LinkedIn conversation ads allow advertisers to start personalized conversations with leads directly within the LinkedIn messaging interface. These sponsored messages appear in members’ LinkedIn inboxes and can help drive engagement and conversions for B2B brands.
How do conversation ads work?
LinkedIn conversation ads leverage the platform’s messaging capabilities to enable one-to-one conversations between brands and prospects. Here’s how they work:
- Brands create customized messages to send to targeted audiences on LinkedIn.
- When a member who meets the targeting criteria engages with the brand’s LinkedIn page or content, they may receive the customized message in their inbox.
- The message will come from an official brand handle, starting with “[Brand Name] via LinkedIn” to indicate it’s a sponsored message.
- If the member responds to the message, it will start a 1:1 conversation within the LinkedIn messaging thread.
- The brand can then nurture leads by continuing the personalized conversation within the member’s inbox.
So in summary, LinkedIn conversation ads enable brands to have personalized conversations with their target audience directly within the LinkedIn platform. This allows for more meaningful engagement with prospects compared to traditional disruptive ads.
What are the benefits of LinkedIn conversation ads?
There are several unique benefits to using LinkedIn conversation ads for lead generation and engagement:
- Personalized reach: Conversation ads allow you to reach your target audience on LinkedIn with customized 1:1 messages that are more likely to drive engagement than generic blasts.
- Lead nurturing: Continue conversations to build relationships with prospects over time as part of an effective lead nurturing strategy.
- Higher response rates: LinkedIn reports up to 2x higher response rates for conversation ads compared to LinkedIn InMail.
- Lower cost: Conversation ads can be a more affordable way to engage prospects compared to InMail.
- Built-in targeting: Take advantage of LinkedIn’s extensive targeting capabilities based on job role, company, interests, and more.
- Easy to create: Conversation ads are simple to set up with LinkedIn’s user-friendly ads platform.
For B2B brands that want to drive more personalized prospect engagements, conversation ads present a scalable and effective advertising method on LinkedIn.
What types of messages can you send with LinkedIn conversation ads?
LinkedIn conversation ads are ideal for sending the following types of personalized messages to prospects:
- Intros: Introduce your brand and start engaging conversations.
- Content shares: Share relevant content like articles, ebooks, case studies.
- Event invites: Promote upcoming webinars, events, and demos.
- Consultation offers: Offer custom quotes, demos, or consultations.
- Discussions: Pose questions, ask for opinions, or request feedback.
- Promotions: Share deals, discounts, and special offers.
- Nurturing: Continue conversations to build relationships over time.
The key is crafting messages that provide value and relevance to each prospect based on their interests and profile. Personalized messages drive up to 2x higher engagement rates according to LinkedIn.
How to create effective LinkedIn conversation ads
Follow these best practices to create high-converting LinkedIn conversation ads:
- Identify your ideal target audience and create focused targeting based on job title, company, interests, and other LinkedIn profile data.
- Write concise, personalized messages that will resonate with your targets. Avoid hard sells.
- Test different subject lines to see which drive open rates.
- Segment your audience and tailor messages to speak to specific groups.
- Integrate dynamic fields to personalize messages with the member’s name, company, interests, etc.
- Establish clear calls-to-action to drive prospects to take desired actions.
- Develop a conversation strategy to continue nurturing leads over time.
- Track performance to determine your best-performing messages and targets.
With the right targeting, compelling content, and follow-up strategy, LinkedIn conversation ads can engage prospects in a personalized way that cuts through the noise. Focus on delivering value with your messages to boost results.
LinkedIn conversation ad examples
Here are a few LinkedIn conversation ad examples to illustrate the type of personalized messages you can send:
Introductory message
“Hi [First Name], I wanted to introduce myself! I’m [Your Name] with [Company]. We work with leading [Industry] companies like [Prospect Company] to help them [Value Proposition]. I noticed you’re connected to some folks here at [Prospect Company] – I’d love to learn more about any initiatives you’re working on and see if there’s a fit for us to connect. Let me know if you have a few minutes to connect via phone sometime next week!”
Content share message
“Hi [First Name], I hope you’re doing well! I came across this [eBook/Report/etc.] that provides some great insights into challenges that [Prospect Company] likely faces, and I thought you might find it useful. It covers topics like [Topic 1], [Topic 2], and [Topic 3]. Would you be interested in me sending you a copy?”
Webinar invite message
“Hi [First Name], I wanted to let you know that [Company] is hosting a webinar on [Webinar Topic] that might interest you. As a leader in [Prospect Company’s] [Department], understanding best practices in this area can help you [Value Proposition]. The live webinar is on [Date] at [Time]. If you can make it, use code [Discount Code] to get [Discount Off]. Let me know if you have any other questions!”
Promotional message
“Hi [First Name]! We’re running a limited-time promotion offering [Discount Percentage] off [Product/Service]. As a valued potential partner, I wanted to share this deal with you and see if it makes sense to connect about how [Product/Service] could help your team at [Company]. The promotion ends on [Date], so let me know if you’d like to set up some time to discuss before then. Looking forward to hearing from you!”
Tracking conversation ad metrics
It’s important to track LinkedIn conversation ad performance to optimize your targeting, messaging, and results over time. Here are key metrics to monitor:
Metric | Definition |
---|---|
Impressions | Number of times your ads were shown. |
Clicks | Clicks on your ads. |
Click-through rate | Clicks divided by impressions. |
Conversations started | Number of conversations initiated from your ads. |
Messages sent | Total messages sent by you and prospects. |
Average conversation length | Average number of messages exchanged per conversation. |
Response rate | Percentage of messages prospect responded to. |
Cost per conversation | Ad spend divided by conversations started. |
Conversions | Desired actions taken, such as demos booked or leads captured. |
Review these metrics frequently to determine your top-performing messages, targets, and offers. Kill underperforming creative and double down on what works.
LinkedIn conversation ad tips
Keep these best practices in mind to get the most out of LinkedIn conversation ads:
- Personalize messages with prospect names, companies, interests, and other profile info.
- Test conversational headline and preview text combinations.
- Follow up quickly when prospects respond.
- Ask questions and listen to continue nurturing conversations.
- Develop robust negative keyword lists to avoid unqualified prospects.
- Provide value and avoid aggressive sales pitches.
- Use lead scoring to prioritize best accounts to target.
- Integrate with marketing automation and CRM to track conversations.
- Monitor performance frequently and optimize for results.
Are LinkedIn conversation ads right for your business?
LinkedIn conversation ads offer an innovative way for B2B brands to drive personalized prospect engagements at scale. But are they right for your business?
Conversation ads work best for companies that:
- Want to engage decision-makers at targeted accounts
- Have robust content assets to share like ebooks, case studies, and webinars
- Are willing to take a consultative approach to conversations
- Have the resources to maintain one-to-one messaging at scale
- Seek an alternative to disruptive advertising and cold outreach
The personalized, one-to-one nature of conversation ads also makes them conducive for reaching senior-level, C-suite prospects that are harder to engage otherwise.
But conversation ads may not be the right tactic if you:
- Lack the content, targeting, or resources to personalize conversations
- Don’t have expertise in consultative selling
- Want broad brand awareness or lower-funnel conversions
- Prefer passive lead generation vs. proactive outreach
As with any marketing channel, you’ll want to test conversation ads on a small scale first before committing significant budget.
Conclusion
LinkedIn conversation ads provide a powerful way to drive personalized prospect engagements and stand out from disruptive self-promotional ads. By delivering value and relevance in one-to-one conversations, brands can build relationships with buyers, nurture leads, and increase conversions.
The key is identifying the right target accounts, crafting compelling messages, continuing conversations, and tracking performance. When executed well, conversation ads enable B2B marketers to cut through the noise and drive results from LinkedIn advertising.