LinkedIn vs Meta vs Google for B2B lead generation
LinkedIn's targeting is unmatched and its cost per lead is brutal. A deal-value-based framework for choosing where B2B budget belongs.
Short answer
Use Google search for existing demand, Meta for cost-efficient demand creation with a strong offer, and LinkedIn only when average deal value exceeds roughly €10,000 or you need precise job-title and company-size targeting. Most B2B accounts under €10,000 deal value perform better on Google plus Meta.
Key takeaways
- LinkedIn CPLs of €90–400 only make sense against large deal values.
- Meta reaches the same B2B decision-makers far cheaper — they use it in the evening.
- Google search should almost always be funded first: the demand is already there.
- Match the channel to the buying stage, not to the audience's job title.
- Retargeting website visitors on Meta is usually the cheapest B2B pipeline available.
Start with the deal value
Allowable CPL scales with deal value, and channel viability follows directly. Below a €5,000 deal value LinkedIn is rarely defensible. Between €5,000 and €10,000 it can work for tightly defined targeting. Above €10,000 it often becomes the most efficient channel available because the targeting precision removes waste.
| Deal value | Meta | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Under €2,000 | Yes | Yes | No |
| €2,000–5,000 | Yes | Yes | Rarely |
| €5,000–10,000 | Yes | Yes | Sometimes |
| €10,000–50,000 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| €50,000+ | Yes | Yes | Yes, primary |
Google: buy the demand that exists
If people search for what you sell, that traffic is the highest-certainty spend in the account. Check non-brand impression share before considering anything else; unclaimed search impressions are the cheapest pipeline you will find.
B2B search volume is often low, which is a feature: a hundred highly specific searches a month can carry an entire pipeline when deal values are large.
Meta: the underrated B2B channel
Decision-makers are on Meta in the evening with their guard down. Targeting is imprecise, but the creative does the qualifying — an ad that names the job title, the company size and the specific problem reaches the right people at a fraction of LinkedIn's cost.
The two Meta plays that consistently work in B2B are retargeting site visitors and lookalikes built from closed-won customers rather than from all leads.
- Build lookalikes from closed-won customers, not from raw leads
- Retarget pricing-page and case-study visitors with a specific next step
- Use creative to qualify: state the segment explicitly in the first line
- Expect a longer attribution window than eCommerce — set reporting accordingly
LinkedIn: precision at a price
LinkedIn's job title, seniority, company size and industry targeting is genuinely unmatched, and for large-deal ABM motions it is worth every euro. It is also two to five times the cost per lead of Meta for the same offer.
If you use it, keep budgets concentrated on a narrow audience, use document or thought-leadership formats rather than direct-response banners, and accept that pipeline, not CPL, is the only meaningful measure.
| Channel | CPC | CPL | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google search | €3–12 | €60–250 | Existing demand |
| Meta | €0.60–2.50 | €25–120 | Demand creation, retargeting |
| €6–14 | €90–400 | High-value ABM |
A default allocation
For a B2B company with a €6,000 average deal spending €12,000 per month, a reasonable starting split is 45% Google search, 40% Meta prospecting and retargeting, 15% test budget. Revisit quarterly against pipeline generated, not leads generated.
Whatever the split, feed qualified-lead and closed-won events back into every platform. Without that, all three channels optimise toward whoever fills in forms most readily.
FAQ
Is LinkedIn worth it for a €3,000 average deal?
Usually not. At €150–300 per lead and typical B2B close rates, the maths rarely clears. Put the budget into Google search and Meta retargeting, and revisit LinkedIn if deal values grow.
How do I reach specific job titles on Meta?
Through creative rather than targeting. Naming the role and the problem in the first line of the ad and the headline filters the audience effectively, while broad targeting keeps costs low and lets the algorithm find responders.
What attribution window should B2B use?
Longer than eCommerce — 28 to 90 days, matched to your sales cycle. A 7-day window on a 60-day sales cycle will systematically under-credit the channels that create demand.
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