Can you see if a company is running LinkedIn ads?

LinkedIn ads have become an increasingly popular way for companies to promote their products and services. As a digital marketer, it can be useful to know whether your competitors are running LinkedIn ads as part of their marketing strategy. This allows you to understand their digital presence, creative approaches, and targeting tactics. So how can you tell if a company is running LinkedIn ads? Here are some quick answers to commonly asked questions around detecting LinkedIn ads and analyzing competitor ad activity.

How to See if a Company is Running LinkedIn Ads

There are a few ways to detect if a company is actively running LinkedIn ads:

– Check their LinkedIn page – Companies will often showcase their LinkedIn ads directly on their LinkedIn company page under the “Ads” section. This makes it easy to see ad examples, their messaging, creative assets, and the types of formats they are using (e.g. single image ads, video ads, carousel ads, etc.).

– Look for the “Sponsored” tag – LinkedIn ads are tagged as “Sponsored” so you can browse LinkedIn on the mobile app or desktop site and look for posts and content from the target company that is marked as sponsored. This confirms they have active campaigns running.

– Use LinkedIn’s ad transparency tool – LinkedIn offers an ad transparency tool where you can enter a company name and get details on their recent ad activity, spend, impression volume, and targeting. This provides solid proof of their advertising and top campaign details.

– Install ad tracking browser extensions – Browser extensions like AdSpy, WhatRunsWhere, and BuiltWith can detect when you are being served a LinkedIn ad as you browse the web. This can reveal the company behind the ad.

– Inspect their website traffic sources – Using website traffic analysis tools like SimilarWeb you can inspect the website traffic sources driving visits to a company’s site. If LinkedIn ads show up as a source, that confirms they are running active campaigns.

Analyzing a Competitor’s LinkedIn Ad Activity

Once you’ve confirmed a competitor is running LinkedIn ads, here are some tips for analyzing and understanding their campaigns in more detail:

– Study ad messaging – Look closely at the ad creative, text, images, videos, and calls-to-action they are using in their ads. What messaging resonates most with their target audience? What can you learn from their messaging strategy?

– Check out ad targeting – Try to uncover the types of targeting they are using – by seniority, job title, company, interests, etc. Their targeting provides hints at who their ideal customers are.

– Monitor ads over time – Check their ads regularly to spot trends and patterns. Are there certain products or offers they promote consistently? When do they increase ad spend? How frequently do they test new creatives?

– Compare ad performance – Look for high performing ads that generate a lot of comments, likes, or shares. Their best ads likely resonate strongly with their target audience.

– Gauge ad spend/volume – Use LinkedIn’s ad transparency tool to estimate their overall ad spend and impression volume. High spend likely indicates a big focus on LinkedIn within their marketing mix.

– Check out their company page – Study their LinkedIn company page as well, especially the follower growth, follower demographics, content posting frequency, and engagement levels. Their company page and ads strategies align closely.

Best Practices for Detecting Competitor LinkedIn Ads

Here are some top best practices to follow as you monitor competitor LinkedIn ad activity:

Cast a Wide Net

Don’t limit yourself to watching just one or two top competitors. Take a broader look at all companies in your space running LinkedIn campaigns. You may uncover creative strategies and tactics from smaller competitors you hadn’t considered before. Check for ads from both direct competitors and substitute products/services.

Conduct Regular Checks

Don’t just check periodically. Monitor competitor ads on an ongoing basis – at least once per week, if not a few times per week. Ad campaigns evolve quickly. Frequent monitoring ensures you catch emerging trends and shifts.

Document Your Findings

Keep detailed notes on what you uncover from competitor ads – key insights on messaging, audiences, offers, ad formats, etc. Use screenshots to capture ad creative and track changes over time. Well-documented competitive research will serve as a valuable resource.

Blend Manual and Automated Tracking

Combine hands-on manual monitoring with browser extensions and scripts that automatically detect/log competitor ads for you. The manual approach provides closer analysis, while automated tracking captures ads you might otherwise miss.

Coordinate Monitoring Across Your Team

Don’t just collect competitor ad data. Actually apply insights strategically to enhance your own LinkedIn ad approach and improve performance. Identify weaknesses or gaps in competitors’ strategies you can exploit with your own ads.

Stay Up to Date on LinkedIn’s Features

Regularly check for updates on new LinkedIn ad formats, targeting options, and analytics capabilities. New features can provide additional intel on competitor ads and activity. Take advantage of them for your tracking efforts.

When Monitoring Competitor Ads

Here are a few important things to keep in mind as you track competitor LinkedIn ad activity:

Avoid Duplicate Ads

Focus on each company’s unique ad creative, offers, and messaging. Don’t waste time over-analyzing slight variations of the same ad. Track trends in their overall strategy instead of minor ad differences.

Consider Industry Trends

Look at competitor ads in the context of broader industry trends and seasonal shifts that may impact advertising. Competitor ads don’t exist in a vacuum. Understanding wider context provides greater insights.

Watch for Changes

Don’t expect competitor ad approaches to remain static. They likely test new creative, audiences, offers, and strategies frequently. Monitor ads for changes to identify the latest trends and strategies.

Think Long Term

Consider both immediate competitor ad moves and longer-term direction. They may emphasize different products, initiatives, or lead gen offers at various stages of the buyer’s journey to drive awareness vs consideration.

Verify Ad Performance

Don’t assume a high ad spend directly correlates with a competitor’s return on investment. Monitor their conversion rates, company growth metrics, and website traffic along with their ad activity to gauge true performance.

Conclusion

Regularly monitoring competitor LinkedIn ads provides invaluable insights that can strengthen your own ad strategy and help unlock new opportunities. With the right tracking tools and a systematic approach, you can stay on top of competitor ad activity in your space. Competitive intelligence fuels impactful strategic decisions for your LinkedIn advertising and wider digital marketing efforts. Consistent ad monitoring paired with actionable competitive analysis will pay dividends.