LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads: Strategies for Every Funnel Stage

LinkedIn has become a cornerstone platform for B2B marketers, especially when it comes to building trust, credibility, and brand equity through thought leadership ads. Thought leadership ads on LinkedIn are about showcasing expertise and guiding potential customers through the funnel, from awareness to conversion. 

When they’re used correctly, they can be extremely effective. Here’s how we advise clients entering the world of thought leadership on Linkedin:

Use MOF or BOF LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads to Build Trust and Credibility

Middle-of-funnel (MOF) and bottom-of-funnel (BOF) strategies are where thought leadership ads are most effective. When audiences are already warm—having visited your website, engaged with your company page, or interacted with your top-of-funnel (TOF) campaigns—the next step is building trust. 

At this stage, thought leadership ads on LinkedIn focus on establishing credibility over generating clicks.

When an expert at your company shares their deep industry knowledge, it signals to prospects that your company’s expertise beats the competition. People trust individuals over corporate voices, and ads featuring real people resonate more.

By running thought leadership ads at the MOF or BOF level, you position your brand as a reliable source of solutions. Pair these ads with resources like case studies, white papers, testimonials, or eBooks to reinforce that expertise and move prospects closer to conversion.

Use TOF LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads to Build Brand Equity

Thought leadership can also be useful for TOF campaigns, but the purpose here is building brand equity. TOF audiences are typically unfamiliar with your brand or services. Thought leadership ads at this stage create awareness and interest.

Think of this process like a jar of marbles: 

You can’t ask potential customers for marbles if you hold them all. Each time someone recognizes your expertise, you’re handing out a marble and building a solid reputation. Over time, as your brand becomes familiar and credible, you can start asking for those marbles back, in the form of conversions. 

TOF campaigns using thought leadership ads are not designed to convert leads directly into customers. Engagement metrics like comments and clicks often reflect curiosity rather than intent. But these campaigns can establish a foundation of trust and recognition, which can be leveraged in MOF and BOF campaigns.

Strategy for TOF Thought Leadership Ads

Maximize the impact of TOF thought leadership ads by retargeting. Create a custom audience from people who engaged with TOF ads and target them with additional TOF ads to drive more intent clicks from that audience before sending them to MOF campaigns. This filters out casual observers and focuses on those showing genuine interest in your expertise.

LinkedIn Thought Leadership (Expertise) vs. Personal Branding (Personal Stories)

The most successful campaigns come from companies that understand the difference between thought leadership and personal branding.

• Thought leadership showcases expertise to solve specific industry problems or achieve ideal outcomes. For example, a cybersecurity company might run a thought leadership ad about protecting against phishing attacks, positioning themselves as industry leaders.
• Personal branding mixes expertise with personal stories, building a relatable connection. 

While personal branding helps build a following, thought leadership ads are strictly about demonstrating professional competence and delivering value.

The best LinkedIn strategies combine both. 

Employees post regularly about their expertise while occasionally sharing personal insights to build their personal brand. When this organic content is strong, it’s ideal for promotion through paid thought leadership ads, boosting both individual and company credibility.

Examples of LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads

Effective thought leadership ads on LinkedIn have specific characteristics in common:

• Focus on niche topics demonstrating unique knowledge.
• Provide insights that educate or solve a problem.
• Highlight the voices of actual employees for authenticity.
• Complement organic content and other paid campaigns for a cohesive narrative.

For example, the CEO of a LinkedIn marketing agency could write a post explaining how to build out a successful LinkedIn strategy. Pair that with a lead magnet detailing a strategy breakdown, including video tutorials, creating a compelling MOF or BOF campaign.

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Boosting External Thought Leaders

You can extend your thought leadership strategy beyond your team. If a credible third party, like a partner or satisfied client, posts about your company’s strengths, consider boosting that post. 

For example, if a partner like ZoomInfo praises your solutions, amplifying their voice can enhance your brand’s credibility. 

Always ensure you have their permission before running ads on their content.

Qualify Traffic with a Separate Campaign

Not all engagement on thought leadership ads indicates high intent. 

Someone clicking “See More” on a truncated post is counted as a click, but it doesn’t mean they’re ready to convert. To identify genuinely interested prospects, run a follow-up campaign targeting those who engaged with TOF ads. 

This ensures your budget is spent on audiences more likely to take meaningful actions, like visiting your website or signing up for a demo.

The Synergy Between LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads and Organic Strategies

Consistent, high-quality posting from your team builds credibility over time, even without a paid budget. When employees share their expertise organically, it creates a foundation of trust. 

Boosting these posts through paid thought leadership ads amplifies their reach and impact.

Running thought leadership ads alongside broader paid campaigns, such as those promoting case studies or testimonials, create a cohesive strategy. 

As potential customers engage with your ads and visit your pages, they encounter a consistent narrative of expertise and reliability.

LinkedIn Thought Leadership Ads Have a Time and Place

LinkedIn thought leadership ads can build trust, credibility, and brand equity when used strategically at different stages of the funnel. 

• MOF and BOF ads focus on establishing expertise and driving conversions.
• TOF ads grow awareness and lay the groundwork for future engagement. 

By understanding the differences between thought leadership and personal branding, qualifying traffic effectively, and integrating organic and paid strategies, you can fully leverage LinkedIn’s potential to grow your business.

Thought leadership ads aren’t the right choice in every situation. Check out our breakdown of LinkedIn ad types and when they work best. Here are some of the best LinkedIn ads in the game, and why they work.

Could your LinkedIn ads be doing more? Try out our free ads audit offer to learn how to make the most of your advertising budget.

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