12 LinkedIn Lead Generation Strategies & Examples for B2B Companies

Introduction: The Power of LinkedIn for B2B Lead Gen

With over 722 million professionals, LinkedIn has become the go-to platform for B2B companies looking to generate and nurture high-quality leads. LinkedIn offers unparalleled targeting capabilities based on job title, skills, company, and more – enabling you to reach your ideal prospects where they are already highly engaged.

In fact, LinkedIn members are 2x more likely to engage with Sponsored Content compared to other social platforms. The combination of accurate targeting and high engagement makes LinkedIn incredibly effective for connecting with decision-makers and driving conversions.

There are a wide variety of tactics B2B marketers can leverage on LinkedIn to generate leads, including:

• • Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns to promote content offers and ad messaging

• • Retargeting website visitors through customized audiences

• • LinkedIn Lead gen forms to capture prospects’ contact info directly on LinkedIn

• • Account-based marketing to target key accounts and contacts

• • Content marketing and social selling to build authority and organic reach

• • Follow LinkedIn ads best practices

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the most effective B2B lead generation strategies on LinkedIn and provide detailed real-world examples of success.

LinkedIn PPC Advertising: How It Works & Benefits

LinkedIn’s PPC platform enables advertisers to display Sponsored Content and Sponsored InMail to professionals that match your ideal customer profile.

The platform works similarly to Google Ads, utilizing an auction-based model where advertisers bid on keywords and placements. However, LinkedIn’s smaller network size and precise professional targeting allows brands to reach their intended audiences at a lower cost-per-click compared to broader search and display advertising.

Some of the unique advantages of LinkedIn PPC advertising for lead generation include:

• • Granular Targeting – Target by job title, seniority, company, industry, skills, interests, and more. Truly reach your ideal buyers with precision.

• • Lower CPC than Other PPC – Due to the professional targeting, it’s possible to achieve leads at a very favorable return on LinkedIn. CPCs are typically lower than Google or Facebook.

• • Built-in Retargeting – Remarket to previous site visitors or engagement within a LinkedIn campaign.

• • Robust Analytics – Conversion tracking and optimization features like pixel-level analytics and lead gen forms provide in-depth visibility into lead gen performance.

• • Ideal for creating Demand Generation as opposed to only Lead Generation

When creating LinkedIn campaigns, it’s important to tailor your messaging, offers, and creative specifically to the needs of your target audience on the platform. For example, promote a guide on supply chain optimization when targeting supply chain managers or VPs of Logistics.

Detailed targeting and relevant messaging are key to success. One SaaS company targeted senior IT decision-makers with a discount offer on their project management software, resulting in over 800 leads at just $16 cost per lead within the first month of their LinkedIn campaign.

Website Retargeting: Re-Engage Previous Visitors

Studies show that over 98% of prospects leave a website without converting on their first visit. LinkedIn retargeting helps you reconnect with those high-intent visitors who previously visited your site but didn’t convert initially.

The first step is installing the LinkedIn Insight Tag on your website, landing pages, and blog. This allows you to build customized audiences based on the specific pages prospects visited, their engagement on your content, and other behaviors.

Some best practices for executing effective LinkedIn retargeting campaigns include:

• • Send website visitors back to targeted landing pages that mirror their initial interests. For example, promote your contact center software trial to prospects who previously visited your pricing page.

• • Utilize dynamic ads to serve up specific content they already viewed on your site. This triggers relevance and recall.

• • Be careful not to over-saturate prospects. Limit your ad frequency to no more than 2 contact attempts per week.

• • Offer an exclusive promotion, content asset, or incentive as a reason for prospects to re-engage. Discounts, trials, and gated content tend to convert well.

When done correctly, retargeting helps you cost-effectively nurture and convert known interested prospects that have engaged with your brand on LinkedIn.

For example, a B2B ecommerce company retargeted visitors who spent over 1 minute on certain product pages, offering them a 15% discount code if they made a purchase. The retargeting campaign achieved a 22X higher conversion rate compared to their standard LinkedIn ads.

 

Lead Gen Forms: Capture Prospects Directly

LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms provide an easy way for marketers to capture prospects’ contact information directly within the LinkedIn platform. No need to drive prospects to your website or landing pages.

There are a few key ways brands can generate leads with LinkedIn’s embedded Lead Gen Forms:
*View 5 tips for LinkedIn Lead Gen Form

• • Publish forms promoting gated offers like guides, demos, trials, or other premium content on your Company Page. Drive traffic to your page via Sponsored Content ads.

• • Embed forms directly within your Sponsored Content, Message Ads, or Text Ads. This allows prospects to convert instantly without leaving their LinkedIn feed.

• • Gate access to your retargeting ad content with Lead Gen Forms. Offer an exclusive asset to site visitors in exchange for their contact information.

To optimize Lead Gen performance, ensure your forms are concise with only the most essential fields for prospects to complete. Enable LinkedIn Profile Prefill to auto-populate name, job title, company, and email address for quicker completion.

According to LinkedIn, Sponsored Message Ads with Lead Gen Forms achieve up to 5x higher conversion rates compared to standard Message Ads.

*See Comprehensive guide on LinkedIn Lead Gen Form

For example, a B2B SaaS company promoted their software trial using Message Ads with a Lead Gen Form. In just 2 weeks, the campaign generated over 70 sales-qualified leads at just $8 cost per lead.

Account-Based Marketing on LinkedIn

LinkedIn offers unrivaled capabilities for B2B marketers to implement account-based marketing programs and reach decision-makers within named target accounts.

Some ways brands can focus LinkedIn campaigns on key accounts include:

• • Targeting by company/account name or domain using Matched Audiences

• • Engaging known contacts at your target accounts using Contact Targeting

• • Identifying anonymous contacts at target accounts using Lead Gen Forms

• • Automating tailored messaging sequences for accounts using Sales Navigator cadences

According to LinkedIn’s 2022 State of Account-Based Marketing research, B2B marketers using an ABM strategy achieve approximately 2x greater return on ad spend compared to those without ABM.

For example, one financial services client allocated 10% of their LinkedIn budget specifically to account-based outreach. This targeted spending generated 10x return on ad spend compared to their broader LinkedIn efforts.

Additional LinkedIn Lead Generation Tactics

In addition to PPC ads, retargeting, Lead Gen forms, and account-based marketing – here are some other proven tactics for generating quality leads on LinkedIn:

• Content Marketing – Build authority and organic reach by consistently publishing valuable posts, articles, and multimedia. Promote your best content via Sponsored Content.
• Social Selling – Prospect and build relationships by engaging prospects with relevant content. Nurture connections from initial outreach through sales conversion.
• LinkedIn Groups – Participate in industry/niche Groups related to your offerings. Groups provide exposure to highly segmented audiences.
• LinkedIn Live – Host live videos and virtual events to position your brand as an expert. Engage your audience with real-time interaction.

The most effective approach combines multiple strategies as part of an integrated LinkedIn lead generation program. Each strategy supports the others in attracting and nurturing prospects on the platform.

Real-World Examples of Successful Campaigns

1. 50 Best IT Services LinkedIn Ads Examples