LinkedIn ads provide a powerful way for eCommerce businesses to reach their target audience and drive sales. With over 722 million users worldwide, LinkedIn offers access to a massive professional network. Running LinkedIn ads allows eCommerce businesses to get their products and brand in front of relevant audiences in a targeted manner. Here are some of the key ways LinkedIn ads can benefit eCommerce businesses:
Targeting Specific Audiences
One of the major advantages of LinkedIn ads is the ability to target ads based on professional details like job title, company, industry, skills, interests etc. This allows eCommerce businesses to really hone in on their ideal customers. For example, a business selling workplace equipment can target ads to people with job titles like Office Managers, Administrative Assistants, etc. Similarly, a business selling design software can target graphic designers, web developers, etc.
LinkedIn provides detailed targeting options to reach audiences by:
- Job Title
- Job Function
- Company
- Industry
- Seniority Level
- Skills
- Groups
- Interests
This level of granular targeting helps drive relevance and return on ad spend.
Driving Leads and Website Traffic
LinkedIn ads make it easy to drive traffic to your eCommerce store’s website. You can use LinkedIn to promote landing pages, product categories, deals etc. LinkedIn offers robust tracking and analytics tools to optimize ads for maximum website clicks. The highly targeted nature of the LinkedIn audience helps ensure a higher percentage of ad clicks convert into real prospects and customers compared to more general social networks.
In addition to driving website traffic, LinkedIn ads can be used to generate leads by promoting gated content offers. For example, an eCommerce business can run LinkedIn ads promoting a downloadable eBook, whitepaper, or email newsletter sign up. Leads generated this way have already expressed interest and are more likely to convert compared to cold traffic.
Increasing Brand Awareness
LinkedIn provides opportunities to increase brand visibility among professional audiences. Businesses can run LinkedIn Sponsored Content ads to organically insert their brand into the LinkedIn feed. This helps establish brand authority and mindshare when audiences are browsing industry related content.
Other awareness focused ad formats include sponsoring LinkedIn publisher posts from influencers, sponsoring events, sponsoring newsletters etc. LinkedIn’s focus on professional use cases means the audience is more receptive to B2B content and branding messages compared to social networks like Facebook or Instagram.
Retargeting Website Visitors
LinkedIn makes it possible to install tracking pixels on your website to enable retargeting. This allows you to create custom audiences of people who have already visited your website and serve them targeted LinkedIn ads to draw them back in to complete a purchase. Retargeting warms up cold traffic and converts more window shoppers into customers.
For example, you can create custom audiences for people who:
- Viewed specific product pages
- Added items to cart
- Initiated checkouts
Then you can serve them customized ads, special offers, and incentives to complete the purchase process.
Optimizing Ad Campaigns with Analytics
LinkedIn provides advertisers with powerful analytics and optimization capabilities through the LinkedIn Campaign Manager. You can analyze performance metrics like impressions, clicks, clickthrough rate, cost per click, conversions etc. for each ad and audience segment.
LinkedIn’s analytics make it possible to identify your best performing ads, audiences and targeting methods. You can use these insights to optimize both current and future campaigns for better results.
Key LinkedIn Ad Analytics Metrics
Metric | Description |
---|---|
Impressions | Number of times your ads were shown |
Clicks | Number of clicks on your ads |
Clickthrough Rate (CTR) | Clicks divided by impressions |
Cost Per Click (CPC) | How much you pay each time someone clicks your ad |
Conversions | Actions taken on your site like purchases, signups etc. |
Complementing SEO with Paid Ads
LinkedIn advertising and SEO complement each other nicely. SEO focuses on earning organic visibility in search engines, while LinkedIn ads allow you to pay to reach specific audiences immediately. SEO takes time, so use LinkedIn ads in the short term to drive opportunities while SEO starts to pay dividends in the longer term.
You can align LinkedIn ads with SEO by using relevant keywords across both strategies. For example, target LinkedIn ads to audiences interested in keywords that you are optimizing pages for. This helps amplify the impact of both strategies.
Comparing LinkedIn Ads to Other Paid Platforms
Here is how LinkedIn ads compare to some other major digital advertising channels for eCommerce businesses:
LinkedIn vs. Facebook Ads
Audience | Working professionals | Broad general public |
Targeting | By industry, skills, job role, etc. | By interests and demographics |
Ad Relevance | Higher for B2B products | Better for B2C products |
Facebook provides access to a much larger overall user base, but LinkedIn users are more targeted for selling B2B products and services.
LinkedIn vs Google Ads
Google Ads | ||
---|---|---|
Audience Targeting | Based professional/company traits | Based on keywords/interests |
Ad Format | Mostly text/image ads | Text, display, video etc. |
User Intent | Higher buying intent | Varies – depends on keywords |
Google Ads allow more ad formats and flexibility, while LinkedIn offers a more specific professional audience.
Conclusion
LinkedIn advertising presents a major opportunity for eCommerce businesses targeting professional B2B buyers. LinkedIn allows for highly targeted ads based on job roles and interests. Key benefits include driving website traffic, generating leads, retargeting visitors, increasing brand awareness, and complementing SEO efforts. While LinkedIn has a smaller audience size than some platforms, the users are highly relevant for selling to corporate and business clients. The rich analytics help optimize ad performance over time. Overall, LinkedIn ads are an impactful tool eCommerce businesses should consider leveraging as part of their marketing strategy.