Solved: Google Ads Maxed Out for B2B SaaS, What's Next?

Hi there,

Happy to give you some initial thoughts on your situation. It’s a classic challenge, to be honest. You've done the hard work of maxing out the highest-intent channel, Google Search, and now you're wondering what's next. It's a good problem to have, but a tricky one to solve, especially with those long competitor contracts in the mix.

What you're running into is the difference between capturing existing demand and creating new demand. Google is brilliant for capturing people who are already looking. But to scale beyond that, you have to find a way to get on the radar of people who *aren't* looking yet, and stay there until they're ready to make a move. This is a longer game, but it's definately doable.

I'd say you need a major shift in your advertising mindset...

Right now, you're fishing in a very specific spot where you know the fish are biting (people searching on Google when their contract is up). That's smart, and it's got you to 20,000 customers. But the rest of the ocean (platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook etc.) is full of fish that aren't hungry right now. You can't just use the same bait. Throwing "buy now" ads at them is, as you've seen, not very effective because they're physically unable to buy.

The goal on these other platforms shouldn't be an immediate sale or even a demo request. The goal is to become the obvious choice, the brand they already know and trust, for when that 1-5 year contract finally expires. This means your key performance indicator (KPI) shifts from Cost Per Acquisition (CAC) to something more like Cost Per Nurtured Lead, or even just audience engagement. It's a fundemental change from short-term ROI to long-term brand building and audience priming.

I remember one campaign we ran for a client in the software space. We helped them reduce their cost per lead by 84% by implementing a proper funnel and nurturing strategy on LinkedIn and Meta Ads. The focus wasn't on immediate sign-ups, but on building value and trust over time, ensuring they were the preferred option when potential customers were ready to commit.

We'll need to look at your offer for the 'not ready to buy' crowd...

Your product is better and people love it – that's a massive advantage. But an amazing product isn't an amazing offer for someone who can't use it for another two years. So, what can you offer them right now?

You need a "soft conversion" or a "top-of-funnel" offer. This is something of high value they can get for free, in exchange for their contact details. This lets you bring them into your world and start the nurturing process. Forget asking for a demo for now. Instead, think about creating things like:

-> An industry report: "The State of IoT Fleet Management in 2024: Trends, Costs, and Key Inefficiencies to Avoid".
-> A savings calculator: An interactive tool on a landing page where they can plug in a few numbers and see the potential ROI of switching to your system.
-> A guide to switching providers: "The Hassle-Free Guide to Switching IoT Providers: A Checklist for When Your Contract is Up". This leans right into their specific problem.
-> A case study deep-dive: A detailed PDF showing exactly how a similar SMB saved X amount or improved efficiency by Y percent after switching to you.

This gives your LinkedIn and Facebook ads a purpose. The call to action isn't "Buy Our Thing," it's "Download This Free Report." It's a much lower barrier to entry and it's genuinely helpful, which starts to build trust. Once you have their email, you can put them into a long-term nurture sequence. This is the first and most important step to making cold platforms work for you.

You probably should focus on LinkedIn for precise targeting...

Since you know your market is SMBs and you have an IoT product, LinkedIn is going to be your best bet for cold outreach. Facebook's B2B targeting is okay for "small business owners" but LinkedIn lets you get far more specific. This is where you can really zero in on your ideal customer persona.

You should think about the exact job titles of the people who make or influence the purchasing decision for a system like yours. Is it the Operations Manager, the CEO, the Head of Logistics, the IT Director? You can build audiences targeting these specific people, at companies of the right size (e.g., 50-250 employees), in your key industries. This avoids wasting money showing ads to people who have no say in the matter.

For ad formats, I'd test a few things:

-> Image Ads: Simple, effective. A strong image of your hardware, a punchy headline, and a clear call-to-action to download your report/guide. Fastest way to get the message across.
-> Video Ads: These can be really powerful for a product with a physical component. A short, 30-60 second video showing the device in action, highlighting its key benefits over competitors, can build a lot of trust and understanding. You can then retarget people who watch a certain percentage of the video.
-> Conversation Ads: These are more like sponsored InMail messages. They can feel a bit more personal but can also be expensive. Might be worth testing on a small scale to a very narrow, high-value audience.

I would strongly recommend testing LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms. When someone clicks your ad, a form pops up right there within LinkedIn, pre-filled with their profile information. The friction is incredibly low. This is perfect for your soft offers. I remember one campaign we ran for a B2B software company on LinkedIn, where we targeted decision-makers and achieved a cost per lead of around $22 using this exact method. It's much more effective than hoping they'll click through to a landing page and fill out a form from scratch.

You'll need a sophisticated, long-term retargeting plan...

This is where it all comes together. Getting the lead from LinkedIn is just the start. Now you have an audience of people who are in your target market and have shown a flicker of interest. The game now is to stay top-of-mind, gently, for the next 1-5 years. This requires a multi-stage retargeting strategy.

Here's a potential structure, moving from broader to more specific audiences:

-> MoFu (Middle of Funnel): Anyone who has downloaded your report or engaged with your LinkedIn/Facebook ads. Over the next 3-6 months, you show them a different set of ads.
-> Content: Show them your amazing social proof! Ads that highlight your 1,800+ positive reviews. "See why 1,800+ businesses rate us 5 stars." Video testimonials would be even better.
-> Content: Show them case studies. Ads that tell a story: "How [Client Name] switched and saved 30% on their operational costs."

-> BoFu (Bottom of Funnel): People who have visited key pages on your website, like the pricing page or specific feature pages, after being nurtured in the MoFu stage.
-> Content: Now the messaging can get a bit more direct. Address the pain of their current provider. "Tired of slow support and unreliable hardware? See the difference."
-> Content: This is where you can test a more aggressive offer. You mentioned people are locked in contracts. What if you made an offer to buy them out? "Stuck in a contract? We'll cover your last 6 months when you switch to us." This is a powerful lever that directly addresses their biggest objection. It won't be for everyone, but for a segment of your most engaged leads, it could be the final push they need.

This structure means you're not just spamming people. You're delivering a sequence of messages that build on each other, moving from general awareness to specific, problem-solving content, and finally to a compelling offer. This is how you win on platforms where intent isn't immediate.

This is the main advice I have for you:

I've detailed my main recommendations for you below in a table to give you a clearer overview of how these pieces fit together. This is a framework, and every part of it would need rigorous testing and optimisation.

Scaling beyond search, especialy in a market with long sales cycles, is a significant jump in complexity. It requires patience, a different set of metrics, and a commitment to playing the long game. You're moving from a simple A-to-B journey into building a complex, multi-touchpoint nurturing system.

Frankly, this is exactly the kind of scaling challenge our agency specialises in. We've taken numerous B2B SaaS clients from being maxed out on one channel to building robust, multi-channel growth engines. It's about having the experience to know which levers to pull, how to structure the campaigns correctly, and how to write copy that resonates at each specific stage of the funnel.

If you'd like to go through this in more detail and have us take a look at your current setup, we offer a free initial consultation. We could walk through your accounts and map out a more concrete strategy. It might give you the clarity you need to take the next step.

Regards,
Team @ Lukas Holschuh