LinkedIn emerges as top B2B ad channel with highest returns
New analysis indicates that LinkedIn has become the leading ad channel for B2B advertisers, measured both by budget allocation and return on ad spend.
Data from the 2025 LinkedIn Ads Benchmarks Report, released by Dreamdata, reveals that LinkedIn now accounts for 39% of total B2B ad spend. This figure surpasses any individual Google platform and represents an increase from 31% at the beginning of 2024.
The report is based on aggregated data from hundreds of B2B organisations using Dreamdata's attribution platform. The findings suggest a notable shift in advertising strategy as marketers seek more dependable indicators of performance amid lengthening and increasingly complex sales cycles.
Spending trends
LinkedIn's share of ad budgets reflects a broader reallocation away from channels like Google and Meta. The platform's 39% share now positions it as the single largest ad channel by spend for B2B marketers, as confirmed by the Dreamdata data set.
This trend is accompanied by an increase in measured returns. LinkedIn is now the only major ad network producing a positive average return on ad spend (ROAS), with a reported 113%. For comparison, Google Search delivered a 78% return and Meta just 29% over the same period.
Cost efficiency
Beyond higher average returns, LinkedIn was also found to provide better value per company influenced. The report finds LinkedIn delivers a 70% lower cost per company influenced when compared to Meta and is 25% lower than Google Search. This aligns with marketers' desire to ensure greater impact for their allocated budgets and to reduce inefficiencies in targeting B2B buyers.
Role in sales outcomes
The impact of LinkedIn ads was also measured across key points in the sales funnel. According to Dreamdata, LinkedIn Ads influenced 29% of marketing-qualified leads (MQLs), 36% of sales-qualified leads (SQLs), and 35% of closed-won deals among all customers studied, surpassing the influence of other major ad platforms.
Additionally, incorporating LinkedIn engagement data into return on investment (ROI) models led to a substantial improvement in measurement, raising attribution accuracy by a factor of 7.7. For those seeking to directly connect ad spend with business outcomes, such enhanced attribution accuracy supports clearer decision-making.
Longer journeys
The report also highlights that B2B buying cycles continue to lengthen. The average customer journey in B2B now extends to 211 days from first contact to closed-won deal, up from 192 days a year earlier. This elongation of the decision timeline reflects added complexity in modern B2B sales, with more stakeholders typically involved and longer consideration periods.
Consequently, marketers are focusing more on top-of-funnel strategies and long-term engagement to maintain visibility and relevance throughout a buyer's journey that now often lasts over seven months.
View from Dreamdata
Nick Turner, CEO of Dreamdata, comments, "The platforms that promise scale are no longer the ones delivering real commercial outcomes. That's why we're seeing budgets move to channels like LinkedIn. In B2B, buying decisions are long, complex, and involve multiple stakeholders. Looking at surface metrics like clicks or impressions doesn't tell you much about what actually drives revenue. What matters is return on ad spend, cost per company influenced, and whether your marketing is moving real pipeline. As pressure grows to do more with less, the most effective marketers will be the ones who can prove where impact is coming from. LinkedIn is increasingly where that proof shows up."
The Dreamdata report bases its analysis on anonymised, aggregated data from thousands of B2B companies using its platform, reviewing spend distribution, cost benchmarks, ROI, pipeline influence, and customer journey metrics. The listed ROAS figures are calculated over a 12-month period using Dreamdata's attribution model focused on closed-won deals.
