With over 600 million users, 64 million decision-makers, and 10 million C-level executives, LinkedIn is a social media powerhouse that cannot be ignored.
In this post, we will cover LinkedIn and its advertising platform. Also, we will outline the pros and cons, important differences (compared to other social media channels), and finally, how to get started.
Who Should Consider LinkedIn Ads?
LinkedIn is undoubtedly unique in the social media space because its primary focus is professionals and career development (e.g., LinkedIn learning); therefore, if your business is targeting professionals and knowledge workers in general, then LinkedIn is surely a platform you need to consider.
Furthermore, if you are selling a complex solution or a product – where multiple decision-makers are involved, then you need to look into LinkedIn because your decision-makers are using the platform.
What Type Of Advertising Options Are Available On LinkedIn?
On the surface, LinkedIn’s advertising options may seem limited, but its advertising platform is certainly mature, robust, and does not lack any core features.
Advertising Options:
- Sponsored Content – share and promote your existing content
- Sponsored InMail – send a personalized message to LinkedIn user’s inbox
- Text Ads – a simple ad with a headline, description and a small image
Sponsored Content (example)
Sponsored InMail (example)
Text Ad (example)
Targeting Options (Targeting The Right Customer)
Targeting the right customer is often the key ingredient in a successful advertising campaign. And in many ways, this is where LinkedIn shines – targeting options are plentiful.
Targeting Options:
- Location
- Company Name
- Company Industry
- Company Size
- Job Title
- Job Function
- Job Seniority
- Member Skills
- Member Schools
- Degrees
- Fields of Study
- Member Groups
- Member Gender
- Member Age
Cost
LinkedIn utilizes an auction-style bidding system (popularized by Google AdWords), so naturally, it is very similar to Google AdWords, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, etc. However, with one important difference (minimum bid).
LinkedIn Minimum Costs:
- $10 daily budget per campaign
- $10 total budget per campaign
- $2 minimum bid (for CPC or CPM)
By establishing a minimum bid, LinkedIn has alienated (probably intentionally) many businesses selling inexpensive products. For example, a $2 minimum bid is often too costly for a company selling a $10 product.
Bidding Options:
- Pay-per-click (PPC): the amount you are ready to pay-per-click
- Pay-per-1,000 impressions (PPM): the amount you are prepared to pay per 1,000 impressions (times the ad is shown)
- Pay-per-send (PPS): the amount you are ready to pay for each successfully InMail delivery
Related: Advertising compensation methods: CPC, CPA, CPM, CPL, and CPI
LinkedIn Advertising Pros And Cons
Let us start by saying, there is no perfect advertising platform, and LinkedIn is no different. With that in mind, here are a few important Pros and Cons.
Pros:
- Unmatched by any other platform, if you are targeting professionals and decision-makers
- Powerful targeting options
- The advertising platform is easy to use and feature-rich
- Pay-per-send (InMail) advertising option is somewhat unique and can be very effective
- Comprehensive reporting (ROI is easy to calculate)
Cons:
- Minimum costs (discussed in the cost section)
- Typically requires a larger budget (compared to other social media platforms)
- Can be intimidating, if you don’t have experience with online ads
In summary, you will not find a better platform to target professionals and decision-makers. However, the ROI has to make sense.
How Do You Get Started With LinkedIn Ads?
Assuming you already have a LinkedIn account, your next step is to create a Campaign Manager account. The account is relatively easy to setup – you will only need basic information like Account Name, Currency, and Associated LinkedIn Page. After you create an account, you can set your campaign (ad type, budget, details, etc.).
LinkedIn Campaign Manager (create a new account)
Summary
With over 600 million users, 64 million decision-makers, and 10 million C-level executives, LinkedIn is clearly the choice of professionals all around the world.
Yes – your LinkedIn advertising budget may have to be higher (compared to other social media channels), but there is no better social media platform to reach professionals, and convert them into customers.
Related: How to Launch a Successful PPC Campaign with Google AdWords
