Top 5 B2B Advertising Platforms to Boost Leads and ROI in 2025

When it comes to B2B advertising, there’s no shortage of platforms to choose from. But not all of them deliver the results your marketing team is after.

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It’s about finding the right ad platform that aligns with your business needs, target audience, and goals. Some channels are ideal for capturing intent signals and generating leads, while others are better suited for brand awareness, lead nurturing, or engaging buyers throughout the customer journey.

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Your target audience, goals, and budget should shape your approach. The key is understanding how different advertising channels work and how they fit into your overall strategy.

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After managing millions in B2B SaaS ad spend, we’ve identified the 5 best B2B advertising platforms. This guide highlights their strengths and weaknesses and how to make the most of them.

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Let’s dive in.

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1. Google Ads

Google Ads is the go-to platform for all marketers, and for good reason.

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Google holds 79% of global desktop search traffic. When people need a solution, they Google it. A big part of why is its vast network. When you advertise with Google, you gain access to the Google Display Network (GDN), which allows you to show visual ads across multiple channels, including YouTube, Gmail, and third-party websites.

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But beyond getting access to the biggest slice of the market, Google Ads also offers advertisers a ton of powerful features that make it easy for B2B marketers to find relevant audiences.

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Pros: Why Google Ads Is the Top B2B Ad Platform for High-Intent Buyers

With search ads, you can place your brand in front of buyers exactly when they’re searching for a solution. 

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This is made possible through their targeting settings, like:

• Keyword Match Targeting allows you to focus on high-intent searches by controlling how closely a user’s query must match your keywords (Exact Match, Phrase Match, Broad Match).
  
  • You can learn about these in detail in our blog, “When to Use Google Ads Keyword Match Types”.
• Negative Keywords filter out irrelevant or low-intent searches. For example, a B2B CRM provider might exclude terms like “free” or “for startups” to filter out unqualified leads, ensuring ads reach high-intent buyers.
• ‍Flexible Retargeting Capabilities let you re-engage users who have already interacted with your brand, targeting visitors of key landing pages like pricing, demos, or case studies. It enables personalized messaging based on past interactions, boosting conversion rates.

What’s more, you can refine your targeting even further by defining audiences based on user behavior, interests, and demographics:

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• In-market audiences target users actively researching B2B solutions based on their browsing behavior and purchase intent. 
• Demographic targeting narrows down your audience based on job role, company size, and industry, ensuring your ads reach decision-makers.
• Custom audiences allow you to reach people who have searched for industry-specific terms or visited competitor websites. For instance, a B2B SaaS company can build an audience of users who have recently searched for "best marketing automation software." This also makes Google Ads a great marketing solution for targeting competitor audiences.

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P.S. If you’re planning on running a search campaign, our guides, “Free Guide To B2B Targeting In The Google Display Network” and “Guide to B2B Targeting for Google Search Ads,” are a great place to start.

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Cons: High CPCs and Competitive Ad Campaigns

As the most popular ad platform, Google is a highly competitive market. While it’s niche-dependent, for premium placement, you can expect to pay higher costs per click (CPCs). 

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The key to getting the most out of your marketing campaigns is to be strategic about keyword selection, ad placement, and bidding strategy. Otherwise, your costs can quickly eat into your budget and hurt overall marketing performance.

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2. LinkedIn Ads

Google is the best paid search platform for B2B advertising. However, LinkedIn is the best social platform for B2B. Nearly every business professional maintains a detailed profile, complete with job title, industry, and company information. It’s where professionals network, connect, and engage, which makes LinkedIn a goldmine for B2B advertisers.

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Pros: Reach Decision-Makers with Account-Based Marketing

Unlike platforms that rely primarily on interest-based targeting, LinkedIn’s strength is its ability to reach people based on who they work for and what they do. Its rich professional audience data enables highly granular targeting options that other platforms can’t match:

• Job Title & Function: Pinpoint specific roles such as Marketing Manager, IT Director, or CFO.
• Industry & Company Size: Focus on companies in a particular sector or within a specific employee range.
• Seniority & Experience Level: Reach key decision-makers like C-level executives or senior managers.
• Account-Based Marketing (ABM): Directly target specific companies or a list of target accounts with custom audiences.

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Lookalike & Retargeting Audiences: Re-engage past website visitors or build audiences similar to your existing customers.

Retargeting is a powerful strategy on LinkedIn that we’ve seen great success in. Learn how to apply it to your campaign in our “Guide to LinkedIn Retargeting for B2B SaaS”.

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With LinkedIn’s precision targeting, you can easily identify high-quality prospects likely to benefit from your solution. And with a variety of targeting options, you can easily put together a B2B ad strategy that covers all of your bases, including targeting your competitor's audiences directly.

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Cons: High Costs and Limited Reach for B2B Marketers

As the go-to network for professionals, LinkedIn Ads tend to be expensive, often with an average cost-per-click that can range from $5 to even $10 in competitive industries. While the higher cost is justified by the quality of leads and the ability to target decision-makers, the platform’s overall reach is smaller compared to other digital advertising channels like Google or Facebook.

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This makes LinkedIn more suited for targeted outreach and account-level marketing rather than broad, mass awareness campaigns.

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In essence, if your goal is to directly engage with high-level professionals and drive quality leads, LinkedIn’s premium pricing is an investment in precision. However, if scale and cost efficiency are your priorities, you might consider complementing LinkedIn with other channels.

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3. Reddit Ads

Most people think of Reddit as a hub for memes, news, and debates. But it’s also home to thousands of niche communities filled with engaged professionals. This makes Reddit an invaluable tool for B2B advertising.

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From SaaS founders discussing growth strategies to IT leaders researching cloud solutions, Reddit is one of the few platforms where professionals actively seek out recommendations and insights.

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Pros: Low-Cost B2B Ads with Niche Community Targeting

​Reddit's advertising platform is comparatively underused, leading to lower competition and more affordable advertising costs. In fact, advertisers have reported average cost-per-click (CPC) rates ranging from $0.10 to $0.30!

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Community-Based Targeting: Reaching Niche Audiences

The real power of Reddit lies in its subreddits. These are dedicated communities where people go to discuss, research, and recommend solutions.

​Reddit's advertising offers precise targeting options unique to the platform that allow B2B marketers to reach specific audiences effectively:

• Community-based targeting enables advertisers to place native ads directly within specific subreddits—dedicated communities centered around particular topics. ​
• Keyword-based targeting allows ads to appear in discussions containing specific terms. ​
• Interest-Based Targeting: Reddit categorizes users based on their demonstrated hobbies, passions, or areas of expertise. So, you can reach users who have shown an affinity for broader professional interests, ensuring your ads resonate with audiences aligned with your offerings.
• Retargeting allows you to strategically show follow-up ads to warm leads who have already demonstrated interest, improving conversion rates and keeping your brand top-of-mind.

Want to see Reddit ads in action? 

Check out our Reddit Advertising Case Study to learn how we used Reddit’s niche targeting to generate some interesting results.

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Build Brand Credibility Through Engagement and Discussions

90% of Reddit users rely on the platform for product and brand discovery, making it a powerful tool for influencing buying decisions. Reddit audiences that value expertise over sales pitches, all at a fraction of the cost of Google and LinkedIn.

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However, unlike traditional ad platforms, Reddit is built around conversation and trust. Well-placed ads using the right Reddit ad types, or organic participation, can lead to real discussions with engaged users, making it easier to build credibility. 

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Cons: Limited Reach and Content Fit Challenges

While Reddit has highly engaged niche communities, its overall user base is smaller than platforms like Google or LinkedIn, meaning fewer opportunities for broad-scale B2B advertising. The best strategies require really fine targeting, which can be difficult to scale.

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Another factor to consider is that advertising on Reddit requires a different approach.

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Ads that feel overly promotional or sales-driven tend to be ignored or downvoted. Success often depends on understanding how to engage authentically within subreddits and crafting ad content that feels native to the community.

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4. Meta (Facebook And Instagram) Ads

When it comes to B2B advertising, Facebook might not be the first platform that comes to mind. But with over 3 billion monthly users, it offers the largest social media audience.

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While Facebook excels in B2C marketing, it also plays a valuable role in B2B brand awareness, demand generation, and multi-channel campaign support, especially when paired with platforms like Google and LinkedIn.

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Pros: Affordable Reach and Powerful Retargeting for B2B Marketing

Facebook’s ad network is one of the largest in the world, and its ad costs are generally lower than those of Google and LinkedIn. For B2B brands looking to build awareness, Facebook remains one of the most cost-effective ways to reach future decision-makers before they actively begin their purchasing journey.

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Some perks of advertising on the platform include:

• More visibility for less – Facebook Ads typically offer lower CPCs and CPMs compared to LinkedIn, making it an affordable option for reaching new prospects.
• Ideal for brand awareness – Its scale makes it a cost-effective tool for introducing your brand to a broad audience and staying visible over time.
• High-volume lead generation – Facebook often delivers more leads at a lower cost, though they may require additional qualification and lead nurturing.

However, Facebook operates as a disruptive ad platform, unlike Google Search or LinkedIn, where users are actively searching for solutions. This means success depends on grabbing attention, nurturing leads, and staying visible over time to move prospects through the funnel.

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Powerful Retargeting Capabilities

One of Facebook’s biggest strengths is retargeting, allowing you to re-engage users who have already shown interest in your business. Plus, what’s great about the Facebook ad platform is that its algorithm is really good at learning from engagement data and positioning your ads accordingly.

• Website Visitors – Target people who visited key pages like pricing, demo requests, or case studies.
• Past Engagement – Show ads to users who watched videos, interacted with posts, or filled out lead forms.
• Lookalike Audiences – Expand your reach by targeting new prospects similar to your best customers.

Because Facebook requires fewer visitors to start retargeting than LinkedIn, it can be an efficient way to keep your brand top-of-mind and nurture potential buyers throughout their journey.

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Cons: Low Buyer Intent and Limited Targeting Precision

One major drawback is lower intent. Unlike Google, where B2B users are actively searching for business-to-business solutions, Facebook users are typically in a personal browsing mindset, so they aren’t necessarily looking to engage with B2B content when they see an ad.

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It’s also more difficult to filter for qualified leads. Facebook doesn’t offer the same robust targeting options as platforms like LinkedIn, making it harder to narrow by job level, industry, or company size. This can reduce the effectiveness of your campaign management and lower overall targeting accuracy.

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Ad fatigue is another issue due to the sheer volume of paid ads shown on the platform. With smaller B2B audience segments, frequent exposure can lead to declining user engagement, reduced click-through rates, and higher costs over time.

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5. Microsoft Ads

When most people think of search advertising, they think of Google Ads. But Microsoft Advertising (formerly Bing Ads) is a strong alternative, especially for B2B marketing teams looking for lower competition and cheaper clicks.

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Microsoft’s ad network includes Bing, Yahoo, AOL, and other partner sites, giving advertisers access to millions of professionals who often use Bing as their default search engine, particularly in corporate environments.

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Pros: Lower CPCs and Less Competition

With fewer advertisers bidding on Microsoft’s network, cost-per-click (CPC) is often lower than Google Ads. This means:

• You get more visibility for your budget.
• You pay less per click, improving cost efficiency.
• You face less direct competition for high-value keywords.

Reach Corporate Buyers and High-Income Professionals

One of Microsoft’s biggest advantages? It's audience.

Because many corporate computers default to Bing, Microsoft Ads naturally attract business professionals searching from work devices.

• Enterprise decision-makers – You can filter by company name, job title, and job function due to Microsoft's access to the LinkedIn data (Microsoft owns LinkedIn)
• Bing is the default search engine — Many corporations use Bing as the default search engine due to Windows enterprise settings and Microsoft 365 integration. While Google remains widely accessible, IT policies in some organizations encourage or enforce Bing usage within corporate networks.

Similar Targeting Options to Google Ads & Seamless Integration

If you’re already running Google Ads, Microsoft’s platform basically works the same way. 

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You can:

• Use keyword, demographic, and audience targeting to work the same way.
• Create in-market audiences that will allow you to reach users who are researching specific B2B solutions.
• Run retargeting campaigns to re-engage past visitors.

Plus, you can automatically import campaigns directly from Google Ads, making it really easy to launch a brand-new campaign.

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Cons: Smaller Search Share and Less Visibility at Scale

With around 3% of the global market, Microsoft Ads only captures a fraction of Google’s search traffic. This means fewer searches and a smaller overall reach, making it less effective for industries targeting younger, tech-savvy audiences.

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While Microsoft Ads performs well for B2B brands and high-income professionals, it’s best used as part of a broader multi-channel campaign. For most marketing teams, it serves as a strong complement to Google Ads, not a full replacement.

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Find The Best B2B Advertising Platforms For Your Business

Not every platform is right for your business. The best B2B advertising strategy isn’t about being everywhere. It’s about being in the right place, at the right time, with the right message, and aligning your approach with broader marketing efforts.

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A professional advertiser can help you cut through the noise, identifying where your target customers are most active and creating multi-channel campaigns that reach the right audiences. Instead of juggling disconnected strategies, you get a cohesive digital marketing plan tailored to your goals.

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Not sure where to start? 

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We offer free ad account audits to see what’s working, what’s not, and where you can improve. Take the guesswork out of B2B advertising and book a free ads strategy today!

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