Find answers to the most common questions about digital marketing, lead generation, performance marketing, branding, and appointment setting. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, contact our team directly.
Lead Generation Questions
What is lead generation in marketing?
Lead generation in marketing is the process of attracting and capturing interest from potential customers (leads) so a sales team can follow up and convert them into paying clients. It uses channels like SEO, paid advertising, social media, email, and content marketing to bring qualified prospects into a business’s pipeline. Read our complete guide to lead generation marketing →
How do I generate leads for my home service business?
The most effective lead generation channels for home service businesses are Google Local Services Ads (LSAs), Google Ads targeting local high-intent keywords, an optimised Google Business Profile, and a strong review strategy. Together, these channels can generate consistent inbound calls and booking requests at a predictable cost per lead. See the full guide: How to Get More Leads for Your Home Service Business →
How much does lead generation cost?
Lead generation costs vary by industry and channel. Home service businesses typically pay $20–$80 per lead through Google Ads or LSAs. B2B SaaS companies pay $100–$400 per lead via LinkedIn or paid search. SEO-generated leads have a higher upfront cost but a near-zero incremental cost per lead once rankings are established. A realistic starting budget for paid lead generation is $1,500–$3,000/month for small businesses.
What is the fastest way to generate leads?
Paid advertising — specifically Google Ads and Google Local Services Ads — is the fastest way to generate leads. Campaigns can start delivering calls and form submissions within 24–48 hours of launch. For B2B businesses, LinkedIn outreach combined with a targeted ad campaign can generate qualified conversations within days. The trade-off is cost: paid leads require ongoing ad spend, while organic leads from SEO take longer to build but have no incremental cost.
What is a good cost per lead?
A good cost per lead depends on your average deal value and close rate. As a general rule, your target CPL should be no more than 10–15% of your average customer lifetime value. For a plumber with average jobs of $400 and a 50% close rate, a CPL of $40–$60 is healthy. For a B2B SaaS company with $12,000 ACV, a CPL of $200–$400 can still be highly profitable if the lead-to-close rate is strong.
Performance Marketing Questions
What is performance marketing?
Performance marketing is a form of digital advertising where you only pay when a specific, measurable action is completed — such as a click, lead, sale, or app install. It includes channels like Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, affiliate marketing, and programmatic display. Read our complete guide to performance marketing →
What is ROAS and what is a good ROAS?
ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) is the revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising. A 4:1 ROAS means $4 in revenue for every $1 in ad spend. A “good” ROAS depends on your profit margins — for a business with 50% margins, you need at least 2:1 ROAS to break even. Most businesses target 3:1 to 5:1 ROAS as a healthy benchmark, though high-margin digital products may set targets of 8:1 or higher.
What is the difference between Google Ads and Google Local Services Ads?
Google Ads (traditional pay-per-click) shows text or display ads across Google Search and the Display Network, charging per click. Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) appear above regular Google Ads at the top of local search results, show the Google Guarantee badge, and charge per lead (call or message) rather than per click. For home service businesses, LSAs typically deliver a lower cost per lead because you’re only paying for actual customer contacts, not all clicks.
How do I track conversions in Google Ads?
Set up conversion tracking in Google Ads by: (1) defining your conversion actions (form submissions, phone calls, purchases); (2) installing the Google Ads tag via Google Tag Manager on your website; (3) setting up call tracking — either through Google’s forwarding numbers or a third-party tool like CallRail; and (4) linking Google Ads to Google Analytics 4 to import GA4 conversions. Always verify tracking is firing correctly before spending significant budget.
Branding & Marketing Strategy Questions
What is brand marketing and why does it matter?
Brand marketing builds awareness, recognition, and emotional connection with your target audience over time. It includes your visual identity (logo, colours, typography), brand voice, messaging, and how consistently these elements appear across every customer touchpoint. Strong branding reduces customer acquisition costs over time — recognised brands get higher click-through rates, better conversion rates, and stronger word-of-mouth than unknown competitors.
How long does it take to build a brand?
Initial brand identity (logo, brand guidelines, website) can be built in 4–8 weeks. Building meaningful brand recognition in a market takes 6–18 months of consistent content, advertising, and customer experience. Brand equity — the premium customers pay because of trust and preference for your brand — builds over years. The good news: even 90 days of consistent, professional brand presentation creates a measurable difference in conversion rates and customer perception.
What is integrated marketing?
Integrated marketing is the practice of delivering a consistent, unified message across all marketing channels — paid advertising, SEO, social media, email, PR, and direct outreach. Rather than running separate campaigns that don’t reinforce each other, integrated marketing ensures every touchpoint tells the same story and moves the customer closer to a conversion. Learn about Markitals’ integrated marketing solutions →
Appointment Setting Questions
What is appointment setting?
Appointment setting is a sales development process where a dedicated team or service contacts qualified leads — via phone, email, or LinkedIn — and books them into calendar meetings or site visits with your sales team. It removes the burden of cold outreach from your closers, so they only spend time on warm, qualified conversations. For home service businesses, appointment setting focuses on converting inbound leads into booked jobs. For B2B companies, it fills the sales calendar with demo and discovery calls.
What is the difference between lead generation and appointment setting?
Lead generation captures a prospect’s interest and contact information — they’ve expressed some level of intent but haven’t been contacted or qualified yet. Appointment setting takes those leads and converts them into scheduled meetings or bookings through active outreach and qualification. Lead generation fills the top of the funnel; appointment setting converts the middle of the funnel into confirmed sales opportunities.
SEO Questions
How long does SEO take to show results?
SEO results typically begin appearing within 3–6 months for new or low-authority websites, and 1–3 months for established sites targeting low-competition keywords. Technical SEO fixes (site speed, crawlability, indexation) can show results within weeks. Content targeting low-competition long-tail keywords can rank within 30–60 days. Competitive keywords in established markets can take 6–18 months to rank on page one. Consistent investment in SEO compounds over time — a well-optimised site becomes more competitive with every passing month.
What is local SEO and how is it different from regular SEO?
Local SEO optimises a business’s online presence to appear in location-based searches — particularly Google’s “map pack” (the three local business listings shown for searches like “plumber near me”). It focuses on Google Business Profile optimisation, NAP consistency across directories, local citations, and location-specific content. Regular (national/organic) SEO focuses on ranking for broader keywords without a local qualifier. For home service businesses and local brick-and-mortar companies, local SEO is typically more valuable than organic SEO.
What is AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation)?
Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) is the practice of structuring content so it can be easily found, understood, and cited by AI tools like ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, and voice assistants. AEO involves writing clear direct answer blocks, using FAQ schema markup, targeting conversational question-based queries, and ensuring your brand appears across trusted sources that AI models draw from. As AI-powered search grows, AEO is becoming as important as traditional SEO for maintaining organic visibility.
Working With Markitals
What industries does Markitals work with?
Markitals specialises in four verticals: Home Services (HVAC, plumbing, roofing, electrical, flooring — 40% of our clients), SaaS & Technology (30%), Manufacturing & Industrial (20%), and Healthcare & Pharma (10%). Our campaigns are built around the specific buyer journeys, platforms, and conversion metrics that matter in each industry — not generic marketing playbooks.
How do I get started with Markitals?
The first step is a free strategy call where we review your current marketing, identify your biggest growth opportunities, and outline a custom plan. There’s no obligation and no sales pitch — just a focused 30-minute conversation about your business goals. Book your free strategy call →
Where is Markitals located?
Markitals is headquartered at 1920 Association Dr, Suite 501, Reston, VA 20191, USA. We serve clients across the United States and internationally, working remotely with home service businesses, SaaS companies, manufacturers, and healthcare providers regardless of location.
