LinkedIn Campaign Manager is a powerful tool for running targeted ad campaigns on LinkedIn. As one of the world’s largest professional networks with over 722 million members, LinkedIn offers marketers access to a massive audience of engaged professionals. But like all advertising platforms, using LinkedIn’s advertising tools comes at a cost. So is LinkedIn Campaign Manager free to use? Let’s take a closer look.
What is LinkedIn Campaign Manager?
LinkedIn Campaign Manager is LinkedIn’s self-service advertising platform that allows you to create, manage, and optimize LinkedIn Sponsored Content and Text Ads campaigns. With Campaign Manager, you can:
- Target your ads to reach a specific audience by location, job role, skills, interests, and more
- Set a budget and schedule for your campaigns
- Choose between cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-impression (CPM) pricing models
- Create ads with compelling text, images, and calls-to-action
- Track performance and optimize campaigns for your goals
In other words, it provides all the tools you need to create and run powerful ad campaigns that get your messages in front of qualified audiences on LinkedIn.
Is LinkedIn Campaign Manager Free to Use?
The short answer is no, LinkedIn Campaign Manager is not free to use. There are pricing fees associated with advertising on LinkedIn to access their large audience of professional users. Here are the main costs to be aware of:
- Account setup fee – LinkedIn charges a one-time account setup fee of $50 to create a Campaign Manager account.
- Monthly subscription – You need to choose a monthly advertising subscription plan which ranges in price from $49/month to $24,950/month depending on features needed.
- Impressions/clicks – In addition to the monthly fee, you pay for each ad impression delivered or click received based on which pricing model you choose.
So while access to Campaign Manager itself requires a paid monthly subscription, the main costs come from paying for ad impressions and clicks. Even a small advertising budget on LinkedIn quickly adds up, making it a paid advertising platform.
LinkedIn Campaign Manager Pricing Plans
Let’s take a more detailed look at LinkedIn’s pricing structure for Campaign Manager accounts. Here are the monthly subscription plans available as of September 2022:
Plan | Price Per Month | Features |
---|---|---|
Starter | $49 | LinkedIn Message Ads |
Standard | $199 | All ad formats & campaign types |
Sales | $999 | All features of Standard plus multi-user access and premium support |
CX | $1,999 | Adds account management service |
Enterprise | $24,950 | Dedicated management pod and hands-on support |
As you can see, pricing scales up significantly based on the features, management services, and support needed. Most small and mid-size businesses will start with the Standard plan.
Paying for Ad Impressions and Clicks
In addition to the monthly subscription fee, you also pay LinkedIn for each ad impression delivered or click received. These costs vary based on factors like your targeting settings, bid amount, current auction rates, and more. Here is an overview of how impression and click pricing works:
- Cost-Per-Click (CPC) – You are charged each time someone clicks your ad. CPC rates vary based on factors like competition, but average $5-$10 per click.
- Cost-Per-Impression (CPM) – You pay each time your ad is displayed on LinkedIn. Average CPM rates are $2-$7.
- Minimum Bid – To have your ads participate in auctions for placement, you must meet LinkedIn’s minimum bid thresholds which range from $0.50 to $4 per click depending on targeting.
- Auction Model – Your actual CPC and CPM rates are determined by LinkedIn’s auction model which balances your bid price with ad relevance and other factors.
With CPC campaigns, you only pay when someone clicks your ad. For CPM, you pay each time your ad is shown on the platform. Actual costs will vary based on competition, targeting, and other factors.
Ways to Reduce LinkedIn Advertising Costs
Advertising on LinkedIn can get expensive, especially for smaller businesses with limited marketing budgets. But there are some ways to reduce your LinkedIn ad costs:
Start with a Low Daily Budget
One of the easiest ways to control costs is to set a low daily budget when first starting out. You can gradually increase the budget as you start to see results.
Tightly Target Your Audience
By dialing in your target audience, you can ensure your ads are only shown to relevant members more likely to convert. This avoids wasted spend showing ads to the wrong people.
Bid at the Low End of Suggested Rates
While minimum bids are required, you can bid at the lower end of LinkedIn’s suggested bid range to keep your costs down in the auction.
Test Different Targeting Approaches
Try narrowing your targeting in different ways to see what delivers the best results at the lowest cost. Test by seniority, job title, skills, etc.
Advertise Products with High Margins
If done correctly, LinkedIn ads can drive lucrative conversions like high-ticket software sales. The key is to advertise higher-margin products that justify the ad spend.
Conclusion
So in summary, no – LinkedIn Campaign Manager is not free to use. There are required monthly subscription fees, minimum bid rates, and impression/click costs to advertise on LinkedIn. However, for businesses targeting an audience of professional buyers, LinkedIn ads can still deliver a worthwhile return on investment. The key is to use targeting features, bidding strategies, and optimization to get the lowest cost results from your LinkedIn Campaign Manager account.