As a digital marketing agency that works with B2Bs and industrial manufacturers on the reg, we've used LinkedIn frequently as both an inbound and outbound marketing tool. Though it's often forgotten as a social media platform, LinkedIn is a powerful social media platform for companies who understand its advertising and targeting capabilities.
Who Should Advertise on Linkedin?
LinkedIn is another platform that many companies worry they won't be a fit for. And it's true that LinkedIn advertising isn't for everyone. As a general rule, B2Bs do well on LinkedIn (we've written a lot about LinkedIn for B2Bs), as do professional companies made up of career seekers and employed adults. If you're selling GoGurt for kids, Linkedin probably isn't going to be super useful for you.
If you're a more professional industry player, however, with a product or service that's relevant to working adults, LinkedIn can offer some powerful benefits.
The best way to determine if your company is a good fit for LinkedIn advertising is to first look at who the platform attracts: people looking to advance their careers, improve in their industry, or take a quick 5-minute break from work without logging into Facebook. Do you think your service or product would resonate with any of those working professionals?
If you answered yes, then LinkedIn is probably a great fit for you!
Let's take a look at the different ads LinkedIn offers:
5 Types of Linkedin Ads
01. Text and Display Ads
LinkedIn's text and display ads function much like a Google PPC ad would, except that each ad gets an image. You'll see these ads pop up just about everywhere but in news feeds. They'll display in people's inboxes, as well as on the side and bottom of the LinkedIn homepage. 
For B2B's, LinkedIn's targeting can't be beat. You can target ads to display to the key decision-makers you need on board to close a sale, and you can even target the specific companies you're trying to sell to.
02. Sponsored Content
We mentioned above that LinkedIn text ads won't display in news feeds. If you want to change that, sponsored content is what you're looking for. LinkedIn sponsored content functions much like a boosted or sponsored post on Facebook. You choose which audience you'd like that post to display to, and it'll show up in their feed with a small sponsored label under the title.
This ad from Adacado is a good example of a standard sponsored ad. It looks just like any other post on LinkedIn, except for the Learn More CTA, and the small "promoted" tag right under their company name.
03. Premium Display Advertising
You can also opt for LinkedIn's premium display advertising if you need a little more real estate. These also make good opportunities if your digital marketing agency is experienced with LinkedIn advertising, and knows exactly what to do to get you the best ROI on these ads.
Since Premium Display ads cost a little more, you'll want to be sure your targeting is hyper-specific. Premium display ads will show up in full color (like this one from Northeastern) on either of LinkedIn's side banners or in the long horizontal banners at the top and bottom of LinkedIn's home page.
04. InMail Ads
InMail advertising is another of LinkedIn's offerings, and it's a powerful tool for B2Bs who actively work and engage with others on the platform. This intuitive LinkedIn ad type lets you email any of LinkedIn's 500 million users directly.
These ads look like actual emails, which puts a personal touch when connecting you with your target audience. Just look at this one from LinkedIn themselves, letting me know about the platform's job post capabilities.
There are a few catches to LinkedIn's InMail Ads. Your ad can be just about anything you want, but LinkedIn puts limits on the number of InMail ads a user can receive — one every 60 days.
That's actually good news because it means when your ad is deployed to someone's InMail box, they won't be fatigued by hundreds of InMail ads, and are more likely to focus on your offer.
05. Follow Company Ads
If your company is new to LinkedIn, and you're hoping to build up your organic following, you can also invest in Follow Company ads. Similar to like campaigns on Facebook, these ads show up in users' news feeds, encouraging targeted audiences to follow your company. This USPS Business ad shows what that looks like.
It's imperative to have quality content for follow company ads, otherwise, people won't be inclined to follow you. If you're new to LinkedIn, your digital marketing agency can help you bulk up your platform with quality articles, posts, and shares before you begin that follow company ad.
The more helpful your company looks on LinkedIn, the more people who are likely to follow you.
How You Can Use LinkedIn Ads to Your Advantage
Linkedin Advertising is unique because the platform is unique. With LinkedIn, you have the built-in advantage of a platform that's already been partially segmented for you, because it's made up of only working professionals. Where other social media platforms have no true or specific function, LinkedIn is by professionals, for professionals.
This gives you a leg up when it comes to developing advertising campaigns. With LinkedIn Advertising, you have the opportunity to narrow your ad sets to target users by:
- Company Industry
- Company Size
- Company Name
- Job Title
- Job Seniority
- Job Function
- Fields of Study
- Groups
- Gender
- Skills
- Degrees
- Years Experience
- Age
This makes LinkedIn a powerful tool, especially for B2Bs who often must speak to a person in the same role or job title across the industry.
For example: let's say you sell machinery to steel manufacturers.
There are likely one or two job titles that you talk to on a regular basis to make a pitch and get a final decision.
Whether that's a senior mechanical engineer, plant manager, or even VP, LinkedIn allows your digital marketing agency to target those job titles in the industry of steel manufacturing to create ads that are specific to those people you need to get ahold of the most.
Depending on your goals for LinkedIn Advertising, you can take advantage of LinkedIn's entire host of targeting demographics to create a microtargeted ad that speaks directly to your buyer personas.
This helps you minimize your ad spend while maximizing performance. By targeting only the most qualified potential buyers, your ads see maximum ROI.
Is Linkedin Advertising Right for Your Company?
Like Instagram, LinkedIn isn't the platform for every company. But, if your target buyer is the type to use LinkedIn, the platform offers some sophisticated ad campaign opportunities, especially if you have the outbound marketing team or digital marketing agency to help you create quality ad sets.
New to digital advertising? No worries! The Evenbound team has you covered. Reach out to our experts for more information, or check out the PPC offer below to see how your digital ads stack up.
