How GrowthSpin Scaled a LinkedIn Ads Strategy to Drive 35% More MQLs for an L&D SaaS Marketplace

The Client

Learnexus is a members-only platform connecting organisations with pre-vetted L&D experts — including instructional designers, training specialists, eLearning developers, and learning consultants. The platform gives modern organisations the power to build training programmes with ease, using AI-driven matching algorithms to rapidly connect companies with best-fit experts.

Founded in 2019 and headquartered in New York, Learnexus has raised $11.4M from investors including Sure Ventures, 10XImpact, AirAngels, Charge Ventures, and Good Friends. The platform targets HR and L&D leaders at enterprise and fast-growing companies who need to scale their learning teams quickly — positioning itself squarely at the intersection of the future of work and corporate upskilling.

Learnexus has been recognised as one of Training Industry's Top 20 Staffing and Temporary Resources Companies — a testament to the product's market fit and the growth ambitions that underpinned the engagement.

The Challenge

When Learnexus approached GrowthSpin, the core goal was clear: build a scalable paid media engine that could drive qualified leads from HR and L&D decision-makers across both the US and UAE markets. The platform had strong product-market fit but lacked the multi-channel paid infrastructure needed to capture demand at scale.

Three interconnected problems needed solving:

• Reaching the right buyers on LinkedIn. HR and L&D decision-makers are a highly specific audience. Broad targeting was wasteful; without precise job title, seniority, and industry segmentation, LinkedIn spend was not converting efficiently into marketing-qualified leads.

• Converting paid social audiences into leads. Driving traffic was only half the battle. Lead form completion rates were underperforming, and there was no systematic approach to retargeting warm audiences or building lookalike pools from existing customers.

• Proving ROI across paid search and programmatic. Google, Bing, and CM360 were underutilised channels. Without a coherent search and programmatic strategy layered onto paid social, Learnexus was leaving high-intent demand uncaptured.

Our Approach

GrowthSpin took on the role of outsourced paid media partner for Learnexus, owning strategy and execution across LinkedIn, Meta, Google, Bing, and CM360 from March 2021 through April 2023.

Phase 1: LinkedIn Ads Strategy and Audience Architecture

The foundation was building a rigorous LinkedIn targeting framework. GrowthSpin mapped Learnexus's ideal customer profile to specific job titles, seniority levels, industries, and company sizes — then layered Sponsored InMail, dynamic ads, and lead gen forms into a full-funnel LinkedIn programme. Retargeting sequences were built to re-engage profile visitors and video viewers, while lookalike audiences were constructed from converted leads to expand reach efficiently.

Phase 2: Meta and Programmatic Execution

Alongside LinkedIn, GrowthSpin launched and optimised Meta campaigns focused on audience segmentation, creative testing, and conversion tracking. A/B testing of ad formats and messaging variants was run continuously to identify what drove engagement. In parallel, GrowthSpin launched programmatic campaigns via CM360, implementing smarter media buying strategies to extend reach beyond social into display and native channels.

Phase 3: Paid Search and SEO Foundation

GrowthSpin launched and managed Google and Bing search campaigns targeting high-intent queries from HR teams actively searching for L&D talent and solutions. Keyword strategy was built around hiring and procurement intent. Alongside paid search, SEO optimisations were implemented to build organic visibility for the core terms Learnexus needed to own — reducing long-term dependency on paid spend.

The Results

GrowthSpin's multi-channel paid media programme delivered measurable improvements across every channel within the engagement period:

• 35% increase in MQLs through LinkedIn Sponsored InMail and dynamic ad campaigns targeting HR and L&D decision-makers across the US and UAE.

• 30% improvement in LinkedIn lead form completion rates via strategic audience refinement and optimised lead gen form design.

• 35% uplift in Meta ad engagement driven by systematic creative testing and audience segmentation.

• 27% boost in ROAS within two months of launching CM360 programmatic campaigns, yielding faster returns than projected.

• Major search term rankings achieved for hiring L&D talent through SEO optimisations, building a sustainable organic channel alongside paid activity.

Key Takeaways

1. LinkedIn precision beats LinkedIn volume. For B2B SaaS platforms targeting HR and L&D buyers, broad LinkedIn targeting wastes budget. The 35% MQL uplift came not from spending more, but from mapping audience architecture to the precise decision-maker profile — job title, seniority, industry, and company size combined.

2. Multi-channel amplification compounds results. LinkedIn, Meta, Google, Bing, and CM360 were not run as isolated campaigns. Each channel reinforced the others — social awareness feeding search intent, programmatic extending reach, retargeting closing the loop. The 27% ROAS boost from CM360 was partly a function of the warmed audiences already in the funnel from LinkedIn and Meta.

3. Paid and organic are a growth multiplier, not alternatives. Building SEO alongside paid search reduced long-term CAC and created compounding returns. Ranking for major L&D hiring search terms means Learnexus continues to benefit from the work long after the paid campaigns pause.

About GrowthSpin

GrowthSpin is a London-based growth marketing studio led by Neha Divanji. We work as outsourced in-house growth marketers for funded startups and scale-ups, offering fractional growth leadership, performance marketing (Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok), and product strategy with UI/UX design.

Looking for a LinkedIn ads agency that understands B2B SaaS? Book a call at growthspin.co.uk/calendar