As businesses and marketers look to target professionals on LinkedIn, many wonder if carousel ads are an effective ad format on the platform. Carousel ads allow advertisers to showcase multiple images, videos, or pieces of content in one ad unit that rotates like a slideshow. This visually engaging format has become popular on social media, but does it actually drive better results on LinkedIn compared to standard single image ads? Let’s take a look at some key factors to consider.
The benefits of carousel ads on LinkedIn
There are a few potential advantages that make carousel ads worth testing on LinkedIn:
- Showcase more content – You can feature multiple products, services, images, or videos in one ad, exposing viewers to more of your offerings.
- Break up text – Carousels allow you to divide up long blocks of text across slides, making them easier to read on small screens.
- Demonstrate diversity – You can use different images, videos, and captions to show different facets and uses of your product or service.
- Tell a story – The slides can work together to take the viewer through a narrative about your brand.
- Drive engagement – Carousels may attract attention as visitors click through the slides, leading to higher engagement rates.
In theory, these characteristics can increase relevance, interest, and engagement with your LinkedIn ads. However, carousels aren’t automatically better performers – you need compelling creative and targeting to maximize results.
Potential disadvantages of carousel ads
On the other hand, there are some limitations to consider with carousel ads on LinkedIn:
- Smaller individual images – Each image in the carousel must be cropped to fit the ad space, resulting in less impact than one large image.
- Limitations for video – LinkedIn’s carousel ads currently only support static images, not video in the slides.
- Slower load time – Carousels with multiple high-resolution images or videos can take longer to load and consume more data.
- Lower visibility – Viewers may not click through all the slides, so important info could be missed if not in the initial images.
- Difficulty standing out – Carousels may blend in with other multimedia ad formats in the feed.
The reduced real estate for individual images and potential slow load times could diminish performance if not executed well. Dynamic creative optimization can help determine the right mix of assets.
Best practices for carousel ads on LinkedIn
To boost carousel ad effectiveness on LinkedIn, keep these tips in mind:
- Lead with a compelling image or statistic – Grab attention right away with a strong opening slide.
- Keep text short and impactful – Limit text to key headings, captions, or brief descriptive copy.
- Avoid repetitive content – Each slide should feel distinct and move the narrative forward.
- Include a clear CTA – Use the final slide for a strong call-to-action, like “Register Now.”
- Test different formats – Try combining images, stats, text, and video for variety.
- Check load speed – Verify images and videos don’t slow down page loading.
- Use relevant hashtags – Include hashtags on your images to tap into broader trends and topics.
- Retarget engaged viewers – Remarket to visitors who engaged with certain slides.
What does the data say about LinkedIn carousel ad performance?
So what do the metrics and benchmarks reveal about how carousel ads actually perform compared to single image ads on LinkedIn? While results can vary greatly based on targeting, creative, and objectives, some research provides initial benchmarks:
- A LinkedIn study found carousel ads can achieve up to 20% higher engagement rates versus standard sponsored content.
- Marketing experiments by agencies have observed between 10-15% lifts in CTR from carousel over single image ads.
- However, LinkedIn’s own tests saw minimal differences in conversion rates between standard and carousel ads.
- Initial trials are recommended to gauge performance for your specific objectives and audience.
Here are some examples of LinkedIn carousel ad engagement metrics from real brands:
Company | Campaign Objective | Ad Format | Engagement Rate |
---|---|---|---|
Adobe | Website visits | Carousel ad | 2.1% |
Hootsuite | Lead generation | Single image ad | 1.6% |
Mailchimp | Video views | Single video ad | 3.5% |
Slack | Event registration | Carousel ad | 2.8% |
While carousel ads like Adobe’s and Slack’s achieved strong engagement rates over 2%, the single image ad from Hootsuite also performed well. Mailchimp’s video ad highlights that other multimedia formats can also drive engagement on LinkedIn.
The takeaway?
Carousel ads have the potential to earn higher engagement and capture attention on LinkedIn. However, they need compelling creative, fast load times, and strategic targeting to maximize results. Campaign objectives also play a role. Carousels lend themselves well to awareness and consideration focused campaigns, where storytelling and expanded messaging are more important.
For lower-funnel goals like conversions, single image or video ads containing a specific CTA may be more effective. As always, thorough A/B testing is key to determine if carousels are the right fit over standard ads for your brand and objectives on LinkedIn.
How are brands using carousel ads successfully on LinkedIn?
When executed strategically, carousel ads can become a powerful format for engaging professionals on LinkedIn. Here are some examples of brands running clever and effective carousel ads on LinkedIn:
1. Slack
Slack used a carousel ad to promote their Frontiers conference, using each slide to reveal another detail about the event like the location, speakers, or sponsors. The unfolding storytelling builds anticipation and encourages visitors to click through to learn more and hopefully register.
2. Salesforce
Salesforce ran a humorous 4-slide carousel ad spoofing typical social media posts to highlight their marketing analytics capabilities. Each staged post pokes fun at a different data-driven marketing mistake, concluding with the solution to “Stop guessing. Start optimizing.”
3. HubSpot
HubSpot ran LinkedIn carousel ads focused on different features of their all-in-one marketing software. Each slide has a short headline, image representing the feature, and brief description with a clear CTA linking to their product page.
4. Oracle
Oracle used high-impact data stats in their carousel ads, with minimal accompanying text to draw attention to different aspects of their business software suite. The dramatic statistics stand out in the LinkedIn feed.
5. Salesforce
Salesforce created an animated cartoon-style carousel ad to promote their Dreamforce event. The illustrated slides bring the storytelling to life while maintaining continuity with the Salesforce brand’s playful tone and style.
Tips for optimizing LinkedIn carousel ads
To maximize the impact of your LinkedIn carousel ads, keep these best practices in mind:
Highlight one key message per slide
Each individual slide has limited space. Keep the messaging focused on one key idea, statistic, or hook to capture attention.
Use bold, eye-catching visuals
Visuals are critical in the small carousel slides. Use striking imagery, video, or illustrations to draw the viewer in.
Personalize with your audience in mind
Tailor the ad messaging, offers, and visuals to resonate with your target B2B audience on LinkedIn.
Drive visitors to click through
Prompt visitors to engage further by teasing the next slide. Ask questions or use cliffhangers to move the story forward.
Place your CTA strategically
Put your strongest call to action on one of the final slides for visibility as viewers scroll through.
Test different formats
Experiment with mixing images, text, stats, questions, and video clips within your carousel.
Check loading speed
Remove any high-resolution files that negatively impact loading times as visitors scroll through your ad.
Frequently asked questions
How many slides should you include in a LinkedIn carousel ad?
2-4 slides is recommended. You want enough slides to tell a story or showcase various offerings, but not so many that it slows loading or looks cluttered. Test different lengths to see what performs best.
What’s the ideal image size for LinkedIn carousel ads?
LinkedIn recommends 600 x 500 pixels for carousel image assets. Square 1:1 images can also work visually in the ad unit. Optimize images to be high resolution within the small space.
Can you use video in LinkedIn carousel ads?
Currently LinkedIn carousel ads only support static images – video can’t be integrated directly into the slides. However, you can include a thumbnail image linking to a video hosted on YouTube or LinkedIn.
Should you use the same targeting for LinkedIn carousel and single image ads?
It’s generally smart to align your carousel ad targeting with ads using other formats for an apples-to-apples comparison of performance. You may also try aligning targeting but optimizing the creatives.
What’s the ideal length of copy in LinkedIn carousel ads?
Limit copy to short headlines, captions, or brief descriptions of 75-100 characters maximum. You want copy to complement the visuals but not overwhelm them in the limited slide space.
Takeaways
Here are the key takeaways on maximizing LinkedIn carousel ads:
- Carousel ads allow advertisers to showcase more content and tell stories, but require compelling creative to perform well.
- Format them with bold visuals, succinct copy, and a clear CTA for best results.
- Carousels can achieve higher engagement rates but may not always drive more conversions than single image ads.
- Test carousels versus other formats with consistent targeting to compare performance for your goals.
- Optimize based on the results – carousels work well for awareness but may not be the best choice to drive all objectives.
As with any new ad format, thorough testing is required to determine if carousels are a worthy investment compared to tried-and-true single image ads on LinkedIn. Align the format with your campaign KPIs and brand storytelling to make them work hard for your business.