Stop Burning Budget & Start Building Brands: Our Guide to Win on LinkedIn

Let’s be honest: LinkedIn advertising can feel like trying to do calculus while riding a unicycle - backward - during a budget review. 
But fear not, fellow marketer. You’re not alone in the chaos.

I’m Anna, and I’m here to walk you through how to make LinkedIn ads work for your B2B brand - without lighting your budget on fire or relying on crystal balls and good vibes.

Grab a coffee and let’s talk strategy. 

5 Second Summary:

• Stop wasting budget: LinkedIn ads aren’t about quick wins, they’re about long-term brand building.
• Reach real decision-makers: 4 out of 5 users influence business purchases.
• Build trust at scale: Use thought leadership, valuable content, and authentic engagement.
• Target smart: Manual ABM > predictive AI. Layer in firmographics and retargeting.
• Creative is king: Strong visuals, sharp copy, and clear CTAs drive performance.
• Play the long game: Consistency lowers costs and boosts ROI over time.

Why LinkedIn? AKA: The Business Party You Actually Want to Be At 

Here’s the stat that should make you perk up like your Slack just pinged: 
Four out of five LinkedIn members influence business decisions. 

That’s right, LinkedIn isn’t just where people humblebrag about promotions. It’s where real B2B decision-makers hang out. You know, the kind of contacts that make sales teams cry happy tears. 

Build a Brand or Go Home 

In B2B, brand building isn’t a fluffy “nice-to-have.” It’s everything. 

Decision-makers don’t just wake up and suddenly feel compelled to click your ad. They buy from companies they know, trust, and see as legit. That trust? It gets built over time, and LinkedIn is your digital handshake. 

Here’s how you do it right: 

• Executive Thought Leadership: Have your CEO talk about something other than their golf handicap. Thoughtful content builds credibility.
• Content Distribution: Share value-packed stuff - whitepapers, reports, infographics, and research-backed opinions.
• Engagement: Comment, reply, show up like a human being. Robots don’t win brand loyalty.
• LinkedIn Live: Webinars, demos, fireside chats - show your face, share your brain.

Bottom line: If you're not building brand equity on LinkedIn, you're basically whispering into a void. 

LinkedIn Ads: The Long Game is the Only Game 

We see it all the time: a brand runs LinkedIn ads for three weeks, doesn’t get any leads, pulls the plug, and then wonders why no one knows who they are six months later. 

Stop the madness. 

LinkedIn ads are like a fine wine or a really solid CRM - they get better over time. The algorithm learns. Your targeting sharpens. Leads will always be hard to get, but your CPL drops over time. Magic? Nope - just strategy. 

Targeting: The Secret Sauce (With a Dash of Math)  

• Industry, company size, job title, seniority 

• Matched Audiences (a.k.a. ABM lists) 

• Not-so-hot tip: Predictive Audiences = just LinkedIn guessing 

Want better match rates? Enrich your ABM target list with as much data as you can garner. We’re talking emails, domains, and LinkedIn profile URLs.

Pro tip: Push contacts through the marketing funnel with LinkedIn Retargeting Ads. Showcase mid-funnel ads (such as a free demo offer!) to folks who’ve already clicked your top of funnel ads or visited your company page. These contacts know who you are, now give them a reason to convert.

Ad Formats That Actually Work (And the Ones We Ghosted)

We’ve tested them all so you don’t have to.

• Single Image Ads – The MVP. They just work. 

• Message Ads – Slide into DMs only if the target contact already knows who you are.

• Document Ads – Great if your content offer is Beyoncé-level flawless.

• Carousel Ads – Mixed results. Worth testing, but not our fave.
• Follower/Spotlight/Text Ads – These are… let’s just say “niche.”

What Makes a LinkedIn Single Image Ad Pop?

• Description: Speak to pain points. Keep it short and snappy, skip the fluff. Don’t include #hashtags or @handles that can distract people from clicking your main call-to-action

• Visual Graphic: No sad or creepy stock photos, please. Including images with people in them can increase the overall performance of your ad, and your ad Click-Through Rate (CTR). 

• CTA: Clear, direct, action-oriented. Your ad copy should be strong and direct.

And don’t skip testing! A/B testing different ad variations can improve efficiency by 30% in the first 60 days.

Ads with strong CTAs see up to 45% higher engagement.

Mastering the DM Slide: LinkedIn Message Ads That Don’t Suck  

LinkedIn Message ads work… if you don’t make them weird.

• Use a real person (ideally a senior exec)
• Write a subject line that actually gets opened
• Be concise—no one’s here for your novel
• Send mid-week when inboxes aren’t overflowing

Personalized LinkedIn messages see 30% higher open rates than email. That’s a major win if done right.

Key Takeaways

1. Targeting is everything: ABM lists and manual targeting beats AI every time.
2. Creative matters: strong messaging and visuals drive engagement.
3. Long-term wins: consistency lowers cost, boosts ROI, and strengthens your brand awareness.
4. Optimize weekly: small tweaks lead to big impact.
   
   

Final Thoughts: LinkedIn Isn’t Magic, But It Is a Power Move 

LinkedIn advertising isn’t a silver bullet, but it is a strategic lever with compounding returns.

If you’re in it for real results, not just vanity metrics, then build your brand, refine your targeting, and commit to the long game. That’s how you win.

Now go forth and advertise like the B2B legend you are.