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The Insiders — B2B Inbound Marketing Case Study

B2B · Global Platform · Head of Marketing
The
Insiders.
A global B2B platform needed an inbound machine — not an outsized sales team. We built one that converted at 40% MQL-to-SQL. The industry average is 13%.
40%
MQL → SQL conversion rate
Industry average: 13%. We delivered 3× better.
Media value / year
€1M+
Yearly in B2B deals closed
from the inbound engine
MQL → SQL rate
40%
vs. industry average 13%
3× the conversion rate
Cost per B2B lead
€80
LinkedIn + Google Ads.
8%+ conversion to client
LinkedIn carousel ROI
15.5×
$10,750 invested.
$167,000 in proposals
The number that stops CEOs cold
40% MQL→SQL.
Industry average is 13%.
The Insiders is a global B2B platform connecting brands with word-of-mouth communities across 40 markets. The problem: they needed a scalable inbound pipeline without building a massive sales team. Most B2B companies are celebrating at 13% MQL-to-SQL conversion. We built a system that hit 40% — consistently.
✕ Industry average
13%
The benchmark MQL-to-SQL conversion rate for B2B companies globally. Most sales teams consider this a success. Many don't even reach it. This is what we inherited when we started.
✓ What we built
40%
4 in every 10 marketing leads became sales-qualified — through CRM automation, lead scoring, nurture journeys, and LinkedIn B2B strategy. €1M+ in yearly media value closed from this pipeline.
🎯
How a 40% rate changes the math
At 13% MQL→SQL you need 8 leads to get 1 qualified opportunity. At 40% you need 2.5. Same budget, same traffic, same sales team — 3× more pipeline. The difference is not more leads. It's a smarter system qualifying the ones you already have.
Single campaign proof
$10,750 in.
$167,000 in proposals out.
The LinkedIn carousel campaign is the clearest single proof point. One campaign. One platform. Documented investment and documented output. 15.5× return in media value proposals — with CPL running 40% below the LinkedIn benchmark.
LinkedIn Carousel Campaign — documented ROI
Every number here is real. No estimates, no projections.
LinkedIn B2B campaigns typically run at $150–$300 CPL. We ran at 40% below benchmark while generating 7,000+ clicks and turning the traffic into $167,000 in brand partnership proposals. This is what a system looks like vs. a campaign.
Total investment$10,750
Clicks generated7,000+
Cost per click$1.60
CPL vs. benchmark40% lower
Media value proposals$167,000
How we got there
The inbound machine.
Every component.
01
CRM qualification → automated MQL scoring
Built a lead scoring system inside the CRM that automatically qualified and routed leads by intent signals, engagement depth, and company size. Sales only saw leads that scored above threshold — zero time wasted on cold contacts. This alone moved conversion rate from under 15% to over 30%.
02
Email deliverability rescue → 16% to 22% open rate
The email domain had been blacklisted on Spamhaus. Inbox delivery was critically low. Led the full warmup strategy: domain segmentation, IP rotation, progressive send volume, Spamhaus resolution. Open rate went from 16% to 22% — a 37.5% improvement — meaning every campaign reached 37.5% more inboxes than before.
03
LinkedIn B2B strategy → €1M+ media value
Built content pillars targeting decision-makers at brands running consumer campaigns across Europe. 2–3 posts per week. Each one mapped to a pain point in the buyer journey. LinkedIn became the #1 source of inbound MQLs within 90 days. Combined with paid — €80/lead, 8%+ conversion to client.
04
Automated nurture journeys → pipeline without a sales team
Designed multi-step email sequences triggered by behavior: content download, page visit, demo request. Leads that weren't ready to buy got nurtured automatically until they were. No manual follow-up, no leads going cold. The system worked 24/7 across 40 markets.
05
BI reporting → decisions from data, not gut
Built business intelligence dashboards from CRM data showing pipeline velocity, conversion rates by source, cost per stage, and campaign attribution. Every marketing decision — budget, content, channel — was made from real data. No more arguing about what was working.
Full results
Everything
that moved.
40%
MQL → SQL rate
vs. industry average 13%. 3× the conversion rate through CRM automation and lead scoring.
€1M+
Yearly media value
B2B revenue generated from the inbound engine. Built without scaling the sales team.
€80
Cost per B2B lead
LinkedIn + Google Ads. Industry benchmark: €150–€300. We ran 2–4× cheaper.
8%+
Lead → client conversion
B2B conversion rate from MQL to paying client. Industry average: 2–3%. We delivered 3–4× better.
+37.5%
Email inbox reach
Open rate from 16% to 22% after Spamhaus resolution and warmup strategy. 37.5% more people reading every email sent.
15.5×
LinkedIn ROI
$10,750 invested. $167,000 in media value proposals. CPL 40% below benchmark.