LinkedIn Ads Optimization Guide
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The document is an ads optimization guide detailing essential steps for enhancing advertising campaigns on LinkedIn. Key strategies include creating multiple campaigns for different products and audiences, optimizing ad creatives, landing pages, and bids, while monitoring performance through analytics. Additionally, it addresses common challenges advertisers face and suggestions for improvement.
LinkedIn Ads Optimization Guide
- 2. Table of contents STEP Take your campaigns to the next level Optimizing Bids 03 04 10 STEP Key drivers for advertising success Landing Pages 04 05 11 STEP Creating Multiple Campaigns Tracking Performance 01 05 12 STEP Targeting Common Situations Advertisers Face 02 07 13 STEP Refresh and Test Creative 03 08 linkedin.com/ads | 2
- 3. Take your What we’ll cover: campaigns to the • Creating Multiple Campaigns next level • • Targeting Ad Creatives • Landing Pages Now that you’ve set up at least one campaign • Conversions and Analytics using LinkedIn Ads, it’s time to learn how to • Common Situations Advertisers Face improve your results and attract more of the right customers. linkedin.com/ads | 3
- 4. Key drivers for advertising success: ✓ Know your competitors and what differentiates you from them. ✓ Create strong ad creatives to test new ideas, while keeping your message fresh. ✓ Establish a test plan, so you can measure and improve results. ✓ Target unique segments to find the perfect mix of targeting facets. ✓ Build multiple campaigns to test different campaign elements. ✓ Develop effective landing pages that drive conversion. linkedin.com/ads | 4
- 5. STEP 01 Products & Services Create a different campaign for each of your products, services, or conversion goals. Create multiple Multiple Ad Versions campaigns to test Create multiple versions of your ads for each campaign. This will help you discover which ads perform best for and optimize spend each unique campaign. Note: Click-through rate (CTR) is a good indicator of how an ad is performing. Creating multiple campaigns is a crucial step for optimizing your advertising spend and achieving your marketing goals. Geography Create campaigns for different geographic regions. Monitor performance and adjust your messaging, bids, or budgets by region, if appropriate. In general, good ads have a CTR greater than 0.03%. linkedin.com/ads | 5
- 6. STEP 01 Unique Audiences Create a different campaign for each unique audience you want to target. Example If you’re trying to reach graphic designers in Los Angeles and media buyers in New York, you should target those types of Create multiple professionals in different campaigns. You can create ad copy that speaks directly to that audience and gauge which types of professionals your ads resonate with. campaigns to test different audiences i Same Audience Create different campaigns to test targeting the same audience in different ways. Example If your product appeals to marketing managers, you could set up individual campaigns that target by industry (Marketing & Advertising), Job Function (Marketing), and Job Title (Marketing Manager). Give yourself at least 2-3 days to ensure you’re receiving reliable results when measuring impressions and clicks. linkedin.com/ads | 6
- 7. STEP 02 Develop your targeting We strongly recommend that you create multiple campaigns to test different audiences and target criteria. Once you have some initial results, work on identifying the Here are some things to consider when thinking most viable campaigns and optimizing on the most effective about your target audience on LinkedIn: targeting criteria. Sometimes one targeting selection can make all the difference. Where are they located? Mark Smith Age 45 Title Accounting Director Do they work in a certain industry? Company ABC Investing Corp. Location San Francisco Bay Area Professional interests Do they have specific job functions? Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Finance/Accounting, Investing Do they belong to certain LinkedIn Groups? Do they have certain skills or expertise? We recommend an audience size of 100,000 to 400,000 targeted members for a successful campaign, especially new ones. Before targeting age and gender, try targeting by seniority. Some profiles do not indicate an age or gender, and those members will not be shown an ad. linkedin.com/ads | 7
- 8. STEP 03 Optimize and Refresh Your Image 50x50 pixel image Description Creative Headline Up to 25 characters Up to 75 characters Make your ad stand out by creating a compelling and persuasive image, headline, and description. Strong images and ad copy have a large role in successful LinkedIn Ads Need a Corporate Career? campaigns. Gourmet catering for private parties. Affordable prices. Get a free quote. Make higher click through rates (CTR) your goal with strong ad copy. When testing Tasty Corp Catering has 1,680 followers on LinkedIn creative, make sure to hold your targeting constant and rotate ads evenly, so the ads are tested against the same audience. Test each component of your creative (image, From copy, call-to-action) independently by making Your name or company a different ad for each element. To create a new campaign with the same targeting and ads, click New Ad Campaign and select Duplicate Existing. Give yourself at least 2-3 days to ensure you’re receiving reliable results when measuring impressions and clicks. linkedin.com/ads | 8
- 9. STEP Testing your ad elements 03 to maximize results. Images have a large impact on your click Speak directly to your target audience and use through rate. Try images with bright colors and vocabulary relevant to their profession. Also, ✓ faces (if relevant) that will catch your audience’s attention and generate interest. Build creatives that are sharp, crisp, and clear. Avoid images ✓ you’ll want to test copy that uses eye-catching words and phrases: Limited Time, Off, Discount, Exclusive, Free, Special, Now, New, Save. that don’t fill the 50x50 pixel space. Powerful call-to-action terms drive clicks and The ads that perform best (highest CTR), will higher conversion rates: Download, Get More be shown more often. This “Optimize Click ✓ Information, Contact Us, Call, Request Info, Get a Quote, Sign Up Now, Sign Up, Start Now, Apply, Join, Try, See How, Hurry. ✓ Through Rate” setting is strongly recommended (although you can rotate ad variations evenly if you prefer or plan to manage the ads closely.) When optimizing and refining ad copy, make increasing CTR your primary goal. linkedin.com/ads | 9
- 10. STEP 04 Optimize your bids What’s the right bid? When you created your initial campaigns, you should have set a bid price and decided on a Cost per Click (CPC) or Cost per Tip 1,000 Impressions (CPM) payment method. Most successful advertisers choose to bid on a CPC Very tight targeting may require you to bid over the basis. suggested range to serve impressions. Initially, we recommend bidding in or above the suggested bid range. This will make it more likely that your ads receive impressions and clicks. If Note you are not receiving impressions or clicks, you may need to increase your bid, especially if the The Max CPC bid as indicated in the bid interface is the audience you are targeting is very competitive. highest bid you are willing to pay per click. In reality, you will only pay 1 cent over the 2nd highest bidder. So if the A common tactic is to begin with a high bid and suggested bid range is $2.50 - $3.00 and you bid $5 and lower it as you optimize your ad creative and CTR. the next highest bid is $3.00, you will only pay $3.01. In addition, strong campaign performance and CTR often Additionally, when advertising for time sensitive decreases your actual CPC. activities (e.g. a speaking event), we recommend you bid at the high end of the range or above the range. This will increase the number of impressions you receive and improve the likelihood of you reaching your goals prior to the event. linkedin.com/ads | 10
- 11. Landing Pages STEP 05 The landing page is the web page users are directed to once they click on your ad, and it’s the last piece to driving sales, leads, or conversions. Be sure your landing page is a continuation of your ad targeting, creative, and offer. If someone comes to your landing page looking for a free trial offer, but can’t find it, they are likely to quickly leave the page. Customize your landing page and offers to ✓ match your ad campaigns (this includes both targeting and ad copy). ✓ Different target audiences and offers should have different landing pages. Offer relevant and useful information on your Focus on a single action you want your visitors landing page, so visitors have a reason to ✓ to take. Too many options creates clutter and confusion, often lowering conversion rates. ✓ stay and engage.Examples: Unique value proposition, images/videos, benefits, customer testimonials, and a strong call to action. There’re a lot of tips on the web for building great landing pages, but with LinkedIn Ads, you already know a lot about your audience through targeting. Take this audience knowledge into account when creating your landing pages. linkedin.com/ads | 11
- 12. Tracking Performance: Analytics If you’re looking to measure your return on ad spend or simply understand the performance of your campaigns, having insight into your website visitor behavior and conversion rates is vital. Without proper tracking you’ll be unable to understand the true value of the traffic and awareness your campaign is creating. The most common way of tracking conversions, sales, or leads is through a website analytics tool. We suggest you contact your webmaster or hosting provider if you’re unsure about how to find or implement a third-party analytics tool. Once you have your analytics set up, we recommend tracking your campaigns in the most detailed fashion possible. Tagging your destination URLs with channel, campaign, audience, and ad-level tracking will result in the most comprehensive evaluation of your ad performance. linkedin.com/ads | 12
- 13. Bonus Section: Common Situations Advertisers Face Now that you’re tracking your results, you’re bound to find room for improvement. Here are a few common situations that advertisers may encounter and how to react: Situation: Your target audience is not driving enough impressions or clicks • Increase the number of LinkedIn members who see your ads by broadening your targeting criteria. • For example, is your product or service gender specific? If not, remove that targeting filter. • Are there any geographic areas or industries you are missing that you might need to add? • Consider creating a new campaign with a different target audience. This expands your audience footprint and allows you to track the performance of different target segments separately. • Think about increasing your bid above the suggested bid range. Your bid will be more competitive and will likely receive more impressions. linkedin.com/ads | 13
- 14. Bonus Section: Common Situations Advertisers Face Situation: Your CTR is too low or begins to drop • Try experimenting with different ad variations that target specific audiences. Break up one campaign (for example, targeting 900,000 members) into 3 smaller campaigns (targeting 300,000 members each), and write ads specifically for each of those smaller audiences. • Increase your bid. If your target audience is highly competitive, then another advertiser may take impressions from you if you do not have a winning bid. • Revisit the target audience you’ve selected. It may be too big or too narrow. As a general rule, an audience of smaller than 100,000 members may result in very few to no clicks. Remember, even if you expand your target audience, you should keep your ad copy as relevant and targeted as possible. • Reevaluate your target audience by picturing your ideal customers. Are there any job functions (like Marketing or Finance) or industries (like Pharmaceuticals or Telecommunications) that you can use to narrow your audience further? linkedin.com/ads | 14
- 15. Bonus Section: Common Situations Advertisers Face Situation: You need more leads or inquiries • Make sure your ad is relevant to what you offer and is attractive to the audience that you’re targeting. • Try providing special offers or free trials of your products or services. • Optimize your landing page to give your target audience an easy way to complete the action you’d like them to take. The landing page should deliver what the ad promised (free whitepaper, free trial or product demo, discount on a product, etc.) • Rethink your target audience and test additional campaigns. For example, is there another type of member on LinkedIn that could benefit from your product other than who you typically sell to? linkedin.com/ads | 15
- 16. Bonus Section: Common Situations Advertisers Face Situation: You want to reduce your cost per click • Work on improving your CTR. The LinkedIn Ads platform rewards campaigns that are relevant and appealing to their target audience, and better performance often results in downward trending CPCs. • Try experimenting with different headlines, images, and descriptions. • Turn off ad variations that aren’t performing well. • Refine your targeting criteria. Is your audience so large that your ad isn’t relevant to a majority of the LinkedIn members you are currently targeting? As a general rule, audience sizes over 3 million members may be too big. linkedin.com/ads | 16
- 17. Bonus Section: Common Situations Advertisers Face Situation: Your budget is not allowing for enough impressions or clicks • Try experimenting with day parting to improve ROI. Day parting is choosing a specific time of day for your ads to be shown. You have the ability to turn your campaigns on or off at any time manually from your dashboard. • LinkedIn displays ads at different rates during the day, depending on when users are active on the site. • Note that an advertising “day” is based on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), which starts at 4pm Pacific (7pm Eastern) in the US. linkedin.com/ads | 17