In the wonderful world of social networks, LinkedIn is part. Indeed, unlike Facebook and Instagram, it highlights the professional life of its users. It is, therefore, not a question of publishing photos and videos of his last vacation in the sun but of developing his professional network, e-reputation, and visibility.
Created in 2002 in Mountain View, California, this network went online in May 2003. Over the years, it has evolved, and in September 2008, it was equipped with the first advertising agency called “LinkedIn Audience Network.” Then, in May 2011, the company went public. 5 years later, in June 2016, it was acquired by Microsoft.
Likewise, since its launch in 2003, the number of users has increased considerably. At the end of 2012, more than 200 million professionals were using it worldwide. 9 years later, at the end of 2020, 700 million accounts had been created on LinkedIn. A great progression for this social network which achieved a turnover of 13.8 billion dollars in 2022.
And like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, it has its advertising platform. LinkedIn Ads allows advertisers to advertise to users by taking advantage of highly qualified targeting. This platform is also considered the most effective solution, to date, for generating leads. It, therefore, has its place in a marketing strategy! This is why, at Power Trafic, it is part of the services we offer our customers and of the tools mastered by our team.
The world’s Professional Social Network
Today, LinkedIn has a strong community of members – 930 million in April 2023 – scattered worldwide. Dedicated to professional uses, this network brings together companies, employees, freelancers, and associations that share various content, all related to the world of work. For example, it can be feedback, success, news, or an institutional message.
Its users can also post ads to recruit staff, comment on publications, respond to job offers, and expand their network by connecting to other professionals. And – unsurprisingly – like Facebook, TikTok, and the company, the operation of LinkedIn is governed by algorithms, which are regularly modified to evolve and prevent the development of unauthorized practices.
Present all over the world, the LinkedIn social network has seen its number of users grow from year to year. According to company figures in France, in April 2023, more than 26 million people were registered on this network, and the number of monthly active users is estimated at between 12 and 13 million. The main users are:
- aged 25 to 34 (53.8%);
- mostly men (52.5% of French people compared to 47.5% of French women in 2023);
- in the Île-de-France region (26.7%), in Auvergne-Rhône Alpes (10.4%) and in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (7.1%).
Thus, LinkedIn is an excellent generator of qualified leads for advertisers thanks to very precise B2B targeting.
LinkedIn Ads, A Targeted B2B Advertising Platform
LinkedIn Ads allows advertisers to create and distribute campaigns on this network to a professional target. Therefore, the ads’ messages and content (videos and images) are not identical to those found on Facebook or Instagram ads in particular. However, the objectives are similar to those of many other online advertising campaigns, namely:
- develop a company’s brand image, its notoriety, and its visibility;
- achieve conversions and sales;
- generate leads;
- engage and retain an audience.
Similarly, in 2023, LinkedIn will be the only network to offer such precise and efficient professional targeting. Therefore, it should be addressed by companies and brands in their digital marketing strategies, especially since its Ads platform offers advertisers many opportunities.
Its use requires a minimum knowledge of LinkedIn, the uses of its members, the trends, and the good practices to be respected… The knowledge that our team possesses and that we make available to our customers. Our role is to advise and support them at every stage of their LinkedIn Ads campaigns, from creation to ad management, monitoring, and optimization.
Why Run Campaigns On LinkedIn?
Advertising with LinkedIn Ads has several benefits for advertisers. Indeed, they can:
- take advantage of a highly engaged and qualified audience;
- develop their brand image;
- benefit from very precise B2B targeting;
- recruit employees;
- obtain qualified leads and enrich a database;
- improve their online visibility.
LinkedIn Ads are also a good tool for a company to communicate with professionals in the same sector of activity and potential customers. It is also an effective solution to stand out from the competition because, in 2023, this advertising platform being quite recent, it is used less than others. It is, therefore, a great lever to get noticed!
Especially since the target is B2B oriented, advertising on this network helps strengthen a company’s credibility. Not to mention the campaign monitoring and analysis tools available on LinkedIn Ads, which are very efficient, they make it possible to obtain valuable data, which is very useful in optimizing future campaigns. In addition, with this platform, it is possible to create personalized content for specific targets to convert prospects into customers.
Ad Formats Available In 2023
LinkedIn Ads users currently have several advertising formats: Sponsored Content, Sponsored Messaging, Dynamic Ads, and Text Ads. Each format has its specificities and meets objectives. Therefore, it is necessary to take an interest in it to make the right choice.
Sponsored Content
This format designates a native advertisement that appears directly in the newsfeed of LinkedIn users, both on the application and the site. Ideal for increasing the notoriety of a company and generating leads, Sponsored Content is very engaging because of the space where it is distributed. It can take several forms: Single image Ads, Document Ads, Video Ads, Carousel Ads, and Event Ads.
Sponsored Messaging
This format allows you to send individual messages to specific targets in their LinkedIn messaging. Therefore, these personalized advertisements are perfect for creating a link with the recipients and exist in two versions: Message Ads and Conversation Ads. Nevertheless, we cannot deny their intrusive side. This is why it is necessary to think carefully about the messages sent. They must be interactive, and the recipients can easily access the products, services, or offers. With Sponsored Messaging, it is possible to obtain qualified leads.
Dynamic Ads
With Dynamic Ads, an advertiser can serve personalized ads automatically. Combining 3 types of advertising, Followers Ads, Spotlight Ads, and Job Ads, this format meets different objectives:
- Follower Ads allow you to promote a LinkedIn page and therefore increase a company’s notoriety.
- Spotlight Ads are perfect for promoting a service, product, or event, for example, and converting leads into customers.
- Job Ads are for companies that want to promote job postings to qualified LinkedIn users whose experience and skills match those in demand.
Text Ads
Another format is available on LinkedIn Ads: Text Ads. More classic, it helps a company generate leads and traffic to its site. It takes the form of a text ad accompanied by an image displayed in different places.
How To Create A Campaign On LinkedIn Ads?
Several steps are involved in creating LinkedIn Ads, all of which must be followed. Here are the 5 steps to use this advertising platform well and take advantage of its many opportunities.
Have A Campaign Manager Account
To use LinkedIn Ads, you must have an account, which is hardly surprising. Its creation is done via a LinkedIn profile on the site (on the mobile version, it is now impossible). To do this, click on the “Products” button located at the top right of the home page, then on “Advertise.” Next, please set up a Campaign Manager account by providing its name, associating it with a LinkedIn page, and selecting the currency for payments. When this information is filled in, all that remains is to click on “Accept and create an account.”
Defining The Objective Of A Campaign
Creating a LinkedIn Ads campaign starts with choosing goals such as:
- brand awareness ;
- Increase traffic to the site;
- generate leads;
- Recruit new employees;
- Get conversions…
Objectives that concern all companies in short, regardless of their size and sector of activity.
Choose To Target Criteria
After defining the objectives of a campaign, it is necessary to move on to targeting and LinkedIn Ads; they are numerous and very precise. Among the criteria available, we can cite: age, gender, diplomas, fields of study, skills, position held, years of experience, company relations, name of the company, the size of the company… The platform offers 20 categories of audience attributes, which must be carefully selected to reach the right audience and create an effective campaign.
Select The Right Ad Format
As previously mentioned, on LinkedIn Ads, several ad formats are available to advertisers: Sponsored Content, Sponsored Messaging, Dynamic Ads, and Text Ads. To choose the right format, a company must consider its objectives. Note that it is possible to broadcast several campaigns at the same time.
Determine A Budget And Schedule
The 4th and penultimate step in creating a LinkedIn Ads campaign concerns the budget and distribution schedule. For the budget, the platform offers several bidding strategies that vary depending on the objective of a campaign and the advertising format:
- With manual bids, the amount is set by the advertiser;
- with the cost cap, you must set a cost per result, which serves as a reference for Campaign Manager to define the adjustment bids;
- With full delivery, no LinkedIn Ads user intervention is required. The campaign Manager determines The bid automatically to obtain the maximum results while optimizing the budget.
It should also be noted that with the cost cap and manual bids, Campaign Manager offers suggested bids. As for the calendar, the dissemination of the campaign can be done:
- continuously from a start date;
- over a specific period identified with a start date and an end date.
Track And Optimize Campaign Results
Finally, when the campaign is launched, you have to move on to the last step: monitoring using the statistics provided by the platform. This follow-up is essential to measure the results and adjust it if necessary. Thus, the analysis of the results of a campaign makes it possible to optimize the budget and contributes to the improvement of the next advertisements.
Our Mission: To Support Our Clients In Their Campaigns
At Power Trafic, a LinkedIn Ads agency, we put our expertise into our client’s campaigns. Choice of formats, the definition of objectives, targeting criteria, monitoring of results… We support them in all stages of creating and distributing a campaign. We advise them and discuss with them to find the best solutions to meet their objectives on LinkedIn.
Likewise, we constantly monitor developments and changes to this advertising platform. This allows us to inform our customers and present them with the latest innovations so that they can take advantage of them and stand out from their competitors. Thus, we offer our clients personalized support, during which a working relationship is established based on trust, transparency, and responsiveness… which is essential to guarantee a campaign’s effectiveness.
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