LinkedIn Ads Guide: Matching Your Goal to the Right Ad Format


a group of marketers running LinkedIn ads

August 27, 2024

LinkedIn is more than a professional networking platform — it's a goldmine for businesses looking to reach professionals with targeted ads. But with so many ad types available, how do you know which one is best for your goals?
 
This guide will walk you through the various LinkedIn ad formats, helping you align your business objectives with the most effective ad type to achieve the best results for your campaigns.

Sponsored Content: Boosting Brand Awareness and Engagement

Sponsored content is perfect for reaching a highly engaged audience right in the LinkedIn news feed. Whether you're trying to raise brand awareness, engage with your audience, or drive conversions, these ad types can help.

Single Image Ads

Single image ads are ideal for straightforward messaging with strong visuals. Use this format to catch attention and drive clicks with an enticing call-to-action (CTA) across desktop and mobile devices.

Video Ads

If you want to tell a compelling story or explain complex ideas, video ads are your go-to choice. They work at every stage of the buyer's journey, from awareness and consideration to decision and loyalty.

Carousel Ads

Looking to create an interactive experience? Carousel ads let you tell a multi-faceted story or showcase multiple offerings. With their swipeable content, carousel ads can increase user interactions and audience engagement rates.

Event Ads

If you're hosting a webinar or live event, event ads help amplify your message and drive maximum attendance. You can invite people to RSVP or buy tickets directly, which helps eliminate registration friction.

Document Ads

Share documents directly in the feed, allowing users to view content without leaving the platform. Document ads are great for white papers, case studies, reports, brochures, and more since they encourage lead generation through downloadable content.

Thought Leader Ads

Promote posts from your company's thought leaders to build trust and increase your brand's credibility. Thought leader ads don't require CTA buttons or headlines since they look like boosted posts.

Click-to-Message Ads

A click-to-message ad begins with a visually appealing single image that captures the audience's attention in their feed. These ads encourage immediate engagement by directing users to start a conversation with your business.

Connected TV Ads

A relatively new advertising format, connected TV (CTV) ads are played during long-form video content on streaming platforms like Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN. Reach niche professional audiences and deliver your message beyond mobile and desktop in a large-screen environment.

Sponsored Messaging: Driving Direct Engagement

Interact with LinkedIn members right where they're already engaging in conversations: LinkedIn Messaging. Available in two formats, sponsored messaging is ideal for personalized outreach and direct engagement.

Conversation Ads

Spark a dialogue with prospects while they're active on LinkedIn. Conversation ads offer an interactive chat-like experience and can include multiple CTAs so users can choose their journey. This format is great for guiding users through a sales funnel, depending on their interests.

Message Ads

For a more straightforward approach, message ads let you send direct messages to prospects, prompting immediate action. They look like DMs and can include CTA buttons or external links.

Lead Generation Forms: Simplifying Lead Collection

This ad type is designed to allow potential customers to provide you with their information without leaving LinkedIn. LinkedIn gen forms are perfect if your primary goal is to generate more leads.
 
Available for message ads and sponsored content, lead gen forms are pre-filled with a user's LinkedIn profile information. This makes it easy and quick for users to submit their details and for you to collect high-quality leads seamlessly.

Text and Dynamic Ads: Driving Conversions on a Budget

You don't need a huge budget to drive meaningful results on LinkedIn. Text and dynamic ads are simple yet effective ads that can help you achieve your goals without breaking the bank.

Text Ads

These cost-effective ads consist of a short headline, description, and an image, and are typically displayed in the right-hand sidebar. Text ads are best suited for businesses looking to drive traffic or conversions at a lower cost.

Follower Ads

Want to grow your LinkedIn following? Follower ads are a type of dynamic ad that's personalized to your target audience. They enable you to acquire new followers directly from the LinkedIn platform and grow your community.

Spotlight Ads

Use spotlight ads to highlight specific products, services, or events, driving targeted traffic to your landing page. Like follower ads, spotlight ads can use personalization to boost engagement and conversion.

The Key to Successful LinkedIn Ads

Choosing the right LinkedIn ad format is all about aligning your campaign goals with the features each ad type offers. Whether you're seeking to boost brand awareness, engage directly with your audience, or generate leads, LinkedIn has an ad format designed to help you achieve success.
 
By understanding these options, you'll be better equipped to create campaigns that deliver results. Additionally, test different ad formats and continually optimize based on performance data to maximize your ROI on LinkedIn.
 
Ready to leverage LinkedIn ads to scale your business? Book a free discovery call today! Our ad experts can help you identify the perfect strategy and ensure you get the most out of your LinkedIn campaigns.

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