It can be really easy to get caught up in one part of marketing, as each part has components that have even more subcomponents to make it all work. It can be so easy to get caught up in something that you forget about some of the essential components that make it work in the first place. I’ve talked with multiple marketers about Facebook Ads and Twitter Ads, but one ad platform that has been the main topic of conversation — LinkedIn Ads.
Over the past couple of months, I’ve been knee deep in LinkedIn Ads, and I have gotten caught up in the middle of it all that I have forgotten some parts that I shouldn’t have forgotten. To get my memory going again here are the five things that everyone forgets about LinkedIn Ads that everyone should remember…
Sponsored Updates vs. Text, Video, Image Ad
There are two types of LinkedIn Ads — Sponsored Updates and the more traditional text, video, and image ads. The Sponsored Updates function more like native advertisements in that they are a regular LinkedIn Update on your feed. A few months ago we explored more into Sponsored Updates, but it’s still worth noting that LinkedIn has this native ad component. These Sponsored Updates will live in your target audiences LinkedIn feeds. You also can sponsor updates on your company page with on button.
Text, video, and image ads are pretty traditional for today’s ad tech standards. Majority rest on the right side of your LinkedIn page and honestly, can come across as a tad boring. When I scroll to the ads that are targeted to me, I’m not blown away by the ads. They have regular stock images and average copy. Typically these ads do get a lower click-through rate, but if you’ve found success in these ads then I would encourage in moving past these other ads.
Sometimes we get caught up with one type of ad, so it is good to vary it; however, each of these has its pros and cons. Don’t forget there are two types of ads with LinkedIn!
Side note: There are other types of ads outside of the self-service platform.
Clicks vs. Impressions
This is more of an obvious and short tactic, but sometimes the basics are the first things forgotten because we do them so often. Depending on the goal of your campaign, brand awareness or leads, picking the right (and most cost-effective) strategy in deciding between CPC and CPM is essential.
Target Specific Companies
Targeting on LinkedIn Ads is by far my favorite targeting because I can target by our specific qualifications. Besides targeting by job title or company size, you also can target specific companies.
More than three million companies who have pages on LinkedIn, so targeting potential customers or current opportunities can help nurture leads into your pipeline.
You also can exclude companies, like your competitors, in the Sponsored Updates as well.
Image Size
Images on any social media site are extremely engaging, but one thing that marketers slip up on is optimizing these images. But optimizing is the higher level strategy, it’s really knowing the correct size of the images.
Image sizes on LinkedIn vary, but the max size is 2mb. However, for TrackMaven’s updates we use square images that are 266×266 pixels. Here is a cheat sheet for the other sizes.
Self Service vs. Premium
I mentioned in the first point that the self-service version has less components to it than the premium service. Most ad networks like Twitter and Facebook have dedicated account teams for when you spend a more than average amount. These account teams will help you with your ads, monitor the costs, and sometimes offer other ads types than the self-service version.
LinkedIn has the premium version and if you are already spending a large portion of your paid ad budget in LinkedIn self-service, you should consider switching to premium for a more automated/guided program.