[Review] Linkedin Ads

Six of twelve articles in the CXL Minidegree In writing an overview about Linkedin ads. You'll discover which types of ads available to use and how use then.

Topics covered this week in the Growth Marketing Minidegree

• intro to LinkedIn Ads — Get an overview of the pros and cons of the platform
• Chapter 2 – Audience targeting — Find out who you should be targeting (and who’s not worth the spend)
• Chapter 3 – Message (LinkedIn’s Ad units & the art of ad copy) — Learn about LinkedIn’s Ad units & discover the art of writing effective ad copy
• Chapter 4 – Offer (what you need to get their attention) — Define an irresistible offer that grabs your prospects’ attention

Lets start,

According to statistics, with over 722 million members, LinkedIn is the most trusted social network in the US. Over 73% of social media users state that LinkedIn protects their privacy and data. With a business-specific approach towards social media, the platform has become the largest social marketplace frequented by businesses of all sizes, kinds and industries, and professionals and job seekers all around the world.?

That being said, making use of the full potential of LinkedIn for your social media marketing plans is important and can lead to maximum success. In 2021, the platform is important for job seekers, and professionals in different fields as well as businesses. This can be supported with statistics that say 44% of LinkedIn users take home over $75,000 every year and the fact that millennials make up 38% of LinkedIn’s user base.?

To make the best use of LinkedIn, you must be aware of its key features and tricks. There are a lot of options offered by the platform, which may be unknown to many LinkedIn users. In the section below, we have listed some really useful and amazing LinkedIn features that you can use.

Types of LinkedIn ads

LinkedIn offers advertisers several ad placement options.

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content, also known as native ads, show up your audiences’ LinkedIn feed, regardless of whether they’re scrolling on mobile or their desktop. LinkedIn labels these ads as “promoted” to distinguish them from regular content.

The two variants of Sponsored Content are:

• ?Sponsored Content – Lives on your company page, and is visible to your company page’s followers.
• Direct Sponsored Content – Lives in your ad account, and hidden from your company page’s followers.

Text Ads

Text Ads show up along the top and right-hand side of LinkedIn’s desktop feed and are a good option if you’re looking to build strong leads with a professional demographic.

Considering 58% of marketers say that improving lead generation is one of their top digital marketing goals, LinkedIn Text Ads can be a way to cast a wide net on a budget.

?Sponsored Messaging

Sponsored Messaging (previously known as Sponsored InMail) lets you directly advertise to LinkedIn members in their inbox.

Just take note—LinkedIn has a cap on how many members will receive a Sponsored Message ad per month. For instance, a member of your target audience won’t receive one of your ads more than twice within a short timeframe.

Dynamic Ads

LinkedIn Dynamic Ads are more personalized than the standard single image ads or even video ads. They will address the LinkedIn member by name and include their profile photo or company name to ensure a more personalized experience for your audience.?

The desktop user will see the ad, not among all ads within the feed, but on the right-hand side of their screen where it is sure to capture your audience’s attention. It feels personalized to the user which is an extra way to help your audience feel more connected to you from the start.?

They have two main formats that are typically used for B2B clients: Follower Ads and Spotlight Ads. They can be used across your client’s marketing funnel to connect with their target audience at different stages of their user journey.

At the top of the funnel phase, you could use Follower Ads to build brand awareness and engagement which will help guide your target audience members with the goal of turning them into active Company Page followers. With middle and bottom of funnel prospects, you can use the Spotlight Ad format which can be used to generate leads or drive content download conversions.

Bid Type

In this section, the three options you have are:

Automated bid, which allows LinkedIn to determine what amount will maximize your campaign objective and whatever option you choose (clicks, impressions, or conversions).

Maximum cost-per-click (CPC) bid, where you'll be charged each time someone clicks on your ad. LinkedIn will suggest a bid range depending on your budget and the competition for your ads — the more advertisers bidding on a similar campaign, the higher your bid will need to be. This bid is the maximum you will be charged. If the current rate is lower than your max bid, you will only be charged the current rate.

Maximum pay-per-1,000 Impressions (CPM) bid, where you’ll be charged a certain amount each time your ad is viewed by every 1,000 people on LinkedIn. This option is unavailable if you’re using the LinkedIn Audience Network option.

Deciding on the best maximum bid can be tricky. When deciding between CPC and CPM, think about your end goal. Are you trying to get as many people as possible to see your ad to help with something like a branding campaign? If so, CPM might be your best option.

Bonus:

Minimum Daily Budget $10 or $300 per month

Ad Targeting is at Campaign Level– Segmentation is key!

Up to 15 Ads per campaign

Targeting Options Include: Job title, job function, industry, geography, company size, company name, seniority, age, gender, LinkedIn group

10 Targets Per Campaign for: Geography, Industry, Job Function

100 targets per campaign for Company, Job Title, School, Skill, Group

Ad Copy: Image: 50×50; Headline: 25 characters; Body: 75 characters

CTR > .025% is considered “good”. If you have poor ctr, your ads will stop showing so always be optimizing.

Start Bids high. Bid $1-$2 higher than suggested bids in the beginning to help increase CTR and then widdle them down.