LinkedIn is an unsurpassed platform for the B2B audience. So in terms of ads, it has the power to reach important people. You can, for example, target LinkedIn ads to be displayed to the key decision makers needed to close a sale and even target the specific companies your company wants to do business with.
By using LinkedIn ads, you can ensure that your brand’s voice reaches the right audience. And the platform has an audience of influential decision makers for that. Among the platform’s more than 690 million members, four out of five members have the power to impact business decisions.
Follow our guide to LinkedIn ads to discover the types of ads available and the types of goals they can help you achieve.
Types of LinkedIn Ads
Text and Display Ads
LinkedIn’s graphic and text ads appear almost everywhere on the social network except in the news feeds. That’s it! They will be displayed in inboxes, as well as on the side and bottom of the LinkedIn home page. This type of LinkedIn ad can be considered similar to Google Ads Display Network ads, by way of comparison.
Sponsored Content
As we mentioned above, LinkedIn’s text and display ads are not shown in news feeds. If you want to change that, sponsored content is what you are looking for. LinkedIn sponsored content works like a boosted or sponsored post on Facebook. You choose which audience you want the post to be displayed to and it will appear in the feed with a small sponsored tag under the title.
This type of LinkedIn ad looks like any other LinkedIn post, except for the CTA and the little “promoted” tag that appears just below the company name.
Premium Display Advertising
You can also opt for LinkedIn’s premium graphic advertising if you need a little more space.
Since premium graphic ads cost a bit more, you should make sure that your targeting is very specific. The premium graphic ads will appear in different colors on any of the LinkedIn side banners or the horizontal banners at the top and bottom of the LinkedIn home page.
InMail Announcements
InMail advertising is another of LinkedIn’s offerings and is a powerful tool for B2Bs who actively work and engage with others on the platform. This type of LinkedIn ad allows you to send an e-mail directly to any of LinkedIn’s 500 million users.
These ads look like real e-mails, which gives a personal touch in connecting you with your target audience. However, there are some points of attention for LinkedIn InMail ads. Your ad can be pretty much whatever you want, but LinkedIn limits the number of InMail ads a user can receive – one every 60 days.
However, this is also a positive point because it means that when your ad arrives in someone’s InMail box, they will not be impacted by hundreds of InMail ads and will be more likely to focus on your offer.
Follow Company
If your company is new to LinkedIn and you are looking to increase your organic followers, you can also invest in Follow Company ads. Similar to Facebook Like campaigns, these ads appear in users’ news feeds, encouraging the target audience to follow your company.
However, it is important to have quality content on your company’s LinkedIn profile to invest in Follow Company. Otherwise, people will see no reason to follow the company.
Goals of the Ads for LinkedIn
LinkedIn uses goal-based advertising, which helps advertisers create ad campaigns around specific business goals.
Companies can work on all three stages of a sales funnel, from recognition to conversion. Learn about the three main types of goals below.
Linkedin Awareness Announcements
To make your brand better known, start with a recognition ad. These ads help the public learn about your products, services, and brand.
Through these impression-based campaigns, you can also gain more followers, increase views, and generate more engagement.
LinkedIn Consideration Ads
Opt for a consideration ad if you want to qualify leads already familiar with your brand. These ad types are optimized to help advertisers achieve the following goals:
- Website Visits: get more traffic to your website and landing pages.
- Engagement: encourage likes, comments, and shares, as well as visits to other social media platforms and websites.
- Video views: share your business story, your latest product, or a day in the life through video.
LinkedIn Conversion Ads
When you want to generate leads or drive a sale, consider a conversion ad. They can help achieve these three goals:
- Lead generation: gain leads on LinkedIn using forms pre-filled with LinkedIn profile data.
- Website conversions: inspire more website visitors to download an e-book, sign up for a newsletter, or buy a product.
- Job seekers: advertise your company’s latest job opening with a job ad.
See how in addition to being a great B2B social media, LinkedIn ads can also help companies achieve numerous goals? If your company needs help with LinkedIn ads, talk to our experts!
