When you think of social media ads, LinkedIn might not be the first platform that springs to mind. But it’s worth giving the site some consideration because LinkedIn Ads Manager is a great way to reach professionals mid-scroll.
You can use it to create and manage targeted ad campaigns that connect with LinkedIn members. There are over one billion LinkedIn users, meaning there’s a huge potential audience out there.
It’s easy to get started, too. LinkedIn Ads Manager will let you choose from various ad formats, set your budget, and track your LinkedIn campaigns’ performance all in one place.
You can also target audiences based on job titles, company size, industry, and more. Showcase your products, share thought leadership content, or promote job openings to the right users. Plus, you’ll get detailed analytics to help you optimize your campaigns and improve your return on investment.
Whether you’re looking to generate leads, drive website traffic, or build brand awareness, LinkedIn’s advertising platform can swiftly be a strong part of your marketing strategy.
In this guide:
Understanding LinkedIn Ads
LinkedIn Ads are a great way to reach professionals – whether that be to grow your company or connect with other businesses.
Using LinkedIn's Campaign Manager
Campaign Manager is where you’ll create and manage your ads. It’s easy to use and helps you track how well your campaigns are doing.
When you’re ready to start, you’ll need a LinkedIn account and a company page, as LinkedIn pages are essential for running ads on the platform. These are the basics for running ads on the platform.
You can set up campaigns based on three main objectives: awareness, consideration, or conversions.
Depending on your goals, you can choose a specific LinkedIn ad format that will make your message stand out.
LinkedIn’s targeting options are what make it really special. This is where you decide who you want to reach. For example, you can target people based on their job title, industry, or even their company size or specific skills.
You don’t need a big budget to start, since LinkedIn Ads work across different spending levels. You can also set daily budgets and adjust them as you learn what works best for your business.
Setting up your ad account
To start advertising on LinkedIn, you'll need to:
- Go to LinkedIn Campaign Manager
- Click "Create Account"
- Choose your account type (company or personal)
- Enter your account details
- Set up your billing information
Once your account is set up, you can create a campaign group.
This helps organize your campaigns by product, region, or other categories. You can add team members to that group by following these steps:
- Go to "Account Assets"
- Click "Users"
- Enter their email and assign permissions
Remember to set a budget for your account. You can do this by:
- Going to "Account Assets"
- Clicking "Account Budget"
- Setting your desired spend limit
With your account ready, you're now set to create your first campaign. Campaign Manager offers the following ad formats:
- Sponsored Content
- Sponsored Messaging
- Message AdsText Ads
Choose one format or mix them up to find the right balance for your campaign.
Creating effective ad campaigns
Creating great ad campaigns doesn't have to be complicated – in fact, it's quite a simple step-by-step process.
First, define your target audience. Pick the criteria that match your ideal customer.
Next, set clear goals for your campaign. Do you want more website visits? Are you hoping to boost lead generation? Is your aim to raise brand awareness? Whatever it is, your goal shapes your ad strategy.
Make sure you have a good grasp of your budget for the campaign. Did you know 25% of a marketing budget is wasted? LinkedIn Ads can be tailored to fit almost any budget, even if you’re starting out small.
Now for the fun part – creating your ad. The best strategy is to use eye-catching visuals and compelling copy. Keep it short and sweet, and don't forget to use a clear call-to-action.
>> Want to know more? Read Brandwatch’s guide to running successful LinkedIn Ads today!
Ad campaign optimization and measurement
LinkedIn Ads Manager gives you a few tools to see how your campaigns are performing. It allows you to track website conversions, video views, and leads to see if you're on course to meet your goals.
To get started with tracking, you'll need to set clear goals for your ads. This might be something like increasing website visitors or finding new leads. Knowing your aims helps you pick the right metrics to watch.
LinkedIn's insights will then help you measure the performance of your ads against those goals.
For example, if you were hoping for more website visitors you'll be paying attention to the click-through rate, but if you were hoping to see more sales, the conversion rate will be more relevant.
How to improve your ads over time
Testing different ad versions is a great way to see what works best. As you test, you can change up your images, headlines, or text to figure out what your audience likes most.
Then, adjust your bidding strategy based on what you learn through the metrics. If an ad is doing well, you might want to spend more on it. If it's not meeting your goals, try lowering your bid or changing your targeting.
Managing LinkedIn Ads with Brandwatch
If you really want to dig into the data and understand how your ads are performing then Brandwatch is the ideal platform. Get a universal overview of your ad campaigns when you create and manage your ads in Advertise.
Our tool is designed to help you create and optimize ads across all of your channels and audiences. That means you can cover your LinkedIn ads and plan campaigns on other social media sites too.
There are also some great automated features that will make managing your LinkedIn Ads smoother. By reducing time spent on your campaigns, you have more flexibility to focus on strategy and maximize the impact of your marketing budget.
LinkedIn Campaign Manager billing problems
LinkedIn Campaign Manager is a really straightforward piece of software but sometimes problems do occur with payments.
Whoever is named as the billing admin holds the cards here, since they can add new payment cards, edit payment info, and view billing details. They just need to head to the “Billing” page to see all this.
Now, sometimes ad accounts get put on hold. If this happens, you'll see a red banner in Campaign Manager, and your ads won't run until you fix the issue. Again – the “Billing” page should flag up any issues with your payment details.
Budgeting and cost considerations
When setting up LinkedIn ads, you'll need to think about your budget carefully.
It’s worth remembering that LinkedIn has a minimum daily budget of $10 for any ad type. For new campaigns, it’s worth setting aside at least $100 for the lifetime budget.
Your campaign budget is the total amount you want to spend, while your daily budget is how much you're willing to spend each day. You can also set a group budget, which sets limits for specific ad groups within a campaign.
Navigating the auction system
The LinkedIn Campaign Manager uses an auction system where you bid against other advertisers. This means prices can change depending on who else wants to reach your audience.
Most businesses spend less than $3 per 1,000 impressions on LinkedIn, but your actual costs may vary. To control your spend, you can use cost caps that let you set a maximum price you're willing to pay for each result.
It's best to start small and increase your budget later if you're seeing good results.
Advanced LinkedIn Ads features
LinkedIn offers several cutting-edge ad formats to boost your campaigns. Here’s a quick look at the main formats available in the Campaign Manager.
Remember, you don't have to pick just one format – you can mix and match to create multi-faceted campaigns.
Message ads
You can use message ads to reach prospects directly in their inbox. In short, these are personalized messages that can help you start conversations and drive leads.
Video ads
Video ads are another really effective option, since video is great for drawing in an audience. This type of ad lets you showcase your brand visually and tell compelling stories. You can also use them to explain complex products or services in a way that's much more engaging than simply combining still images and text.
Dynamic ads
Dynamic ads automatically personalize ad content depending on the viewer. They draw from profile info like name, job title, and company to create ads that speak directly to their audience. This personalization can make someone more likely to click and engage.
Spotlight ads
A spotlight ad can be great if you want to highlight multiple products in a single ad unit. They move in a carousel.
Lead gen form
Lead gen forms earn leads directly within LinkedIn. They're simply a form within an ad that collects the user's information and then delivers it to you, so you can use it for other purposes such as email marketing.
Single image ads
Single image ads are good if you want to share some eye-catching visuals with your audience. These ads are ideal for boosting brand awareness.
Native ads
Native ads blend seamlessly into users' feeds along with organic content, so they won't feel bombarded by ads. They are the most subtle type of LinkedIn ad and can be really effective when done right.
Frequently asked questions
Ads on LinkedIn can seem complex at first – especially if it's your first foray with the LinkedIn Campaign Manager. Remember, you can also use a tool like Brandwatch to oversee ad projects on LinkedIn too.
Here are answers to some common questions to help you navigate the platform and make the most of your advertising efforts.
How do I log into LinkedIn Ads Manager?
To log in to LinkedIn Ads Manager (known as the LinkedIn Campaign Manager), go to linkedin.com/campaignmanager. Enter your LinkedIn email and password. If you don't have an account yet, you can create one for free. Once logged in, you'll see your dashboard with all your campaign data and available tools.
What steps are involved in setting up a LinkedIn Business Manager account?
Setting up a LinkedIn Business Manager account is easy. First, go to business.linkedin.com and click "Create account". Enter your company info and verify your email. Then, add team members and link your LinkedIn Page. Last, set up billing info to start creating ads.
Can I manage LinkedIn ads on mobile through an app?
Yes, you can manage LinkedIn ads on your phone. Download the LinkedIn app from your app store. Sign in and tap the "Work" icon. Choose "Advertise" to access Campaign Manager. You can view stats, adjust budgets, and pause campaigns on the go.
How does LinkedIn's Ads Library work?
LinkedIn's Ads Library shows you ads that are already running on the platform. To use it, visit a company's LinkedIn Page. Click "Posts" then "Ads" to see their current and past ads. This is a handy tool for researching competitors and getting inspiration for your own campaigns.
What is the process for gaining access to a LinkedIn Ads Manager account set up by someone else?
To access an existing Ads Manager account, you need permission from the account admin. Ask them to go to Campaign Manager and click "Account Assets." They can then add your email as a user by going to "Manage Access”. You'll get an invite to accept the role.
