Let’s be honest – most B2B sales teams are barely scratching the surface when it comes to LinkedIn retargeting. They’re throwing budget at cold campaigns, wondering why decision-makers aren’t biting, and missing the opportunity right under their noses: warm audiences who already know their brand.

Here’s the truth – if your sales cycle is longer than a week (which, let’s face it, in B2B it always is), and you’re not retargeting strategically on LinkedIn, you’re leaving serious revenue on the table.

After running paid campaigns for dozens of B2B clients over the years, I can tell you the difference between LinkedIn ads that get polite nods and those that move pipeline is one thing – smart retargeting.

Let’s dive into what that actually means.

Why LinkedIn Retargeting Deserves More Respect

LinkedIn is not Facebook. It’s not Google Ads. And it certainly isn’t TikTok.

People go on LinkedIn in a business mindset. They’re not killing time – they’re looking for insights, partners, solutions. So when someone visits your website, engages with a whitepaper, or watches a webinar, that’s not a casual scroll – that’s buying intent in disguise.

Retargeting allows you to stay in front of these warm prospects while they’re still weighing up their options. Done right, it keeps your brand top of mind and moves them one step closer to a sales conversation.

The key? Segment your audiences properly and speak to where they are in their journey.

Build Audiences Based on Intent – Not Just Page Views

Here’s where most B2B teams get it wrong. They lump all website visitors into a single retargeting pool. It’s lazy, and worse – ineffective.

Let’s say a CMO checks out your pricing page. That’s a world apart from someone who skimmed a blog post six weeks ago. Yet too often, they both get served the same generic ad.

Instead, break your audiences out by intent level. Here’s a simple starting point:

• High Intent: Visited pricing, demo, or case study pages
• Mid Intent: Engaged with webinars, downloaded lead magnets
• Low Intent: Blog readers, homepage bouncers, social clickers

Each of these groups needs a different message. For high-intent visitors, push a direct call to action – think book a demo or speak to sales. For mid-intent, nurture with customer success stories or product walkthroughs. For low-intent? Don’t scare them off. Go with softer content – maybe a behind-the-scenes look or thought leadership.

Segmented retargeting like this isn’t a bonus – it’s the backbone of ROI on LinkedIn.

Content Is the Bait – But Timing Is the Hook

If you want to win with LinkedIn retargeting, you need to think like a strategist, not just a media buyer.

It’s not about hitting people with an ad and hoping for the best. It’s about guiding them step-by-step. That means mapping your content to their buying stage, then layering in frequency and timing.

Here’s what works for us at HOC-Digital:

• Week 1-2: Educational content – eBooks, insights, high-value blog posts
• Week 3-4: Authority builders – case studies, awards, testimonials
• Week 5+: Conversion drivers – demos, comparison sheets, urgency hooks

It’s not flashy. It’s just smart. And it works because you’re aligning your ads with the natural rhythm of a B2B buying process.

Bonus tip: Don’t let your ads run stale. Rotate creative every 2-3 weeks, or sooner if your click-through rate starts dipping. B2B buyers are smart – they’ll tune you out fast if you look like you’re on autopilot.

Use LinkedIn Matched Audiences Like a Pro

Here’s where things get exciting. If you’ve got a solid CRM list – current leads, lapsed prospects, event attendees – you can upload them into LinkedIn and serve highly targeted ads to that exact group.

It’s a powerful way to warm up cold contacts or re-engage deals that went quiet. Even better – you can build lookalike audiences off your best-fit clients and find new prospects with similar job titles, industries, and behaviours.

We ran a campaign like this for a SaaS client targeting UK manufacturing firms. By layering matched audiences with industry filters, we cut cost per MQL by 38% in six weeks. Same budget. Sharper targeting.

Don’t Rely on Automation – Review and Refine Weekly

This is where many agencies drop the ball. They set up a slick retargeting funnel, switch on auto-bidding, and leave it to run.

Big mistake.

Retargeting is not set-and-forget. It’s a live system that needs hands-on optimisation. We recommend reviewing your LinkedIn campaign performance weekly. Here’s what to look for:

• Frequency: Are you oversaturating and burning out your audience?
• CTR & CVR: Are people engaging and converting? If not, it’s your message.
• Audience Size: Is your retargeting pool shrinking? Time to drive more top-of-funnel traffic.

If the data’s flatlining, don’t wait. Tweak copy, swap visuals, test a different call to action. Small changes add up fast on LinkedIn.

Retargeting Isn’t a Hack – It’s a Strategy

LinkedIn retargeting isn’t about chasing clicks. It’s about building trust with the right people, at the right time, in the right way.

B2B buyers rarely make decisions in one sitting. They weigh their options, consult teams, watch how you show up. If you can consistently deliver value and stay visible without being pushy, you’ll win more deals – simple as that.