Economics of Development - Vol. 24 No. 2 - LinkedIn targeted advertising in industrial B2B marketing

Sep 13, 2026

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LinkedIn targeted advertising is evaluated within industrial business-to-business (B2B) marketing, where campaigns must reach the right decision-makers across complex products and long sales cycles. The study assesses adoption levels, targeting capabilities, performance metrics, and return on investment using in-depth interviews of 25 industrial marketing professionals and secondary industry-report data. Results show a high Ads adoption rate, strong lead quality, and conversion performance, with segmentation by job title, industry, and company size reducing lead waste. Despite higher costs and a learning curve, reported ROI remains substantial due to high relevance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Targeted advertising and LinkedIn in industrial B2B marketing

Data-driven capabilities and audience precision

Trust-building for complex B2B transactions

ECONOMICS OF DEVELOPMENT Journal homepage: [https://ecdev.com.ua/](https://ecdev.com.ua/) Vol. 24, No. 2 2025 UDC 658.8.012.2 Mykhailo Oklander Doctor of Economics, Professor Odesa Polytechnic National University 65044, 1 Shevchenka Ave., Odesa, Ukraine [https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1268-6009](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1268-6009) Oleksandr Karandin* Postgraduate Student Odesa Polytechnic National University 65044, 1 Shevchenka Ave., Odesa, Ukraine [https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1637-9358](https://orcid.org/0009-0004-1637-9358) Olena Ptashchenko Doctor of Economics, Professor West Ukrainian National University 46009, 11 Lvivska Str., Ternopil, Ukraine [https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2413-7648](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2413-7648) Inna Dybach Doctor of Economics, Professor Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics 61166, 9A Nauky Ave., Kharkiv, Ukraine [https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4351-7077](https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4351-7077) LinkedIn as a key tool for targeted advertising in industrial B2B marketing DOI: 10.63341/econ/2 .2025.113 Abstract. As digital marketing becomes increasingly focused on reaching the right audience with the right message, many industrial B2B companies are turning to LinkedIn to connect with decision-makers in a more targeted way. While the platform is gaining popularity in professional circles, there is still a lack of in-depth research into how well LinkedIn works specifically for businesses that deal with complex products and long sales cycles. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of LinkedIn as a targeted advertising platform in the context of industrial business-to-business (B2B) marketing. Utilising a combined methodology – comprising in-depth interviews of 25 industrial marketing professionalsand secondary data from publicly available industry reports –this research assessed LinkedIn’s adoption rates, targeting capabilities, performance metrics, and return on investment. Findings indicate a high adoption level of LinkedIn Ads, with an average of 32% of digital marketing budgets allocated to this channel. Although cost-per-click and cost-per-lead often exceed those of other social media platforms, the quality of leads generated is notably higher, reflecting strong conversion rates (5-9%) . The precise segmentation features – particularly targeting by job title, industry, and company size –proved instrumental in reducing lead waste and improving campaign relevance. Despite the learning curve and the need for specialised technical content, most participants reported significant return on investment, largely attributed to reaching highly relevant decision-makers. Best practices for maximising LinkedIn’s potential include dedicated Article’s History: Received: 11.02.2025; Revised: 07.05.2025; Accepted: 27.06.2025 Suggested Citation: Oklander, M. , Karandin, O. , Ptashchenko, O. , & Dybach, I. (2025) . LinkedIn as a key tool for targeted advertising in industrial B2B marketing. Economics of Development, 24(2), 113-121. doi: 10.63341/econ/2.2025.113 . *Corresponding author Copyright © The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)) landing pages, thorough A/B testing, and strategic retargeting. These results indicated LinkedIn’s role as an essential platform for industrial B2B marketers aiming to balance higher upfront costs with the long-term value of engaged, high-intent leads. This research’s findings can be used by industrial B2B firms to achieve higher lead quality and conversion rates by strategically allocating budgets to LinkedIn, leveraging advanced targeting and ABM features, and investing in technically robust content tailored to decision-makers Keywords: corporate social media; account-based marketing; lead generation; return on investment; digit

FAQs

What is the study’s main aim regarding LinkedIn in industrial B2B marketing?

To evaluate how effective LinkedIn is as a targeted advertising platform for industrial B2B marketing, focusing on reaching relevant audiences across long sales cycles.

How was the research conducted?

Using a combined approach: in-depth interviews with 25 industrial marketing professionals and secondary data from publicly available industry reports.

Which LinkedIn targeting features were described as especially important?

Segmentation based on job title, industry, and company size, which helped reduce lead waste and improve campaign relevance.

Sep 13, 2026

Upload by Ophelia