LinkedIn Ads: A Step-by-Step Campaign Launch

Are you ready to tap into a professional network of over 900 million members? LinkedIn ads can be a powerful tool for marketing if used correctly. But where do you even begin? This step-by-step guide will walk you through everything you need to know to launch your first campaign, and I’ll also share some hard-earned lessons from my own experiences managing campaigns for Atlanta-based businesses. Are you ready to turn LinkedIn into your next lead generation engine?

1. Define Your Campaign Objective

Before you even log into LinkedIn Campaign Manager, you need a clear objective. What do you want to achieve with your LinkedIn ads? Are you trying to generate leads, drive traffic to your website, increase brand awareness, or something else? This will dictate everything from your ad format to your bidding strategy.

LinkedIn offers various campaign objectives, including:

• Awareness: Show your ad to the maximum number of people in your target audience.
• Consideration: Drive traffic to your website or engage users with your content. This includes website visits, engagement, and video views.
• Conversions: Generate leads or drive sales. This includes lead generation and website conversions.

I recommend starting with a lead generation objective if you’re new to LinkedIn ads. It’s relatively easy to track and measure success. However, if you’re a well-established brand looking to build awareness in the Atlanta market, then the “Awareness” objective might be a better fit.

Pro Tip: Don’t try to achieve too much with a single campaign. Focus on one primary objective and tailor your ads accordingly.

2. Set Up Your LinkedIn Campaign Manager Account

If you don’t already have one, you’ll need to create a LinkedIn Campaign Manager account. This is where you’ll create, manage, and track your LinkedIn ads. Go to the LinkedIn Marketing Solutions page and follow the instructions to create an account. You’ll need a LinkedIn profile to get started.

Once you’re in Campaign Manager, you’ll be prompted to associate your account with a LinkedIn Page. Make sure you select the correct Page for your business. If you’re an agency managing ads for multiple clients, you’ll need to request access to their Pages.

3. Define Your Target Audience

This is where the magic happens. LinkedIn’s targeting capabilities are incredibly powerful. You can target users based on a wide range of criteria, including:

• Job Title: Target specific roles within companies. For example, “Marketing Manager,” “Chief Technology Officer,” or “Human Resources Director.”
• Company: Target employees of specific companies or companies within a certain industry. You can even target companies located near Perimeter Mall.
• Industry: Target users working in specific industries, such as healthcare, finance, or technology.
• Skills: Target users who have listed specific skills on their profiles.
• Education: Target users based on their degree, school, or field of study.
• Groups: Target members of specific LinkedIn Groups.
• Location: Target users in specific geographic areas. You can target the entire state of Georgia, or drill down to specific cities like Atlanta, Marietta, or Roswell.

I had a client last year who wanted to target HR professionals in the healthcare industry in the metro Atlanta area. Using LinkedIn’s targeting, we were able to narrow down our audience to a highly specific group of individuals. We saw a significantly higher conversion rate compared to previous campaigns with broader targeting.

To define your target audience, navigate to the “Audiences” tab in Campaign Manager and click “Create Audience.” You can then select your desired criteria. I highly suggest you create a saved audience to re-use for future campaigns.

Common Mistake: Don’t make your audience too broad. The more specific you are, the more likely you are to reach the right people. However, don’t go too narrow either; you need a reasonable audience size to generate results. LinkedIn will give you an estimated audience size based on your criteria.

4. Choose Your Ad Format

LinkedIn offers several ad formats, each with its own strengths and weaknesses:

• Sponsored Content: These ads appear directly in the LinkedIn feed. They look like regular posts but are marked as “Promoted.” You can use single image ads, carousel ads, or video ads. I find that video ads tend to perform well, especially when targeting younger audiences.
• Sponsored Messaging: Send personalized messages directly to LinkedIn members’ inboxes. This can be a great way to reach people who aren’t actively browsing the platform.
• Text Ads: Simple text-based ads that appear in the right-hand column or at the top of the LinkedIn feed. These are less visually appealing than other formats but can be effective for driving targeted traffic.
• Dynamic Ads: Personalized ads that are automatically generated based on the user’s profile data. These can be used to promote job openings, company pages, or other content.

For lead generation, I typically recommend using Sponsored Content with a lead generation form. This allows users to submit their information directly from the ad, without having to leave LinkedIn. Just make sure the form is concise and only asks for essential information.

Pro Tip: Experiment with different ad formats to see what works best for your target audience. LinkedIn allows you to run A/B tests to compare the performance of different ads.

5. Create Your Ad Creative

Your ad creative is what will capture the attention of your target audience. Make sure your ad copy is clear, concise, and compelling. Highlight the benefits of your product or service and include a strong call to action.

For Sponsored Content ads, use high-quality images or videos that are relevant to your target audience. Avoid using generic stock photos. Instead, use images that showcase your brand’s personality and values.

For Sponsored Messaging ads, personalize your message as much as possible. Use the recipient’s name and reference their company or industry. This will make your message feel less like an ad and more like a genuine communication.

We ran into this exact issue at my previous firm. We were using generic stock photos in our ads, and our click-through rate was abysmal. Once we switched to using photos of our actual team members, our CTR increased by over 200%.

6. Set Your Budget and Bidding Strategy

LinkedIn offers several bidding strategies, including:

• Automated Bidding: LinkedIn automatically sets your bids to maximize your results within your budget. This is a good option for beginners.
• Cost Per Click (CPC) Bidding: You pay each time someone clicks on your ad. This gives you more control over your spending but requires more monitoring.
• Cost Per Impression (CPM) Bidding: You pay for every 1,000 impressions your ad receives. This is a good option for brand awareness campaigns.

Your budget will depend on your campaign objectives and target audience size. LinkedIn recommends a minimum daily budget of $10, but I’ve found that you often need to spend more than that to see meaningful results, especially in competitive markets like Atlanta. Start with a reasonable budget and adjust it as needed based on your campaign performance.

Common Mistake: Don’t set your budget too low. If your budget is too low, your ads may not be shown to enough people to generate results.

7. Launch Your Campaign and Monitor Performance

Once you’ve created your ad and set your budget and bidding strategy, it’s time to launch your campaign. Keep a close eye on your campaign performance metrics, such as:

• Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of people who click on your ad after seeing it.
• Conversion Rate: The percentage of people who take the desired action after clicking on your ad (e.g., filling out a lead generation form, making a purchase).
• Cost Per Click (CPC): The average cost you pay for each click on your ad.
• Cost Per Conversion (CPC): The average cost you pay for each conversion.

Use this data to optimize your campaign. If your CTR is low, try tweaking your ad copy or image. If your conversion rate is low, try improving your landing page or lead generation form. LinkedIn’s Campaign Manager provides detailed analytics to help you track your performance and make informed decisions.

A recent IAB report found that digital ad spend continues to grow, but only campaigns that are continuously optimized will see a return on investment.

8. A/B Test and Iterate

Never assume your first ad is perfect. A/B testing is crucial for optimizing your LinkedIn ads. Try different headlines, images, calls to action, and targeting options to see what resonates best with your audience.

For example, you could create two versions of the same ad with different headlines. Run both ads simultaneously and track their performance. The ad with the higher CTR or conversion rate is the winner. Then, you can test another element of the ad to further improve its performance. It’s a continuous process of refinement.

Here’s what nobody tells you: A/B testing requires patience. Don’t make drastic changes based on limited data. Give your tests enough time to run and gather statistically significant results.

9. Track Conversions Beyond LinkedIn

While LinkedIn provides conversion tracking within the platform, it’s essential to track conversions that happen off-platform as well. This means integrating your LinkedIn campaigns with your CRM system and other marketing tools.

For instance, if you’re running a lead generation campaign, track which leads generated through LinkedIn actually convert into sales. This will give you a more accurate picture of your ROI and help you identify which campaigns are most effective.

You can use UTM parameters to track website traffic and conversions from your LinkedIn ads in Google Analytics. This will allow you to see which ads are driving the most valuable traffic to your website.

10. Stay Up-to-Date with LinkedIn’s Ad Features

LinkedIn is constantly evolving its ad platform, adding new features and capabilities. Stay informed about these changes so you can take advantage of the latest opportunities.

Follow the LinkedIn Marketing Solutions blog and attend webinars to learn about new ad formats, targeting options, and bidding strategies. You should also join relevant LinkedIn Groups and connect with other marketers to share tips and best practices. (Is that too much to ask? Probably. But it’s worth it.)

Launching LinkedIn ads is a journey, not a destination. By following these steps and continuously optimizing your campaigns, you can unlock the power of LinkedIn and achieve your marketing goals.

Ultimately, the key to success with LinkedIn ads is to treat it like any other data-driven marketing channel. Track your results, test new approaches, and be willing to adapt your strategy as needed. Don’t just set it and forget it. By committing to continuous improvement, you can transform LinkedIn into a powerful source of leads, customers, and brand awareness.

If you’re facing challenges with your current strategy, it might be time to consider paid media analysis to pinpoint areas for improvement.