In today's digital age, social media advertising has become an integral part of any business's marketing strategy among the many social media platforms available like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter.
With over 900 million members, LinkedIn provides a unique opportunity to reach a professional audience and generate leads. In this beginner's handbook on LinkedIn advertising, we will explore the basics of setting up a LinkedIn ad campaign and maximizing its potential.
What are LinkedIn Ads?
LinkedIn Ads are social media ads that appear on LinkedIn, used by companies to target specific audiences based on job title, location, and company size. They promote products, generate leads, and enhance brand awareness. Additionally, businesses can use them to promote events, sponsor content, and demonstrate expertise in their industry.
Why Should You Care About LinkedIn Ads?
LinkedIn has established itself as the largest professional network in the world. As a platform focused solely on business-to-business connections, it presents itself as the ideal place for B2B marketing.
Regardless of the industry you're targeting, you're more likely to find the major players on LinkedIn. Moreover, this is the go-to platform to find decision-makers, from C-suite executives to mortgage brokers at small-to-mid-sized firms. Whether you're seeking candidates with 5+ years of experience or trying to identify the best-suited service provider for your organization, LinkedIn is your one-stop solution.
According to LinkedIn's research, a staggering 80% of its members are involved in its organization's buying decisions, indicating that LinkedIn members are key influencers in the business landscape. Additionally, members possess twice the buying power of an average web audience and are six times more likely to convert.
Needless to say, before deciding on the ad's contents, decide what exactly do you want to accomplish with it aka lead generation with lead gen form, website visits, and landing page visits, that way you can track and optimize campaigns for better results.
Therefore, if you haven't yet jumped on the LinkedIn Ads bandwagon, it's high time you do. By tapping into LinkedIn's vast network, you can enhance your B2B marketing efforts and increase your chances of reaching your desired audience, generating leads, and driving conversions.
Setting up Your Campaign with Targeting
Once you have decided on the ad type, the next step is to set up your campaign. The first thing to do is to choose your target audience based on factors such as location, job title, company size, and industry. You can also target specific LinkedIn groups or create custom audiences based on website visitors or email lists.
LinkedIn's Campaign Manager offers a step-by-step guide to creating a campaign. You will need to set your daily budget, ad format, campaign duration and end date. LinkedIn offers two bidding options: cost per click (CPC) or cost per impression (CPM). CPC is ideal for driving website traffic, while CPM is better for brand awareness campaigns.
Creating Your Ad
The next step is to create your ad. Your ad should be visually appealing, relevant, and engaging. For Sponsored Content, make sure to include eye-catching images or videos, and for Sponsored InMail, ensure that your message is personalized and compelling. For Display Ads, keep your ad copy concise and straightforward and use attention-grabbing visuals.
LinkedIn provides ad templates and a drag-and-drop editor, making it easy to create visually appealing ads. However, it is essential to keep in mind that there are strict ad policies, so make sure to read and follow them.
Have You Understood the LinkedIn Ad Formats?
Before setting up a LinkedIn ad campaign, marketers, it is crucial to understand the different ad formats available. LinkedIn offers a range of ad formats, including Sponsored Content, Sponsored InMail, and Display Ads.
Let’s Talk About the Types of LinkedIn Ads
Sponsored Content appears as native ads in the LinkedIn feed, allowing you to promote your company updates, blogs, or events. It is important to decide on a type of ad going forward, so when you gain enough information about different formats, learn which ads are yielding the best results.
Sponsored Content
This is typically where you promote an article or a post from your company page.
Single Image Ads
A single image ad is a Sponsored Content ad format. The ads include one image and appear directly in the LinkedIn feed of professionals you want to reach, whether on desktop or mobile devices.
Text Ads
These Ads may appear right in the ‘People You May Know’ section. Don’t forget to make it as compact as possible.
Dynamic Ads
Dynamic ads are personalized ads tailored to each member based on their own LinkedIn profile data, such as a profile photo, company name, or job title.
Note: Each member sees their personalized information; member profile information is not displayed to other members.
Carousel Ads
This comprises swipeable cards to tell the story of your brand, share insights or showcase products. Use strong visuals and CTAs to gain the attention of your target market.
Sponsored InMail
Sponsored InMail allows you to send personalized messages to LinkedIn users, making it an effective way to connect with decision-makers and generate leads. While it may seem like a fun way to spam someone's inbox, when done correctly, Sponsored InMail can actually yield higher conversions than any other LinkedIn ad format.
Since Sponsored InMail messages are sent from a personal profile instead of a branded business page, recipients are more likely to feel like they're communicating with a representative of the company, rather than being sold to. However, it's crucial to avoid copying and pasting generic templates to all demographics. Each Sponsored InMail should be personalized to ensure maximum effectiveness.
Video Ads
Videos are known to offer better value proposition for businesses. Make sure to use meaningful videos in your ads to get better conversions.
Measuring Your ROI
Once your ad campaign is up and running, it is crucial to measure your results. LinkedIn ads provide a range of metrics to track impressions, clicks, and conversions. By analyzing these metrics, you can determine the effectiveness of your campaign and make adjustments to improve your results.
The Campaign Manager provides a comprehensive dashboard that displays all the essential metrics. You can also export the data and analyze it further to get more insights.
Optimizing Your Campaign
The best way to get the most out of your LinkedIn ads campaign, is to optimize it regularly. Experiment with different ad formats, targeting options, and ad creatives to see what works best for your business. Additionally, keep an eye on your campaign's performance and make adjustments to your budget and targeting as needed.
Campaign Manager provides insights on the performance of each ad, allowing you to identify the best-performing ads and adjust your budget accordingly. Additionally, LinkedIn offers A/B testing so you can test different ad creatives, targeting, and bidding strategies to see what works best for your business.
Finally
The latest updates and changes to the advertising platform and adjust your strategy accordingly. With the right targeting, ad format, and optimization, LinkedIn advertising can be a valuable asset to your marketing strategy.
LinkedIn advertising can be a powerful tool for B2B companies looking to reach a professional audience and generate leads. By understanding the ad formats, creating compelling ads, and monitoring your performance, you can create a successful ad campaign that delivers results for your business. Keep in mind that LinkedIn's advertising platform is constantly evolving, so stay up to date with the latest updates and changes to ensure that your campaign remains effective.
