LinkedIn Ads: When They Work and When They Don’t

At CID, we’ve learned a few tricks after years of running LinkedIn ads for both B2B and B2C clients across many different industries. We’ve also learned a few things not to do. Lucky for you, we’re here to share some of those lessons so that your business can properly consider if LinkedIn is the best fit for your marketing dollars.

Compared to other social platforms, LinkedIn allows advertisers to reach their audience from a different angle: their professional persona. Not only does the platform allow users to create a digital resume, network with other professionals, and apply for jobs, but it also creates audiences based on industry, experience, title, and more for advertisers to take advantage of.

LinkedIn offers multiple ad types, from within the feed to directly in a user’s inbox. There are layers to an effective campaign, with different ways to make contact with your audience and stay top of mind when it comes time to convert.

One thing marketers might not know until they dive into an ad build is that LinkedIn only allows advertisers to run one ad type per campaign. So if you’re considering mixing up ad types (which is recommended for optimal campaign strategy), you may need to rethink your campaign structure.

Some other good rules of thumb when launching campaigns are to allow them to run for one month without significant changes, refresh imagery quarterly, and not pass judgment on success until at least six months.

We typically see three main pillars in LinkedIn ads: brand awareness, lead generation, and hiring. Each supports a different stage of business growth, and knowing which one matters most to your business right now is the first step to building a campaign that delivers.

Brand Awareness - With industry targeting, we can deliver ads to users who work in a specific industry or at a specific company. As a marketing agency, our team often receives ads for various software companies trying to promote their analytical tools.

Lead Generation - Because a user’s LinkedIn profile also acts as their digital resume, we can target by job seniority, function, or title. If you’re running ads for an HR software company, you’re probably looking to target CFOs or human resources professionals since they are most likely the decision makers.

Hiring - LinkedIn allows you to target users based on their length of experience, open to work status, and education. We can run ad campaigns to promote open positions at your company and drive them to apply directly on the platform for an efficient user journey.

LinkedIn may not be the right fit if you’re trying to target a user based on their personal interests versus their professional activities.

Are LinkedIn ads worth it for your business?

LinkedIn ads can be effective, but only when they’re the right fit. Here are three quick questions we always ask before considering them for a client’s strategy.

Is your audience even on LinkedIn? Not all industry professionals use LinkedIn. The three most active are tech companies (software, IT services, SaaS), professional services (legal, marketing, consulting), and financial institutions (banks, investments, advisors). Generally, we see more B2B companies, but B2C still has a presence. Companies that lean more consumer-direct often leverage the platform to promote products and services that could have both professional and personal use. They also utilize the platform for hiring and promoting positive work environments.

There are some industries where we don’t commonly see employees with LinkedIn profiles, like foodservice, retail, and home services. However, executives and business owners in these industries often have LinkedIn accounts, especially if their company has a B2B sales focus.

What is your business trying to accomplish? Are you a B2B brand trying to reach decision makers to sell a product or service? Or maybe you’re looking to hire a candidate with 7+ years of experience in your industry?

Understanding what your business is trying to accomplish will help determine if LinkedIn ads are a good fit. LinkedIn may not be the right fit if you’re trying to target a user based on their personal interests versus their professional activities. The user data is focused on an individual’s professional identity, which could differ from their weekend self. For example, a dental office trying to reach parents of middle schoolers may have difficulty generating new leads on LinkedIn.

What kind of content do you have available? The more you can feed a LinkedIn campaign, the more opportunities there will be for success. Each ad type serves a different purpose and addresses a different user behavior.

That’s why understanding your goals is crucial. You want to meet your audience where they are and reinforce your message across multiple touchpoints.

LinkedIn’s algorithm also optimizes delivery based on performance. So when you run multiple ad types, it can intelligently prioritize the best-performing formats, messaging, and placements; therefore, helping boost CTR and reduce CPC.

If your campaign aims to generate leads, a lead magnet such as an ebook or whitepaper can help drive users to convert and provide their contact information. This can be a direct download or drive to a landing page where they can view and download.

Have an upcoming webinar? Create a short overview video to add to your ad strategy that gives a glimpse into the content and presenters to entice users to register and attend.

If you’re trying to drive traffic to a landing page, using a mix of single-image and carousel ads can increase the likelihood of them converting by showing a variety of ads rather than the same one over and over again.

Tricks of the Trade

1. LinkedIn is NOT the new Facebook - While there are plenty of people who would disagree, the two platforms serve fundamentally different purposes with conflicting user mindsets. Facebook is for social networking. LinkedIn is for professional networking.
2. Job Functionality > Title - Job titles vary from company to company and aren’t always a reliable targeting option. It’s better to focus your targeting on job functions to ensure you’re reaching the intended audience.
3. A mix of paid and organic content is key - Running LinkedIn ads without an organic presence is like inviting people to a party at a house you haven’t built. Whether you’re driving traffic to a landing page or your profile, you must have an organic presence complemented with content relevant to what you’re advertising.

Ready to explore how LinkedIn ads could fit into your marketing strategy? We’d love to chat!