Introduction

LinkedIn Ads are getting pricey, but they still work best for B2B. This report shows when and how to spend smartly in 2025.

What's the problem it solves?

Many B2B marketers use LinkedIn Ads without knowing what results to expect. They often waste money chasing clicks without understanding if those clicks lead to real leads or deals. This report helps solve that by showing clear data on what actually works-so marketers can stop guessing and start planning better.

Quick Summary

This report looks at ad data from over 70 B2B SaaS companies to understand what makes LinkedIn Ads worth the money. Instead of only checking ad clicks or cost, it tracks what really matters: how many people became serious leads, how many turned into sales, and what the return on spend looked like. The data shows how each quarter performed across key areas like cost per click, lead quality, sales speed, and revenue.

Q1 and Q2 were best for fast lead-to-sale cycles. Q2 gave the most leads for the least money. Q3 had the best return, even with higher ad costs, because many of those leads turned into real sales later. Q4 had the biggest spend but also the slowest returns, showing that timing matters. Across all quarters, the biggest lesson was that spending more doesn’t always mean better results. High-intent targeting and well-timed campaigns work better than big budgets alone.

Key Takeaways from the article

• Q2 gave the best results for cost per lead and lead quality.
• Q3 had the best return on money spent, generating 6.01x in pipeline.
• Q4 saw the biggest spend but had the weakest lead generation, with a longer path to sales.
• February was the strongest month in Q1 for getting high-quality leads.
• September had the best clicks and views, making Q3 a good time for big outreach.
• LinkedIn Ads don’t work just because of big spend—they work when timed well and aimed at high-intent leads.
• CTR peaked at 1.05% in Q3, showing more engagement when campaigns were focused.
• Q1 had the cheapest clicks, but not the most engagement.
• Pipeline deals created in Q2 and Q3 often closed in Q4.
• The best marketing teams spread their spend across the year, not just in Q4, and focus on trust and timing, not just volume.

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