Running paid social campaigns for B2B SaaS can feel overwhelming. With so many platforms, ad types, and targeting options, it’s easy to get lost in trial and error. But here’s the truth—pushing for a sale too soon will backfire.
The key to success is building relationships step-by-step by aligning your campaigns with the natural buyer’s journey: Awareness, Consideration, and Conversion. This method mirrors how most of us make decisions—first, we discover a product, then we evaluate it, and finally, we act when we’re ready.
In this guide, we’ll break down each stage of the buyer’s journey and show you how to create campaigns that resonate with your prospects.
We’ll also explore retargeting strategies to keep prospects engaged through each stage, and show you how to use email follow-ups to nurture leads effectively. At the end, you’ll find our Paid Social Campaign Planner, a tool to keep your campaigns organized and on track to convert.
The first stage in the buyer's journey is awareness. In the awareness stage, your goal is to introduce your brand to cold audiences—people who don’t know who you are or what you offer. Selling at this point is premature. Instead, you want to spark curiosity and build familiarity by telling your story and demonstrating the value your product brings.
One effective way to do this is by using the Pain, Claim, Gain framework. Start by addressing a key challenge or pain point that your target audience faces. Then, present a claim—how your product or service can solve that problem. Finally, emphasize the gain, or the positive outcomes they can expect. This framework helps communicate the value of your solution in a way that connects emotionally with prospects, making them more receptive to learning about your brand.
A great way to approach awareness campaigns is to use engaging video ads that highlight a key challenge your target audience faces and how your product can solve it. Video is not only attention-grabbing, but it also provides insight into engagement—platforms like LinkedIn and Meta allow you to see how much of the video viewers watched, giving you data to guide your next steps.
Another approach is to offer top-of-funnel lead magnets—valuable, low-commitment resources like industry checklists or trend reports. These serve two purposes: they provide immediate value and help you collect contact information for future follow-ups.
At this stage, you’ll be focusing on cold audience targeting. Use filters like job role, job title, industry, or geographic region to ensure you’re reaching the right people. Engagement metrics like video watch time or clicks will signal who’s ready to move to the next stage.
This stage is also crucial for testing and discovering which audience segments react best to your ads and messaging. Experiment with different audiences and ad creatives to see which groups show the most interest in your content. This process helps you refine and define your ideal customer profile (ICP) and key personas. By analyzing engagement data, you’ll be able to identify the segments that resonate most with your message, setting you up for more targeted and effective campaigns in the later stages of the funnel.
Once prospects know your name, the next step is to deepen their understanding of your product and show them why it’s the right fit for them. This is the consideration stage, where your audience begins comparing options and looking for reasons to trust you over competitors.
Case studies, testimonials, and product demo videos are essential here. A compelling case study shows how you’ve helped similar companies succeed, while testimonial ads provide social proof, reinforcing that others trust your product. Product demos or feature walk-throughs give your audience a taste of the value your solution provides.
Your ads during this stage should be informative and persuasive. Comparison ads can also be helpful—they highlight what makes your product unique and better suited to the prospect’s needs than competing solutions.
Retargeting becomes essential here. Anyone who engages with your awareness ads—whether by watching a video, clicking a post, or downloading a resource—can be moved into a custom retargeting audience. From there, serve them product demos, customer stories, or middle-of-funnel lead magnets like feature comparison guides or whitepapers to keep their interest alive.
By the time your audience reaches the conversion stage, they should have all the information they need to make a decision. Now it’s about removing any last obstacles and making it easy for them to act. Whether you want them to book a demo or start a free trial, your messaging should be clear and direct.
This is where direct CTA ads come into play. Ads with simple, action-oriented language—such as "Sign Up Now" or "Book Your Demo Today"—work best. Make sure your landing pages align with your ad copy to create a seamless experience. If your ad promotes a free trial, the landing page should feature that trial prominently, not bury it in a menu.
It’s crucial to focus on what’s in it for them. B2B buyers are often making decisions on behalf of their company, using company resources rather than their own money. This makes them particularly sensitive to any perceived risks, even when the expense isn’t coming directly out of their own pocket. Highlighting offers that reduce this risk—such as free trials, no-commitment demos, or money-back guarantees—can make a big difference in encouraging action. When prospects see that they can try out your product or service with minimal risk, they’re far more likely to take the next step.
When should someone see conversion ads? Once a prospect has engaged with your awareness and consideration ads—watching videos, downloading resources, or visiting your website—they’ve shown enough interest to be ready for conversion-focused messaging. This indicates they are more familiar with your brand and are likely considering your solution. Serving conversion ads at this stage helps keep the momentum going and guides them to take the next logical step toward becoming a customer.
Even at this stage, it’s useful to continue showing a mix of ads from previous stages. An awareness ad, for instance, can reinforce your brand’s story, while a testimonial ad reminds prospects why others love your product. These multi-stage touchpoints increase trust and keep your brand top of mind.
Retargeting is where paid social campaigns become truly powerful. Not every prospect will convert the first time they engage, which is why delivering the right message at the right time is crucial. Retargeting allows you to reach prospects based on how they’ve interacted with your previous ads, making each touchpoint more relevant and impactful.
If someone watched a large portion (more than 50%) of your awareness video, that’s a strong signal they’re interested but need more information. This benchmark is based on hundreds of tests, revealing that when prospects watch more than half of a video—especially longer-form content—they're demonstrating a meaningful level of interest in your solution.
Retarget these engaged viewers with a consideration-stage ad, such as a product demo or client testimonial that gives them a closer look at how your product can help them. Likewise, if someone clicked a consideration ad or downloaded a resource but didn’t convert, follow up with conversion-focused ads featuring a clear call to action.
Frequency capping to roughly 7 to 10 impressions per month can prevent your ads from becoming annoying, and tracking performance will help you identify which messages resonate the most.
Social ads alone won’t close the deal—email follow-ups are crucial to nurturing leads after they engage. Whether a prospect downloads a lead magnet, books a demo, or signs up for a free trial, a relevant email sequence keeps the momentum going.
Lead Magnet Follow-Up
Demo Request Follow-Up
Free Trial Follow-Up
Automating these sequences ensures timely follow-ups while behavioral triggers—like whether they open an email—help you optimize engagement.
Running multiple campaigns across different funnel stages can get complicated fast. That’s why we created the Paid Social Campaign Planner — a Figjam template designed to keep everything on track.
With this planner, you can:
This planner will ensure your campaigns are structured to guide prospects smoothly from their first interaction all the way to conversion.
Paid social campaigns aren’t just about driving clicks—they’re about building relationships. By aligning your ads with the Awareness, Consideration, and Conversion stages, you create a natural flow that nurtures prospects, builds trust, and drives results.
But don’t stop there, an effective campaign requires an omnichannel presence—combining both organic and paid efforts ensures your message reaches prospects wherever they are. Consistent messaging across LinkedIn, email, your website, and social media helps support buyers through each stage of their journey, making your brand the one they trust.
With smart retargeting and thoughtful follow-up, you’ll keep prospects engaged every step of the way.
Download our Paid Social Campaign Planner today and start turning cold prospects into loyal customers. Your future clients are waiting—meet them where they are.
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