Date
14th April 2025
B2B marketers aren’t just expected to generate leads anymore, they’re expected to prove every one of them is worth the spend. But here’s the problem: many are still measuring success using the wrong metrics.
Lead generation is no longer just about quantity, it’s about quality, transparency, and alignment with your business goals. To make the most strategic decisions, you need to go beyond surface-level stats and dig into what really matters.
The Danger of Chasing Vanity Metrics
It’s easy to get caught up in top-line figures. Some lead generation suppliers might boast about their total audience size or high email open rates, but these numbers can often lack context. And, more importantly, they rarely correlate with actual campaign success.
It can be tempting when you hear suppliers say things like “we’ve got millions of contacts in our database”, to get excited by the big numbers they’re shouting about, but when you’re working with someone new, it’s always best to question their data.
For example, how many of those contacts fit your exact campaign criteria? How many are actively engaged, and how many are just sitting dormant on a list, or in a database?
The truth is total audience figures provided by suppliers are only relevant once you've applied all your specific targeting filters. Think:
- Target job titles
- Industries
- Departments
- Regions and locations
- Company size
- Intent data criteria, such as target keywords or topics
- Profiling or qualifying questions
- Campaign duration
- Campaign budget
Once all the above criteria are factored in, that “millions-strong” database can suddenly look very different.
What Should You Be Asking Instead?
The real magic happens when marketers start asking the right questions. So, what should you be looking for in a lead gen supplier? What are the metrics that matter?
1. Are They a First-Party Publisher or a Third-Party Aggregator?
This is the foundational question you should ask.
First-party publishers generate leads directly from their owned databases. They know exactly where the lead came from, how they interacted with your content, and can provide full transparency from download to handover.
For example, at Headley Media, we only generate leads in-house, using our portfolio of 7 technology brands to generate first-party data for our tech clients. We don’t fulfill for anyone else and we don’t generate leads via any third-party networks.
In comparison, third-party aggregators often buy leads from elsewhere and pass them on. Third-party aggregators can make it harder to maintain full control and visibility, because they can’t show you a full reader journey - from downloading a piece of your content to becoming a lead - which may increase compliance complexity.
2. Lead Transparency
Understanding the journey of each lead is one of the most important factors of any B2B lead generation campaign.
Having visibility into what each lead downloaded, when they engaged, and how their data was validated helps you prioritize the right contacts and tailor your follow-up with greater precision.
A first-party partner, like Headley Media, can offer that granular insight, helping marketers put leads into the right nurture track with confidence.
And, unfortunately, not every lead generation supplier is upfront about how their leads are sourced. Many still rely on buying data or unclear consent processes, all of which can compromise the quality and compliance of your campaigns.
3. Data Compliance & Consent
In B2B lead generation, compliance shouldn’t be optional. With evolving privacy standards, relying on implied consent may no longer be sufficient to ensure compliance. That means you should only work with suppliers who provide fully consented leads, confirmed through explicit opt-ins like personalized consent statements and manual checkboxes.
First-party suppliers are far better positioned to provide clarity around consent, regional regulations, and how a lead has agreed to be contacted. If you’re working with a supplier who outsources to a third-party, you might need to do additional due diligence to avoid data protection issues later.
4. Content Placement and Brand Visibility
Your brand matters. You’ve invested in your assets - whitepapers, eBooks, reports - so you need to know where and how they’re being showcased.
First-party publishers can provide full visibility and approval of how your content appears on their owned platforms. However, third parties are unlikely to have this kind of information to hand, because they haven’t generated the leads themselves.
Without visibility, there’s a risk your content could appear in environments that don’t reflect your brand’s positioning.
5. Audience Engagement Over Click-Through Rates
Don’t fall into the trap of obsessing over open rates and click-through-rates (CTRs). These metrics can vary depending on your targeting and campaign format. Instead, it’s best to focus on the engaged leads you’re receiving.
At Headley Media, for example, every campaign email is optimized to cut through inbox clutter, with clean calls to action, trusted brand names, with no distractions. It’s all about sharing relevant content to our audience of engaged technology readers, building their trust with our brands over time.
6. Guaranteed Lead Volume That Matches Your Criteria
What’s far more important than knowing how many contacts a supplier has? Knowing how many leads they can guarantee based on your precise campaign specs. That’s where the value lies.
With over 15 years of lead generation expertise, Headley Media delivers leads that precisely match your ideal customer profile. From job titles and departments to industry, company size, and geography, all data is sourced from our owned databases of actively subscribed, engaged audiences. That means we can guarantee lead volumes that match your campaign criteria.
Final Thoughts: Shift Your Focus to ROI
The bottom line? It’s not about the cheapest cost-per-lead. It’s about the right leads - the relevant prospects that will move through your pipeline and ultimately convert.
By shifting the conversation away from vanity metrics and toward relevance, transparency, and trust, B2B marketers can stop wasting budget and start delivering results that truly matter.
