | |---------|-----------| | Target list | 50-200 named accounts, tiered | | Account research | 30 min per Tier 1 account | | Multi-threading | 3-5 contacts per account | | Custom content | Pain-specific messaging | | Orchestration | Coordinated email + LinkedIn + ads |

Best Practices

Do

Start with ICP definition
Focus on fewer, higher-quality channels
Create valuable lead magnets
Nurture before selling
Track attribution carefully
Continuously optimize conversion

Don't

Buy email lists
Spam cold prospects
Gate all content
Ignore lead quality for quantity
Skip the nurture stage
Neglect existing leads

Error Handling

| Issue | Cause | Solution | |-------|-------|----------| | Low conversion rate | Poor offer/targeting | Test new lead magnets, refine ICP | | High CAC | Inefficient channels | Shift budget to performing channels | | Low lead quality | Too broad targeting | Tighten ICP, add qualification | | Email deliverability | List hygiene issues | Clean list, warm up domain |

Metrics Dashboard

Weekly

[ ] New leads by source
[ ] Conversion rates by channel
[ ] Email performance
[ ] Lead score distribution

Monthly

[ ] MQL → SQL conversion
[ ] CAC by channel
[ ] Attribution analysis
[ ] Funnel velocity

Related Skills

conversion-rate-optimization - CRO frameworks
growth-strategy - Growth loops and channels
outbound-email-strategy - Cold outreach
sales-strategy-and-enablement - Sales processes