B2B paid media has a well-known trap: optimising for CPL. CPL goes down, sales fills up with tyre-kickers, and real CAC goes up. As a B2B paid media agency, we work against what actually moves your business: SQL rate, cost per opportunity and attributable pipeline. A lead that doesn't match your ICP isn't cheap: it is expensive at any price.
To find out whether your current CPL holds up, work out the ceiling first: the maximum CPL calculator derives it from your close rate and your 12-month contract value.
The system: ad platform and CRM in the same loop
Without a connection to the CRM, ad platforms optimise blind. Our first job in B2B is to close the loop:
- Offline conversions imported into Google Ads and LinkedIn: MQL, SQL and closed-won opportunity, each with its own value.
- Upstream qualification: forms with deliberate friction, data enrichment and scoring before the lead reaches sales.
- Automation (Automation Lab): the lead lands in your CRM within seconds, with source, campaign and context. No more exporting CSVs on a Friday.
When the algorithm learns from SQLs instead of form fills, quality rises on its own. It is the difference between bidding for clicks and bidding for customers.
Google and LinkedIn, each doing its own job
Google Ads captures existing demand: Search campaigns on the problems your product solves, with aggressive negatives and the right counting type (one conversion per click in lead gen, not every submission). LinkedIn Ads builds demand within your exact ICP: job title, industry, company size. It is more expensive per click and still usually wins on cost per SQL when the targeting and the offer are done right.
The split between the two isn't dogma: it is decided with your CRM data, quarter by quarter.
Long cycles, patient measurement
If your sale takes six months, no platform is going to show you ROI in its dashboard. We build the view that does: cohorts by acquisition month, pipeline generated by channel and campaign, and real CAC against LTV. It is part of the BI Lab and it is included: your data, your dashboard, your numbers.
For the underlying maths, read our pieces on what a good cost per lead looks like by industry and the LTV to CAC ratio. And if you want the number right now, the maximum CPL calculator works it out from your close rate and your ticket size.
What to expect from us
We talk to your sales team, not just marketing: without that conversation there is no way to know which leads close. Reporting on business outcomes, every decision documented with the number behind it, and the honesty to tell you when a channel isn't right for you. That is how we have achieved CPL reductions of up to 83% without sacrificing lead quality.
Frequently asked questions
Our CPL is already low. What can you add?
The question is what percentage of those leads reach SQL. If it is low, there is a lot of room: optimising for quality usually raises CPL a little and lowers cost per opportunity a lot. If it is high, congratulations, and then the job is to scale without breaking it.
Isn't LinkedIn Ads too expensive?
Per click, yes. Per SQL, it depends on your ticket size and your ICP. With a high average deal value and an ICP you can define by job title and industry, LinkedIn is often the most efficient channel, even if the CPL looks scary at first.
Does our CRM need to be perfect before we start?
No. We need access and a willingness to close the loop. Integrating offline conversions is part of the project kick-off, not a prerequisite we leave to you.
Do you work with HubSpot, Salesforce or Pipedrive?
Yes. We set up the offline conversion import and lead automation on top of your current CRM, whichever it is, within the Automation Lab.
Is your paid media a profitable system or just a pile of campaigns?
Tell us about your case and we return an actionable diagnostic: what to scale, what to keep and what to pause. Free, no strings attached.