1. How to Get Started
To begin, you’ll want to visit the LinkedIn advertising page and click “create ad.”
Once you click you will be redirected to a page that will prompt you to enter your financial information. Don’t worry, your account will not be charged until after you run your advertising campaigns.
Your dashboard, otherwise known as the Campaign Manager, will display a homepage with the button “create campaign” in the upper righthand corner. Once you click on that, you will see an option for two different ad types you can create.
- The first option is labeled “sponsored content,” which is a type of advertisement that attracts new followers to your company’s LinkedIn account page
- The second option is referred to as a “text ad.” It is considered more budget-friendly but is still targeted to your selected audience
2. Setting Your Ad’s Parameters
Once you select the ad you wish to use, you will be prompted to set up the parameters of your campaign. Keep in mind that the parameters can only be seen internally. It is important to be as specific as possible during this stage of the campaign set up.
When entering the title of the campaign, be sure to include the specific name and goal of your ad campaign and the target age range of the audience you are trying to reach.
Another important aspect of setting up the parameters is selecting a language. LinkedIn will not translate your advertisement into other languages, so therefore you must check the language that will best reach your target audience.
3. Deciding on Layout, Media and More
In this step, you’ll get creative and make your ad specific to your company.
- The first thing you must decide on is whether you want your audience to be directed to a specific LinkedIn page or a website once they click on the ad
- After that, there are five subtabs that must include content: headline, body, call to action, value, and testing
- For the ad’s headline, you cannot use more than 25 characters. Make sure that the headline is intriguing and to the point so that it captures the audience’s attention
- In the body of the ad, you are permitted 75 characters. It is imperative to make sure that the copy in this section is both relevant to the audience as well as the page they will be redirected to
- A clear and concise call to action is a great way to boost your click-through rate. An actionable CTA will include phrases like, “Download this …” or “Click now for…”
- Including a value proposition becomes more enticing to readers and will more than likely make them click on your ad. By including this, you are showcasing what your audience can and will gain from your product or service
The last aspect involves testing. You are able to test your copy and create multiple variations for each campaign you choose to run. By doing this, you are able to try out different images and copy possibilities to determine what works the best and gets results.
4. Targeting the Ad to Your Audience
This aspect of LinkedIn ad campaigns is crucial to the overall impact of your ad. By making your targeting aspects more specific, there is a good chance that it will help increase your overall conversion rate. There are a few different categories that correlate with targeting your audience.
- Location – It is required that you select at least one location in the targeting of your ad. Make sure that the location(s) you select are relevant to the range of services you provide. Through LinkedIn, you are also given the option of creating different ad copy to target a variety of places.
- Businesses – Perhaps you wish to target a certain company. Through LinkedIn ads, you are able to do that as well as target by specific industry and company size.
- Occupation – In some cases, it may be desirable to target those with certain job titles. So, if you wish to target only CEOs, you can do so through LinkedIn. This feature allows for you to save money and zero in on those who most need to see your content.
- Age and Gender – LinkedIn settings also give you the ability to select a variety of ages, along with gender, to ensure you are targeting your preferred demographics.
- Other – You can additionally target your audience by education background, skillset and interest group. These features allow you to tailor your message toward a type of person who specifically meets your company’s requirements.
5. Choosing Your Bidding Option
There are two different bidding options you can choose from. The first is cost per click (CPC), and the second is pay per 1,000 impressions (CPM).
- With the CPC bidding option, you will be charged each individual time someone clicks on your displayed ad. Depending on the amount you are willing to spend and the competition for your ads, LinkedIn will suggest a bid range that seems most fitting
- With a CPM bidding option, you will be charged each time 1,000 people view your ad on LinkedIn
When deciding between both bid options, it is important to consider your end goal and what you want to achieve from the ad campaign.
6. Measuring Your Impact
Once you have done all of the above steps and made sure everything is complete, your campaign will officially start running. However, this doesn’t mean that the campaign process is finished.
Measuring the impact of your campaign is crucial for any future campaigns you run. Visit the Campaign Manager to view the various analytics.
Once on the analytics tab, you will be able to see the number of impressions, clicks, social actions and your spend amount. With this information in tow you’ll be able to make decisions about what to change and what to keep in your campaign.
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