Full-Funnel LinkedIn Ads Framework

Unified framework for running LinkedIn Ads across the entire buyer journey. All proven approaches align on the core structure - differences are in naming and granularity, not direction.

Core Principle

Only ~5% of your B2B market is "in-market" at any given time. 90% of those prefer vendors they already know. The full funnel exists to build trust with the 95% so when they're ready, you're the obvious choice.

The 3-Layer Model

All approaches agree on this structure. Names vary (TOF/MOF/BOF, Awareness/Consideration/Conversion, Create/Capture/Accelerate) but the concept is identical.

Layer 1: TOF - Cold Engagement

Purpose: Get on the radar. Build retargeting audiences. NOT meant to drive direct conversions.

Element	Recommendation
Objective	Engagement, Brand Awareness, Video Views, Website Visits
Audience	Cold - Job Title + Industry + Company Size (exclude competitors & customers)
Audience size	50K-300K (general). 60K-400K also works. If total addressable < 30K, skip funnel split
Ad types	TLAs on Engagement or Brand Awareness (highest priority), Video Ads (10-30s), Single Image
Ad content	Educational, pain-point focused, thought leadership - NOT product pitches
CTA	Learn More
Landing page	Homepage or content hub
Budget share	30-50% of total (30-40% is standard, lean 50% early on)
Key metric	Impressions, engagement rate, video view rate, retargeting pool growth

Key actions:

• Launch broad awareness campaigns with educational content + product intro videos
• Use TLAs from founder/executives - they outperform company page ads 3-6x in CTR
• Optimize creative for engagement and click-through
• Route clicks to content hubs or homepage

Layer 2: MOF - Retargeting / Nurture

Purpose: Build trust with people who already engaged. Prove value through social proof, case studies, deeper content.

Element	Recommendation
Objective	Website Visits, Video Views
Audience	Retargeting - video viewers (50%+) + website visitors + ad engagers from TOF
Audience size	1K-30K (warm audiences are naturally smaller)
Ad types	VTLAs, TLAs (Website Visits objective), Case Study Ads, Single Image with deeper product benefits, Document Ads
Ad content	Case studies, testimonials, product demos, free templates/resources, feature education
CTA	Learn More, Read More
Landing page	Solution pages, case study pages, feature-specific pages
Budget share	18-25% of total
Key metric	CTR, cost per engagement, content consumption

Key actions:

• Use data-driven retargeting to reach prior engagers with practical resources
• Segment campaigns for personalization by job title, industry, company size
• Rotate 4-6 creatives to prevent fatigue
• Consider Text Ads + Spotlight Ads for low-cost brand reinforcement (Spotlight CPM ~$5.23 vs $20+ for single image)
• Guide users to content or feature-specific landing pages

Retargeting windows:

• 90-day nurture layer: educational assets, authority content
• 30-day high-intent layer: strong CTAs
• 180-day low-cost sustainer: text, spotlight, follower ads

Layer 3: BOF - Conversion

Purpose: Drive form submissions, demo requests, sign-ups from warmest prospects.

Element	Recommendation
Objective	Website Visits (conversions), Lead Gen Forms
Audience	High-intent retargeting - video viewers (97%+), website visitors (important pages), ad engagers
Audience size	1K-5K (smallest, highest intent)
Ad types	TLAs on Website Visits or Lead Gen objective with strong CTA, Single Image, Lead Gen Forms, Social Proof (G2 ratings, client logos)
Ad content	Direct CTA (book demo, try free, request pricing), customer testimonials, awards, specific results
CTA	Try Now, Request Demo, Try for Free, Start Free Trial, Book a Demo
Landing page	Dedicated demo or free trial landing page
Budget share	20-30% of total
Key metric	Cost per conversion, cost per form submission, conversion rate

Key actions:

• Retarget high-intent audiences with testimonials, awards, logo clusters
• Use strong CTAs and minimize friction on landing pages
• Highlight specific results (e.g., "88% sign-up lift", "350% revenue growth")
• Consider Lead Gen Forms for lower friction than website forms
• Document ads + Lead Gen Forms for demo page visitors can yield 2.5x higher demo-to-close rate

Advanced: 5-Stage Demand Engine

The 5-Stage Demand Engine extends the 3-layer model with two additional stages plus a more granular awareness mapping.

Stage	Awareness Level	Budget %	Description
Create	Unaware	19%	Build brand affinity and trust with people who don't know you exist
Create	Problem Aware	19%	Validate their pain, introduce your category
Capture	Solution Aware	10%	Convert interest from in-market buyers comparing solutions
Capture	Product Aware	38%	Retarget with proof, demos, strong CTAs - this is where most conversion budget goes
Accelerate/Activate	Offer Aware	10%	Accelerate = help close deals faster. Activate = convert free users to paid
Revive	Offer Aware	2%	Restart closed-lost opportunities with incentivized campaigns (free audit, exclusive report)
Expand	Existing Customer	2%	Upsell/cross-sell, feature announcements, case studies from similar companies

Key insight: Product Aware retargeting (38%) gets the single biggest budget allocation - larger than either TOF stage. This reflects the principle that once someone knows you, the highest-ROI move is converting that awareness into pipeline.

Campaign naming convention: [Region] - [Stage] - [Awareness] - [Type] - {Detail} Examples:

• NA - Capture - Solution Aware - Prospecting - {Persona}
• NA - Capture - Product Aware - Remarketing (Offers)
• NA - Activate - Offer Aware - Remarketing (Free Users)
• NA - Revive - Offer Aware - Remarketing (Closed Lost)

Progressive Timeline (6-Month Playbook)

Month	Focus	Actions
1	Foundation	Cold awareness campaigns - pain points + core offer. Set up all retargeting audiences.
2-3	Trust building	Launch retargeting with case studies, testimonials. Start nurture layer.
4	Refinement	Use 90-day performance data to refine audiences. Cut underperformers. Double down on winners.
5	Conversion push	Add high-intent CTAs at BOF. Introduce Lead Gen Forms.
6	Scale	Niche scaling with 180-day nurture layers. Launch ABM if applicable. Test new audience segments.

Budget Framework by Spend Level

Monthly Budget	Recommended Structure
$500-$1K	1-2 campaigns only. Focus on highest-intent audience. Skip TOF, go straight to retargeting if you have existing traffic.
$1K-$2.5K	2-3 campaigns. Light TOF + focused BOF. One TLA campaign + one retargeting campaign.
$2.5K-$5K	Full 3-layer funnel. 3-5 campaigns. Start with TOF heavy, shift budget to BOF as retargeting pool grows.
$5K-$10K	Full funnel + creative testing. 5-7 campaigns. Multiple TLA variants. Test ad formats. Weekly optimization.
$10K-$20K	Full funnel + niche campaigns + ABM. 7-10+ campaigns. Segment by industry verticals. Test Conversation Ads. Add Revive/Expand stages.

Creative Hierarchy by Funnel Stage

Stage	Creative Priority
Cold (TOF)	Simple pain-point positioning. Educational. "Did you know...?" or "The problem with X is..."
Retargeting (MOF)	Document ads, webinar clips, case stories, playbooks, free resources
Conversion (BOF)	ROI data, competitive comparisons, testimonials, pricing previews, strong CTAs

9 Campaign Objectives on LinkedIn

Not all objectives are relevant for B2B SaaS. Here's when to use each:

Objective	B2B SaaS Relevance	Funnel Stage
Brand Awareness	Medium - use for initial market entry or brand campaigns	TOF
Website Visits	High - drives traffic to content and landing pages	TOF/MOF
Video Views	High - builds retargeting pools efficiently	TOF
Engagement	High - amplifies content, builds social proof	TOF
Lead Generation	High - on-platform forms, lower friction	BOF
Website Conversions	High - tracks off-platform conversion events	BOF
Talent Leads	Low - recruiting only	N/A
Job Applicants	Low - recruiting only	N/A

Key rule: The objective you pick determines how LinkedIn's algorithm optimizes delivery. Don't optimize for engagement if you want demos - and vice versa.

Universal Settings

• Turn OFF Audience Expansion - always
• Turn OFF LinkedIn Audience Network - always
• Exclude competitors and existing customers from cold campaigns
• Exclude unpaid, training, and entry-level seniority
• Use AND narrowing (not OR) for audience targeting
• Don't use age, gender, or language targeting - LinkedIn has limited data on these

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By Ivan Falco - Frontal