LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform with over 722 million members globally. With such a huge user base, LinkedIn ads present a major opportunity for businesses to promote their products and services. However, many LinkedIn users have personal accounts rather than company pages. This leads to the question – can you run LinkedIn ads from a personal account?
The short answer is yes, you can run LinkedIn ads from a personal account. However, there are some limitations compared to advertising through a LinkedIn company page. Understanding the key differences will help you determine if LinkedIn ads are right for your personal brand or side business.
Requirements for Running LinkedIn Ads
To run LinkedIn ads, you need:
- A LinkedIn account – Either a personal profile or company page
- A LinkedIn ad account – This is separate from your main LinkedIn account
- A payment method – Credit card or PayPal account
- Sufficient funds in your payments account to cover your ad spend
As long as you meet these requirements, you can run LinkedIn ads through either a personal or company account. However, company pages have access to more advanced features and targeting options.
Benefits of Using a Personal Account for LinkedIn Ads
Here are some of the benefits of running LinkedIn ads from a personal account:
- Easy setup – Getting started with LinkedIn ads is quick and simple. You don’t need an existing business or website.
- Low commitment – You can start small with a low daily ad budget and make changes at any time.
- Targeted reach – LinkedIn advertising enables you to target ads based on location, job title, industry, interests, and more.
- Measurable results – You can track metrics like clicks, impressions, and conversions to optimize your ads.
- Flexibility – Your ads can promote yourself as an influencer, your side business, or anything you want.
Overall, personal LinkedIn ads offer an affordable way to boost your personal brand and test promotion ideas. They are best suited to individual experts, consultants, coaches, authors, and side hustles.
Limitations of Personal LinkedIn Ads
However, advertising through a personal profile also comes with some notable limitations:
- Fewer targeting options – You can only target by basic attributes like location, age, gender, education, and interests.
- Lack of conversion tracking – You can’t install website conversion pixels to optimize ads.
- No retargeting – Retargeting past visitors isn’t available for personal accounts.
- Lower ad relevance – Ads may be less relevant without advanced targeting like job titles.
- No advertising automation – You miss out on automation features only accessible to company pages.
Essentially, personal accounts lack the advanced targeting and analytics of company pages. So you have less control over who sees your ads and how they perform.
Benefits of Using a Company Page for LinkedIn Ads
Here are some benefits of running LinkedIn ads through a company page rather than personal account:
- Advanced targeting – Target by job title, company, skills, interests, and other professional attributes.
- Conversion tracking – Add tracking pixels to your website to optimize ads.
- Audience retargeting – Remarket to previous visitors to your website or pages.
- Automated campaigns – Use auto-bidding and budget optimization features.
- More ad options – Access all LinkedIn ad formats like Message Ads and Dynamic Ads.
- Brand building – Promote your business brand rather than just yourself.
With these advantages, LinkedIn company page ads achieve better results in most cases. The advanced targeting produces higher conversion rates from your ads.
Use Cases for Personal vs. Company LinkedIn Ads
To summarize the key differences, here are examples of ideal use cases for each approach:
Good use cases for personal LinkedIn ads:
- Building your personal brand as an industry influencer, expert or thought leader
- Promoting a personal website or blog
- Driving traffic to YouTube channel or podcast
- Promoting yourself as a consultant, coach or freelancer
- Generating leads for a side business without a company page
Good use cases for company LinkedIn ads:
- Promoting an established business with a LinkedIn company page
- Driving traffic to your business website
- Generating B2B leads with targeted outreach
- Building brand awareness in your industry
- Remarketing to previous website visitors to increase conversions
As you can see, company pages are best for formal business promotion. Personal accounts work for individual experts or side projects. Consider your goals to choose the right approach.
How to Create LinkedIn Ads
If you want to get started with LinkedIn ads, follow these steps:
1. Set up your LinkedIn ad account
Go to the LinkedIn Campaign Manager page and click “Create Account”. Choose the type of account you want. Enter your basic info and payment details.
2. Design your ad creative
Create your ad copy, choose an image or video, and design the visual layout for your ad. You can use the LinkedIn ad templates or make your own.
3. Set your target audience
Define who you want to see your ads based on demographics, interests, job roles, and more. Targeting options differ for personal vs. company accounts.
4. Establish your budget and bid
Decide your maximum daily spend for ads. Set your bid – how much you’re willing to pay for each click or impression. LinkedIn will share suggested bids.
5. Choose your placement
Publish your ads on LinkedIn’s desktop and mobile apps. You can also display them on third-party sites in the Audience Network.
6. Review and launch your campaign
Once your campaign is ready, review all the details and launch your ads! Monitor their performance and optimize over time.
Tips for Success with Personal LinkedIn Ads
Here are some top tips to maximize results from LinkedIn ads using a personal profile:
- Highlight your expertise – Build trust by showcasing your skills, experience and unique value.
- Use a clear, professional photo – Your profile image impacts ad relevance and credibility.
- Target a niche audience – Zero in on the specific roles and interests most relevant to your goals.
- Share valuable content – Whether posts, articles or videos, provide useful information for your audience.
- Retarget website visitors – You can upload email lists to reach visitors from your own site.
- Test different objectives – Compare performance for brand awareness, conversions, traffic, etc.
- Monitor and optimize frequently – Adjust targeting, bids, creative, etc. to improve results.
With testing and optimization, personal LinkedIn ads can generate strong results. But you need realistic expectations around their performance and limitations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I advertise my blog with LinkedIn personal ads?
Yes, you can create LinkedIn personal ads to promote your own blog or website. Use copy and images to highlight the value your content provides to professionals in your target audience.
Do personal LinkedIn ads show up in my connections’ feeds?
No, personal LinkedIn ads will only be shown to the audience you target. They won’t be shown to your existing connections by default.
Can I run a LinkedIn ad to find freelance work?
Definitely. Many freelancers run LinkedIn personal ads targeting ideal potential clients for their services. Make sure your ad and profile convey your expertise.
What type of conversion tracking is available for personal ads?
You can add website URLS to track visits, but won’t have access to advanced conversion pixels. Focus on broader metrics like clicks, engagement rate, and cost per lead.
Is there a minimum daily budget for LinkedIn personal ads?
Yes, LinkedIn requires a minimum daily ad spend of $10 USD for personal accounts. However, that can deliver hundreds of impressions each day.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn does allow advertising through personal profiles, with some limitations versus company pages. Personal ads are best suited to individual experts, influencers and side businesses without formal company presences on LinkedIn. While results may not be as powerful as company page advertising, personal ads are an affordable way to increase your professional reach and build your brand. With thoughtful targeting and optimization, they can be an effective promotional channel.
