“We need to run more ads.” You hear this in almost every company that's growing, or isn't growing as quickly as planned. And it's almost always executed the wrong way: too early, on the wrong channel, with the wrong objective, and without a process.
Paid advertising is an amplifier. It amplifies what's already working. If the messaging, value proposition, and landing pages aren't right, paid ads simply amplify the burn.
Which industries and scenarios make sense for paid ads?
Paid ads make sense when three conditions are met at the same time:
- The Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) is high enough to justify the acquisition cost. Rule of thumb: LTV:CAC should be ≥ 3:1.
- The target market can be reached through digital channels, and the target audience actively uses the channel.
- The conversion funnel is clearly defined: What happens after the click? Where does the prospect land? What's the next step?
LinkedIn Ads: When and for whom
LinkedIn is the go-to channel for B2B companies with clearly defined job titles and industries as their target audience. Targeting options include job title, seniority level, company size, industry, and region. CPCs are high (CHF 5–15 per click), but lead quality can be excellent when targeting is done well.
LinkedIn is particularly well suited for B2B SaaS, MedTech, professional services, recruiting, training, and coaching. Less suitable for mass markets, B2C, and low-ticket offers.
Google Ads (Search): Demand capture
Google Search shows ads when someone is actively searching. That's demand capture, not demand creation. It's highly effective when clear search intent exists: “ERP software for manufacturing,” “MedTech consulting Switzerland.” The weakness: It works poorly for new product categories that people aren't searching for yet.
Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram): Demand creation
Meta is a demand-creation channel: You interrupt people while they're doing something else and build awareness. It makes sense for B2C, ecommerce, consumer health, workshops, and events. For traditional B2B tech, it's often an overrated channel with significant wasted reach.
YouTube / Display: Branding and remarketing
YouTube and display networks are useful for branding and remarketing, including reaching people who have already visited your website. Cost per view is low, and the channels can build awareness, but direct conversion tends to be more difficult.
Targeting: The critical capability
Poor targeting is the most common reason paid ads are ineffective. What does “good targeting” actually mean?
LinkedIn targeting framework
- Job title: Don't go too narrow and lose reach, or too broad and lose relevance. Test multiple titles.
- Seniority: Manager, Director, VP, and C-level, depending on the buying decision. Junior-level employees usually aren't the buyers.
- Company size: SMBs and enterprises have different buying centers and budgets.
- Exclusions: Exclude students, job seekers, and competitors. It saves budget.
- Matched Audiences: Upload your own customer list → build a lookalike audience. The most effective method for cold acquisition.
An audience segment that's too small. Below 50,000 people in the target audience (LinkedIn recommendation), the algorithm has too little data to optimize effectively. Start broader, then narrow the audience using conversion data.
The internal paid ads process: Step by step
Define the campaign objective
What's the goal? Awareness, lead generation, website traffic, or conversions? The clearer the objective, the clearer the KPI. Never optimize for multiple objectives at the same time.
Define the ICP and target audience
Who should see the ad? Translate the Ideal Customer Profile (industry, company size, job title, and problem) into targeting criteria.
Define the offer and landing page
What does the prospect get after clicking? A lead magnet, demo request, white paper, or free initial consultation? The landing page needs to deliver exactly what the ad promised.
Create the ads and A/B variants
At least 2 image variants and 2 copy variants. Test the image or video first because it has the highest impact on CTR, then the headline, then the body copy.
Set the budget and campaign duration
For B2B: A minimum budget of CHF 2,000–3,000 per month to generate statistically meaningful data. Less can lead to unreliable conclusions. Minimum campaign duration: 4 weeks.
Set up tracking
Conversion tracking MUST be in place before the campaign launches. Track form submissions, demo bookings, and downloads. Without tracking, there is no learning.
Review and optimize weekly
Review CTR, CPL (Cost per Lead), and Conversion Rate every week. Pause underperforming creatives. Shift budget to top performers. Wait 2 weeks before optimizing because the algorithm needs time to ramp up.
Review lead quality with Sales
Monthly: Marketing and Sales review lead quality together. Are you reaching the right people? Are leads converting into opportunities? The feedback loop between Marketing and Sales is critical to campaign ROI.
The KPIs that actually matter
Clicks and impressions are vanity metrics. What should actually be measured:
- CPL (Cost per Lead): What does a qualified lead cost? B2B LinkedIn benchmark: CHF 50–200.
- Lead-to-Opportunity Rate: How many leads turn into genuine sales conversations?
- Pipeline Contribution: What percentage of the sales pipeline comes from paid ads?
- ROAS (Return on Ad Spend): How much revenue is generated for every CHF invested? Target: ≥ 3–5×.
“The biggest problem with paid ads isn't too little budget. It's too little clarity about what happens next.”
Sources: LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, Target Audience Size Best Practices (Help Center, accessed 2026).
Published June 2026