It’s official – LinkedIn just reached one billion members worldwide. This is without a doubt a digital jackpot for any company that’s building its marketing campaign. But what are the different types of LinkedIn ads out there? How can you tap into the potential of various formats available? Here’s how to make valuable connections in the professional realm that are built to last.
Why Should Your Business Invest in Advertising on LinkedIn?
According to Forbes, the average person spends more than six hours online every day. In this world that seems to be endlessly scrolling, digital marketing using various platforms becomes the most effective way to grab attention. But without a solid plan in the works, advertising on social media can feel like talking to a brick wall.
The sheer power of the TikTok algorithm and the never-ending stream of Instagram stories often casts a shadow over some equally lucrative marketing routes. Among them, LinkedIn, the internet’s favorite professional hangout spot, is full of untapped potential for companies trying to boost brand awareness, increase traffic, generate new leads, and much more.
Which Businesses Should Take Advantage of the Various Types of Ads on LinkedIn?
With over one billion members across more than 200 different countries, you can gather quite a crowd using this platform. But it’s not just any crowd – these are industry leaders and professionals looking for valuable connections, which make them much more powerful than your average online audience.
It makes sense then that B2Bs do pretty well here, as well as companies looking to further develop professionally. For those wondering whether their business fits into the picture, the trick is to look at what kind of people this platform attracts.
Will your product or service be able to grab the attention of these hard-scrolling professionals? If so, it’s time to tap into LinkedIn and uncover all of the power and glory this ingenious platform has to offer.
A Quick Glance at the Different Types of LinkedIn Ads
Advertising on this social media platform offers so many different routes. For anyone who’s just getting into it, choosing the right strategy can get pretty confusing. Because of that, working with an experienced content marketing agency can bring so many benefits to the whole ordeal, especially if they employ a versatile approach, like combining PPC and SEO.
That being said, here are the types and formats of advertising available to better understand your options:
| Type | Sponsored Content | Sponsored Messaging | Dynamic Advertising |
| Formats | Image, video, carousel, event, document, thought leader | Message, conversation | Follower, spotlight, text |
Sponsored Content Gets You Right to the News Feed of Your Target Audience
Defining your target audience is the foundation of every successful strategy – just ask any digital marketing agency that’s been around the block a couple of times. Fortunately, LinkedIn allows you to be pretty specific about it, thanks to the various adverts available. They literally come in all shapes and sizes, making it easier for you to get traffic that will be extremely relevant to your business.
The first type we’ll take a look at is sponsored content, sometimes referred to as native advertising. These show up on the news feed of your target audience, no matter if they’re scrolling on their desktop or mobile, similar to a sponsored post on Facebook.
You can easily spot these adverts because they are labeled as “promoted”, distinguishing them from the usual content. With this route, there are so many different LinkedIn ad formats you can work with. Here’s an overview:
| Ad Format | File Type | File Size | Objective |
| Single Image | JPG, GIF, PNG | 5 MB | Brand awareness, website visits, engagement, website conversions |
| Video | MP4, AAC/MPEG4 for video sound format | 75 KB to 200 MB, 30 frames per second | Brand awareness, website visits, engagement, thought leadership |
| Carousel | JPG, PNG (multiple) | 10 MB | Engagement, brand awareness, website visits |
| Event | Event landing page | Text (event name up to 255 characters and description up to 600 characters) | Promoting your professional event, brand awareness, and engagement |
| Document | PDF, DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX | 100 MB | Sharing long-form content to raise brand awareness, engagement, and website visits |
| Thought Leader | Single image or video ads (JPG, GIF, PNG, MP4) already shared by brand ambassadors | 5 MB for images and up to 200 MB for videos | Sharing directly from brand ambassadors to boost engagement and establish thought leadership |
Sponsored Messaging Allows You To Reach Your Audience Directly – Right Into The Inbox
Here are some staggering numbers from the Sponsored Messaging Playbook – 89% of people would prefer that the businesses they are interested in keep in touch with direct messaging. However, it seems like only 48% of businesses got this memo, using this feature to their advantage, probably with the help of a social media marketing agency.
Here’s where InMail adverts come into play. This digital marketing strategy opens up a world of possibilities with its all-encompassing goal – to start important conversations with interested professionals.
There Are Two Main Formats of Sponsored Messaging
There are two main formats – message and conversation adverts. However, keep in mind that the platform is slowly converting all of them into conversation ads. These newer formats can be adorned with numerous CTA buttons to increase engagement by allowing the user to respond. Therefore, the older version of message adverts will not be available in the Campaign Manager, but looking at the recent market trends, it might be for the better. Here are the requirements:
| Banner Type | File Size | File Ratio |
| JPG/PNG | 2MB | 300 x 250 pixels |
These Types of LinkedIn Ads Are Highly Personalized
It’s clear by now that sponsored messaging is one of the best ways to engage your target audience and generate more leads. This is thanks to the personalized nature of these messages, but also due to the fact that they are sent once the user is online, landing right at the top of the inbox. With the CTA-enhanced choose-your-own-path design, the engagement is almost immediate.
Dynamic Ads Also Offer a Personalized and Effective Strategy
The popularity of sponsored messaging teaches us that personalized content equals increased engagement. But there are more digital marketing strategies that benefit from this equation, and dynamic adverts are leading the pack.
These advertisements appear on the right rail of a member’s feed. They are customized to each user, basing their content on profile data, including the member’s name, the company they work for, and their job title. Here are the most common formats:
- Follower ads – highlight your page to your target audience and encourage them to hit the follow button,
- Spotlight ads – promote your products or services, immediately directing the user to your website or landing page upon clicking,
- Text ads – pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements, similar to Google Ads, which only run on desktop but are an effective way to generate leads.
How To Get Started on Your LinkedIn Marketing Campaign
Looking to finally get started or step up your current game? As mentioned, a professional advertising agency can be invaluable here, but here’s a simplified guide to help you set it up:
- Create your page – if you don’t have one, creating it is fairly simple, but you can check LinkedIn’s guide for setting up a company page,
- Access campaign manager – log in or set up an account on LinkedIn’s Campaign Manager to manage all your advertising activities,
- Define your objective – decide whether your ultimate goal is to increase awareness, conversions, or consideration,
- Figure out the target audience – specify the location, industries, job titles, and company names, and also use Matched Audiences to connect with previous customers,
- Choose your format – based on your objective and target audience, carefully think about which advertising format will work best for your campaign,
- Set your budget and schedule – like with other platforms, the cost of LinkedIn ads isn’t set, but a daily budget of $100 is recommended for the testing phase,
- Create your advertisement – using Campaign Manager, build the appearance of your advert,
- Enter payment information – before launching your campaign, provide the necessary payment details,
- Track performance – use Campaign Manager’s dashboard to monitor metrics and adjust strategies as needed.
Take Your Brand to the Next Level in the Professional Realm
Digital marketing comes in all shapes and sizes. However, with such a wide range of options, sometimes it’s really difficult to figure out the perfect strategy for your brand. Here’s where our professional SEO agency, Made Online, can help.
Our SEO marketing services are far and wide, from harnessing the power of local SEO to helping you with website development. We can also provide you with some quality content writing to help you create a more meaningful connection with your audience. We’re here to transform all that digital buzz into some tangible results that will help you reach new heights. Contact us, and let’s talk about how we can take your brand to the next level, no matter the platform.