Takeaways from Google Think Lead Gen 2024

Rain the Growth Agency team members were recently invited by Google to their New York office for Think Lead Gen, an event covering strategic insights for enhancing lead generation across both B2B and B2C landscapes.

Here are the key takeaways:

1. Less is more: Focus on quality leads

Andres Mortensen, Managing Director of Google’s Lead Gen Sales, emphasized the importance of quality over quantity in lead generation. Rather than filling pipelines with high volumes, businesses should focus on engaging high-quality leads, especially when consumers are actively “in-market.” By the time a user is ready to fill out a form, they have typically narrowed down their choices to just two brands, which means brands must build resonance early to stay top of mind.

2. Timing and relevance drive conversions

Lead generation often involves complex, offline conversion processes. To succeed, companies must define and optimize for lead value, focusing on relevance over personalization. Research from Sneha Dontula, Insights Lead at Google, and Stefano Puntoni, Professor and Co-Director of AI Marketing, Wharton School, highlighted that relevance—offering quality, value, and benefits—resonates more with users than generic personalization efforts. Users, who increasingly feel empowered by research, are four times more likely to choose brands discovered during the purchase journey itself.

3. Use data to drive decision-making

Data-driven decisions can unlock substantial valuein lead generation, but successful analysis starts with the right questions. Predictive models can help businesses estimate lead lifetime value (LTV), and when paired with AI-powered insights, companies can adjust targeting and bidding to maximize high-value lead acquisition. For instance, brands using offline conversion data and integrating first-party data for bidding optimization saw a significant improvement in lead quality.

4. AI-powered content and brand visibility

Tools like Google’s Gemini and platforms such as YouTube are essential in lead generation, allowing for targeted, hyper-local content and real-time brand messaging. AI-driven insights are reshaping the approach to creative and media, enabling faster, data-backed decisions without replacing human intuition. Google placed significant emphasis on the time it takes to train AI, or in this instance, Gemini, to accelerate content delivery that embodies the brands’ vision and message.

5. Embrace experimentation and imperfect data

The event encouraged brands to step beyond traditional approaches, testing broader targeting strategies and experimenting up the funnel. Performance Max and Demand Gen campaigns are effective when integrated with first-party data, supporting both demand generation and demand capture. Although imperfect data is sometimes necessary for faster insights, experimentation is crucial for identifying what will work in the future; even in your peak season.

Key Strategic Takeaways

• Prioritize lead quality over quantity during key decision-making windows
• Embrace relevance over personalization to connect with informed consumers
• Use AI and predictive LTV models to enhance lead value and improve return on ad spend (ROAS)
• Leverage first-party data to better optimize for lead quality, especially in offline conversions
• Experiment beyond traditional methods to stay aligned with changing consumer behavior

By aligning lead generation with these best practices, brands can effectively navigate the complexities of today’s digital landscape and create lasting, valuable customer relationships.

This article is featured in Media Impact Report No. 60. View the full report here.