Why a Multi-Touch Funnel Matters
Many advertisers make the mistake of expecting conversions from a single ad. On LinkedIn, where decision-makers are deliberate and research-driven, that approach rarely works. A multi-touch funnel recognizes that prospects move through stages of awareness, consideration, and decision-making. By tailoring ads to each stage, businesses can guide potential customers step by step until they’re ready to convert.
Laying the Foundation: Awareness Stage
The top of the funnel is about visibility. At this stage, the goal isn’t to sell but to spark recognition. Ads should focus on thought leadership content, industry trends, or broad problem statements that align with your audience’s challenges. Video ads, carousel posts, and document ads work especially well here because they capture attention and deliver value without demanding immediate action.
The awareness stage builds trust and ensures your brand is part of the conversation when prospects begin evaluating solutions.
Middle of the Funnel: Driving Consideration
Once awareness is established, the focus shifts to educating prospects. The middle of the funnel (MOFU) is where you provide content that demonstrates expertise and positions your brand as a solution. Case studies, comparison guides, and webinar invitations fit naturally in this phase.
Sponsored Content is particularly effective for MOFU campaigns, as it encourages interaction without feeling intrusive. Retargeting can also be used here, ensuring people who engaged with your top-funnel ads are shown more detailed, solution-focused content.
Bottom of the Funnel: Converting Prospects
At the bottom of the funnel, prospects are closer to making a decision. Ads here should be more direct and conversion-driven, with strong calls-to-action such as booking a demo, signing up for a free trial, or contacting sales. Sponsored InMail or Conversation Ads often perform well at this stage, as they create a more personal and actionable touchpoint.
The key is alignment—each stage of the funnel builds naturally into the next, avoiding the disjointed experience that often causes drop-off.
Sequencing Ads for a Cohesive Journey
A multi-touch funnel is only effective if the sequencing makes sense. If prospects see a conversion ad before they’ve built familiarity with your brand, they’re unlikely to act. Campaign sequencing ensures the right message reaches the right audience at the right time. This requires a mix of targeting, retargeting, and creative rotation to move users smoothly through each funnel stage.
The Role of Retargeting
Retargeting is the glue that holds a multi-touch funnel together. By re-engaging people who viewed a video, downloaded a guide, or visited your website, you can deliver progressively stronger offers. Retargeting prevents you from starting from scratch with each touchpoint, instead building on prior interactions to strengthen relevance and trust.
Budget Allocation Across Stages
Effective funnel design also requires thoughtful budget distribution. Early-stage campaigns often need more spend initially to build awareness, but as audiences filter down, it makes sense to allocate more budget to MOFU and BOFU campaigns where conversions occur. Continual monitoring ensures resources are flowing to the stages that deliver the best ROI.
Incorporating LinkedIn Ads Best Practices
Building a multi-touch funnel works best when aligned with proven guidelines. Among the most important LinkedIn ads best practices are:
- Segmenting audiences by funnel stage to avoid one-size-fits-all messaging.
- Refreshing creative regularly to prevent ad fatigue and declining engagement.
- Using a mix of ad formats to appeal to different preferences (video, carousel, single image, and message ads).
- Testing variations continuously to refine messaging, targeting, and calls-to-action.
Applying these practices ensures the funnel doesn’t just function but compounds results over time.
Measuring Funnel Performance
A multi-touch approach requires looking beyond single metrics like clicks. Evaluate performance stage by stage: impressions and reach for TOFU, engagement and downloads for MOFU, and conversion rate or cost per lead for BOFU. Viewing the funnel holistically helps identify weak points and adjust campaigns before they underperform.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
One common mistake is pushing for conversions too early. Without prior exposure, audiences are less likely to respond. Another pitfall is neglecting to retarget engaged users, which wastes valuable intent signals. Finally, running the same ad endlessly without refresh leads to fatigue, undermining funnel progression.
Conclusion
A multi-touch LinkedIn ad funnel is not about flooding prospects with ads—it’s about creating a logical path that builds awareness, nurtures interest, and converts when the timing is right. By sequencing campaigns thoughtfully, leveraging retargeting, and applying proven LinkedIn ads best practices, businesses can create a compounding effect where each stage strengthens the next. The result is a funnel that not only generates conversions but does so with efficiency and long-term impact.
