How to use LinkedIn for Marketing
> LinkedIn is an interesting one when it comes to marketing.
For B2B organisations it’s an invaluable resource that contains a sea full of quality potential prospects that can be accessed, that 20 years ago you couldn’t dream of reaching as easily.
Because the prospects we can get from LinkedIn are highly targeted & the messaging personalised for each target, this is a game changer.
There are various ways you can use LinkedIn for marketing and sales. I’ve tried nearly all of them and have outlined below what has worked, how to get best results and how I can help.
> How to use banner and Inmail ads successfully on LinkedIn
I used paid banner and Inmail ads successfully for an eco reusable cup that companies could brand. Inmail paid ads go into your LinkedIn Inbox.
Both Inmail and banner ads worked in this case because a) we targeted very specific audience to receive the ads b) the product was hot c) we offered a free sample cup to anyone that responded.
The last point is really the key point – the ad had a purpose to generate leads and there was value exchange – in return for your details we’d send (or deliver by hand!) a sample cup. The leads cost between £6.60-£18.20 each depending on campaign, which for the initiative these figures worked and generated profitable leads.
You can of course just do a brand awareness ad, but I would also focus on trying to generate leads or at least offer something unique like a useful webinar or guide to help generate leads. For Linkedin awareness ads you need a big marketing budget and probably very high value items (£50k+).
Like anything these ads have to be done properly to work. I have to say a lot of the automated Inmails I receive are badly targeted and not relevant, making them spam and certainly give Linkedin inmails a bad name.
Image below: our successful Inmail and banner ad copy and design.
> Understanding LinkedIn ad objectives
LinkedIn uses “objective-based” advertising, which enables advertisers to build ad campaigns around specific business goals.
Businesses can place ads for all three stages of a sales funnel, from awareness to conversion.
Let’s break down the three main types of objectives below.
Awareness:
Want to get your name out there without necessarily making a direct sale? Start with an awareness ad to get your brand on the tip of people’s tongues. These top-of-funnel campaigns help get audiences talking about your products, services, and brand.
You can also use these impression-based campaigns to gain more followers, increase views, and spark greater engagement.
Most of LinkedIn’s available ad formats can successfully generate awareness, but the types that are best to use if you want to achieve this objective are:
-
Single image ads
-
Carousel ads
-
Follower ads
-
Event ads
-
Spotlight ads
Consideration:
If your audience is already somewhat familiar with your brand, opt for a consideration ad.
Consideration ads are optimized to help advertisers meet the following goals:
-
Website visits: Get more eyeballs on your website and landing pages.
-
Engagement: Encourage likes, comments and shares, as well as visits to other social media platforms and websites.
-
Video views: Share your business story, your latest product, or a day-in-the-life via video.
To nurture these mid-funnel leads, consider using the following LinkedIn ad formats:
-
Video ads
-
Carousel ads
-
Conversation ads
-
Text ads
Conversion:
If your audience is already familiar with your brand and ready to make a decision, it’s time to pull out the big guns. When you want to generate leads, drive home a sale, or reach job applicants, consider a conversion ad.
They can help meet these three objectives:
-
Lead generation: Gain leads on LinkedIn by using forms pre-filled with LinkedIn profile data.
-
Website conversions: Inspire more website visitors to download an ebook, sign up for a newsletter, or request a demo.
-
Job applicants: Spread the word about your company’s latest job opening with a job post.
The best ad formats to use if you want to achieve these objectives are:
-
Conversation ads
-
Lead gen forms
-
Carousel ads
-
Job ads
-
Text ads
> How social media marketing on LinkedIn works?
This is more time consuming, but I know business that have used this as their core marketing activity successfully. It requires time to find relevant connections, invite them to connect, also invite them to follow your LinkedIn company page.
You then post relevant content on your company page, repost the post in your personal profile that connections will see. You also join the relevant groups on LinkedIn.
You can then then like and comment on posts from your connections or group members to get more traction and visibility and repost some of these posts too.
You can see why it takes time, but this is a slow and soft way to promote your company so when your targeted prospects are ready they think of you.
> How automating marketing on LinkedIn is powerful and essential
If you are serious about linkedin marketing & reaching out and making connections, starting conversations, you might want to consider a using purpose built application to automate and do most of the repetitive heavy lifting. You can combine it with upgrading your LinkedIn account to Navigator to get the best results. My favourite is Skylead.io.
It allows you to set up a sequence of events, such as automating connection requests, sending automated linkedIn messages once connected, and sending follow-up messages if not heard from the contact. It can be used as a marketing tool or lead generation.
> You can do all this yourself or get our help?
There is some time involved in learning and setting up banner and Inmail ads, LinkedIn Marketing and using Skylead process. You might want to do it yourself but if you prefer to use an expert then please get in contact. I’m here to help if you need me.
> How do LinkedIn followers grow with ads?
Follower advertising on desktop encourage individuals to follow your LinkedIn or Showcase Page. These advertisements are personalised for each member since they include their profile photo alongside your company's logo, as well as their initial name and your company name in the ad description.
> How much does LinkedIn InMail ads cost?
On average, LinkedIn advertising costs $2.00 - $3.00 per click, $5.01 - $8.00 per 1000 impressions, and $0.26 - $0.50 each send for Sponsored InMail campaigns. It's vital to know that LinkedIn needs businesses to bid a minimum of $2.00 per click and 1000 impressions, as well as a minimum daily expenditure of $10.00.