Overview
Ripple — a global enterprise fintech and blockchain leader — needed to accelerate B2B pipeline while dramatically improving cost efficiency on LinkedIn and programmatic. With a complex offering targeting compliance officers, finance directors, and C-suite decision-makers across enterprise firms, the existing campaigns were generating leads at $900 CPL — unsustainable for scaling. As Associate Director of Paid Media, I was brought in to rebuild the strategy from the ground up and establish a performance framework aligned to Ripple's enterprise growth KPIs.
The Challenges
- CPL of $900 made acquisition costs unsustainable at scale
- Inefficient audience segmentation leading to significant wasted ad spend
- Creative and messaging misalignment with the target audience
- Budget pacing and bidding strategies lacked optimization and structure
- Need to scale across multiple financial decision-maker segments simultaneously
- Over 100 tracking spreadsheets creating reporting inefficiencies and decision lag
The Strategy
Precision Bidding & Audience Targeting
- Implemented LinkedIn's Predictive Bidding with manual bid adjustments for high-value segments
- Refined audience segmentation to focus on high-intent finance and compliance professionals
- Leveraged ABM to target CXO-level decision-makers at enterprise firms
- Introduced segmented "Member Group" targeting for Crypto, Banking, Fintech, and Financial Services professionals at Director+ level
Creative & Messaging Optimization
- Developed tailored ad creatives with industry-specific insights and proof points
- Systematic A/B testing to refine copy and visual direction
- Aligned messaging with funnel stages (TOFU, MOFU, BOFU) to reduce friction
Retargeting & Budget Pacing
- Built high-intent retargeting audiences from past visitors and engaged prospects
- Adjusted budget pacing to prioritize high-performing dayparts and audience segments
- Implemented real-time budget allocation with automated bid adjustments
The Results
Role & Context
Role: Associate Director of Paid Media (via Envisionit) · Period: Aug 2024 – Nov 2024 · Channels: LinkedIn Ads, Programmatic · Budget: Enterprise-scale
I partnered cross-functionally with Ripple's sales, analytics, and AdOps teams to establish a unified performance framework — aligning media execution with their pipeline KPIs and building the infrastructure for scalable, ROI-driven growth.
Key Takeaways
- Predictive bidding with intent-based scoring can dramatically cut CPL without sacrificing lead quality
- CXO-personalized messaging at the CXO level outperforms generic B2B creative — conversion rates proved it
- ABM audience segmentation is non-negotiable for enterprise fintech targeting compliance and finance DMs
- Consolidating 100+ fragmented reports into three live dashboards transformed decision velocity across the team
- Cross-functional alignment between media, sales, and AdOps is what separates campaigns that generate leads from ones that generate pipeline