Let’s talk about LinkedIn: The site where people humblebrag about promotions, endorse each other for “MS Excel,” and pretend they read white papers. But LinkedIn is more than just a digital brag board — it’s a marketing machine. Or can be if used correctly. And, if not, you may be missing your biggest opportunity to generate qualified leads.
So, let’s quickly break down how the table stakes to successfully use Linkedin Ads for your small business while using the buzzwords of a freshly minted MBA in Digital Marketing grad.
Step 1: Know Your Prey
LinkedIn knows everything about you — your job title, your company size, even that one time you ‘liked’ an article about leadership. In fact, it’s almost unsettling when you realize how precisely you can target your message. Add “retargeting” in there, and it can be like shooting fish in a barrel. Which really begs the question, why shoot them if they are already in your barrel. But I digress… So, if you’re running ads and you don’t know who you’re aiming at — congratulations, you’re just burning your budget. (Remember the early days of the Internet, when the success of your company was correlated to your burn rate?)
Step 2: Pick Your Poison
Sponsored Content? InMail? Display Ads? Sponsored Events? It’s like a buffet of digital marketing — but instead of crab legs, you get CPMs and CTRs. Choose wisely. InMail for the direct hit. Sponsored Content for the casual scroll ambush. Events if you want to bore people in real-time.
Step 3: Don’t Be Boring.
Your ad or marketing message needs to pop. If your headline is “We deliver innovative solutions,” congrats, you just put everyone to sleep. Make it sharp. Make it human. And please — less stock photos of handshakes and men in blazers pointing at graphs.
Step 4: Advanced Targeting: The Pixel That Watches You Sleep
We mentioned “retargeting” earlier in this post. Enter the LinkedIn Insight Tag (also called a “pixel”). It’s a cookie that keep track of you like your ex doom scrolling your Instagram Stories. It’s like saying, “Hey, we saw you snooping around our website. Want to buy something?” Creepy? Maybe. Effective? Yes. Just install this bit of code on your website, and suddenly Linkedin knows who visited, when, and why they ghosted you. OK maybe not the third one. With nthe Insight Tag you can retarget those lurkers with laser precision. They thought they could just browse and bounce? Oh no. Now they’re seeing your ads at lunch, at work, even during that one Zoom meeting where they’re pretending to listen.
And if targeting people who visit your website isn’t enough, you can also upload a lost of emails and use those to target Linkedin users. Bottom line is Linkedin will find you one way or another.
Step 5: Ignore Your Data at Your Own Peril
Sounds ominous, right? But if you’re not measuring your campaign, you’re just shouting into the void — which is fine if you find it cathartic, but not great for lead gen. Be sure to track your clicks, your conversions, and even your ROI. Use what works. Jettison what doesn’t. It’s just that simple. Of course, like any other form of marketing, you’re doing this for the long-term benefit. To help position your company in the mind of your target. And while coupon-like offers (Click here for x-y-z) can help generate immediate interest, your goal should be to build long-term brand equity.
What Does All This Mean?
So, what have we learned? Even using a humorous slant, it’s important to remember that LinkedIn Ads are serious business. If you do it right, you’re not just making noise — you’re making money. And if you do it wrong? Well… enjoy paying $15 per click for people who accidentally tapped your ad while reaching for their coffee.
In the meantime, contact us for an honest look at your LinkedIn profile and how we can help turn Linked-In into a lead generation tool for your company.