Have you ever wondered why your LinkedIn advertising campaign isn’t pulling in results and making waves in the community? Well, chances are you’re probably lacking a well-organized LinkedIn advertising template.
Fear not!
In this article, we’ll go over the essential components of a winning LinkedIn ad, along with advice and best practices for each step.
Ready to dig in? Let’s do this!
Elements of a Successful LinkedIn Advertising Template
LinkedIn ads are like a good sandwich – it’s all about the layers. These are the crucial elements of your advertising campaign:
- Ad format
- Advertising goals and objectives
- Target audience
- Ad copy
- Visual elements
- Call-to-action (CTA)
- Budget and bid strategy
- A/B testing
- Responsive design
Let’s go through each one of these components and discuss how to use them within your LinkedIn advertising template.
Choosing the Right Ad Format
The first step in making your LinkedIn ad template is to carefully select the ad format that will work best for your campaign.
Sponsored Content
Sponsored content, also known as native ads, appears directly in the LinkedIn feed of your audience, regardless of whether they are glued to their desktop or using a mobile device. LinkedIn marks these advertisements as “promoted” to let users know that they are not part of your regular content.
You can find the following formats within sponsored content:
- Single Image Ads
- Video Ads
- Carousel Ads
- Document Ads
Sponsored Messaging
These are customized messages that are sent to your target audience. Note that LinkedIn recently changed all message ads to conversion ads. This suggests that you won’t be able to access earlier versions of message advertisements in your Campaign Manager.
Sponsored Messaging is quite helpful when it comes to increasing website traffic or lead generation.
Dynamic Ads
Dynamic ads are personalized ads that generate relevant and tailored messages based on user data from LinkedIn. A user’s picture, job title, and employer’s name are mirrored to them when a Dynamic Ad appears in their feed.
They can include follower ads, spotlight ads, or sponsored ads.
Text Ads
Text ads are a form of PPC (pay-per-click) advertising on LinkedIn. These appear on the right rail or the top banner of the LinkedIn homepage. Text ads consist of a headline, a description, and an image.
Defining Your Advertising Goals and Objectives
Setting sail without a destination? Not in our playbook.
A well-defined advertising goal and purpose is essential for optimizing your campaign approach and evaluating its efficacy.
You should have SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) goals and objectives for your ads.
Some examples include:
- Generate X number of leads in Y months
- Increase website traffic by Z% in Q quarter
Here are some of the main objectives and their suitable ad formats:
- Brand Awareness – Dynamic, Sponsored Content, Text Ads
- Engagement – Sponsored Content, and Dynamic ads
- Website traffic – Sponsored Messages, Text Ads, Single Image Ads, Video Ads, Carousel ads, Dynamic Ads
Identifying Your Target Audience
Who are you trying to impress? Answering this will help you create relevant, engaging, and effective ads for your ideal customers.
LinkedIn provides a wide range of possibilities for targeting. Take a look at them:
- Location: Focus on a certain country, area, state, or city.
- Company: Target specific names, sectors, sizes, or even the number of followers they have.
- Job: Be particular about work titles, roles, level of experience, or skills.
- Education: You may focus on an exact school, degree, subject area, or group of students.
- Demographics: Target based on age, gender, or language.
- Interests: Select your right audience by looking at the hashtags they use, the subjects they follow, or the content they interact with.
And if you ever need help with connecting with your target audience, be sure to check out AimFox. It’s an automation tool that helps you find ideal customers, start meaningful conversations, and close more deals.
Crafting Compelling Ad Copy
Ad copy is the text that reveals your message and the reason why your audience should care. Make your point clear and memorable to convince them you’re the real deal.
To write ads that grab attention, think AIDA:
- Attention: Start with a catchy headline or a question that makes them look twice.
- Interest: Keep the audience hooked with something cool statement or a surprising fact.
- Desire: Make them want what you’re offering by highlighting its awesome benefits.
- Action: Finish strong with a clear CTA or an offer they can’t say no to.
This is the roadmap to writing ads that get noticed!
Incorporating Visual Elements
On LinkedIn, an image truly does speak a thousand words. Visuals are vital since they can draw attention, emphasize your worth, stir emotions, and encourage action.
Check out the strategy for making your visuals stand out:
- Stay Relevant: Select high-quality, on-brand images that complement the tone and style of your business.
- Don’t Distract: Your pictures or videos should complement your ad copy, not confuse your audience.
- Know Your Audience: Adapt your visuals to what your audience finds appealing.
- Ad Format and Size: Check that your images precisely match the ad’s specifications. Therefore, avoid clumsy stretching or squeezing.
- Device-Friendly: Optimize them for various devices and screen resolutions.
Utilizing Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
The magic touch for a solid ad? A CTA that hits the spot.
- Select action verbs that highlight value and urgency to get things started. Consider “Download“, “Register“, “Learn“, or even “Start.”
- Personalize your pitch with language that hits your audience’s needs and goals. “Get your free template,” “Join our webinar,” “Discover how to,” or “Start your free trial” does the trick.
- Play with contrast and whitespace to make your call to action stand out.
Here’s how to incorporate CTAs into the design of your LinkedIn ad:
- Text: Craft a brief and tempting line. Something witty and intriguing.
- Placement: Pick a spot for your CTA that’s like a spotlight – visible, easy to reach, and makes perfect sense in the flow of your ad.
- Design: Make your CTA eye-catching and clickable. It should stand out yet also fit in like it belongs.
Budgeting and Bid Strategy
Now, let’s talk money! Budgeting and bidding are based on the following factors:
- Campaign Budget: This is the overall amount of money you are spending on your campaign. Decide whether you want to spend it day by day or over the entire campaign lifetime.
- Type of Bid: This is how you pay for your advertisements. Select the bid type you want: cost per click (CPC), cost per impression (CPM), or cost per send (CPS).
- Bid Amount: This is the maximum cash you are ready to give for each ad click, impression, or send. You have the option to manually enter the bid amount or to let the system calculate it for you.
- Bid Strategy: This is where you adjust your bid amount to better align with your desired campaign outcome. Select between goal cost, increased CPC, or maximum delivery.
The first two to four weeks are often viewed as a learning period to determine what works.
LinkedIn advises setting aside $100 per day or $5,000 per month as a starting point for testing the waters. Consider beginning with a $25 minimum expenditure if you’re new to the world of advertising.
A/B Testing Your Advertising Template
If you’re not familiar with the phrase, A/B testing is the process of crafting two or more versions of your template and distributing them to a random sample of your target market.
To A/B test your LinkedIn ads, utilize the template below:
- Element: Select the template element (headline, picture, or call to action) that you wish to test.
- Variants: Create two or more variants of that element.
- Campaigns: Create several ad campaigns using the same template but with different variants of the element that you are testing.
- Outcomes: Using the LinkedIn Campaign Manager or additional analytics tools, evaluate and compare the outcomes.
Responsive Design for Various Devices
And the last step in your campaign is ensuring that your template is adaptable to different screen sizes.
The following advice will help you make sure that your design is responsive:
- Test it Out: Utilize LinkedIn Campaign Manager to test your advertisements across a range of platforms and browsers. Look for any glitches in the functioning or design.
- Layout and Size: Make things flexible by giving your ad pieces adjustable layouts and sizes. Steer clear of fixed values that might cause issues on smaller displays.
- Font and Color: Pick readable fonts and colors to make it easy on the eyes. Avoid too small, too big, or too brilliant/dark.
Conclusion
There you have it – a LinkedIn advertising template that works.
We covered the key elements of a successful LinkedIn ad and how to optimize them for your campaign.
We’ve mentioned a lot along the way, and you’ll definitely need to take some notes. Still, if we’re summing it up: set clear goals, know your audience, speak their language, and keep evolving through testing to create great LinkedIn advertising template.
Oh, and don’t forget Aimfox – the tool that will help you amplify your LinkedIn game and pinpoint prospects that actually bring value. Sign up now!
