Sometimes forgotten, the advertising platform of the professional social network LinkedIn also deserves attention. Although more targeted, this platform offers many options for businesses wishing to optimize their online presence.
Introduction to LinkedIn Ads
Associated with the professional network par excellence in the world of social media, LinkedIn Ads is a unique platform of its kind. By the nature of its network, it offers opportunities for ultra-precise targeting and the creation of highly personalized campaigns.
In fact, LinkedIn Ads should be seen as more than just an advertising platform. Rather, it is a powerful tool to reach specific professionals and industries. Although the cost per click may be higher than on some other platforms, the value of leads and conversions more than makes up for this investment.
Types of LinkedIn Ads
Each type of advertising on LinkedIn is designed to achieve specific objectives. Depending on your intentions, but also depending on the situation of your business, it is therefore necessary to choose the advertising format that will be most appropriate for your ad.
1. Content Ads
Bringing together advertisements with images , video advertisements , carousels , event advertisements ( Event Ads ), as well as those aimed at highlighting a document ( Document Ads ), this advertising format allows advertisers to present relevant informative content to its target audience.
- Objective : Increase brand awareness and share relevant information using engaging advertising content.
- Works best for : B2B businesses looking to educate their audience through value-added content like eBooks or webinars.
- Performance example : Ideal for lead generation through content uploads, particularly effective in the technology and education sectors.
2. Advertising by messaging ( InMail )
Often known as Sponsored Messaging , advertising via LinkedIn messaging represents an interesting option for directly reaching a specific audience.
- Objective : Engage prospects in a personal and targeted way .
- Works best for : Businesses wanting to invite certain people to events, share exclusive offers with them, or encourage them to take part in case studies.
- Performance example : Excellent conversion for event invitations or targeted offers, especially in the financial and professional services industries.
3. LinkedIn Text Ads and Dynamic Ads
Appearing visually in the route column on the LinkedIn platform , these types of advertising formats (including Spotlight Ads and Follower Ads ) aim to increase the online presence and notoriety of your company, or to raise awareness of your services.
- Objective : Improve brand visibility and capture the attention of potential customers.
- Works best for : Advertisers looking to promote their products or services dynamically.
- Example of performance : Effective for the majority of companies, notably allowing them to stand out through the creativity and relevance of advertisements.
More concretely, Spotlight advertisements allow you to highlight testimonials or case studies. They are therefore well suited to B2B companies.
Follower Ads , although similar, instead help increase the number of followers on your LinkedIn business page. This format is therefore particularly useful for start-up companies or those wishing to make themselves known.
4. Lead Gen Forms
By collecting relevant data , LinkedIn pre-filled forms can become a powerful advertising tool for your business.
- Objective : Target customers with high conversion potential.
- Works best for : Matches well with businesses offering specialized products or services.
- Performance example : Ideal for a company offering personalized services and wishing to adapt its message according to the needs of its audience.
Audience Targeting on LinkedIn Ads
One of the strengths of LinkedIn's advertising platform is its wide variety of targeting options . This allows you to better target your audiences , for each of the advertising campaigns that you wish to put online.
The main targeting criteria include:
- geographic location;
- basic demographics such as age and gender;
- the type of industry in which the person works;
- the position occupied/its functions;
- the size of the company (SME or large companies);
- the person's skills;
- the level of education and/or training obtained;
- fields of interest;
- being a member of certain specific groups on the application;
- And much more !
In the case of audience targeting for an advertising strategy on LinkedIn , the challenge therefore lies not in the lack of options, but rather in having to choose them well in order to effectively reach your target audience. It is therefore essential to clearly determine your marketing needs and objectives before even launching the start of your campaign.
Tracking conversions and analyzing results on LinkedIn Ads
In order to properly monitor the performance of your LinkedIn advertisements , several interesting tools can help you. Among the most used, you will find:
- the LinkedIn Insight Tag which takes the form of a code to integrate into your website in order to track conversions obtained from the platform;
- integration with Google Analytics , for in-depth customer journey analysis options;
- Using the built-in functionality of LinkedIn Campaign Manager allows you to obtain detailed performance data (KPIs), as well as detailed reports allowing an in-depth understanding of the results;
- the possibility of linking your LinkedIn account with the HubSpot platform , recognized for its many interesting features.
Location of LinkedIn Ads campaigns in the strategic marketing funnel
Regardless of the platform chosen, it remains as important as ever to align your marketing strategy according to the sales funnel . The same goes for digital advertising campaigns carried out on LinkedIn .
- TOFU ( Top of the Funnel ): Possibility of generating visibility for your business by attracting the attention of platform users with high value-added content advertisements such as an eBook or the announcement of a webinar.
- MOFU ( Middle of the Funnel ): Create engagement among your prospects with sponsored InMails in order to invite them to events, for example.
- BOFU ( Bottom of the Funnel ): Achieve maximum conversion with dynamic ads containing exclusive offers, or use Spotlight Ads to highlight testimonials.
Best practices for a LinkedIn Ads advertising campaign
Taking into account the particularities offered by the popular professional social network, here are some general best practices to consider for your LinkedIn advertisements :
- Take advantage of the platform's precise targeting options in order to effectively reach the desired audience;
- Adapt the content of your advertisements according to each stage of the sales funnel and the company's marketing objectives ;
- Conduct rigorous analysis of ad performance on a regular basis;
- Be able to adjust your strategy if necessary to maximize its effectiveness.
Why choose to do business with an agency for your LinkedIn Ads campaigns?
By choosing to trust an agency specialized in the field of marketing , you allow your company to take full advantage of all the advantages and subtleties that LinkedIn Ads can offer you. At Bofu , for example, we ensure that our clients' campaigns always fit perfectly into the overall strategy, optimizing targeting, content creation and results analysis to enable each of them to benefit the best possible return on investment . By combining a deep understanding of the platform and its unique opportunities with relevant experience, working with an agency can undoubtedly help your business grow by prioritizing the achievement of your goals!
Conclusion
In summary, we can therefore conclude that LinkedIn Ads is an essential tool for any company seeking to target professionals and industries precisely . With a wide range of advertising formats, impressive audience targeting capacity and strong integration into the entire marketing strategy, LinkedIn Ads stands out as a key element in order to succeed in the B2B world.
Collaboration with a specialized agency is recommended in order to take full advantage of its functions and thus transform this tool into an effective growth engine to increase the visibility, notoriety, sales and success of your brand!
