How To Run a LinkedIn Ad Campaign: 7 Simple Steps

LinkedIn was created to be a social media site where professionals could connect with other people in their industry. This foundation as a space where business owners and managers could commiserate and advise makes it the perfect place to run a B2B (business-to-business) marketing campaign.

The people who have the power to make decisions in a company are already turning to LinkedIn for trusted information. A well-planned and executed LinkedIn ad campaign may help you capitalize on this trust to inform specific groups of people about the benefits of your goods or services.

Although LinkedIn is a great place to run an ad campaign, the success of your campaign will ultimately depend on the quality of the ads that you run. The ad must attract the eye of the recipient, contain valuable information, and be compelling enough to hold the viewers' attention and convince them to take further action.

Even if your ad does all of these things, it will do little good if it’s not being directed to the right audience. An advertisement for new and technologically advanced hydraulic pumps may attract the eye of the person who runs an oil rig, but won’t mean much to a company that manufactures teddy bears.  

Save yourself the hassle and expense of sending ads to those who aren’t likely to respond positively to them. The LinkedIn ads campaign manager allows you to choose a target audience based on demographics, industry, or profile.

Here are the basic steps of creating and launching your LinkedIn ads campaign:

1. Open your LinkedIn ads campaign manager  
2. Select your objective
3. Define your audience
4. Choose your ad type and format
5. Create your ad
6. Launch your ad
7. Rate your ad’s performance to optimize results

Before we get into the details about these steps, let’s go over some possible campaign goals and the routes they can be pursued.

What Makes a Great Ad Campaign?

There isn’t one magic bullet to create a great LinkedIn ads campaign, but there are a few key  things that every ad campaign must accomplish to get successful results. These include:

• Attracting attention: This can be done with an image, color scheme, or a great subject line.
• Holding attention: This is done by telling a story the viewers want to hear, through images, video, or compelling text.
• Offering a single idea: It must be easy to understand.
• Promoting your brand: Talk about your brand so the reader goes to you for their needs, and not to your competitors.
• Emphasizing benefits: Talk about how your ideas, goods, or services will benefit the recipients, not how they will suffer without them.
• Encouraging action: Include a clear CTA (call to action) so the reader knows how to find out more.

What Are the Different LinkedIn Ads Campaign Types?

LinkedIn offers four distinct types of ads. Sponsored content, message ads, text ads, and dynamic ads can all be presented in different formats. Understanding what these types are and which types of marketing campaigns they work best for will help you to decide which types best fit your needs.

Sponsored Content

Sponsored content ads can be used effectively for any type of marketing campaign. They allow you to tell your company’s story, increase brand recognition, showcase your goods and services, and drum up interest in an upcoming LinkedIn event that you’re hosting.

This type of ad is particularly good at generating leads, especially when the optional lead generation form is included. This form auto-fills from the viewer's profile and makes it very easy for them to simply click and send it back to you.

Message Ads

The message ads show up directly in the messaging box of your chosen audience. They allow you to attract attention away from the clutter of an email box or homepage. You have more freedom in how many characters you can use to tell your story. For best results, you’ll want to start with a powerful subject line to attract attention and encourage the recipient to open the message.

Text Ads

Text ads are the easiest to create and, in most cases, the least expensive. They allow you to speak directly to your audience with a personal and tightly targeted message.

With this type of ad, there is no long-term commitment or contract. You simply create ads and send them out. You only pay for the ones that generate positive feedback, like PPC (pay-per-click). You can pull ads or create new ones at any time while still staying within your marketing budget.

Dynamic Ads

Dynamic ads are those that are automatically personalized to each recipient based on information contained in their profile. They are commonly used to create follower campaigns. In these campaigns, readers are encouraged to visit your page and become a follower of yours. This is a great way to increase brand recognition and bump your page up in search results.

How To Create a LinkedIn Ad Campaign Step-by-step

The LinkedIn ads campaign manager is where you’ll begin your journey to create the best LinkedIn ads campaign. You’ll have to create an account and this comes at no cost.

1. Open Your LinkedIn Ads Campaign Manager

After creating your account, the campaign manager will walk you through the entire process by informing you about your choices and best practices for each ad type.

2. Select Your Objective

In this case, your ad’s objective is the result you’re hoping to get from the viewers. You’re given three choices:

• Awareness: The point of the campaign would be to increase brand recognition.
• Considerations: The campaign is for creating countable events such as website visits, video watches, or other forms of engagement.
• Conversions: These ads are rated by how many viewers follow through with in the form of lead generations or job applications.

3. Define Your Audience

You can create your target audience by using one of their preset options such as job title, industry type, or personal interests. Or, you can customize your parameters and include things like email- or account-based targeting.

4. Choose Your Ad Type and Format

The campaign manager can help you to decide which of the account types and formats may be most effective with your chosen objectives. You’re free to choose any type but it may be best to listen to the advice of the company that created the format.

5. Create Your Ad

Once you’ve chosen a format, the campaign manager will inform you of the specific guidelines and restrictions of that ad type. While the story is yours to tell, it must be done within the character limits and image sizes allowed by LinkedIn. If you feel that you cannot effectively get your message across within the set guidelines, go back to step four and choose a different format.

6. Launch Your Ad

Once you’ve created your best ad, it’s time to launch it and see if your audience appreciates it as much as you do.

7. Rate Your Ad’s Performance

To keep track of your campaign’s progress and compare it to the success of similar campaigns, make use of the optional conversion tracker. This allows you to customize the actions being tracked, like lead generation forms filled out or installations. You can even see what's happening in every view of your ad. Being able to see how it compares to other campaigns, either yours or other companies', allows you to tweak your message to achieve optimal results.

For Best Results, Get Professional Help

While it's possible to achieve LinkedIn ad success on your own, it may be more cost-effective to find skilled and experienced professionals to do it for you. Schedule a free consultation to find out how Cleverly can help you achieve your LinkedIn advertising goals.

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