Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out! Happy to give you some initial thoughts on your LinkedIn retargeting. It's a common problem to see people show interest but then drop off, especially in B2B. Tbh, the issue is rarely about the location targeting or the platform itself. It's almost always a breakdown in strategy. Most retargeting fails because it's lazy; it just shouts "Hey, you visited my site, come back!" which doesn't work.
The solution isn't to spend more money showing the same ad to the same people. It's to fundamentally rethink who you're talking to, what you're saying to them, and, most importantly, what you're asking them to do. Let's get into it.
TLDR;
- Your retargeting is likely failing because your offer is too high-friction (e.g., "Request a Demo") and your audience segmentation is too broad. Stop treating all website visitors the same.
- The most important piece of advice is to scrap the "Request a Demo" button and replace it with a high-value, low-friction offer that solves a small, specific problem for your prospect for free.
- Segment your retargeting audiences based on intent. Someone who visited your pricing page is far more valuable than someone who just read a blog post. Your messaging must reflect this.
- Focus on your prospect's pain. Your ads shouldn't talk about your services; they should talk about the expensive, urgent nightmare your services eliminate.
- This letter includes an interactive LTV to CAC calculator to help you figure out how much you can actually afford to spend to re-engage a potential client, and a funnel flowchart to visualise your new retargetting strategy.
We'll need to look at why your current retargeting isn't working...
Right, let's be brutally honest. Most LinkedIn retargeting is a complete waste of money. People set up a single campaign targeting "all website visitors from the last 90 days," run the same ad they show to cold audiences, and then wonder why nobody converts. The reason is simple: you haven't given them a compelling reason to come back. They've already seen your pitch once and they weren't convinced. Showing it to them again, only louder, isn't a stratgey.
The core of the problem usually boils down to two things: a broken offer and a lack of audience segmentation.
First, the offer. I'm willing to bet your main call to action is something like "Contact Us," "Book a Call," or the dreaded "Request a Demo." This is perhaps the most arrogant CTA in B2B marketing. It presumes your prospect, who is likely a busy decision-maker, has nothing better to do than schedule a meeting to be sold to. It's all friction and no value for them. They've already shown passive interest by visiting your site; your retargeting job is to escalate that interest with an irresistible, value-first offer, not to demand their time. You need to earn the right to have a sales conversation.
Second, audience segmentation. Lumping everyone who ever visited your website into one bucket is madness. A person who spent 10 minutes on your main service page and then visited your pricing page has demonstrated vastly different intent than someone who bounced after reading half a blog post. Yet, most retargeting campaigns treat them as identical. This leads to generic messaging that speaks to no one. To re-engage someone effectively, you must understand where they are in their buying journey and tailor your message and offer to that specific stage. Without this, you're just spamming people who already ignored you once.
I'd say you need to define your audience by their intent, not just their clicks...
Okay, so how do we fix this? We stop thinking about "website visitors" and start thinking in tiers of intent. Your job is to create small, highly specific audiences based on the actions they took, which signal how close they are to making a decision. Then, you can target each of these segments with a message and an offer that's hyper-relevant to them.
Here's how I'd typically break down LinkedIn retargeting audiences, moving from lower to higher intent:
| Audience Segment | Description & Intent Level | Lookback Window |
|---|---|---|
| Company Page Engagers | People who've liked, commented on, or shared your organic posts. Low intent, but they're aware of your brand. | 60-90 Days |
| Video Viewers (50%+) | They've watched at least half of one of your video ads. They are engaged with your content. Medium intent. | 30-60 Days |
| All Website Visitors | The broadest digital audience. Includes blog readers, homepage visitors, etc. Still relatively low intent. Use this as a baseline. | 30 Days |
| Key Page Visitors | People who visited your core service pages or case study pages. They are actively researching solutions. High intent. | 14-30 Days |
| Lead Form Starters | They opened your LinkedIn Lead Gen Form but didn't submit it. The highest possible intent—they were one click away. | 7 Days |
You need to create separate campaigns or ad sets for these different tiers. The goal is to move people through a logical progression of engagement, not just blast them with the same message repeatedly. Think of it as a funnel.
Top of Funnel (ToFu) - Cold Audiences
Goal: Awareness & Education
Audiences: Detailed Targeting (Job Titles, Industries, Skills), Lookalikes
Offer: Gated Content, Webinar, Newsletter
Middle of Funnel (MoFu) - Warm Retargeting
Goal: Nurture & Build Trust
Audiences: Website Visitors, Video Viewers, Page Engagers
Offer: Case Studies, Free Tool/Audit, Value-Packed Checklist
Bottom of Funnel (BoFu) - Hot Retargeting
Goal: Conversion
Audiences: Key Page Visitors, Lead Form Starters
Offer: Free Strategy Call, Personalised Demo, Limited-Time Offer
You probably should rethink your offer entirely...
This is the most critical part. Your offer's only job is to deliver a moment of undeniable value—an "aha!" moment that makes the prospect sell themselves on your solution. A generic "Book a call" is a selfish ask. It offers no immediate value. Instead, you must bottle your expertise into a tool, content, or asset that provides an instant win.
For a service business like yours, you are not exempt from this. You need to create something that solves a small, real problem for free to earn the right to solve their entire problem for a fee. I've run countless B2B campaigns, and the ones that succeed are always the ones with the most generous, value-driven offers. I remember one campaign we ran on LinkedIn for an environmental controls company where we managed to reduce their cost per lead by 84%. A significant factor in that success was moving away from a direct sales pitch to an offer that provided real value upfront. It worked because it was helpful, not salesy.
Here are some ideas for offers that actually work in retargeting:
- -> A Free, Automated Audit: Can you build a simple tool that analyses something for them? A website SEO checker, a security vulnerability scanner, an ad spend calculator. It gives them instant, personalised value.
- -> A High-Value Template or Checklist: A '10-Point Checklist for Hiring Your Next Sales Rep' or a 'Content Calendar Template for B2B SaaS'. Something they can immediately use.
- -> A 15-Minute 'Micro-Training' Video: Don't gate a long webinar. Offer a short, punchy video that teaches them how to solve one specific, annoying problem.
- -> A Free Strategy Session: This is our preferred offer. It's still a call, but it's framed entirely around them. We audit their existing ad campaigns for free, give them actionable advice, and there's no obligation. It demonstrates our expertise and builds immense trust.
Notice the difference? One is about what YOU want (a meeting). The other is about what THEY want (a solution to a problem). This shift in perspective is everything.
| High-Friction, Low-Value Offers (AVOID) |
|---|
| Request a Demo |
| Book a Consultation |
| Contact Sales |
| Learn More (leading to a generic homepage) |
| Low-Friction, High-Value Offers (USE THESE) |
| Download Free [Checklist/Template] |
| Get Your Free [Automated Audit/Report] |
| Watch a 10-Min Training Video |
| Get a Free, No-Obligation Strategy Review |
You'll need a message they can't ignore...
Once you have your segmented audiences and your high-value offers, you need to write copy that speaks directly to their situation. Generic ads get ignored. Your retargeting ad copy must acknowledge their previous interaction and provide a compelling next step.
I always use the Problem-Agitate-Solve framework for service businesses. You don't sell your service; you sell a good night's sleep. You remind them of the pain they're in, you pour a little salt on the wound by showing them the consequences of inaction, and then you present your high-value offer as the easy way out.
Here’s how you could apply this to your different audience segments:
- For MoFu (e.g., Key Page Visitors):
- Ad Copy: "Still trying to solve [The Big Problem]? We get it, it's complex. But every day you wait, you're likely losing [Time/Money/Efficiency]. We created a free checklist that breaks down the exact steps our clients use to overcome this. Grab it here, no strings attached."
- Why it works: It acknowledges their research, validates their struggle, introduces urgency, and offers a no-risk solution.
- For BoFu (e.g., Lead Form Starters):
- Ad Copy: "Looked like you were about to reach out. If you're on the fence, that's okay. How about this: let's do a free 15-minute strategy call. I'll review your current approach to [Problem Area] and give you at least two actionable tips you can implement immediately. No sales pitch, just help. Sound fair?"
- Why it works: It's direct, low-pressure, and completely reframes the 'call' as a value-add for them. It removes the risk of being sold to.
The copy needs to be personal and direct. Use "you" and "your". Speak to their specific pain. Forget your brand voice for a second and just be a helpful expert offering advice. This is what builds the trust needed for them to finally take that next step and properly engage with you.
Let's talk about the numbers that actually matter...
The real question isn't "How low can my Cost Per Lead go?" but "How high a CPL can I afford to acquire a great client?" To answer that, you need to understand your Customer Lifetime Value (LTV). Without this number, you're flying blind, likely turning off campaigns that are actually profitable in the long run because you're scared of a high upfront cost.
Let's do the maths. You need three pieces of information:
- Average Revenue Per Account (ARPA): What do you make per client, per month?
- Gross Margin %: What's your profit margin on that revenue?
- Monthly Churn Rate: What percentage of clients do you lose each month?
The calculation is: LTV = (ARPA * Gross Margin %) / Monthly Churn Rate
For example, if a client pays you £1,000/month, your gross margin is 75%, and you lose 5% of your clients each month, your LTV is (£1,000 * 0.75) / 0.05 = £15,000. Each client is worth £15,000 in gross margin to you. A healthy LTV to Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) ratio is at least 3:1. This means you can afford to spend up to £5,000 to acquire a new client. Suddenly that £150 CPL on LinkedIn doesn't seem so bad, does it? It looks like a bargain.
This is the kind of thinking that unlocks aggressive, intelligent growth. Use the calculator below to figure out your own numbers.
This is the main advice I have for you:
To pull this all together, here is a summary of the actionable steps you should take to fix your LinkedIn retargeting. This isn't about tweaking bids or headlines; it's a strategic overhaul of your entire approach to re-engaging prospects.
| Problem Area | My Recommendation | Why This Is a Better Approch |
|---|---|---|
| Audience Strategy | Stop using one "all website visitors" audience. Create segmented audiences based on intent (e.g., Key Page Visitors, Video Viewers, Lead Form Starters). | Allows you to tailor your message and offer to the prospect's specific stage in the buying journey, dramatically increasing relevance and conversion rates. |
| The Offer | Delete the "Request a Demo" or "Contact Us" CTA. Replace it with a high-value, low-friction offer like a free tool, checklist, or a no-obligation strategy session. | Delivers immediate value to the prospect, builds trust, demonstrates your expertise, and removes the friction of a sales call, making it much more likely they'll re-engage. |
| Ad Messaging | Use the Problem-Agitate-Solve framework. Speak directly to your audience's pain point, highlight the negative consequences of inaction, and present your new offer as the logical solution. | Connects with the prospect on an emotional level. People buy to solve problems, not to aquire services. This makes your ad feel like helpful advice, not a sales pitch. |
| Campaign Structure | Create separate retargeting campaigns for your MoFu (mid-funnel) and BoFu (bottom-funnel) audiences, each with their own tailored offers and messaging. | Prevents audience overlap and allows you to control budget and messaging precisely for each stage of the funnel, ensuring you're not showing a hard-sell ad to someone not ready for it. |
| Measurement | Calculate your LTV and affordable CAC. Shift your focus from minimizing Cost Per Lead to maximizing your investment in acquiring high-value clients. | Gives you the financial confidence to invest properly in your campaigns and make data-driven decisions based on long-term profitability, not short-term costs. |
Implementing this properly takes work, I know. It's much easier to just run a generic retargeting campaign. But the easy way rarely produces results. This all goes to say that you may benefit from working with someone who has deep expertise in building and scaling B2B advertising funnels.
It’s not just about setting up the campaigns; it's about understanding the deep psychology of the B2B buyer, crafting offers they can't refuse, and building a system that predictably turns clicks into clients. Getting this wrong can mean months of wasted ad spend and missed opportunities.
If you'd like to go through your account and current strategy together on a free, no-obligation strategy call, we'd be happy to do that. We can take a look at what you're doing now and give you some more personalised, actionable advice. No hard sell, just a genuine effort to help.
Hope this helps!
Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh
