3 Paid Media Mistakes That Are Slowing Down Your Lead Generation

Campaigns are live, budget is spending, performance seems to be kicking in… but the leads just aren’t coming through.

You’re definitely not alone. We see this all the time — businesses investing in paid media but struggling to turn that performance into actual leads. That’s where 7DOTS comes in.

In this article, we’ve summarised the three most common reasons for underperforming campaigns — along with a hint at how to fix them.

Challenge 1: You’re targeting the wrong keywords (or have the wrong set up)

Many brands assume that running Search Ads will drive leads instantly. We digital marketers know that’s rarely the case.

Going too broad on a small budget, a poor landing page experience, or misconfigured tracking can all negatively impact performance — even if your keywords are solid.

7DOTS approach

The key is matching intent with ease of action. We audit account structure and keyword strategy to align them with your goals and budget. We avoid overly broad keywords when lead generation is the priority and budgets are tight. We may also recommend lead forms or optimised landing pages to improve the mobile experience and increase conversion rates.

Challenge 2: Your retargeting isn’t moving users closer to conversion

You’ve heard you should be retargeting — but aren’t sure where to start. Or maybe you're already doing it, but results are flat.

In our experience, retargeting works — but only when it’s done properly. Creatives need to be relevant, distinct from top-of-funnel messaging, and designed to move users closer to conversion.

7DOTS approach

As part of our service offering, we audit your campaign, audience segmentation, and creative setup. We recommend updating creative regularly and tailoring your CTA to the user’s funnel stage. If your budget is limited, we prioritise attention-grabbing creative with offers or incentives that help capture users who are already familiar with your brand.

Challenge 3: You’re targeting a broad area and burning budget

Your campaigns are limited by budget, and your cost per lead is unusually high. If you're targeting a broad area but not analysing exactly where your leads are coming from, you’ll likely end up serving impressions in regions that aren’t converting.

This approach isn’t necessarily wrong — maintaining visibility across your target areas can be valuable. But if budget is a limiting factor, it’s essential to focus your spend where it drives results and get that CPL down.

7DOTS approach

In this scenario, we review your top-performing regions and restructure the campaign, shifting budget to high-converting areas to maximise ROI.

Pro tip - Setting up accurate conversion tracking from day one

None of these tactics will matter if your tracking isn’t set up properly. If you're going to invest anywhere — invest here.

7DOTS approach

We ensure conversion tracking and audience signals are live and accurate before launching. If not, you risk:

• Optimising toward the wrong goals
• Wasting budget
• Reporting on unreliable data

Platforms like Google Tag Manager, Meta Pixel, or LinkedIn Insight Tag should be your best friends.

Conclusion

These challenges are common — but they’re fixable. If you suspect one or more of these might be slowing down your lead generation, let’s talk!