Advertising on Social Media with LinkedIn Ads

Advertising on social media can sometimes feel like shouting into the void (or throwing money directly into a shredder). But when you use them right, LinkedIn ads can guarantee your brand’s voice makes its way to the right audience — an audience of influential decision-makers, at that.

LinkedIn has 1 billion members, which is an incredible number of potential eyes for your ad campaign. More importantly, though, four out of five members have the power to influence business decisions. These movers and shakers also have twice the buying power of typical online audiences.

Follow along with our guide to LinkedIn ads to discover the types of ads available and the kinds of goals they can help you achieve. We’ll also walk you through creating an ad on LinkedIn and share some of our best tips and tricks to boost your conversion rates.

What are LinkedIn Ads?

LinkedIn ads are paid advertisements that run on LinkedIn, a social platform dedicated to "building and engaging professional networks."

LinkedIn Ads are an excellent tool for businesses looking to boost brand awareness, generate leads, drive traffic, or promote content.

Whether you’re boosting a single post or creating an elaborate, multi-faceted campaign, LinkedIn advertising allows you to target a precisely defined audience with each ad.

Set hyper-specific criteria like job title, industry, and company size to get your ads in front of the right decision-makers — all within your own personal budget parameters.

Source: Agencyanalytics.com

Types of LinkedIn Ads

Advertising is one of the best ways to use LinkedIn for business. Choosing the right type of ad for your goal is an important first step.

Here are the types of LinkedIn ads you can choose from when setting up your paid content:

• Sponsored Content
  Sponsored Content, also known as native ads, shows up in 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.
  
  When advertising with Sponsored Content, you have the following ad format options:
  
  
  
  • Single image ads
    
    
  • Video ads
    
    
  • Carousel ads
    
    
  • Event ads
    
    
  • Document ads
    
    
  • Thought leader ads

Source: Linkedin.com

• Sponsored Messaging
  Sponsored messaging on LinkedIn lets you send personalized messages directly to your target audience. There are two different types of sponsored messages to choose from: message ads and conversation ads.
  
  
  
  • Message ads look just like DMs and can include call-to-action buttons or links to external websites.
    
    
  • Conversation ads deliver an interactive, chat-like experience.

Source: Impactable.com

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• Dynamic Ads
  Dynamic ads let you personalize and automate individualized campaigns at scale. You can tailor your campaign to build brand awareness, convert prospects, or drive traffic.
  
  
  
  • Dynamic LinkedIn follower ads or Spotlight ads feature the target’s name and picture to really make an impact and catch the eye.

Source: Linkedin.com

• Text Ads
  Want to keep it simple? Try out one of LinkedIn’s desktop-only text ads.
  
  These are pay-per-click (PPC) or cost-per-impression (CPM) ads that are clear and concise: just a simple headline, description, and optional small image.

Source: Mktoolboxsuite.com

Pro Tip: Want stunning visuals for your ads? Envato Placeit provides high-quality templates to create eye-catching visuals for both static and video ads — no design skills required!

LinkedIn Ad Objectives

LinkedIn uses objective-based advertising, which helps advertisers build ad campaigns around specific business goals.

Businesses can place ads for all three stages of a sales funnel, from awareness to conversion.

Let’s break down the three main types of objectives below:

• Awareness
  Want to get your name out there without necessarily making a direct sale? Start with a brand awareness ad to get your brand on the tip of people’s tongues. These top-of-funnel campaigns help get audiences talking about your products, services, and brand.
  
  Most of LinkedIn’s available ad formats can successfully generate awareness, but the types that are best to use if you want to achieve this objective are:
  
  
  
  • Single image ads
    
    
  • Carousel ads
    
    
  • Follower ads
    
    
  • Event ads
    
    
  • Spotlight ads
    
    
• Consideration
  If your audience is already somewhat familiar with your brand, opt for a consideration ad.
  
  Consideration ads are optimized to help advertisers meet the following goals:
  
  
  
  • Website visits
    
    
  • Engagement
    
    
  • Video views
    
    
  • Messaging
    
    
• To nurture these mid-funnel leads, consider using the following LinkedIn ad formats:
  
  
  
  • Video ads
    
    
  • Carousel ads
    
    
  • Conversation ads
    
    
  • Text ads
    
    
• Conversion
  If your audience is already familiar with your brand and ready to make a decision, it’s time to pull out the big guns. When you want to generate leads, drive home a sale, or reach job applicants, consider a conversion ad.
  
  They can help meet these three objectives:
  
  
  
  • Lead generation
    
    
  • Website conversion
    
    
  • Job applicants
    
    
• The best ad formats to use if you want to achieve these objectives are:
  
  
  
  • Conversation ads
    
    
  • Lead gen forms
    
    
  • Carousel ads
    
    
  • Job ads
    
    
  • Text ads
    
    

12 LinkedIn Ad Formats

While all LinkedIn ads exist to share a message with an audience, each advertising format has its own unique benefits and requirements.

• Single Image Ads
  Although it may be the most straightforward way to share an advertising message with an audience, don’t underestimate the power of an image.
  

Source: Linkedin.com

• Carousel Ads
  Carousel ads can showcase multiple offerings or tell a sequential story. This format increases user interaction, thanks to its swipeable content, which drives higher engagement rates.
  

Source: Loomly.com

• Conversation Ads
  There’s no better way to get up close and personal with your target audience than to slide into their DMs. Conversation ads are both intimate and tough for the recipient to ignore.

Source: Socialmediaexaminer.com

• Document Ads
  Share documents in the feed to collect leads or drive engagement.

Source: ppc.land

• Video Ads
  Video ads can help you enhance your brand storytelling and capture attention.
  

Source: Instapage.com

• Event Ads
  Whether it’s an in-person event or a virtual town hall, inviting people to RSVP or buy tickets directly with an Events Ad is a practical idea that can help you improve reach and eliminate registration friction.
  

Source: LinkedIn introduces Event Ads and “boosted” posts

• Follower Ads
  Follower ads promote your LinkedIn Page to others to encourage them to hit that follow button.
  

Source: Business.linkedin.com

• Lead Generation Forms
  Lead gen forms, short for lead generation forms, are available for message ads and sponsored content. These ads can help you discover more qualified leads.
  

Source: Titangrowth.com

• Spotlight Ads
  Spotlight ads highlight your products, services, content, and more. When members click a spotlight ad, they’re immediately directed to your landing page or website.
  

Source: Business.linkedin.com

• Single Job Ads
  Single job ads promote opportunities directly in your audience’s newsfeeds.
  

Source: Leadsbridge.com 

• Thought Leader Ads
  Thought leader ads promote an existing thought leadership post from someone in your organization.
  

Source: impactable.com

How to Set Up a LinkedIn Ad Campaign

By now, you must be eager to get your LinkedIn ads up and running. But you’ve got one last decision to make: do you set up your ad campaign via LinkedIn or use Hootsuite?

Set Up an Ad Campaign Using LinkedIn

1. Open the campaign manager and click the blue Create button.
   
   
2. Update the name and currency, then connect it to your LinkedIn Company Page to unlock all available ad formats.
   
   
3. Select an objective (brand awareness, website visits, engagement, etc.).
   
   
4. Choose your target audience (job title, location, industry).
   
   
5. Select an ad format based on your campaign objective.
   
   
6. Set your budget and schedule.

Conclusion

LinkedIn ads offer a powerful tool for businesses to connect with decision-makers and professionals who are ready to engage with your brand. Whether you aim to raise awareness, nurture relationships, or drive conversions, the platform’s diverse ad formats allow you to tailor your campaign to meet your specific objectives. By strategically selecting the right ad format and targeting the right audience, you can maximize your reach and achieve your business goals.

As you navigate the world of LinkedIn advertising, keep in mind that a well-crafted campaign is one that is continuously refined. Test different strategies, analyze performance metrics, and optimize your content to get the most out of your investment. With the right approach, LinkedIn ads can become an invaluable part of your overall marketing strategy, helping you grow your brand, build relationships, and ultimately drive success.

Pro Tip: To help refine and track your LinkedIn ad campaigns, consider using HubSpot. With its robust CRM and analytics tools, HubSpot can streamline your ad management and help you measure the ROI of your campaigns.