The difference between conversion and real opportunity generation in B2B Tech marketing

When it comes to B2B marketing, especially in the technology market, many times I notice confusion in the understanding of some professionals between conversions and real business opportunities. This situation can generate inflated reports, but less effective. 

Thus, it is essential that marketing managers understand the difference and adjust their expectations and metrics so that investment in campaigns is truly effective.

What is a conversion?

Conversions represent interactions or actions taken by a user in response to a marketing stimulus, such as

• Download rich content, howe-booksor guides;
• Filling out forms inlanding pages;
• Watch a awebinaror video;
• Like or comment on a post on social media.

Although these actions demonstrate engagement, they do not necessarily indicate purchase intent. As marketing specialist Mark Ritson aptly highlights

"The marketing that generates activity", but not qualified leads, it's just an exercise in vanity.”

Consider this case extracted from a form (anonymized data)

• Identifiercontact
• Namevalid
• Telephone (11) 99999-9999 
• Company nameabc tech
• MessageHello, I would like to get to know the technology service. Can you get a schedule with the responsible parties? 
• Thermal oil["on"]. 
• Originorganic search | google

This type of conversion is a good example of genuine interest, but many reports present less relevant interactions as if they were real opportunities.

What is a real opportunity?

A real opportunity goes beyond superficial interaction. It is the moment when aleadshows clear signs of interest in solving a problem that its solution can address. Some typical characteristics are

• Direct contact requesting more information about the product or service;
• Demonstration of alignment with the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP);
• Request to schedule a meeting with a clear purchase decision on the horizon.

I share the case taken from a form that shows aleadmore advanced in the funnel (anonymized data)

• Identifiercontact
• Namevalid
• Telephone (31) 88888-888
• Company nameconsultancy xyz
• MessageHello, I work for a consultancy and my client saw your success case with company X. I would like to know what solutions you have adopted for this project. 
• Thermal oil["on"]. 
• Originorganic search | google

Here, we have a real and contextual interest, indicating a more advanced stage in the purchase funnel.

Where conversions mislead reports?

Traditional reports often masked true performance by presenting numbers such as

• Inflated numbers of downloads of rich materials;
• Growth in page views and clicks;
• Leadsoriginated from paid campaigns or SEO, but without going deep into the funnel.

A study by Demand Gen Report revealed that 95% ofleadsgenerated by B2B campaigns are not ready to buy, while only 5% are at the ideal moment to search for solutions.

This means that many of the conversions presented as successful in meetings may be from people who

• They downloaded onee-bookbecause they find the topic interesting;
• They attended awebinarjust for learning;
• They interacted with a post out of pure curiosity, without any intention to buy.

How to identify the real intent in the B2B Tech market?

To differentiate superficial conversions from real opportunities, consider the following indicators

1. Complete profile on the lead

• Name and contact provided voluntarily;
• Company name well defined.

2. Proactive message with business context
3. Source and journey of origin

• Clear origin as organic search with transactional intentions;
• History of consistent and relevant interactions;

4. B2B market decision cycle

• Evaluate if theleadthe moment of purchase is critical to separate the curious from the buyers.

How to improve the quality of reports?

1. Segment yourleadsby funnel stage

• Top of the funnel: generic interest;
• Middle of the funnel: exploring options;
• Bottom of the funnel: ready to decide.

2. Adopt lead quality metrics, how

• Meeting scheduling fee;
• Percentage ofLeadsMarketing Qualified Leads (MQL);
• Conversion rate ofLeadsMarketing Qualified Leads forLeadsSales Qualified Leads (SQL)

3. Empower your sales team to differentiate between curious individuals and real buyers.

Therefore, differentiating the conversion from the real opportunity is what separates campaigns fromincomingmarketing that generates value from campaigns that only generate nice numbers in reports. The B2B Tech market, with its long decision cycles, requires marketing managers to not only attract, but also qualify accurately.

And you, how are you differentiating your metrics?