3 recommendations I’ve given to my climate tech clients for more, better leads
Over the past year, I’ve worked with 9 different B2B climate tech clients.
And today, I wanted to pull back the curtain and share recommendations I’ve given to three of them.
These are:
- Pivot from SEO to LinkedIn
- Pivot from “influencer” to industry content
- Level up your opt-in value
Let’s dig in!
#1: Pivot from SEO to LinkedIn
One of my clients is the CEO of a bootstrapped startup where every dollar counts.
However, he was paying thousands of dollars each month to an SEO agency … and he was locked into a year-long contract.
I’m a big believer in the compounding effects of content.
But with the disruptions SEO has gone through the past few years (a rise in zero-click searches, AI overviews, etc.), SEO is a harder game for new startups to play. And so, I felt he was pouring his hard-earned dollars down the drain.
Can SEO still work? Absolutely!
The question, though, is what offers the highest leverage.
In his case, his LinkedIn posts generated ~3.5X the number of views compared to SEO content. (51,000 views vs. 14,500.)
So, I advised him to focus on his own LinkedIn content, and if that goes well, channel his SEO investment into LinkedIn ghostwriting instead.
I’m excited to see he’s started doubling down on his LinkedIn content — and I look forward to seeing the results.
#2: Pivot from influencer to industry content
In December, a prospect came to me asking about my LinkedIn services.
She used an agency to ghostwrite her LinkedIn content. And on the surface, the content looked good: quality writing, nice photos, and solid engagement.
But the content didn’t translate to quality leads. Why?
IMO, the posts were too surface-level.
They were on general topics like:
- leadership
- growing a startup
- quality time with the spouse
They had a nice personal touch, but I suspected the content wasn’t valuable enough for her prospects.
When I told her my thoughts, she immediately agreed, and we started working together.
The crazy thing is, the transformation was almost instant.
Within a week of posting industry-focused LinkedIn content, we got her multiple inbound leads and conversations with people within her industry.
Is there a place for content that appeals to a wider audience? For sure!
But if you’re getting reach on LinkedIn without good leads, consider focusing on niche topics that speak to a smaller audience.
#3 Level up your opt-in value
I made this third recommendation to a thought leader in the carbon markets.
He has an impressive LinkedIn following with 30K+ followers — and he’s had NO trouble getting opportunities from his viral LinkedIn content.
Where he struggles, however, is translating LinkedIn followers to email subscribers. After a year of building the newsletter, less than 2% of his large following has subscribed to his list - and the gap keeps growing.
This leaves him very vulnerable to algorithm shifts and the whims of LinkedIn.
So, what did I tell him?
Level up his opt-in.
Instead of having a simple “subscribe to my newsletter” — which is what his opt-in looked like — I advised him to create a stronger lead magnet that provided instant value.
He hired me to help him create this, and we’re almost finished creating a lead magnet that will:
- [Likely] Capture a larger percentage of his LinkedIn audience
- Serve as a funnel for his newsletter
- Educate his new subscribers
Based on results from my past projects like this (which have converted at ~30% on the opt-in page,) I’m confident the new lead magnet will help him build his list more quickly.
—
Now, you might be wondering which of these recommendations apply to you.
If you’re an early-stage B2B climate tech executive, here are a few broad recommendations:
- Not posting consistently on LinkedIn? Start posting regularly on LinkedIn to build your founder brand - minimum 1x per week
- Posting consistently on LinkedIn? Make sure you’re publishing enough industry-specific content that speaks to your target audience.
- Got LinkedIn momentum? Put in place a strong opt-in mechanism, so you can capture your LinkedIn traffic effectively.
Do these three things ... and you'll start solving many of your lead gen problems.
Now, I’d love to hear from you - which of these recommendations resonate most with you? Reply to this email and let me know.
Rebekah Mays
🌿 One Generation
P.S. Props to my clients for being willing to listen and try new things. Y'all rock.
P.P.S. I’ve got an opening for 1 new LinkedIn ghostwriting client starting on March 17.
If you’re a B2B climate tech startup executive and you’re ready to scale your ideas across the internet, reply to this email and let’s chat.