4 Lead Generation Strategies and Best Practices for Quality Leads

Generating leads might feel like a breeze at first…until you realize how many of them aren’t worth pursuing.

Simply put, not all leads are created equal. Yes, you might have dozens of potential leads to contact, but only some are ready to buy. Others are just curious. And some? They aren’t even real.

That’s where smart lead generation strategies make all the difference. The goal isn’t just to gather names and emails; it’s to attract the right people, at the right time, with the right intent.

Today, we’re exploring five lead generation marketing strategies and best practices that prioritize quality to drive results. We’ll also show you how to protect your funnel from fraudulent activity that can ultimately derail your ROI.

Strategy 1: Leverage Content Marketing

The best B2B lead generation strategies utilize content marketing. Today’s buyers are researchers, not impulse decision-makers. They’re seeking insight, not a sales pitch.

Creating and distributing valuable, relevant content positions your brand as a trusted advisor instead of just another vendor. This strategy both draws in potential leads and nurtures them throughout their decision-making journey.

Content Lead Generation Best Practices

• Use SEO to Target Buyer Intent: Craft content around the questions and keywords your audience is actually searching for.
• Offer Gated Content: While ungated blog content builds trust and traffic, gated assets (like in-depth guides or templates) can serve as conversion tools.
• Develop Pillar Content: Create long-form, authoritative pillar pages that organize your content around core themes. These should be interlinked with blog posts, downloadable resources, and CTAs that guide readers from discovery to action.

Don’t Let Bots Skew Your Metrics

Remember, your content might be well-crafted, your forms optimized, and your strategy aligned, but if bots are filling out your forms or click farms are inflating download counts, your “leads” won’t hold any real value.

Use fraud detection tools so your lead generation efforts (like gated content) are legitimate.

Strategy 2: Optimize Paid Media

Paid media channels can accelerate lead generation by putting your message directly in front of the right audiences. When executed well, paid campaigns generate fast, scalable results. But there’s a catch: they also open the door to ad fraud.

Best Practices for Paid Lead Generation

• Use Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Tactics: ABM flips the sales funnel, so instead of casting a wide net, you laser-focus on companies that are more likely to convert.
• Refine Targeting: Go beyond basic demographics to target buyers who are actively researching your category.
• A/B Test Landing Pages and Offers: Test different headlines, calls to action, form lengths, and offers to discover what resonates most with your audience.

Be Careful of Ad Fraud and Fake Leads

Ad fraud runs rampant in paid media, especially on programmatic ad networks. Fighting ad fraud starts with pre-click protection. That means using an ad fraud prevention platform that monitors your campaigns in real-time, detects suspicious behavior, and filters out invalid traffic before it ever sees your landing page.

Learn more about how much fraud you have with Anura.

Strategy 3: Implement Lead Scoring

As we said before, all leads are not equal.

Treating every lead as a priority ultimately wastes your time and budget. That’s where lead scoring comes in to distinguish high-quality leads that are more likely to convert from just curious visitors. Quantifying your leads helps your sales team focus on only the most promising prospects.

Best Practices for Building a Scoring Model

• Score Based on Behavior and Demographics: Assign points for key actions and profile characteristics. Then, weight scores to reflect your priorities.
• Use Marketing Automation Platforms: Integrate tools that automatically update lead scores and trigger workflows to reach your ideal customers while they’re interested.
• Rely on Sales Feedback Loops: Collaborate with your sales team to refine your scoring model based on which leads actually convert.

Protect Your Score from Fake Data

One of the lesser-known risks of ad fraud is data pollution. Bots that fill out forms or click links can artificially inflate lead scores. This results in:

• False leads passed to sales
• Skewed reports on campaign effectiveness
• Wasted follow-up efforts

Ad fraud solutions mean your data is clean, which results in accurate scores and better conversions.

Strategy 5: Host Webinars and Virtual Events

Events – whether virtual or in-person – are still one of the best ways to attract qualified leads. These formats create high engagement and offer real-time interaction with your brand. And the best part? They’re already warmed up to your team and brand, so follow-up cold calls aren’t so “cold.”

Lead Generation Best Practices for Events

• Consider Customer Pain Points: Address real problems your audience is trying to solve.
• Use Registration Forms: Go beyond collecting basic contact information like name and email addresses. Ask about job title, company size, and pain points.
• Boost Engagement: Interactive sessions keep attendees involved and help you gather additional intent signals based on poll responses and questions asked.

Monitor for Bot Registrants

Virtual events promoted through paid social and programmatic ads can attract fake registrants, especially if incentives are included.

What to Watch For:

• Multiple registrants from the same IP
• Unusual email domains
• Zero activity during the live session

Experience the power of Anura and discover just how much fraud you have with a free trial!