With over 722 million users, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network and an incredibly powerful platform for B2B marketing. LinkedIn ads allow you to reach your target audience in a professional context as they are consuming relevant content. But with a variety of ad formats and placement options available, how do you know which LinkedIn ad type is most effective?
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover the seven main types of LinkedIn ads and provide data-driven recommendations on which options tend to perform best for most business goals. We’ll also overview top use cases, best practices, and metrics to track for each ad format.
The 7 Main Types of LinkedIn Ads
LinkedIn offers a wide range of paid advertising options. Here are the seven primary ad formats:
Sponsored Content
Sponsored Content appears in the LinkedIn feed, both on desktop and mobile. These native ads match the look and feel of nonsponsored posts. You can target Sponsored Content to your ideal audience based on location, job role, industry, interests, and more.
Sponsored InMail
Sponsored InMail allows you to reach LinkedIn members via direct message. These ads have open and click-through rates that are significantly higher than email. You can personalize Sponsored InMails using merge tags.
Text Ads
Text Ads are simple display ads with a headline, text, and call-to-action button. They are ideal for brand awareness and traffic driving goals. Text Ads show up on the right rail on desktop and within the feed on mobile.
Dynamic Ads
Dynamic Ads automatically pull content from a company’s website, such as product listings, blog posts, and videos, to create customized ads. They streamline ad creation and provide highly relevant messages.
Message Ads
Message Ads are displayed after a LinkedIn member takes a desired action, such as registering for an event or downloading an asset. They allow advertisers to follow up with relevant messages.
Conversation Ads
Conversation Ads also appear after users take action, but feature interactive content such as polls, questions, or comments to encourage engagement.
Lead Gen Forms
With Lead Gen Forms, users can fill out a form right within the ad unit to convert directly, rather than having to click through to your site. The lead contact information is then sent to the advertiser.
Now that we’ve reviewed the main LinkedIn ad types available, let’s analyze the performance data to reveal which options tend to work best for key objectives.
Top Performing Ad Types for Lead Generation
Research has found LinkedIn’s Lead Gen Forms to have the highest conversion rates out of all their ad formats, with a conversion rate over 3X higher than Sponsored Content.
Lead Gen Form ads allow advertisers to collect lead information directly within the ad unit, cutting down the required effort for prospects to convert. This dramatically improves conversion rates.
Other top ad formats for generating quality leads include:
- Sponsored InMail – personalized direct messages sent to members who match your ideal customer profile.
- Conversation Ads – interactive units that promote engagement.
- Message Ads – sent to relevant members after they view specific content or take action.
For example, an IT company that specializes in cloud solutions could target Conversation Ads and Message Ads to tech decision makers who have recently visited their website pages focused on cloud migration. Personalized follow up ads would remind these high-intent prospects about the company’s expertise in this area.
Tips for Optimizing LinkedIn Ads for Leads
To further boost LinkedIn ad performance for lead gen, keep these best practices in mind:
- Align your ad’s messaging and call-to-action with the offer.
- Ensure your ad creative is high quality and visually appealing.
- Use dynamic text insertion to customize Sponsored InMail.
- Refine your targeting to reach your ideal accounts and titles.
- Make your Lead Gen Form short and only ask for essential information.
Tracking conversion rates and cost per lead for each LinkedIn ad campaign lets you double down on the highest performing formats.
Best Ad Types for Brand Awareness & Reach
Research by Social Media Today found Sponsored Content to be the most effective LinkedIn ad format for brand building. Sponsored Content appear in the highly viewable main LinkedIn feed, matching the look and feel of regular posts.
This native ad placement drives strong brand awareness and reach. Other advantageous formats include:
- Text ads – simple but effective for visibility.
- Dynamic ads – automatically generate fresh content to stay top of mind.
- Conversation ads – interactive units ignite engagement.
For example, a company launching a new product could create Dynamic Ads that highlight the product benefits across a variety of ad formats for multi-touch brand impact.
Tips for Optimizing LinkedIn Ads for Brand Building
- Curate eye-catching images and video for your Sponsored Content.
- A/B test ad variations to determine what content resonates most.
- Target broader audiences to increase reach and impressions.
- Analyze click-through-rate and impression share metrics.
- Retarget engaged visitors to reinforce messages.
Brand lift surveys are also helpful for measuring how your LinkedIn ads impact brand metrics like awareness, consideration, and favorability.
Top Ad Options for Website Traffic
Research by WebMeUp found Sponsored Content to have the highest click-through-rate out of all LinkedIn ad formats. Sponsored Content ads appear directly in the LinkedIn feed stream for high visibility.
Other top performing options for driving website traffic include:
- Dynamic Ads – showcase fresh, relevant content.
- Text Ads – placement on right rail is viewable.
- Message Ads – capture attention after site engagement.
For example, an ecommerce company could run Dynamic Ads that automatically pull in new products added to its website to generate traffic. Website visitors who viewed certain product categories could then be targeted with follow up Message Ads.
Tips for Optimizing LinkedIn Ads for Driving Traffic
Follow these best practices to boost website clicks from your LinkedIn ads:
- Use compelling copy and visuals.
- Target content to relevant audiences.
- Drive traffic to specific landing pages that match the ad copy.
- Set up tracking pixels to retarget site visitors.
- Analyze click-through rates and cost per click.
A/B testing ad creative and offers can further optimize ads for driving increased website traffic at lower cost.
Most Effective Ad Types by Campaign Objective
To summarize, here are the LinkedIn ad formats that tend to perform best for key campaign goals:
| Campaign Objective | Most Effective LinkedIn Ad Formats |
|---|---|
| Lead Generation | Lead Gen Forms, Sponsored InMail, Conversation Ads, Message Ads |
| Brand Building | Sponsored Content, Text Ads, Dynamic Ads, Conversation Ads |
| Website Traffic | Sponsored Content, Dynamic Ads, Text Ads, Message Ads |
As we’ve explored, the best LinkedIn ad approach depends on your specific goals. Lead Gen Forms convert visitors into leads directly within the ad unit, making them ideal for lead gen. Sponsored Content builds brand awareness through native feed placement. And website traffic is driven by compelling copy and visuals that motivate clicks.
Conclusion
With a wide range of ad formats, LinkedIn offers flexibility to achieve any marketing objective – from lead generation to brand building and website traffic.
By matching ad types to campaign goals and optimizing based on performance data, you can identify the right LinkedIn advertising strategies to connect with your target audience and exceed objectives. A/B testing different approaches will illuminate what content and placements work best to drive results.
Consistently monitoring KPIs based on your goals, such as cost per lead, click-through-rate, and impression share is key. Align your LinkedIn ads with your ideal customer’s buyer journey stage for greater impact.
With these insights on the highest performing B2B ad formats, you’re equipped to get the most value from LinkedIn advertising and take your next campaign to the next level.
