Most companies struggle to generate high-quality leads. They spend thousands on ads, invest in expensive campaigns, and still end up with contacts that don’t convert. That wasn’t an option for our client.
As a cloud security provider targeting financial services firms, they needed marketing-qualified leads (MQLs)—decision-makers actively searching for cloud security solutions, not just random names in a database. Their goal was clear: generate 200 high-quality MQLs, keep the cost per lead (CPL) under $80, and ensure strong engagement with a 25% open rate and a 5% click-through rate (CTR).
When they partnered with PMG360, they didn’t just hit those numbers. They exceeded them.
🚀 260 MQLs → 30% over target
💰 $64 CPL → 20% under budget
📩 28% Open Rate → 11% above target
🔗 6.2% CTR → 24% above target
Here’s how we did it—and how this approach can work for any business struggling with low-quality leads and high acquisition costs.
The Problem: A Market That Doesn’t Tolerate Unqualified Leads
Cloud security isn’t an industry where just any lead will do. Financial services firms operate in a highly regulated environment, and their IT decision-makers don’t engage with vague marketing messages or cold pitches. If a campaign doesn’t speak directly to their most urgent challenges—compliance risks, cyber threats, and data security gaps—it gets ignored.
Before working with PMG360, the client faced the same problem most B2B security providers do: their marketing efforts weren’t delivering high-intent leads. Their ad spend was going to waste on broad targeting, and their cost per lead was climbing with little ROI to show for it. Worse, many of the leads that did come in were not decision-makers, making it difficult for their sales team to move them through the pipeline.
They needed a solution that attracted the right people, positioned them as a trusted authority, and ensured that every lead passed to sales was worth pursuing.
The Strategy: Getting the Right Leads, Not Just More Leads
Most B2B lead generation campaigns fail because they cast too wide a net. That approach doesn’t work when you’re trying to reach highly specialized professionals like CISOs, IT Directors, and Compliance Officers.
Our first step was to narrow the focus. Instead of wasting ad spend on general IT professionals, we built a hyper-targeted campaign using PMG360’s proprietary database. This allowed us to identify financial services firms that were actively struggling with cloud security concerns. We focused on mid-market companies—those with 50 to 500 employees—because they had both the budget and the urgency to invest in better security solutions.
But targeting wasn’t enough. We needed to make sure these decision-makers actually engaged.
That’s where content came in. Rather than using generic marketing materials, we developed a high-value whitepaper, “2025 Cloud Security Trends in Financial Services.” This wasn’t just another industry report—it directly addressed compliance challenges, evolving cybersecurity threats, and best practices for securing cloud environments. The content was built to do one thing: provide immediate, actionable value to the right audience.
Once the asset was ready, we launched a multi-channel promotion strategy designed to reach these IT leaders wherever they were most active. Email marketing was a core part of the approach, with segmented messaging tailored to different levels of engagement. We reinforced this with programmatic display ads and LinkedIn campaigns, ensuring that prospects who showed interest saw the content multiple times.
From the very start, every lead that came in was scored and qualified. Our advanced lead filtering system ensured that only sales-ready MQLs were passed along, reducing the burden on the client’s team and improving overall conversion rates.
The Results: 260 High-Quality MQLs and a Lower CPL
The campaign didn’t just work—it delivered measurable, data-backed results.
| Metric | Target | Achieved | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| MQLs Delivered | 200 | 260 | +30% |
| Cost Per Lead (CPL) | $80 | $64 | -20% |
| Email Open Rate | 25% | 28% | +11% |
| CTR | 5% | 6.2% | +24% |
This wasn’t just about hitting numbers—it was about delivering a stronger, more predictable pipeline of sales-ready leads.
🔥 More high-value leads → Every MQL met strict qualification criteria.
💰 Lower acquisition costs → CPL dropped below industry benchmarks.
📊 A stronger pipeline → Sales teams focused on real opportunities, not wasted outreach.
Why This Worked (And Why It Can Work for You)
Lead generation isn’t about collecting as many contacts as possible. It’s about finding the right people at the right timeand making sure they see real value in engaging with your business.
This campaign worked because it focused on five critical factors:
❌ Common MQL Mistakes That Kill Results
- Targeting the wrong audience
- Using content that doesn’t convert
- Running a single-channel approach
- Failing to qualify and prioritize leads
- Not optimizing the campaign in real time
✅ What We Did Instead
- Hyper-targeted segmentation → More qualified leads
- Value-driven content → Higher engagement
- Multi-channel execution → More visibility
- Lead scoring & filtering → No junk leads
- Ongoing optimization → Continuous improvement
This isn’t just a one-time strategy—it’s a repeatable, scalable approach that can work for any B2B company looking to attract high-quality MQLs without overspending.
Need High-Quality MQLs? Let’s Talk
If your company is still spending money on low-quality leads, high CPLs, and poor conversion rates, it’s time to rethink your strategy. PMG360 specializes in delivering sales-ready MQLs that actually move the needle.
We don’t just generate leads—we deliver decision-makers who are ready to take action.
keep updated on our latest blogs
Subscribe to our Newsletter and never miss an update!