LinkedIn Ads Show

Show Resources

• Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert
• Rate/Review
• Contact us with any questions, suggestions, corrections!

Summary

Ever feel like you're wasting LinkedIn Ads budget reaching the wrong company sizes? In this episode of The LinkedIn Ads Show, host AJ Wilcox dives deep into one of the platform's most powerful — and misunderstood — targeting facets: company size. Learn how LinkedIn determines company size, the hidden pitfalls of inclusion vs. exclusion targeting, and why over half of LinkedIn's users may not be targetable by size at all. Whether you're going after SMBs or enterprises, you'll discover practical strategies (including a game-changing micro-segmentation tip) to make sure your ads reach the right audience — and avoid costly mistakes.

Transcript

For the full show transcript, see the show notes page here: Episode 163

Show Resources

• Reach out to Ian Nelson on LinkedIn
• Ian's Website
• Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert
• Rate/Review
• Contact us with any questions, suggestions, corrections!

Summary

Think lead magnets are outdated? Think again. In this episode of The LinkedIn Ads Show, AJ Wilcox is joined by lead magnet expert Ian Nelson to uncover the secret sauce behind the viral comment-to-get lead magnet trend taking over LinkedIn. You'll learn why it's exploding right now, how top creators are building them weekly using AI, and how to turn all that engagement into real sales opportunities. If you want to grow your LinkedIn presence and fill your calendar with qualified leads, this is one episode you can't afford to miss.

Show Transcript

For the full show transcript, see the show notes page here: Episode 162

• Connect with Gina Kleiner on LinkedIn
• Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert
• Rate/Review
• Contact us with any questions, suggestions, or corrections

Summary

AJ Wilcox interviews Gina Kleiner, the lead PMM of LinkedIn Ads from LinkedIn, to unveil the newly upgraded Live Event Ads format on LinkedIn—a dynamic and powerful tool for B2B marketers. They explore exciting updates offered to combine the storytelling power of video with detailed performance metrics—ideal for B2B campaigns.

Show Transcript

For the full show transcript, see the show notes page here: Episode 161

• Amazing video ads performance with Chandler Quintin
• Chandler Quintin on LinkedIn or funb2bads.com
• Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert
• Subscribe
• Rate/Review
• Contact us with any questions, suggestions, or corrections

In this surprising episode of The LinkedIn Ads Show, host AJ Wilcox teams up with guest Chandler Quinton of Video Brothers to bust a long-held belief: that vertical video outperforms other formats on LinkedIn. After analyzing over $140,000 in ad spend across multiple campaigns, they discovered that horizontal (16:9) video significantly outperforms vertical (9:16) and square (1:1) in view rate, completion rate, and cost efficiency—by as much as 2x to 4x.

Show Transcript:

For the full show transcript, see the show notes page here: Episode 160

Show Resources:

• Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert
• Rate/Review
• Email us with any questions, suggestions, or corrections!

Summary:

In this episode of The LinkedIn Ads Show, host AJ Wilcox unpacks LinkedIn's newest analytics feature: the Measurement Insights tool. Rolled out starting in late October, the tool aims to help advertisers better evaluate performance across the full funnel—awareness, consideration, conversion, and even revenue—by leveraging CRM data and analyzing up to 50 recent touchpoints per user. AJ explores each section of the tool, shares where it shines, and gives honest commentary on areas where it still falls short—like campaign-level granularity and efficiency-based measurement.

1. Funnel Performance is Bucketed by Objective – LinkedIn assigns campaigns to funnel stages based on the objective selected (e.g., brand awareness = top of funnel), which may not reflect actual strategy or intent.

2. Powerful Visual Reporting with Limitations – While the new performance charts allow overlaying up to three metrics, they can't be drilled down to specific campaigns or ads—only grouped by funnel stages.

3. AI-Driven Company & Member Insights – The tool uses behavioral data to show which companies and job roles are progressing through your funnel, offering high-level targeting intelligence.

4. CRM Integration Unlocks Revenue Attribution – If connected, the tool shows lead progression through to closed-won, giving a more complete picture of business impact.

5. Top Performer Logic = Volume, Not Efficiency – LinkedIn defines "top" as highest volume of key results, not best cost-efficiency, which can mislead performance conclusions.

• Check if you have access: In Campaign Manager, look for "Measurement" in the left-hand nav. If it replaced "Analyze," you've got it.

• Explore and experiment: Play with filters, toggle between individual and company views, and test different funnel stages for insights.

• Connect your CRM: Unlock deeper revenue and sales performance insights.

• Give feedback to LinkedIn: Share what's useful and what you'd like improved. The tool is still early in development.

• Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community: To learn how other advertisers are using the tool and swap strategies, visit fanatics.b2linked.com.

Show Transcript:

For the full show transcript, see the show notes page here: Episode 159

• Watch this episode
• Connect with Adam Robinson on LinkedIn
• Get RB2B! It's Free!
• Sam McKenna's case study using LinkedIn Ads w/ RB2B
• Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert
• Rate/Review
• Email us with any questions, suggestions, or corrections!

In this episode of The LinkedIn Ads Show, host AJ Wilcox sits down with Adam Robinson, founder of RB2B.com, to discuss the hot (and surprisingly free) trend of website visitor identification—what it is, how it works, and how B2B marketers can use it to level up their LinkedIn Ads strategy.

Adam shares how RB2B helps marketers identify individual website visitors—complete with LinkedIn profiles, emails, and more—and how this signal can be used for lead generation, retargeting, and enhanced CRM workflows. Together, AJ and Adam walk through a real case study where just $200 in LinkedIn ad spend drove a 1,478% spike in traffic and real pipeline results.

The episode also takes a valuable detour into organic content and personal branding, offering gold-level insight on how to find your voice on LinkedIn, what makes a "banger" post, and why authenticity trumps polish.

1. Visitor identification is a powerful signal—not a silver bullet Knowing exactly who is on your site gives your sales and marketing teams an edge—but it needs to be used thoughtfully and with context.
2. Use CRM integration to turn raw identity into smart outreach When integrated with tools like HubSpot or Salesforce, visitor identity can trigger customized workflows based on your defined ICP and buyer journey stage.
3. Thought leadership ads can drive high-impact, low-cost traffic Combine high-performing organic posts with paid amplification, and use tools like RB2B to retarget visitors across channels—even without cookies.

AJ wraps up by urging listeners to get RB2B's free plan installed on their site immediately, emphasizing how it helps verify targeting, improve retargeting, and amplify the effectiveness of every marketing channel. Adam shares his excitement about expanding RB2B's integrations and his journey toward building a conscious, bootstrap-powered SaaS brand.

Check out RB2B.com, connect with Adam Robinson on LinkedIn, and don't forget to join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics Community for advanced training and support. As always, AJ invites listeners to leave a review, subscribe, and send in their questions or voice messages.

Show Transcript:

For the full show transcript, see the show notes page here: Episode 158

Here are the resources we covered in the episode:

• Here's the Startup Benchmarks Report from the episode, free
• Connect with Ruby on LinkedIn
• Slides that Ruby referenced
• Follow Kacie Jenkins on LinkedIn
• Follow Betty Mok on LinkedIn
• Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert
• Contact us at [email protected] with any questions, suggestions, or corrections!
• Rate/Review: a great, no-cost way to support us

In this episode of The LinkedIn Ads Show, host AJ Wilcox welcomes Ruby James from LinkedIn to discuss one of the most valuable benchmark reports available for B2B startups—Growth Benchmarks for Scaling B2B Startups. Unlike traditional benchmarks that focus solely on marketing performance, this report integrates both marketing and sales metrics, offering a holistic view of what success looks like for startups.

1. The Evolution of Measurement in B2B Marketing

   • The top-performing startups are measuring marketing success beyond lead generation, focusing on sales metrics like meetings booked, opportunities created, and revenue closed.
   • Sales and marketing are increasingly aligned, with some companies merging them into a single "Revenue Team" to eliminate attribution battles.

2. The Growing Impact of Executive Thought Leadership

   • Startups that integrate executive and industry thought leadership into their content strategy see higher engagement rates and stronger conversion rates through the funnel.
   • Data shows that retargeting audiences who saw thought leadership ads converted 45% more frequently than those who only saw traditional brand ads.
   • Low-lift, high-impact content (such as quick takes from executives) performs better than highly produced videos.

3. The Shift to an ABM (Account-Based Marketing) Strategy

   • Early-stage startups have increased ABM adoption by 30% in just two years.
   • More companies are leveraging LinkedIn's ABM tools, dynamically integrating CRM data and intent signals from platforms like G2 to refine their targeting.
   • Successful startups focus on pipeline acceleration campaigns, ensuring they engage buying committees throughout the entire sales cycle.

4. Reimagining the B2B Funnel

   • The traditional marketing funnel is outdated, and leading companies are shifting to an "in-market vs. out-of-market" approach (based on LinkedIn's 95-5 rule).
   • Companies that engage early in the buyer's journey (before prospects enter the market) are more likely to be on their final shortlist when they're ready to buy.

5. The "Measurement Gold Rush"

   • Startups are investing in advanced measurement solutions (e.g., HockeyStack, Factors AI, Dreamdata) to track multi-touch attribution and incrementality.
   • The mindset is shifting to accepting that not everything can be perfectly measured and prioritizing longer time horizons for campaign evaluation.

• The full benchmark report is available in the show notes, and listeners are encouraged to read along.
• Ruby invites listeners to connect with her on LinkedIn for more insights and upcoming research.
• AJ encourages LinkedIn Ads fanatics to check out the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community for exclusive content, courses, and coaching.

This episode provides game-changing insights into LinkedIn advertising and B2B marketing strategy, especially for startups looking to scale efficiently while ensuring sales and marketing are aligned.

Want more insights? Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community at fanatics.b2linked.com.

For the full show transcript, see the show notes page here: Episode 157

Here were the resources we covered in the episode:

Our last deep-dive analysis on holiday traffic from 2022's holidays

Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert

Follow AJ on LinkedIn

B2Linked's YouTube Channel

Contact us at [email protected] with any questions, suggestions, or corrections!

A great, no-cost way to support us: Rate/Review

In this episode of The LinkedIn Ads Show, AJ Wilcox dives into LinkedIn's recommendation to keep ads running during the holiday season, analyzing over $185,000 in ad spend to see if the advice holds up.

• Engagement rates dropped across all major holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's), indicating lower user activity.
• Click-through rates saw slight improvements but not enough to justify higher costs.
• Cost per lead increased significantly, making conversions more expensive.
• Thought leader ads and video ads performed better, especially in the period between Christmas and New Year's.
• Thanksgiving had the best overall performance, while New Year's saw the highest video engagement.

• Pause single image ads and conversation ads on holidays—they generally performed worse.
• Resume conversation ads immediately after holidays to capitalize on higher engagement.
• Keep video and thought leader ads running—they showed strong performance.
• Be mindful of bidding strategy—manual CPC bidding helped maintain cost efficiency.

AJ's final verdict? Unless you're running video or thought leader ads, pausing your LinkedIn campaigns over the holidays is likely the smarter move.

Want more insights? Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community at fanatics.b2linked.com.

For the full show transcript, see the show notes page here: Episode 156

Here were the resources we covered in the episode:

Ian Nelson on LinkedIn

Block Lists for Right Rail Ads

Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert

Follow AJ on LinkedIn

B2Linked's YouTube Channel

Contact us at [email protected] with any questions, suggestions, corrections!

A great no-cost way to support us: Rate/Review!

In this episode of The LinkedIn Ads Show, host AJ Wilcox explores the evolution of LinkedIn Ads, the perception challenges it has faced, and how new advancements in measurement tools are changing the game. AJ takes a deep dive into LinkedIn's Measurement Insights Tool, detailing its features, functionality, and how it can provide better attribution and campaign insights for B2B marketers.

Key Discussion Points:

1. The Evolution of LinkedIn Ads:

   • LinkedIn Ads historically faced criticism for being expensive and underdeveloped compared to competitors.
   • Recent years have seen exponential growth in platform adoption as B2B marketers recognize the unmatched targeting and traffic quality LinkedIn offers.
   • LinkedIn's investment in advanced measurement tools is a game-changer, aiming to prove the platform's value beyond cost.

2. Introducing the Measurement Insights Tool:

   • Overview: LinkedIn is rolling out a new tool called the Measurement Insights Tool, accessible via the "Measurement" tab in Campaign Manager.
   • Stages: The tool organizes data into funnel stages—Awareness, Consideration, Conversion, and Revenue—based on campaign objectives and CRM integration.

3. Features and Insights:

   • Performance Chart: Visualizes campaign performance metrics (e.g., impressions, clicks, cost per click, leads) over time.
   • Company Funnel Analysis: Tracks companies through funnel stages based on engagement and CRM data.
   • Top Performing Audiences: Identifies high-performing audience segments by seniority, job function, location, and company size.
   • Top Performing Ads and Campaigns: Highlights ads and campaigns generating the highest results for specific objectives, though efficiency metrics are not prioritized.

4. Advanced Attribution:

   • LinkedIn analyzes the last 50 touchpoints (impressions and clicks) per member, allocating credit for conversions across funnel stages.
   • The tool relies on LinkedIn-specific attribution models but encourages comparison with external attribution systems.

5. Opportunities and Limitations:

   • While the tool offers valuable high-level insights, it lacks the ability to drill down into specific campaigns or ads for deeper analysis.
   • It's a strong starting point but requires further refinement to become more actionable for advertisers.

Why You Should Listen:

• Learn how to leverage the new Measurement Insights Tool to improve campaign strategy and attribution.
• Discover how LinkedIn's advancements in AI-driven reporting are shaping the future of B2B advertising.
• Gain practical tips for integrating LinkedIn Ads data with your overall marketing strategy.

Call to Action:

• Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics Community to connect with top advertisers, access courses, and participate in weekly group calls with AJ.
• Share your feedback on the Measurement Insights Tool with LinkedIn reps to help shape its development.

Connect and Contribute:

• Submit questions, feedback, or reviews via LinkedIn or email at [email protected]. Attach a voice recording to be featured on the show!

This episode is great for those who want to understand LinkedIn's newest measurement tools and how they can help you maximize your LinkedIn Ads investment.

For the full show transcript, see the show notes page here: Episode 155

Here were the resources we covered in the episode:

Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community and get access to our 4 courses to take you from beginner to expert

Follow AJ on LinkedIn

B2Linked's YouTube Channel

Contact us at [email protected] with any questions, suggestions, corrections!

A great no-cost way to support us: Rate/Review! In this episode of The LinkedIn Ads Show, host AJ Wilcox dives into strategies for nurturing cold audiences on LinkedIn to prepare them for meaningful engagement and high-conversion offers. If you've struggled with converting cold traffic into sales-ready leads, this episode walks you through how to build a multi-stage funnel using LinkedIn Ads retargeting features.

Key Discussion Points:

1. Why Cold Audiences Need Nurturing:

   • Most cold audiences (95%) aren't ready to engage with sales reps or bottom-of-funnel offers.
   • Nurturing involves multiple retargeting stages to move prospects down the funnel, warming them up to higher-friction calls to action.

2. Building a Multi-Stage Funnel:

   • Stage 1 (Cold Traffic): Use LinkedIn's native audience targeting to reach cold audiences who align with your ideal customer profile.
   • Stage 2 (First Retargeting): Retarget website visitors, company page visitors, and ad engagers from Stage 1. Apply targeting "guardrails" like seniority, job function, or industry to refine the audience.
   • Stage 3 (Hot Traffic): Retarget prospects from Stage 2 who have engaged meaningfully. These are primed for bottom-of-funnel offers like demos or sales calls.

3. Best Practices for Funnel Organization:

   • Use a campaign naming convention like S01, S02, S03 to clearly identify funnel stages in your account and ensure they're sorted alphabetically.
   • Exclude retargeting audiences from the previous stage to avoid overlap and ensure prospects graduate down the funnel.

4. Retargeting Audience Management:

   • Create retargeting audiences based on specific engagements (e.g., video views, document interactions).
   • Combine smaller audiences (e.g., website visitors + company page visitors) to ensure they hit the 300-member minimum for ads to serve.

5. Budget Considerations:

   • A multi-stage funnel works best with a monthly budget of $5,000 or more, though smaller budgets are possible with longer ramp-up times.

6. Testing and Optimization:

   • Run bottom-of-funnel offers in earlier stages as a test to gauge audience readiness.
   • If Stage 3 doesn't yield high conversion rates, adjust ad messaging to clearly communicate value and reduce friction.

7. Recent LinkedIn Updates:

   • LinkedIn Wire Beta: Advertise as pre-roll videos on high-trust publisher content like Bloomberg and Forbes.
   • Holiday Ad Tips: Lower competition during the holidays results in reduced CPCs and CPLs, making it an opportune time to run campaigns.

8. Pro Tips:

   • Take advantage of seasonal or holiday-themed campaigns for better engagement.
   • Use organic posts from company representatives to complement paid ads, especially during events.

Call to Action: Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community for access to expert insights, courses, and weekly group calls with AJ. Subscribe to the podcast for weekly LinkedIn Ads tips, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help other marketers discover the show.

Review and Connect: AJ welcomes listener questions, suggestions, and feedback via LinkedIn or email at [email protected]. Submit a voice recording to be featured in a future episode.

For the full show transcript, see the show notes page here: Episode 154