LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 850 million members worldwide. With so many professionals on the platform, LinkedIn ads present a major opportunity for brands looking to reach a highly targeted B2B audience. But with various ad formats and objectives available, it can be challenging to determine which types of LinkedIn ads actually deliver results.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the most effective LinkedIn ad formats and provide tips for developing an optimal LinkedIn ad strategy.
Most Effective LinkedIn Ad Formats
LinkedIn offers a range of paid ad formats including Text Ads, Sponsored Content, Message Ads, Dynamic Ads and more. Here are the top performing ad formats on LinkedIn:
1. Sponsored Content
Sponsored Content refers to native ads on LinkedIn that match the look and feel of regular posts. These in-feed ads appear in the LinkedIn feed alongside organic content.
Sponsored Content is arguably the most effective LinkedIn ad format for four key reasons:
- Native appearance catches more attention
- Flexible targeting options
- High clickthrough rates
- Leads perceived as warmer
With Sponsored Content, advertisers can target users based on location, company, job title, industry, interests, skills, age, gender and more. These native ads achieve up to 2-3x higher clickthrough rates compared to Text Ads.
Sponsored Content is ideal for increasing awareness, generating leads, and driving traffic to your website. The native format leads to higher LikedIn visitor engagement as users perceive the content to be organic.
2. Text Ads
LinkedIn Text Ads or Sponsored InMail appear in the LinkedIn message inbox as an in-platform message. These ads have a similar appearance to promotional emails.
Here are the key benefits of LinkedIn Text Ads:
- Directly reach key decision makers
- Drive high-quality leads
- Prompt users to take action
With text ads, you can target users based on any criteria including job title, company, skills and groups. These ads work well for promoting content, events, and generating qualified leads. You can maximize responses by personalizing and optimizing ads for specific audiences.
3. Dynamic Ads
LinkedIn Dynamic Ads automatically promote your latest content to dynamically targeted audiences. These ads feature personalized headlines based on who is viewing the ad.
Key benefits of LinkedIn Dynamic Ads include:
- Low effort – ads are generated automatically
- Improved relevance – customized per viewer
- Audience expansion – reach net new audiences
To run LinkedIn Dynamic Ads, you simply provide a feed of content assets including articles, ebooks, case studies, blog posts, videos etc. LinkedIn’s algorithm automatically determines the best content to serve each user.
Dynamic ads are best for increasing content views, website traffic, and expanding your target audience reach. The customized copy leads to 3-4x higher clickthrough rates versus generic ads.
4. Message Ads
LinkedIn Message Ads let you attach customized messages to connection requests. When users accept your request, they receive the private message you attached.
Top advantages of LinkedIn Message Ads:
- Make personalized connections
- Send targeted messages at scale
- Prompt users to take action
This ad format enables you to deliver a specific message to your ideal contacts. You can drive visits, leads, and conversions by engaging new professional connections.
5. Spotlight Ads
Spotlight Ads provide a big visual banner that appears at the top of the LinkedIn feed. They resemble a full width display ad.
Here’s why Spotlight Ads can be highly effective:
- Prominent placement catches attention
- Leverages high-impact visuals
- Expanded targeting capabilities
Spotlight Ads stand out in the feed with their size and placement. You can use them to rapidly increase brand awareness, highlight promotions, and drive traffic to your website. Their visual focus makes them ideal for campaigns with a creative, visual component.
Tips for an Effective LinkedIn Ad Strategy
When developing your LinkedIn ad campaigns, keep these best practices in mind:
Target a specific audience
Leverage LinkedIn’s extensive targeting options to hone in on your ideal customers based on professional characteristics. Targeting by job title, industry, company, and interests can improve response rates dramatically.
Personalize your messaging
Ads that directly address the viewer tend to outperform generic messaging. Personalized subject lines in Text Ads and customized headlines in Dynamic Ads boost clickthrough rates.
Promote gated assets
LinkedIn ads are highly effective at driving users to gated assets like whitepapers, ebooks, infographics and webinars. The leads captured provide qualified sales opportunities.
Retarget website visitors
You can upload website visitor lists to LinkedIn and then retarget those users with customized messaging to drive conversions.
Test different formats
Every company’s audience and goals differ. Experiment with different LinkedIn ad formats to see what resonates best with your target audience.
Set up A/B tests
Try A/B testing different images, headlines, copy, call-to-actions and more to optimize your ads. A/B testing enables you to iterate based on real data.
Analyze and refine
Closely monitor the performance of your campaigns. Remove underperforming elements, strengthen what works, and continuously refine your LinkedIn ads.
Using LinkedIn Ads Effectively by Industry
Certain LinkedIn ad formats and approaches tend to perform better for some industries compared to others. Here are tips on utilizing LinkedIn ads effectively for a few key verticals:
Business Services
For professional services like consulting, accountancy, HR, etc. focus on Sponsored Content and Text Ads. Target service-based titles at companies in your region. Promote content like guides, whitepapers and webinars to generate qualified leads.
B2B Technology
Tech companies do well sponsoring relevant LinkedIn Groups to raise awareness among engaged professional communities. Also create Dynamic Ads to promote new content directly to decision-makers.
Consumer Goods
Spotlight Ads can make a big visual impact for consumer brands aiming to increase awareness and purchase intent. Dynamic Ads also help introduce new products to targeted demographics.
Education
Schools and universities can reach prospective students using Sponsored Content about their programs and campus. Targeting by geography, age, industry interest and other criteria connects ads to those likely to enroll.
Top LinkedIn Ad Placement Options
Where your ads appear on LinkedIn can impact performance as well. Here are top placement options to consider:
Feed
Appearing in the LinkedIn feed alongside organic posts gives Sponsored Content and Dynamic Ads a native look and feel. High visibility helps drive clicks.
Message Inbox
Text Ads appear in the message inbox like emails, enabling your message to directly reach users.
Right Sidebar
All ad formats can appear in the right sidebar on desktop. This placement catches user attention as they browse.
Search Results Page
When keywords are added, Text Ads can appear at the top of LinkedIn search results pages, enabling you to reach users searching relevant topics.
| Placement | Recommended Ad Formats |
|---|---|
| Feed | Sponsored Content, Dynamic Ads |
| Message Inbox | Text Ads |
| Right Sidebar | All LinkedIn Ad Formats |
| Search Results Page | Text Ads |
LinkedIn Ad Metrics to Track
Be sure to monitor these key performance indicators to gauge the impact of your LinkedIn ads and inform optimization:
- Impressions: Number of times your ads are displayed
- Clicks: Clicks on the ad to your landing page
- Clickthrough rate (CTR): Clicks divided by impressions
- Cost per click (CPC): How much you pay on average for each ad click
- Leads or conversions: Signups, downloads, purchases, etc.
- CPA: Cost per conversion or acquisition
Analyze both new vs repeat impressions and conversion rates from new vs repeat clicks.
Conclusion
With the right strategy, LinkedIn’s highly targeted B2B audience presents an incredible opportunity to generate qualified leads. Sponsored Content, Text Ads, and Dynamic Ads are typically the highest performing ad formats on LinkedIn due to native design and targeting capabilities.
By personalizing messaging, promoting gated assets, retargeting, testing and optimizing – brands can achieve great success with LinkedIn ads. Just ensure you track performance closely and continuously refine your strategy.
Leverage these best practices to make the most of your LinkedIn ad investment and use data-driven insights to boost results. LinkedIn’s depth of targeting options enables a level of B2B precision not found on other networks – so take advantage by developing audience-tailored campaigns.
