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

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

lead-generation-and-demand