Advertising is such a broad field, thanks to various marketing options we have today. From Facebook Ads to Google Ads, marketers have a tone of options to raise brand awareness and try to increase their sales. Still, if you’re looking for a unique way to advertise your service, product, or business, LinkedIn might just be the right place for you to test.
LinkedIn gathers working professionals, business owners, people looking into networking and finding a new job. If you think you should target such a person, then LinkedIn is definitely a great choice for you. It’s the perfect B2B marketing space that you need to test the waters in.
This article will help you choose the best advertising option for you on LinkedIn. Let’s kick it off.
Choosing Your Goal
The first thing you’ll need to do is decide and choose what the primary goal of each of your campaigns is.
This is pretty much self-explicatory. Just decide where you want to go with the ad, and what results you want to see at the end of the day.
LinkedIn will offer you these most common advertising goals:
- brand awareness
- website visits
- engagement
- video views
- lead generation
- website conversions
- job applicants
Choose the goal most suitable for your needs and proceed to choose the type of ad you’ll benefit from the most.
Types of LinkedIn Ads
LinkedIn offers different types of ads, to ensure everyone reaches their specific marketing needs. Let’s review all the options and help you decide which option to choose and why.
Here are the best LinkedIn advertising options:
Sponsored Content
Sponsored content is very simple. It’s the content you promote from your profile directly to the news feed of other LinkedIn users.
That means that you’re boosting a post you’ve created to have more people see it.
Whether it’s a blog post, a webinar invite, or any other LinkedIn post you want to promote, you can use this advertising option.
The users will be able to see it in their news feed with a tiny mark that says “Promoted”.
There are different types of sponsored content you can create:
- Single Image Ads
They show a single landscape image with the follow-up text and title tag. It’s your typical sponsored ad format. - Video
These will auto-play a video for the users. It will be set to mute unless the users decide to unmute. Consider adding subtitles for maximum effect. - Lead Generation Ads
If you have a form that you want your target audience to fill out, these types of ads are the best choice. Once they click your ad, lead generation ads will automatically fill out the form with the person’s LinkedIn profile information. That makes them only a click away from becoming a lead. - Carousel
Finally, you can use a set of multiple images and dive into storytelling to engage the users even deeper.
‘’Sponsored content sounds simple but make sure you put in thoughtful planning and strategizing to reach your goals fully’’, says Marie Fincher, a marketer at Studicus.
Sponsored InMail
A sponsored InMail is a message you send directly to someone’s LinkedIn inbox. They receive it in the form of a personalized message directed specifically to them, which has the potential to engage a large number of recipients.
The message appears in the person’s inbox, and it’s marked as “sponsored”.
You can use InMail to send:
- targeted ads and messages
- special offers
- invitations to webinars
- invitations to job applications
The best part is that you don’t have to be connected with the targeted person on LinkedIn. You can send the InMail to everyone.
Still, people can opt-out from receiving this type of sponsored content.
Text Ads
LinkedIn text ads appear on the right rail of your feed.
Here’s what they look like:
- they’re tiny
- they include an image
- they include a blurb
- they include a short headline
With these ads, you only have a limited number of characters to seal the deal. You need to be direct and to the point.
Also, try to come up with catchy headlines that will draw the attention of those targeted within seconds.
LinkedIn Targeting
One of the best features of LinkedIn advertising, and the main reason why so many marketers opt for it, is its advanced targeting options.
Yes, you can do specific targeting on Instagram and Facebook, but LinkedIn gives you more options to work with and create the best option for your ads.
LinkedIn targeting is the essence of its advertising options, and here’s why:
- LinkedIn specializes in career-related filtering and targeting
That means that, apart from the basic demographics such as age, sex, and location, you can dig deeper into the filtering options. You can expand or narrow your audience based on:
- job seniorities
- previous job titles
- number of years working at a certain job position
- years of experience
- companies with a specific number of employees
- skills they have
- degrees and fields of study
- interest and groups they’re a part of
- languages they speak
You can craft an ad that is the perfect fit for a specific audience. You can test the same ad for different target groups or different ads for the same target groups.
This type of targeting gives you the opportunity to experiment, test, and get the best results.
Final Thoughts
The guide above presents the best advertising options LinkedIn has to offer. It’s up to you to make the most of it and achieve your business goals.
Make sure that you use those advertising options that your target audience responds best to. Find out which option that is by testing, tracing, and analyzing. It’s the winning recipe.
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Eric Vidal
CEO at The Marketing Scope Eric Vidal, an industry expert with over 25 years of marketing and technology experience is passionate about providing insight and education on the latest martech trends and techniques. Eric speaks and writes for various publications like The Marketing Scope and Future Of Work to name a couple. Eric has been a marketing leader for companies of all sizes. He has extensive experience working to achieve measurable business results for organizations like IBM, Cisco, WebEx, Canon USA, West Corp., Dynamic Signal, SAP and more. Connect with Eric on LinkedIn.