Pivot, Don’t Pause. Why B2B LinkedIn Advertisers Should Not Go Dark For Summer

Many B2B marketers slow their LinkedIn advertising efforts during the summer, assuming decision-makers are on holiday and pipelines are inactive. 

But that approach ignores a critical truth.

Summer is a hidden opportunity to build brand awareness, grow your pipeline and advertise more efficiently, especially on LinkedIn. 

When your competitors pause, you have room to show up stronger, reach more decision-makers for less and set your brand up for a powerful Q3 and Q4. Here’s how and why to make the most of it.

Lower Costs, Less Competition

Fewer advertisers in summer means reduced competition in LinkedIn’s auction system. This often leads to lower cost-per-click (CPC) and cost-per-1,000 impressions (CPM). 

LinkedIn advertisers often see CPMs drop by up to 20% during early summer months. Advertisers can take advantage of this by running awareness and engagement campaigns while visibility is cheaper. 

Decision-Makers Are Still Engaged, They’re Just Consuming Differently

Even during slower periods professionals continue to check LinkedIn, often more casually and with a greater openness to high-value content that educates or inspires. 

According to LinkedIn’s own data: 

• 70% of B2B marketers say building brand awareness is more important now than a year ago. 

• Strong brands drive up to 3x higher conversion rates in the long term. 

 Summer is the time to build and nurture trust, not just chase conversions. 

Brand Building Today = Pipeline Tomorrow

LinkedIn data shows that 95% of B2B buyers aren’t actively in-market at any given moment. This means that brand visibility (especially during quiet periods) is your best long-term advantage. 

 If you continue running LinkedIn ads through the summer, you’re doing more than just maintaining momentum, you’re building your future pipeline. You’re priming buyers to remember your brand when budgets unlock and buying cycles restart in Q3 and Q4. 

Ideal Time to Test and Optimise

With ad costs down and expectations more flexible, summer is also the best time to experiment. Try out new messaging, swap in a new creative angle or explore formats like Thought Leader Ads or Document Ads that highlight your expertise in a fresh way. 

The insights you gain now will sharpen your autumn campaigns and give you a performance edge when everyone else returns to the ad auction at full force. 

Don’t Let Brand Visibility Drop

The brands that stay visible this summer will have a stronger, more familiar voice come September. If you disappear for 6-8 weeks you risk losing the trust and attention you’ve already built. 

LinkedIn’s own research continues to support this: consistent brand activity builds recall, trust and long-term conversion efficiency. So even if you scale back slightly, don’t go dark. 

Final Takeaway: Don’t Pause, Pivot.

LinkedIn advertising doesn’t need to stop in summer. It just needs to shift. Focus on brand awareness, build audiences, run tests, and position your business for a powerful close to the year. 

If you’re debating whether to run LinkedIn ads, ask yourself this:

Are you marketing for today, or for the next six months? 

Need Help Building a Smarter B2B LinkedIn Strategy? 

At Floresco, we help B2B companies unlock the full potential of LinkedIn, even during quieter periods. From strategic creative to full-funnel optimisation, we build campaigns that deliver results now and build momentum for the months ahead. 

Ready to make your LinkedIn advertising work harder and smarter all year round? Let’s talk. 

Sources:

https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/success/brand-awareness 

https://www.hockeystack.com/lab-blog-posts/linkedin-ads-benchmarks 

Photo credits: Airam Dato-on, pexels