Making LinkedIn Ads Work for SaaS

For performance marketers in SaaS, we are crazy about LinkedIn as a platform. After all, it is the best way to reach B2B decision-makers. So running ads on them just makes sense, right?

So, do you have a clear idea if your ads are really working? Yes, You might have a few campaigns running, and they might be bringing you engagement and you can see some investment gratification through click-through rate (CTR) % but how do you know it’s working? The answer is pretty straightforward, focus on what works, measure everything, and continuously tweak your approach.

Picking the Right Ad Format

First, let's talk about the choices you make when setting up an ad. LinkedIn gives you several options: single image ads, video ads, carousel ads, thought leader ads, and document ads. But choosing the right format isn’t just about what looks good. It’s about knowing what gets results.

For example, "thought leader ads" or, as they show on LinkedIn, “sponsored ads," are proving to be effective. These ads look like regular posts from a person’s profile, but they’re paid promotions. They stand out because they come from a face, not a logo. It feels more natural and more human. Also, it’s an approach that resonates with people. These ads tend to drive more engagement because people trust people, not companies.

How do you know if this format is right for your business? You’ve got to track the data. Look at your cost per click (CPC) and cost per lead (CPL). Are thought leader ads driving more engagement than, say, your carousel ads? Are they attracting the right audience? The trick is to test, analyse, and adjust as you go. What works for one audience might not work for another.

The Real Buyer’s Journey

Reality check! People don’t make decisions after seeing one ad. They might need to see your message several times across different channels before they even think about clicking.

So, you can’t judge the success of your ads by looking at direct conversions alone. You need to track three things:

If we don't isolate these, we get a much fuller picture of how your ads are performing across your funnel and buyer journey. Also, you’ll start to see LinkedIn not as a direct selling tool but as a way to nurture prospects over time.

Targeting the Right People

You could have the best ad in the world, but if it’s not reaching the right people, it won’t matter. On LinkedIn, you have powerful targeting tools to make sure your ads are landing in front of decision-makers at companies you care about.

The 3 filters we all use aggressively for targeting are job title, seniority, company size, and industry.

But don’t stop there. Take it further by using data from third-party tools to refine your targeting. Maybe you want to reach specific companies that are a good fit for your product. You can find that data and make sure your budget is only spent on those who are most likely to convert.

Also, don’t forget to check the demographic reports from LinkedIn’s Campaign Manager. These reports tell you what types of people are interacting with your ads. If you see that you're not reaching the right job titles or industries, adjust your targeting until you’re hitting the mark.

Combining LinkedIn with Other Channels

LinkedIn is just a tool. It possibly can’t do all the work on its own. The best marketers don’t rely on just one platform—they spread their efforts across multiple channels. So, once you’ve started getting some traction on LinkedIn, look at how you can integrate other platforms into your strategy.

Say, after someone engages with your LinkedIn ad, you could retarget them with Google ads or follow up with an email sequence. So, you’re staying at the top of their mind, but not overwhelming them with too much information in one place.

Another example is how inbound and outbound strategies can work together. While your LinkedIn ads are running, your sales team can send targeted emails to the same prospects. Or follow up on leads generated by the ads. This mix of tactics helps move people through the buying process, rather than waiting for them to take action on their own.

Keep Testing and Learning

No two campaigns will perform exactly the same (I would like to see you try though). That’s why it’s important to keep testing different formats, messages, and targeting strategies. Start small with your budgets and see what works. Then scale up the campaigns that deliver the best results.

The metrics you should always keep an eye on are:

PS: Metrics help you see what’s working and what needs to change. Keep adjusting your approach based on the numbers, and don’t be afraid to pivot when something isn’t working. Ads are experiments and very important for growth.

Now, for the learning part. When building out your LinkedIn ad campaigns, one of the most important technical strategies is implementing multi-layered targeting combined with A/B testing across formats. For SaaS, where customer acquisition costs (CAC) can quickly spiral, make sure your ads are reaching the right audience.

Measure effectiveness and don’t just rely on one ad format. Split test between thought leader ads and carousel ads to see which drives better click-through rates (CTRs) and cost per leads (CPLs). Once the initial data comes in (give it a month at least), check if your impressions are hitting decision-makers or drifting into less relevant categories. Iterate based on the data, adjust bids manually to control spending and focus on long-term CPL performance rather than short-term cost per acquisition (CPA).

Hopefully, this will help you manage budgets and ensure you're not just spending on ads but building a highly efficient pipeline that moves potential leads closer to conversion with every touchpoint.

What's the moral of the story?

It’s that LinkedIn ads are not just about immediate conversions. They are about building relationships over time and understanding the role each ad plays in the buyer’s journey. Whether you’re using thought leader ads to build trust, experimenting with carousel ads to engage prospects, or combining LinkedIn with other platforms, the key is to stay focused on the data and keep refining your approach.

At Radial Path, we’ve spent years helping SaaS companies like yours navigate this process. We know that effective marketing isn’t about flashy ads or big promises—it’s about consistently delivering the right message to the right people and understanding how every touchpoint contributes to the bigger picture.

Let’s make LinkedIn work for you. Not by guessing, but by making informed decisions, testing carefully, and refining until we get the results that matter.

Say hello at [email protected] or send us a message on our website: https://www.radialpath.com/contact.

Want to learn more about B2B SaaS marketing strategies, narration and messaging? Check out our blog: https://www.radialpath.com/blog/bits-bytes-and-saas-an-engineers-guide-to-effective-product-marketing