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