LinkedIn dynamic ads are a powerful new form of advertising on the LinkedIn platform. They allow advertisers to target LinkedIn users with highly relevant and customized ads based on their profile data and online activity.
How do LinkedIn dynamic ads work?
LinkedIn dynamic ads tap into LinkedIn’s extensive database of user information to target ads to specific audiences. When creating a dynamic ad campaign, advertisers choose their target audience based on criteria like job title, company, industry, interests, and more. LinkedIn then displays the ads to users who meet that criteria.
But unlike regular static ads, dynamic ads take things a step further. They use each viewer’s unique LinkedIn profile data to customize ad content on the fly. For example, a dynamic ad shown to a software engineer at Microsoft might highlight the advertiser’s developer tools and mention integrations with Azure. While the same ad shown to an HR manager at Toyota would focus on the advertiser’s HR software and tout case studies from manufacturing companies.
This level of personalization makes the ads seem highly relevant to each individual viewer. Dynamic ads also dynamically insert the viewer’s name, company, job title, and other profile details into the ad copy itself. This further customize the messaging and helps grab the viewer’s attention.
What are the benefits of LinkedIn dynamic ads?
LinkedIn dynamic ads provide several major benefits for advertisers:
- Higher relevance – The customized messaging resonates more with each viewer, improving engagement.
- Improved conversions – The highly targeted and relevant nature of dynamic ads leads to higher conversion rates.
- Flexibility – Advertisers can tailor dynamic ads to reach very specific audiences.
- Scalability – One ad can be customized to reach essentially limitless profiles.
- Insights – Viewing linked profiles provides insights to further optimize targeting.
What types of dynamic ads does LinkedIn offer?
LinkedIn offers advertisers several different types of dynamic ad formats:
Dynamic Ads
The core LinkedIn dynamic ad experience. These highly customizable ads appear in the LinkedIn feed and leverage profile data to deliver personalized messaging.
Dynamic Ads for Sponsored Content
These combine the dynamism of LinkedIn dynamic ads with the content-first format of LinkedIn’s popular Sponsored Content ads. Viewer data personalizes headline and copy.
Follower Ads
Designed to attract followers for LinkedIn Pages. Ad copy and calls-to-action are customized based on the viewer’s profile and behavior.
Spotlight Ads
Scrollable image-based ads ideal for storytelling. User-specific elements highlight the most relevant parts of the story to each viewer.
Conversation Ads
Feature personalized messages front-and-center in the conversation/messaging section of LinkedIn’s interface. Great for driving engagement.
What kind of targeting options do dynamic ads support?
LinkedIn offers robust targeting capabilities for dialing in your ideal audience. Targeting parameters include:
- Job title
- Job function
- Company
- Company size
- Industry
- Member skills
- Groups and interests
- Location
- Age
- Gender
Advertisers can target a narrow audience using multiple parameters or go broad and let the dynamic content do the heavy lifting. Retargeting active site visitors or existing contacts are also options.
What are best practices for creating effective LinkedIn dynamic ads?
To generate the best results from LinkedIn dynamic ads, keep these best practices in mind:
- Leverage LinkedIn profile data – The more you can incorporate viewer data, the better.
- Highlight value propositions – Focus on how you can solve pain points for each viewer.
- Use highly targeted parameters – Combine multiple facets like job role, skillset, company.
- Personalize effectively – Make sure name, company, etc. insertions are grammatically sound.
- Test variations – Try different combinations of ad elements to see what resonates.
- Retarget engaged visitors – Remarket to users who have already shown interest.
What are some examples of effective LinkedIn dynamic ads?
Here are a few examples of LinkedIn dynamic ads using personalization and customization effectively:
HubSpot
HubSpot runs dynamic ads targeted by job title and company size to pitch how its software can help people in specific roles (e.g. VPs of Marketing) solve relevant challenges.
Drift
Drift targets decision makers by industry and job title (like “VP of Sales – SaaS”) and customizes copy to highlight industry-specific use cases.
Outreach
Outreach tailors messaging by job role challenges. Ads shown to sales reps focus on increasing conversion rates, while ads for sales managers tout pipeline tracking capabilities.
Slack
Slack dynamically inserts the viewer’s company name into creative to showcase relevant customer stories: “See how Company X uses Slack to drive productivity.”
These examples demonstrate how savvy advertisers make dynamic ads feel like they were created just for the individual viewing them.
How can advertisers measure the performance of dynamic ads?
LinkedIn provides robust reporting and analytics for optimizing and measuring dynamic ad performance. Key metrics include:
- Impressions
- Clicks and clickthrough rate (CTR)
- Engagement rate
- Leads and conversions
- Conversion rate
- Cost per click (CPC) and cost per conversion
Analyzing performance by target audience and ad variation can uncover the best combinations to allocate budget towards. View-through data also shows how dynamic ads impact site engagement beyond direct clicks.
What are some tips for designing high-converting dynamic ads?
Here are some best practices for creating dynamic ads that convert:
- Use attention-grabbing, descriptive headlines that highlight benefits.
- Prioritize copy that speaks directly to the viewer’s interests and pain points.
- Leverage visuals demonstrating how products/services solve problems.
- Make calls-to-action highly relevant to the target roles.
- Use caution with humor and avoid overly promotional tones.
- Experiment with different headlines, images, copy, CTAs, and layouts.
Overall, the most effective ads combine personalization with a persuasive customer-centric message conveying how the offering maps to the viewer’s needs and motivations.
How much do LinkedIn dynamic ads cost?
LinkedIn dynamic ads are purchased through an auction-based pricing model. Advertisers bid on an overall budget and maximum cost per click (CPC), then LinkedIn algorithms optimize ads to get the most clicks within those parameters. Actual CPCs vary based on factors like target audience, quality score, and current auction competition. Average CPCs tend to fall between $5-$10.
Conclusion
LinkedIn dynamic ads represent an extremely flexible and effective form of advertising on the LinkedIn platform. By combining deep LinkedIn user insight with real-time customization, dynamic ads deliver highly targeted, engaging, and relevance messaging to specific audiences. Following best practices around targeting, personalization, optimization, and compelling creative can help advertisers achieve stronger results and ROI from their LinkedIn ad investments.