Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out. Happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance on getting started with LinkedIn Ads. It's a powerful platform for B2B, especially for a data API startup like yours, but it can be a bit of a minefield if your not careful and you can burn through cash pretty quick without seeing results.
I've run quite a few campaigns for B2B SaaS companies, so I can share what I've seen work from my own experience.
We'll need to look at your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) first...
Before you even think about clicking buttons in the LinkedIn Ads manager, the most important bit is to get crystal clear on who you're actually trying to sell to. I see so many startups just jump in, target a massive industry, and wonder why their cost per lead is through the roof. You've got to be way more specific.
Think about the companies who get the most value from your data enrichment and research APIs. What do they look like?
-> Company Profile: Are they other startups, scale-ups, or established enterprises? I'd guess your sweet spot is probably in the SME space, maybe companies with 50-250 employees? Larger companies often have entrenched providers and procurement processes that are a nightmare to get through. Smaller ones might not have the budget or technical teams. So, nail down that company size first.
-> Industries: Which verticals are crying out for better company and people data? Off the top of my head, I'd be looking at:
- Software & Tech (especially other SaaS companies building integrations)
- Marketing & Advertising Agencies (always need data for prospecting)
- Financial Services & Fintech (for compliance, KYC, and lead scoring)
- Consulting firms (for market research)
- Recruitment agencies (for candidate sourcing and enrichment)
You probably already have a good idea from your organic growth which of these are your best customers. Double down on them first.
-> Decision Makers: This is the real power of LinkedIn. Who within these companies actually makes the decision to buy an API? It's probably not the CEO at a 200-person company. You're likley looking for department heads and senior technical staff. People with job titles like:
- Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) / Head of Marketing
- Chief Sales Officer (CSO) / Head of Sales / Sales Operations Manager * Chief Technology Officer (CTO) / Head of Engineering
- Product Manager / Head of Product
- Data Scientist / Head of Analytics
The key here is to create a few different 'personas'. For example, the Head of Sales cares about getting more qualified leads. The Head of Engineering cares about easy integration and reliable uptime. Your ads and messaging need to speak to their specific pain points. Don't use a one-size-fits-all approach.
You mentioned using outside data. This is definetely a solid strategy for more advanced targeting. You could use a tool like Apollo.io or ZoomInfo to build a list of specific companies you want to target (Account-Based Marketing), find the key decision-makers at those companies, and then upload that list to LinkedIn as a Matched Audience. It’s a very direct way to get your ads in front of the right people, but it requires more upfront work.
I'd say you need to define your objectives first...
Once you know *who* you're targeting, you need to decide *what* you want them to do. Just driving traffic to your homepage is a waste of money. Every campaign needs a clear, measurable goal.
For a B2B SaaS biz like yours, the main objective is almost always lead generation. But how you capture that lead matters a lot. On LinkedIn, you've basically got two main options:
1. LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms: These are the pop-up forms that appear directly on LinkedIn after someone clicks your ad. LinkedIn auto-fills the user's profile information (name, email, company, job title, etc.).
- Pros: Super low friction. The user doesn't have to leave LinkedIn or type much. This means you generally get a much lower Cost Per Lead (CPL). I remember one software client where we focused on decision makers and achieved a cost per lead of $22, which is pretty good for LinkedIn.
- Cons: The quality of the leads can be lower. Because it's so easy to submit, you get more 'tyre-kickers' or people who don't fully remember filling out the form. You'll need a solid follow-up process to qualify these leads properly.
2. Sending Traffic to a Landing Page: This is the more traditional approach where your ad clicks through to a dedicated page on your website, which has a form for them to fill out.
- Pros: The leads you get are much higher quality. Someone who has taken the time to leave LinkedIn, read your landing page, and manually fill out a form is showing much higher intent. They are more educated about what you offer.
- Cons: Your CPL will be higher. There's more friction, so your conversion rate will be lower. It's your job to make that landing page as persuasive as possible with great copy, clear calls-to-action, and social proof (like logos of existing customers).
So which one should you choose? My advice is to test both. Run two identical campaigns, with the only difference being the conversion point (Lead Gen Form vs. Landing Page). See which one delivers not just the most leads, but the most *qualified* leads that your sales team can actually turn into customers. It's not about the cheapest lead; it's about the best return on your investment.
You probably should test a few ad formats...
LinkedIn gives you a bunch of different ad formats. Don't just stick to one. Different formats work better for different stages of awareness and for different messages. I usually start with Sponsored Content for lead generation, and then test different creative types within that.
Here are the main ones to consider:
-> Single Image Ads: These are the bread and butter of LinkedIn advertising. A strong image, a compelling headline, and concise text. They're great for getting a clear, simple message across quickly and driving clicks. Make the image bold and eye-catching so it stands out in the busy LinkedIn feed.
-> Video Ads: Video can be really powerful for explaining a complex product like an API. You could do a short 30-60 second video that shows a use case, a quick demo, or a testimonial. People who watch a good chunk of your video before clicking are usually more qualified. It helps build trust and understanding before they even get to your form.
-> Carousel Ads: These let you showcase multiple images or 'cards' in a single ad. This could be perfect for you. You could have each card represent a different feature (Enrichment, Research, Analytics) or a different use case (For Sales Teams, For Marketers, For Developers). It allows you to tell a bigger story in one ad unit.
-> Conversation Ads: These are a bit different. They appear in a user's LinkedIn messaging inbox and allow for a sort of 'choose your own adventure' experience with different call-to-action buttons. They feel more personal. This can be effective for starting conversations with very specific, high-value prospects, but it can also feel a bit spammy if not done right. Think of it like a paid, automated cold outreach.
I would start by testing a Single Image Ad against a short Video Ad. Create a few variations of the ad copy for each, speaking to the different pain points of your target personas. Measure everything: Click-Through Rate (CTR), CPL, and importantly, the quality of the leads from each format.
You'll need a solid testing structure...
Right, so how do you pull all this together without it becoming a complete mess? You need a logical campaign structure that lets you test things methodically.
Start simple. Create one main campaign with the objective "Lead Generation".
Inside that campaign, create separate Ad Sets for each audience you want to test. For example:
- Ad Set 1: Targeting Job Titles (e.g., Head of Sales, Head of Marketing) + Company Size (50-250)
- Ad Set 2: Targeting Industries (e.g., Software, Fintech) + Company Size (50-250)
- Ad Set 3 (Optional): Your Matched Audience list of target companies + relevant job functions
By keeping the audiences separate, you can clearly see which one performs best. Don't lump them all together, or you'll have no idea what's actually working.
Then, within each of those Ad Sets, you place your ads. I'd start with 2-3 different ads in each. For instance:
- Ad 1: Single Image Ad with Copy A
- Ad 2: Single Image Ad with Copy B
- Ad 3: Video Ad with Copy A
Let the campaign run for a week or two (depending on your budget) to gather enough data. Don't make panicked decisions after a day. Look at the results. Is one audience giving you a much lower CPL? Pause the others and put more budget behind the winner. Is the video ad getting way more engagement than the image ad? Pause the image ad and create a new video to test against it.
This process of testing, learning, and optimising is continous. Your first campaigns probably won't be perfect. The goal is to gather data, find winning combinations of audience and creative, and then scale what works. I remember one client, a medical recruitment SaaS, where we managed to reduce their CPA from £100 to £7 using rigorous testing on Meta and Google Ads. It takes patience.
This is the main advice I have for you:
| Area | Recommendation | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| ICP & Audience | Start with 2-3 core audience segments. e.g., one based on specific Job Titles (Heads of Sales/Marketing/Eng) and one on Industries (SaaS, Fintech). Keep them in seperate ad sets. | Avoids targeting too broadly. Allows you to clearly identify which audience profile responds best to your offer before you scale spend. |
| Campaign Objective | Run an A/B test. One campaign pointing to a LinkedIn Lead Gen Form, and an identical one pointing to a dedicated landing page on your site. | This will give you a clear answer on whether you should prioritise lead volume (Lead Gen Form) or lead quality (Landing Page) for your specific business. |
| Ad Formats & Creative | In each ad set, test at least one Single Image Ad against one short (30-60s) Video Ad. Use different copy that speaks to the persona's pain points. | You don't know what format will resonate best until you test. A video might explain your API better, while an image might get a faster click. Data should make the decision. |
| Budget & Measurement | Allocate a test budget you're comfortable losing (£1-2k is a decent start). Measure CPL but also track those leads downstream to see which source generates actual qualified opportunities. | The cheapest lead is rarely the best lead. Success isn't a low CPL, it's a high ROI. This requires tracking beyond the initial click and conversion. |
As you can probably tell, there's a fair bit to it. Getting this stuff right from the beginning can save you thousands in wasted ad spend and months of frustration. It’s about having a proper strategy, not just boosting posts.
This is where working with someone with expertise can make a big difference. We've been through this process with numerous B2B software companies and know the common pitfalls and the levers to pull to get things moving in the right direction.
If you'd like to go over this in more detail and have a look at your specific situation, we offer a free initial consultation. We could walk through your goals and put together a more concrete plan of action for you.
Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh
