LinkedIn paid advertising - How Does It Work? 

Before we dive into LinkedIn advertising, let’s make sure everyone understands what LinkedIn is really all about.  LinkedIn is a work-oriented social media with hundreds of millions of users worldwide. It is not a small social media channel and the amount of users increases daily, so it’s definitely worth looking into. LinkedIn Advertisement might not be for everyone though, so let’s look deeper into what exactly it is, how it works and what benefits it can bring. Paid Advertising means that a service platform is paid for visibility. So in this case, Linkedin is paid to give you advertising space for your ads.

Paid LinkedIn Advertisement  - Who is it for?

Who does Linkedin advertisement work best for?  When you’re in the army, an army knife is an indispensable tool.  If you produce or sell products and services aimed at B2B customers, LinkedIn Advertisement is your army knife.  This is especially true if you have more expensive products and services.  Paid LinkedIn Advertisement is generally targeted at business owners and decision makers that will be more willing to pull the trigger on these high ticket services and items.

LinkedIn is essentially a workplace social media, so when it comes to advertising, it is typically used in B2B marketing. So, if you produce or sell products or services that are primarily in the B2B category, Linkedin paid advertising can be an effective solution. 

Paid LinkedIn Advertisement - When Is It Done?

LinkedIn is respected as a highly organic platform, so when does paid Linked advertisement become worthwhile?  As with any platform, the answer is the same:  It pays off when it’s productive.   This is why you should always test different channels and see where you get the best results.

If LinkedIn’s paid advertising proves to be an effective channel, the next step is to schedule your advertising based on your goals. For example, brand advertising can be made continuously, and when it’s time for something special like a product launch, advertising can be focused on that. When using multiple campaigns, you may want to check that their message is aligned.

LinkedIn Advertisement - Is It Worth It?

The answer to whether LinkedIn advertisement is worthwhile is clear when the above profitability condition is met. On LinkedIn it is sometimes more difficult to directly measure the profitability of advertising despite all of the metrics.  There are times that paid LinkedIn advertisement is not worthwhile, but even in these situations, the visibility it brings is an integral part of building a company’s brand.  Therefore, contrary to some profitability metrics, it may still be profitable in the long run.

If you’re in a situation where, in light of some metrics, LinkedIn advertisement profitability is so complex, it’s nearly impossible to measure, you might need an expert.  For LinkedIn advertising, even more so than other platforms, it really is worth consulting a professional with sufficient knowledge to objectively assess the situation.

LinkedIn Advertisement - Good To Know

So what’s good to know when LinkedIn Advertisement is under consideration. First, realize that it is often more expensive than, for example, Facebook. On the other hand, Linkedin and Facebook are very different channels and a direct comparison of prices doesn’t make sense.  It’s apples to oranges really.

LinkedIn paid advertising offers slightly different forms of advertising than other major social media channels. For example, an InMail campaign is a successful tool available in LinkedIn that is a great way to advertise directly to users.

LinkedIn Advertisement - Expert Extra Tips

Here are a few truly pro-level tips specific to Linkedin advertisement. 

Tip 1: Target

Take advantage of Linkedin’s comprehensive b2b targeting capabilities.  This is one of LinkedIn’s trump cards. Target audiences can be very specifically reached based on criteria as specific as professional titles or companies.   Specialized targeting such as this could open a lot of doors that would be trapped in other channels.

So when you start trying Linked paid advertising, be sure to make the most of them. After all, targeting is one of the most important if not the most important advertising skill 😉

Tip 2: Insight tag

Linkedin has its own insight tag that is installed on your website. This tag, or pixel, collects information from visitors, which is very valuable in the development and optimization of advertising. This is an almost essential tool when you want to make a good Linkedin paid advertising package.

This tag collects data about visitors from LinkedIn’s point of view, which means it retrieves work-related data from visitors in more detail.  This is why they are so accurate at targeting in B2B advertising.

Tip 3: Avoid generic content

Avoid generic content, speak carefully to your target audience.  This tip is the key for successful Linkedin paid advertising.  Although the tip is simple, most people do not heed this and it is disastrous.  Always speak to your audience, always be interesting and always be relevant. 

The answer to doing this well is courage.  Dare to be different and feel free to try what works for your target audience. When advertising is diligently test, you’ll find that your message will fit your audience like a glove 😉

Linked Paid Advertising - To Do Or Not To Do?

We’ve only scratched the surface on the subject but I hope you have a good introduction to Linked Paid Advertising now. There is no straightforward answer to the question of whether to do or not to do though.  After all, it’s a dilemma as old as time. Even Hamlet once had to consider this 😉

However, if we study our approach a bit and are open to trial and error, it will be much easier to decide. If any of the points discussed above hit home with your business, then the answer is to give it a try! Whether it’s Linked paid advertising or any other form of advertising, no one can guarantee results in advance, but by experimenting you can very easily find out if it’s worth continuing or not. So feel free to experiment!  After all, you don’t want to be in the B2B world without LinkedIn! 😉

Contact us