A Smarter Way to Run LinkedIn Ads: Get Targeting, Budget, Content and Creatives Right

Tanner Stolte is a Senior Customer Success Manager at LinkedIn who has over 10 years of experience in B2B marketing agencies. He is one of only 55 LinkedIn Certified Marketing Experts in the world, making him a distinguished authority in leveraging LinkedIn for impactful marketing tactics.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

• [02:14] LinkedIn Ad Spend Insights
• [04:50] Google Ads vs LinkedIn
• [08:15] Common Missteps in LinkedIn Marketing
• [14:55] The Power of Posting Valuable Content on LinkedIn 
• [23:00] Leveraging Video Content with thought leadership 
• [29:20] Cutting-Edge Measurement Tools
• [44:10] LinkedIn’s Expanding Video Strategy
• [52:30] Best Practices Beyond LinkedIn

In this episode…

In this episode of the Tailwind Marketing Podcast, host Carlos Corredor sits down with Tanner Stolte, Senior Customer Success Manager at LinkedIn, to unpack the best ways to leverage LinkedIn Ads for both brand awareness and lead generation. Tanner explains why combining LinkedIn’s high-quality leads with the volume of more affordable platforms like Google can create a powerful ad strategy. He highlights common pitfalls, such as focusing too much on bottom-funnel leads and launching campaigns without a clear plan.

Tanner also shares insights on budget allocation, the importance of top-of-funnel content for building retargeting audiences, and the ideal audience size for LinkedIn campaigns. He breaks down key tactics for content strategy, ad creatives, and performance tracking—plus why balancing gated and ungated content with a long-term mindset is essential for LinkedIn success.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Tanner Stolte on LinkedIn
• Carlos Corredor on LinkedIn
• Tools: LinkedIn, HubSpot

Quotable Moments:

• “Ninety-five percent of your audience might not be ready to buy right now, but they still need to know your brand exists.”
• “If you want measurable long-term results, you can’t ignore the top of the funnel.”
• “Video content is about stopping the scroll—vertical or square formats give you an edge immediately.”
• “A one-second difference in dwell time can be the deciding factor between a successful ad and one that misses the mark.”
• “The best campaigns aren’t just about clicks; they’re about connecting the dots to actual bottom-line revenue.”

Action Steps:

1. Use LinkedIn Ads for precise targeting and awareness, then retarget on cheaper platforms like Google to drive cost-effective conversions.
2. Don’t just focus on the 5% of leads in buying mode. Target the other 95% and use LinkedIn for awareness to stay in front of potential customers.
3. Define Your Strategy First: Start with a clear target, messaging, and creatives before launching campaigns. Avoid over-refining audiences (aim for 50K–600K users).
4. Budget Allocation: Split your budget evenly: 50% for branding (awareness) and 50% for lead generation. 
5. Use a Balanced Content Strategy: “Hum” (evergreen content for key pain points), “Sing” (industry trend content), and “Shout” (event-focused content) should all be part of your approach. Ensure both gated and ungated content are used based on your goals. Gated content requires a solid nurturing strategy.
6. Use bright colors and vertical video ads to stand out in LinkedIn’s corporate-heavy feed. For videos, aim for 30-60 seconds and ensure they’re clear and engaging from the start.
7. Optimize for Engagement: Track metrics like CPC, CPM, and cost per lead. Premium leads may cost more, but focus on getting the most quality leads for your budget.
8. Use Thought Leadership Ads: These ads have high engagement, especially when done by C-suite leaders. They work well at all stages of the funnel and are great for remarketing.
9. Focus on Mobile-First Creative: Top-of-funnel engagement happens on mobile, so ensure your creatives are optimized for mobile-first viewing.

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Condor Digital Marketing. 

Condor is an ROI-driven digital marketing agency built by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. 

Our expert team helps clients identify and execute initiatives focused on business growth. We aim to democratize digital marketing with proven strategies and measurements that guarantee a return on investment by leveraging innovative technologies and the support of our Latin American office.

We provide strategic digital marketing advice, website development, content generation, SEO, performance marketing, social media marketing, CRM and email automation, web analytics and BI reporting, video production, and staffing services.

To learn more about our execution of ROI-focused marketing, reach out to us at Condoragency.com or email us at hello@condoragency.com.