The Complete UK B2B Top of Funnel Marketing Framework

If you’re running a B2B company in the UK right now, you’ve probably noticed that the old playbook isn't working quite like it used to. You know the one: throw up some LinkedIn ads targeting "CEOs in London," gate a generic whitepaper, and wait for the phone to ring. Spoiler: it’s not ringing. Or if it is, it’s someone trying to sell you SEO services.

The reality is that top-of-funnel (TOFU) marketing here is tough. The British market is cynical. We don’t like being sold to. We smell a sales pitch from a mile away, and frankly, with the economic climate being a bit wobbly, decision-makers are sitting on their hands. They aren't taking risks on unknown vendors unless the pain of staying the same is worse than the pain of switching.

I’ve audited enough ad accounts this year to see the same mistakes over and over. Companies burning thousands of pounds chasing "brand awareness" without a mechanism to capture it. So, I’m going to walk you through exactly how to fix this. No fluff, just the strategies we use for our clients to actually fill the funnel.

The "Nightmare" Problem: Why Your Targeting is Wrong

Most marketers start with demographics. They open up LinkedIn Campaign Manager and type in "Finance Directors" in "Greater London". It feels safe. It feels logical. It’s also a great way to waste money.

The problem is that a Finance Director at a Series A tech startup in Shoreditch has a completely different set of problems to a Finance Director at a manufacturing plant in Leeds. Targeting them both with the same message is a recipe for high costs and low engagement. Your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) shouldn't be a demographic; it should be a nightmare.

You need to define your customer by their specific, urgent, expensive problem. What keeps them awake at 3 AM? For that tech startup FD, it might be "runway is dwindling and AWS costs are spiralling". For the manufacturing FD, it might be "supply chain costs are eating margin".

Once you nail this, your Top of Funnel strategy shifts from "reaching people" to "solving problems". You aren't shouting "look at us"; you're whispering "I know exactly what you're dealing with." This is how you really build a B2B top-of-funnel strategy that works in a crowded market.

The Channel Debate: LinkedIn vs. The Rest

Every B2B founder I meet tells me they "have to be on LinkedIn". And sure, for B2B, LinkedIn is the platform where business happens. It’s a professional environment. But it’s also undeniably expensive. In the UK, you’re often looking at £5 to £10 just for a single click if you’re targeting competitive niches like tech or finance.

If you have a massive budget, great. Fill your boots. But if you’re trying to be efficient, you need to rethink this. I often advise clients to look at Meta (Facebook and Instagram). I know, I know. "My customers aren't on Instagram to buy software."

Except they are human beings. They check Instagram on the train home to Surrey. They scroll Facebook while waiting for a meeting in Canary Wharf. The targeting on Meta has changed. You can use B2B paid social strategies that rely on broad targeting but use the creative to do the filtering. If your ad says "Stop your AWS costs spiralling," only people who care about AWS costs will click. You get the right person, but often at a fraction of the cost of LinkedIn.

However, if you are strictly B2B and need to target specific companies (Account Based Marketing), LinkedIn is unrivaled. Just don't use it for generic "awareness". Use it to start conversations.

Strategy 1: The "Give to Get" (Top of Funnel Content)

Here’s where 90% of campaigns fail. You are asking for a demo too early. Asking a stranger to book a demo is like asking someone to marry you on the first date. It’s creepy and it’s high friction. Top of funnel is about trust.

In the UK especially, we value utility. Don't give me a "thought leadership" piece that is just a thinly veiled sales pitch. Give me a tool. A calculator. A template. Something I can use today without talking to a sales rep.

For example, instead of "Book a Consultation for your R&D Tax Credits," try promoting a "UK R&D Tax Credit Calculator: See how much HMRC owes you in 30 seconds."

The latter offers instant value. It solves a micro-problem. Once they use the tool, then you retarget them with the "Book a Consultation" offer. You've earned the right to ask.

Deep Dive: LinkedIn Techniques for the UK Market

If you are going to spend money on LinkedIn, you need to be smart about it. The "Spray and Pray" method doesn't work when clicks cost a fiver.

One technique that works well here is the "Video to Retargeting" funnel. You run a video ad (ToFu) that is purely educational. No pitch. Just you, or an expert in your team, talking about a specific industry problem. "Why most FinTech CFOs are overpaying for VAT."

You optimise this campaign for "Video Views". This is usually cheaper than clicks. Then, you build a custom audience of people who watched 50% of that video. These people have self-selected. They are interested in the problem.

Then, and only then, do you show them a Lead Gen Form ad offering a guide or a consultation to fix that exact problem. This is a classic example of moving people from TOFU awareness to leads efficiently. You aren't paying premium click prices for cold traffic; you're paying it for warm traffic.

For targeting in the UK, be careful with region filters. "United Kingdom" is fine, but if you sell high-end services, you might want to layer "London" + "Manchester" + "Edinburgh" to capture the business hubs, or exclude them if you want to find underserved companies in the Midlands or the North. Though honestly, with remote work, location is becoming less relevant for digital services.

Another thing: Job Titles. Be specific. "Director" is too broad. It includes the Director of a one-man band. Use "Job Function" (e.g., Marketing) + "Seniority" (e.g., CXO, VP, Director) AND "Company Size" (e.g., 51-200 employees). This is your sweet spot for LinkedIn Ads in the UK.

Meta Ads: The "Unprofessional" Goldmine

I mentioned this earlier, but let's dive deeper. Meta is where you can get volume. The CPMs (Cost per 1,000 impressions) are vastly lower than LinkedIn.

The trick with Meta for B2B is "Broad Targeting". Don't try to find "B2B Software Purchasers" interest groups. They are usually inaccurate. Instead, target a broad age range (e.g., 25-55) and let the algorithm do the work. The algorithm is smarter than you. It will look at who is clicking and find more people like them.

But—and this is a big but—your creative must be the filter. If you use a generic image of people shaking hands, you will get clicks from everyone, including my grandma. If you use an image of a dashboard showing "Logistics API Integration Error," only logistics tech people will click. You pay for the clicks, so make sure non-customers don't want to click.

We've seen campaigns for SaaS clients where Meta drove trials at $7 each, whereas costs on LinkedIn can often be significantly higher. It's not always the highest quality immediately, but if you have a good nurturing system (email sequences, retargeting), it’s a goldmine.

Google Ads: Capturing High Intent

Top of funnel usually implies creating demand, but don't ignore capturing existing demand. Google Search is where you catch people who have just realised they have a problem.

In the UK, you need to be wary of "Informational" vs "Commercial" intent. If someone searches "how to do payroll," they might just be a student or a small business owner trying to learn. If they search "outsourced payroll services London," they are a buyer.

For Top of Funnel on Google, you can target broader terms like "payroll software features" or "payroll compliance UK". These people are researching. Send them to a comparison page or a "Buyer's Guide," not a sales page. You need to nurture them. Check out our guide on UK B2B Google Ads lead generation for more on this split.

The "Sceptical Brit" Factor

A quick note on copy. American-style marketing often bombs in the UK. We don't like "Crush your competition!" or "Explode your revenue!". It sounds fake. It sounds like a scam.

British B2B copy should be understated, factual, and slightly dry. "Improve your efficiency by 20%" works better than "Skyrocket your productivity!!!!". Use British spelling (Optimise, not Optimize). Use GBP (£). If you show a dollar sign to a UK business owner, they subconsciously assume you are a US company that won't understand UK VAT laws or GDPR. It creates friction.

The Metrics That Actually Matter

Finally, how do you measure this? Vanity metrics like "Impressions" or "Reach" are useless if they don't turn into revenue. But for Top of Funnel, you can't just look at "Sales" immediately, because B2B sales cycles are long (3-18 months).

You need leading indicators. 1. CTR (Click Through Rate): Is the message resonating? 2. Cost Per Lead (CPL): Are we acquiring contacts at a sustainable price? 3. Lead Quality: Are these leads actually picking up the phone? Are they qualified?

You should calculate your LTV (Lifetime Value) to know what you can afford to pay. If a customer is worth £10,000 and you close 1 in 10 leads, a lead is worth £1,000. Suddenly, paying £50 for a lead on LinkedIn looks cheap. Don't be afraid of high CPLs if the quality is there.

My Main Recommendations

We've covered a lot, but to simplify things, I've detailed my main recommendations for you below. This is exactly how I would structure a campaign if I were starting from scratch today in the UK market.

Running B2B campaigns in the UK isn't just about setting up the ads; it's about understanding the psychology of the buyer and the economics of the platform. If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the options or just want a second pair of eyes to check you aren't burning budget on the wrong settings, it might be worth getting some expert help.

We offer a free initial consultation where we can look at your current strategy and spot any obvious money pits. No hard sell, just a chat to see if we can steer you in the right direction. Hope this helps!