Introduction
Struggling to find enough leads in ListKit? You're not alone! This guide will show you how to optimize your filters to discover more potential customers while maintaining relevance to your business needs.
Why Your Searches Might Be Coming Up Short
Before diving into solutions, let's understand why you might be seeing limited results:
Overly restrictive filters can dramatically reduce your potential lead pool
Narrow targeting might miss adjacent opportunities
Improper filter combinations can exclude qualified prospects
Overlooking alternative search approaches limits your discovery potential
Step-by-Step Strategies to Expand Your Results
1. Broaden Your Job Title Filters
Problem: Including only a few specific job titles severely limits your search scope.
Solutions:
Include variations of the same role (e.g., "Marketing Director," "Director of Marketing," "Marketing Head")
Consider adjacent roles with similar responsibilities (e.g., if targeting IT Directors, also include CIOs, CTOs, IT Managers)
Use partial title matches where appropriate (e.g., searching for "marketing" rather than specific titles)
Think about the decision-making hierarchy and include both higher and lower-level positions
Example: Instead of just "VP Marketing," add:
Chief Marketing Officer
Marketing Director
Head of Marketing
Digital Marketing Director
Brand Director
Growth Marketing Leader
2. Refine Your Keyword Strategy
Problem: Keywords that are too narrow or too few can restrict potential matches.
Solutions:
Use industry-specific terminology as well as general business terms
Include product categories rather than specific product names
Add keywords related to the challenges your solution addresses
Consider technology stack terms if relevant to your offering
Test different keyword combinations to find the optimal balance
Tip: Create several searches with different keyword combinations rather than putting all keywords in one search.
3. Expand Geographic Targeting
Problem: Limiting searches to specific cities restricts your potential market.
Solutions:
Expand from cities to metropolitan areas
Consider targeting by state/province or entire regions
For B2B services that can be delivered remotely, consider national targeting
Use location-based tiers in your prospecting strategy (primary, secondary, tertiary markets)
Example: Instead of just "San Francisco," expand to:
San Francisco Bay Area
Northern California
California
West Coast
United States
4. Optimize Company Size Filters
Problem: Strict company size requirements can eliminate good prospects.
Solutions:
Widen your employee count ranges (e.g., 50-1000 instead of 100-500)
Consider annual revenue ranges as an alternative to employee count
Test different company size segments to identify untapped opportunities
For enterprise sales, include subsidiaries and divisions of larger companies
5. Reconsider Industry Filters
Problem: Focusing on too few industries limits your potential market.
Solutions:
Include adjacent industries that might benefit from your solution
Consider the end-use case rather than just the industry category
Look for industries with similar challenges to your current customers
Test emerging industries that might not be in your traditional focus
Example: If you sell HR software and typically target healthcare, consider:
Educational institutions
Government agencies
Professional services firms
Manufacturing companies with similar HR challenges
6. Addressing the 'People Per Company' Count
Problem: A low 'People Per Company' count can significantly limit your search results volume.
Solutions:
Increase your 'People Per Company' limit from 1 to 5 (or more) to substantially expand your lead list
Target multiple contacts at the same company to increase your outreach effectiveness
Multi-contact targeting improves the chances of your message being seen and responded to
Create role-based segmentation within the same company (e.g., decision-makers vs. influencers)
Develop different messaging for different roles within the same organization
Tip: When targeting multiple people at the same company, consider a coordinated outreach approach where your follow-ups reference your attempts to reach other team members, creating greater organizational awareness of your solution.
