Enjoy this blog article by NUOPTIMA on the different LinkedIn advert types and schedule a free discovery call with our full-stack growth marketing agency.
Key Points
- LinkedIn is used by more than 850 million professionals and is a great place to advertise your business’s products or services.
- There are many different ad formats available on LinkedIn, such as Sponsored Content, Dynamic Ads, and Sponsored Messaging. It is important that you choose the correct ad type that aligns with your business goals.
- By following our step-by-step guide, you can create an efficient LinkedIn ad campaign.
- Best practices for creating adverts on LinkedIn include keeping an eye on your budget, working out your target market, and encouraging consumers to take action with a clear call to action.
- NUOPTIMA is a professional growth agency that can assist in improving the success of your business. Browse our case studies to see how we have assisted previous clients in gaining traffic, conversion rate, click-through rate, and more.
When looking to promote your business, LinkedIn is a fantastic destination, especially for a B2B company. Indeed, more than 850 million professionals use this network, and by using the platform, you can target many of them with your advertising efforts. = Additionally, it offers a wide range of ad options and uses objective-based advertising.
This blog post covers the various types of adverts available on LinkedIn, how to create an ad on the platform, and highlights LinkedIn advertising best practices.
Key Benefits of Advertising on LinkedIn
Here are some of the primary benefits of using the network for advertising:
- It can lead to a higher conversion rate. This is because it puts your adverts in front of decision-makers within your niche.
- You can monitor profile visits.
- You can advertise your products or services to your target market and target professionals within your industry with relative ease.
- LinkedIn is fantastic for networking, so by sharing great content, you can direct traffic to your business and raise brand awareness.
Different Types of LinkedIn Adverts
Numerous advertising formats are available on LinkedIn, and there are various options within these formats. Let’s go through each of them to explain what they offer as well as some recommended specifications.
| Types of LinkedIn Ads Summarised | |
| Sponsored Content | Carousel AdsSingle Image AdsVideo AdsDocument AdsEvent Ads |
| Text & Dynamic Ads | Text AdsFollower AdsSpotlight AdsJobs Ads |
| Sponsored Messaging | Message AdsConversation Ads |
| Lead Gen Ads | Lead Gen Forms |
Sponsored Content
Sponsored Content, sometimes referred to as native ads, appears on the LinkedIn newsfeed on both mobile and desktop devices. These ads are labelled as ‘promoted’. There are several different options within the Sponsored Content format.
Carousel Ads
Carousel Ads allow you to use between two to 10 ‘carousel cards’ or images to convey your brand’s story and advertise your products. These are great for brand awareness and conversions. You cannot currently use video on Carousel Ads.
File Type: JPG or PNG
Ad Name (not compulsory): 255 characters
Card Headline: 45 characters
Intro Text: 255 characters
Maximum File Size: 10MB
Single Image Ads
As its name implies, Single Image Ads only allow you to use one image. They are arguably the simplest ad option to set up.
File Type: JPG, PNG, or GIF
Ad Name (not compulsory): 255 characters
Headline: 70 characters
Intro Text: 150 characters
Description (only needed when using LinkedIn Audience Network – LAN): 70 characters
Maximum File Size: 5MB
Video Ads
Video Ads are a great way to increase brand awareness and tell a story. It is an effective way of capturing the attention of your audience.
Video File Type: MP4
Video Sound Format: AAC or MPEG4
Frame Rate: 30 frames per second
Ad Name (not compulsory): 255 characters
Headline: 70 characters
Intro Text: 150 characters
Video File Size: 75KB – 200MB
Duration: 3 seconds – 30 minutes
Document Ads
Document Ads allow you to promote documents directly in the newsfeed. Users can peruse and download this content. Examples include infographics, presentations, and e-books. All documents will be downloaded as a PDF.
File Type: DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, PDF
Number of Pages: Under 10 pages (300 pages max)
Ad Name (not compulsory): 255 characters
Headline: 70 characters
Intro Text: 150 characters
Maximum File Size: 100MB
Event Ads
These ads let you advertise LinkedIn Events to a particular audience. It is displayed in the feed on both mobile and desktop devices and signpost key event details.
Event Name (not compulsory): 255 characters
Intro Text: 600 characters
Text and Dynamic Ads
Text and Dynamic Ads allow you to advertise on the right rail (column) of LinkedIn. Let’s consider which advert types fall under this category.
Text Ads
Text Ads are displayed in the right column or at the very top of the page. This is a great option for forming strong leads and driving fresh customers to your company.
Logo File Type: JPG or PNG
Headline: 25 characters
Description: 75 characters
Logo File Size: 2MB
Follower Ads
Follower Ads are Dynamic Ads that encourage consumers to follow your page. This is an excellent option for increasing both engagement and site visits.
Company Logo File Type: JPG or PNG
Headline: 50 characters
Description: 70 characters
Company Name: 25 characters
Company Logo File Size: 2MB
Spotlight Ads
These are also Dynamic Ads and can be used to promote your finest products or services. Spotlight Ads are recommended for lead generation and gaining website traffic. Helpfully, when a consumer clicks on this type of ad, it will redirect to the landing page for conversion.
Company Logo File Type: JPG or PNG
Background Image File Type (not compulsory): JPG or PNG
Headline: 50 characters
Description: 70 characters
Company Name: 25 characters
Call To Action: 18 characters
Company Logo File Size: 2MB
Background Image File Size (not compulsory): 2MB
Jobs Ads
Jobs Ads are Dynamic Ads that promote job opportunities to suitable LinkedIn members in your target market. They are also personalised. These ads are created in three types: Jobs Page, Picture Yourself, and Jobs You May Be Interested In.
Headline: Up to 70 characters
Company Name: Up to 25 characters
Call To Action: Can only be customised for Jobs You May Be Interested In. Up to 44 characters.
Sponsored Messaging
Sponsored Messaging adverts let you engage with your audience within LinkedIn Messaging. They appear in LinkedIn inboxes, creating an intimate communication option with your target market.
Message Ads
Message Ads let you send messages directly to prospects to encourage quick action. They appear like organic messages. You can send these targeted messages to people even if they are not in your contacts.
Banner File Type (not compulsory): JPG or PNG
Ad Name (not compulsory): 50 characters
Subject of Message: 60 characters
Text in Message: 1500 characters
Custom Footer: 2500 characters
Call To Action: 20 characters
Banner Image File Size (not compulsory): 2MB
Conversation Ads
Conversation Ads take advantage of LinkedIn’s chat function to send messages that are targeted. While it is more advert-esque in terms of its design, it does allow you much control and customisation. This is a fantastic option for conveying your message and pushing sales.
Banner File Type (not compulsory): JPG or PNG
Ad Name (not compulsory): 255 characters
Text in Message: 500 characters
Custom Footer: 2500 characters
Call To Action: 25 characters
Banner Image File Size (not compulsory): 2MB
Lead Gen Ads
Lead Gen Ads through Lead Gen Forms encourage consumers to fill out a form related to their marketing goals easily, and they can do so without having to visit the website. It can also be customised, and you can add up to three custom fields (up to 100 characters each). One key benefit is that the form is pre-filled with profile data from LinkedIn, meaning that it is not such a laborious process for the customer.
Form Name: 256 characters
Offer Headline: 60 characters
Offer Detail (not compulsory): 160 characters
Privacy Policy: 2000 characters
Call To Action: 20 characters
Message of Confirmation: 300 characters
Recommended Form Fields: 3 – 4 fields
Maximum Fields: 12 fields
A Note on LinkedIn Ad Objectives
As mentioned in the introduction, LinkedIn uses objective-based advertising. This assists advertisers in creating campaigns around particular business aims. It lets you work through all stages of a sales funnel, from awareness to consideration and, finally, conversion. Let’s briefly cover each of the main objective options.
- Awareness: This option helps get consumers to discuss your brand as well as its products or services. These campaigns are impression-based and can help you get more followers, views, and get increased engagement. This is the optimal option to create a buzz around your brand. The only option available in this category is ‘Brand Awareness’.
- Consideration: These adverts are used to create leads from users who already know of and are aware of your brand. They are a fantastic way of increasing traffic to your site as well as driving engagement. The options available within consideration ads are ‘Website visits’, ‘Engagement’, and ‘Video views’.
- Conversion: This should be selected when generating leads or finalising a sale. It is essentially meant for the lower end of the sales funnel. The options available under the conversion umbrella are ‘Lead generation’ (Lead Gen Forms), ‘Website conversions’, and ‘Job applicants’.
Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a LinkedIn Ad
Now that we have covered the various types of LinkedIn adverts available, now we explain how you can set up your own LinkedIn ad campaign by following these simple steps.
Please Note: Before creating your first LinkedIn campaign, you must have a LinkedIn Page and a Campaign Manager account.
- Log in to Campaign Manager. This is the advertising platform found on LinkedIn. Once signed in, click ‘Create’ and select ‘Campaign’. When selecting a campaign group, if it is your first campaign on LinkedIn, it is best to select ‘New Campaign Group’.
- Next, you must select your objective, which is basically the action you wish your audience to take when they view your advert. As aforementioned, these objectives fall under Awareness, Consideration, or Conversion.
- Select your target audience. Campaign Manager has impressive targeting capabilities, allowing you to target according to professional traits such as industry type, job title, or even professional (or personal) interests. You can also choose to connect with people that you already know through ‘Matched Audiences’. This includes account-based targeting and contact targeting.
- Choose an ad format. Once you have selected your target audience, you will need to select an ad format. Depending on the objective you selected, you can choose from various ad formats (either Sponsored Content, Message Ads, or Text Ads).
- Then, select where you would like to place your adverts, whether it is solely on LinkedIn or with its trusted third-party publishers.
- Next, you must choose your budget and schedule. You will be asked to select a budget, schedule, and bidding strategy that aligns with your goals. The campaign Manager will give a budget range according to other competing bids for your target audience. Because the first few weeks are usually seen as a learning curve to determine what proves effective, LinkedIn recommends a daily budget of $100 minimum (or $5,000 monthly).
- Now that you have set up your campaign, it is time to set up your advert(s). Depending on your chosen ad format, you may be required to upload creatives, such as a headline, URL, and image.
- Finally, review your campaign to ensure it is how you want it. Add a payment method, save it, and your campaign will go through a standard review process before it launches.
Top Tip: Add the LinkedIn Insight Tag to your site to track conversions accredited to your ad campaigns.
LinkedIn Ads Best Practices
Before we conclude, let’s consider several best practices that are key to creating a successful ad campaign on LinkedIn.
- Keep an eye on your budget. Be careful not to overspend by thoroughly analysing your ad performance.
- Select the best type of LinkedIn ad for your business goals. Do not get overwhelmed by the wide variety of ad types; instead, focus on one that represents your business aims.
- Work out your target market. This is critical to advertising success. However, do not be overly specific with targeting. It can be a better idea to cast a wider net at the beginning. You always have the option of A/B testing to see which audiences connect best with your company.
- Form your ad copy around a transparent and concise Call To Action (CTA) to encourage consumers to take action. Make sure that the CTA aligns with the objective that you chose.
Final Thoughts
Deciding which ad type to use on LinkedIn can be daunting, not least because of the diverse range of options available. However, by following the guidance provided in this blog post, you can determine which ad option is right for your business, set up an effective advertising campaign, and get the most out of the millions of professional users on LinkedIn’s network to help expand and grow your company.
However, it is no secret that growing a business can be a challenging, time-consuming, and frustrating experience. This is why many businesses are turning to a professional full-stack growth agency, NUOPTIMA, to help accelerate their brands. NUOPTIMA’s team of experts use the latest and most effective techniques to help accelerate your brand and garner the attention it deserves. If you want to learn how we can ethically grow your business and catapult its success, book a free strategy call today.
