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Blog post on improving lead quality on LinkedIn Ads

Virality on LinkedIn

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Summary

Lead quality is all about identifying which leads are most likely to convert into customers—and not all leads are created equal. AJ Wilcox breaks down how both sales and marketing define lead quality, including manual frameworks like BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timing), and programmatic lead scoring inside CRMs and marketing automation platforms. He explains how LinkedIn Ads often drive high “Budget” and “Authority” scores due to targeting capabilities, but they may lack signals of immediate “Need” and “Timing” like you get from search ads. That’s why it’s crucial to evaluate your leads post-conversion—by researching job titles, companies, skills, and whether audience expansion or viral reach might be bringing in unqualified traffic.

To improve lead quality, you can exclude low-performing segments, add friction to your forms (like asking for business emails or budgets), and create more meaningful nurturing experiences. AJ suggests using tools like document ads, retargeting, and Thought Leader Ads to warm up prospects before asking for the conversion. You can also shape ad copy to subtly disqualify unfit users and invest in multi-channel touchpoints so potential leads feel like your brand is everywhere. The episode closes with a powerful reminder: better lead quality doesn’t just help marketing metrics—it earns genuine appreciation from your sales team and builds long-term trust with ideal buyers.