Meta Ads for B2B Lead Gen: Targeting B2B Decision Makers on FB

"Facebook is for B2C." "LinkedIn is for B2B." This belief is costing you money. The CEO of that Fortune 500 company has an Instagram account. They have hobbies. They have a life. And on Saturday morning, when they are scrolling through their feed, they are just as likely to click on a "SaaS Growth" ad as they are on LinkedIn. The difference? Meta CPM: $20. LinkedIn CPM: $150. Meta Ads are the secret weapon of B2B marketers who care about CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost).

The Challenge: Targeting

On LinkedIn, you select "Job Title: CEO" and "Company Size: 500+." Easy. On Meta, those options were removed years ago (mostly). So how do you hit the decision-maker?

Strategy 1: The "Data-Enriched" Custom Audience

Don't rely on Facebook's native targeting. Bring your own data.

1. Export from LinkedIn/ZoomInfo: Build a list of 10,000 target companies and decision-makers.
2. Enrich with Personal Email: Tools like Apollo or Lusha often have personal emails (Gmail/Yahoo).
3. Upload to Meta: Import this as a "Customer List" Custom Audience.
4. Match Rate: You will typically get a 30-50% match rate.
5. Result: You are now showing ads only to your B2B leads, but on Facebook.

Strategy 2: The "Lookalike" Loop

If you don't have a list, use your existing customers.

1. Seed Audience: Upload your list of "High Value Customers" (LTV → $10k).
2. Create Lookalike (1%): Ask Facebook to find people similar to your high-paying clients.
3. Refine: Layer this with "B2B" interests like "Digital Marketing," "Enterprise Software," or "Admin of a Business Page."

Strategy 3: Creative as Targeting

When broad targeting is necessary, your Creative MUST do the heavy lifting. Bad Headline: "Growth Software for Everyone." Good Headline: "The CMO's Guide to Enterprise Attribution." The "Good" headline repels non-CMOs. You want irrelevant people to scroll past. If a teenager clicks your ad, you pay. If they scroll, you don't pay (mostly). Call out the job title in the first second.

Strategy 4: The Lead Form "Speed Bump"

B2B leads on Facebook can be low quality. "My kid clicked the ad." To fix this, add friction to your Lead Gen Form.

1. Use "Higher Intent" Form Type: Adds a review screen.
2. Ask "Work Email" Only: Use conditional logic to block consumer domains (@gmail.com) if possible, or just state "Work Email Required" in the placeholder.
3. Add a Custom Question: "What is your monthly ad spend?"
   • <$5k (Disqualify)
   • $50k+ (High Priority)

The B2B Funnel on Meta

• Top of Funnel (Video/Image): "Problem/Agitation." Call out the pain point.
• Middle of Funnel (Retargeting): "Case Study." Show how you solved it for a competitor.
• Bottom of Funnel (Retargeting): "Demo/Offer." Direct link to calendar.

Summary

Meta is not just for sneakers and gadgets. It is a massive database of humans. And B2B buyers are humans. By combining First-Party Data, Lookalikes, and Qualifying Creative, you can build a B2B pipeline that rivals LinkedIn for a fraction of the cost.