LinkedIn advertising has emerged as a cornerstone of marketing strategies for B2B marketers. It stands as an unmatched platform for businesses seeking to reach other businesses.

And why is that?

First, it has a professional user base of over 700 million, and second, it offers a unique opportunity to tap into a highly targeted and receptive Audience.

One of the driving forces behind its popularity is LinkedIn’s objective-based advertising. This interesting feature lets marketers tailor their campaigns to specific goals, whether lead generation, website visits, or brand awareness. It’s akin to a finely tuned instrument in the hands of marketers, enabling precise engagement with potential business partners. 

Looking to know more about LinkedIn advertising?

Here’s the complete guide to LinkedIn ads in 2023 to equip you with the knowledge and strategies needed to excel in making the most of LinkedIn advertising.

Types of LinkedIn Ads

LinkedIn advertising is the most efficient marketing tool you have at your disposal for reaching the right audience. Each type of ad comes with its distinct characteristics. 

Let’s delve into them a bit more:

Sponsored content

As a LinkedIn user, you will often find these ads seamlessly integrating into your news feed, blending in with regular posts. These are called sponsored content, and LinkedIn designates them as “promoted” to maintain transparency. 

Your options here include:

• Versatile carousel ads: These ads are like a storybook for your brand. They use a swipeable row of cards to tell your brand’s tale, showcase products, or share valuable insights. 

• Single image ads: You will usually notice ads popping up while scrolling through your LinkedIn home page. These are called single-image ads and are akin to sponsored content. These ads focus on a single eye-catching image and can serve various goals, including elevating brand awareness.

• Video ads: With LinkedIn video ads, you have the stage to showcase your brand holistically. These ads give you the chance to show, not just tell, your brand’s unique story and increase video views.

Sponsored messaging 

Think of this as the method for delivering direct messages to the inboxes of LinkedIn members. However, it’s important to note that LinkedIn restricts how frequently your messages can reach the same individual’s inbox to prevent overuse.

Text ads

These ads resemble digital billboards on LinkedIn’s desktop feed, appearing prominently at the top and on the right-hand side. They are particularly effective for targeting professionals and valuable in lead generation.

Dynamic ads

Dynamic ads take personalization to the next level. Have you ever encountered an ad that mirrors your details, including a photo, employer’s name, and job title? These are called dynamic ads. However, you can adjust their settings if you find them too intrusive. 

Dynamic Ads come in two distinct categories:

• Follower ads: Think of follower ads as your personalized invitation to potential followers. These dynamic ads are tailored to your audience and aim to promote your LinkedIn Page, encouraging users to click that all-important “Follow” button. 

• Sponsored content: As we have covered before, sponsored content also falls under the umbrella of dynamic ads and is often referred to as native ads. These will appear right in your audience’s LinkedIn feed, whether they’re scrolling on mobile devices or desktops. 

What Type of LinkedIn Ads Are Most Effective?

Understanding the impact of different ad formats is critical to making the most of LinkedIn advertising. In one of the recent surveys conducted by SocialMediaToday, two ad formats are leading the pack: single-image ads and video ads.

Single-image ads

These ads are a hit for a few key reasons:

• 42% of the responders said that single-image ads work the best for their businesses or clients.

• Single-image ads blend in smoothly with the LinkedIn feed, so they feel like a natural part of the experience and are labeled “promoted” to grab attention.

• You can use them for various goals, like getting more people to know your brand, driving them to your website, increasing engagement, making them take action on your website, getting leads, or even attracting job applicants.

Video ads

These ads are a close second and have their strengths:

• LinkedIn’s data shows that people on the platform are 20 times more likely to share videos than other posts.

• Over time, response rates for video ads on LinkedIn have increased steadily, showing that they’re good at keeping the audience interested.

• On average, video ads get twice as many likes, comments, and shares, and they’re 3.5 times more likely to make people take action on B2B brand websites than regular posts.

While single-image ads take the top spot, video ads are also pretty effective, backed by compelling statistics. However, the effectiveness of these types of LinkedIn advertising can vary depending on your specific brand, audience, and campaign goals.

What Are the 5 Steps To Get Started With LinkedIn Paid Advertising?

As a B2B marketer, knowing how to advertise on LinkedIn can be an asset. LinkedIn offers a guided campaign to help advertisers create effective ad campaigns on the platform. 

Learn how to use LinkedIn ads with this simplified step-by-step overview of the LinkedIn guided campaign setup process:

Step 1: Choose your campaign objective

You must decide what you want to achieve with your LinkedIn ad campaign. Is it about raising awareness for your brand, getting people to consider your product, or driving specific actions like signing up or making a purchase? Your campaign’s objective sets the stage.

Step 2: Choose your target criteria

Now, let’s get specific with your audience. LinkedIn offers some powerful targeting tools. You can narrow your audience based on factors like job titles, industries, and company size. The goal here is to ensure your ads land in front of the folks who are most likely to be interested.

Step 3: Choose your desired LinkedIn ad format

Time to pick the type of ad that suits your message and goals. You’ve got options like sponsored content, message ads, dynamic ads, and text ads. You can even mix and match if your campaign has different aims.

Step 4: Set your schedule and budget

You must decide how much you will spend on your campaign and how long you want it to run. You can choose a daily budget or set a total budget for the entire campaign. The schedule part is about when your ads will be active. This step helps you manage your spending effectively.

Step 5: Measure and monitor your ad campaign

Once your campaign is live, monitor how your ads are performing. Go to LinkedIn’s Campaign Manager to check the analytics. Are you getting the results you aimed for? If not, it’s time to make some tweaks. 

You can refine your targeting, polish your ad copy, or try a different ad format. The great thing about LinkedIn advertising is that you can adjust on the go to get the best results.

LinkedIn Ad Best Practices: The Complete LinkedIn Advertising Cheatsheet

The LinkedIn advertising platform differs from others. If you are a digital marketer wondering, “How do I get the most out of my LinkedIn ads?” we’ve got you covered. 

Here is a compilation of the best LinkedIn advertising tips and best practices:

• Geo-focus: Start with location targeting. You can choose specific cities or broader regions.

• Audience selection: Pick your audience based on criteria like company, demographics, education, job experience, and interests.

• Templates for efficiency: New to LinkedIn ads? Use audience templates for quick targeting.

• Avoid over-targeting: Use only a few criteria initially. Aim for a broad audience of over 50,000 (Sponsored Content and Text Ads) or 15,000 (Message Ads).

• Expand Reach: Try Audience Expansion or lookalike audiences to reach similar members.

• Customize with matched audiences: Tailor targeting using your business data for retargeting, contact targeting, and account-based marketing.

• Audience insights: Use actionable insights to refine targeting and align ad content.

• Tailor content: Customize content for different segments of your audience.

• Monitor and adjust: Monitor campaign data in Campaign Manager for insights to improve targeting.

• A/B test audiences: Experiment with variations in targeting to find the most effective combinations.

Final Words

LinkedIn advertising is a dynamic journey that can transform your marketing strategy. With the proper knowledge and strategies, you can tap into LinkedIn’s vast network of professionals and elevate your brand’s presence. 

Partner with The Smarketers for making the most of LinkedIn advertising. Supercharge your LinkedIn advertising campaign with our extensive expertise — account-based marketing (ABM) for precise targeting and inbound marketing for organic lead generation. 

Contact us today and let our team ensure you reach the right audience and convert them into loyal customers!

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