LinkedIn ads deliver 113% ROAS as B2B marketers increase platform investment

B2B marketers allocated 39% of their advertising budgets to LinkedIn Ads by the end of 2024, according to Dreamdata's LinkedIn Ads Benchmarks Report 2025 released on September 8, 2025. The comprehensive analysis of 23 million sessions and over 220,000 customer journeys demonstrates LinkedIn's growing dominance in B2B advertising with a 113% return on ad spend.

The data reveals LinkedIn Ads spending increased from 31% of total B2B ad budgets in the first half of 2024 to 39% in the second half, according to Dreamdata, a LinkedIn Marketing Partner for Reporting & Signals. This positions LinkedIn as the largest single ad platform by spend, surpassing individual Google networks when examined separately.

"LinkedIn Ads are quickly becoming the primary growth channel for B2B marketers, and it's hardly surprising. LinkedIn offers a direct line to decision-makers with unmatched firmographic targeting," states Lars Grønnegaard, CEO of Dreamdata, in the report's foreword.

The report analyzed aggregated data from hundreds of B2B companies using Dreamdata's attribution platform. LinkedIn delivered the highest return on ad spend at 113%, while Google Search achieved 78% ROAS and Meta platforms managed 29% ROAS.

Cost metrics reveal LinkedIn's B2B efficiency despite higher CPCs

While LinkedIn Ads demonstrate higher surface-level costs with clicks at €5.35 compared to Meta's €1.81, the platform shows superior efficiency when measured by B2B-specific metrics. LinkedIn delivered the lowest cost per company influenced at €154, significantly outperforming Meta (€299) and Google Search (€222).

The report emphasizes tracking company-level metrics rather than individual contact costs for B2B measurement. "Ad platforms have trained us to think in B2C terms, especially on the leading cost metrics level. But in B2B we close accounts, so we need to consider measuring account-based metrics," the analysis states.

LinkedIn influenced 35% of new business deals across the customer data examined, compared to 25% for Google Ads and 2% for Meta. The platform's influence peaks early in the funnel, accounting for 30% of all sessions at the marketing qualified lead stage.

B2B customer journeys span 211 days with complex stakeholder involvement

The research identifies the standard B2B customer journey length at 211 days from first touch to closed-won revenue. LinkedIn Ad impressions tend to have longer attribution windows, averaging 320 days from first impression to revenue.

B2B buying processes involve an average of 6.8 buyer stakeholders across 3.7 channels with 76 total touchpoints throughout the journey. The most significant bottleneck occurs between marketing qualified leads and sales qualified leads, taking 107 days on average.

"The bottleneck in the B2B journey happens before sales gets involved - with over three months between the MQL and SQL stages. This suggests marketing teams need to focus on nurturing leads and moving them towards buying readiness," the report notes.

Large companies demonstrate 49% longer customer journeys than average, with enterprise accounts requiring 75% more time to progress from MQL to SQL compared to smaller organizations.

LinkedIn Conversions API adoption reaches 75% among Dreamdata customers

Three-quarters of Dreamdata customers using LinkedIn Ads have implemented the platform's Conversions API, according to the benchmarks. LinkedIn's internal studies show CAPI users achieve 20% lower cost per action and 31% more attributed conversions compared to standard tracking.

The report reveals 64% of CAPI users optimize toward pipeline conversions and revenue rather than top-funnel metrics. This approach aligns with LinkedIn's recommendation to feed offline conversion data back to the platform for improved campaign optimization.

When LinkedIn Ads engagement data is included in revenue attribution modeling, there is a 7.7x increase in revenue attribution accuracy for the platform. The data demonstrates LinkedIn's role across the entire funnel, from initial awareness through revenue generation.

Industry context: Attribution and measurement advances

LinkedIn's performance metrics align with broader industry trends toward sophisticated attribution modeling in B2B marketing. The platform enhanced its Revenue Attribution Report in July 2025 with company-level measurement capabilities, enabling marketers to track campaign influence from first touch to closed deals.

The benchmarks coincide with LinkedIn's introduction of advanced attribution and lead optimization features in December 2024, including data-driven attribution modeling and qualified leads optimization tools.

Recent developments include LinkedIn's launch of frequency capping for brand awareness campaigns in July 2025, providing advertisers greater control over ad exposure limits for professional audiences.

Technical implementation and best practices

The report highlights several optimization strategies for LinkedIn advertising performance. Thought Leader Ads achieve 2.3x higher click-through rates compared to traditional single-image advertisements, reflecting increased engagement with authentic, person-to-person content.

LinkedIn's targeting capabilities benefit from the platform's professional data layer, enabling precise firmographic segmentation. The analysis suggests marketers focus on company-level metrics rather than individual lead costs when evaluating B2B performance.

Advanced users recommend segmenting campaigns based on engagement levels to ensure optimal impression distribution across target account lists. One-third of targeted companies often receive fewer than three impressions over 30-90 day periods without proper campaign structure.

Market implications for B2B advertising strategies

The data suggests a fundamental shift in B2B advertising budget allocation toward platforms offering professional targeting and measurement capabilities. LinkedIn's 113% ROAS performance combined with growing budget share indicates strong advertiser confidence in the platform's B2B effectiveness.

Branded search spending represents 7% of total ad budgets, reflecting continued investment in brand protection across Google Search. The report questions whether this defensive spending could be redirected toward demand generation channels like LinkedIn.

The findings support account-based marketing strategies, where companies focus on entire target organizations rather than individual prospects. LinkedIn's company-level attribution capabilities align with this approach by tracking influence across buying groups within target accounts.

Timeline

• September 8, 2025: Dreamdata releases LinkedIn Ads Benchmarks Report 2025 showing 113% ROAS and 39% budget share
• July 30, 2025: LinkedIn enhances Revenue Attribution Report with company-level measurement capabilities
• July 16, 2025: LinkedIn Creative Labs reveals video content success factors based on 13,000 B2B advertisement analysis
• July 14, 2025: LinkedIn introduces frequency capping for brand awareness campaigns
• January 11, 2025: LinkedIn adds advanced attribution and lead optimization features including data-driven attribution modeling
• January 27, 2025: Video marketing research shows short-form content generates 55% ROI for B2B marketers
• November 28, 2023: LinkedIn introduces Conversions API and Website Actions for enhanced conversion tracking

Summary

Who: Dreamdata, a LinkedIn Marketing Partner, analyzed data from hundreds of B2B companies alongside their customers using LinkedIn Ads, with insights from CEO Lars Grønnegaard and various industry experts.

What: A comprehensive benchmarks report revealing LinkedIn Ads achieve 113% return on ad spend while capturing 39% of B2B advertising budgets, demonstrating superior company-level efficiency despite higher surface costs.

When: The report was released September 8, 2025, analyzing data through 2024 and incorporating 23 million sessions across 220,000+ complete customer journeys.

Where: The research examined global B2B advertising performance across LinkedIn, Google, and Meta platforms, with particular focus on Dreamdata's customer base and broader industry trends.

Why: To help B2B marketers understand platform performance and budget allocation effectiveness, addressing the critical question of whether LinkedIn's higher initial costs translate to superior business outcomes through better targeting and conversion rates.