LinkedIn's new ad units can dynamically insert a user's name, industry, and job title directly into the ad copy. While this tactic is effective in email, its success on a social feed is questionable, as it may cross a line from being relevant to feeling invasive or 'creepy' to the user.
Related Insights
To attract small businesses, LinkedIn is simplifying its ad platform with features like AI-powered ad drafting, streamlined audience creation, and creative integrations with Canva. The platform also introduced a 'one-hour launch plan' to lower the barrier to entry for users without dedicated ad expertise.
Many businesses fail on LinkedIn because default settings like "audience expansion" and the third-party ad network are optimized for enterprise budgets or platform profit, not for precise SMB targeting. Disabling these is the crucial first step to success.
While standard LinkedIn ad clicks cost $10-15, high-engagement 'Thought Leader Ads' are rewarded by the algorithm with significantly lower costs. Clicks can drop to $1-2, making the platform economically viable and even competitive with Facebook.
Boosting posts directly from a person's profile (like a CEO or founder) performs significantly better than standard company ads. Users on LinkedIn engage more authentically with individuals than brands, leading to higher dwell times and lower costs.
The 'creepiness' factor in marketing doesn't come from using data, but from using it poorly. A generic, timed 'you left this in your cart' email feels more intrusive than a highly-tailored message that reflects specific user behavior, which feels helpful.
Unlike other social platforms that demand visual ad creative, LinkedIn ads can be highly effective and cheaper when you simply promote a well-crafted, text-only post. This format works well for both organic lead generation and paid promotion, simplifying the creative process.
The future of paid social lies beyond broad audience targeting. The next level of sophistication involves using identity data to dynamically adjust ad spend and frequency based on the specific value of an individual consumer and their stage in the journey. This means not all site visitors are treated equally in retargeting.
Unlike typical B2B marketing which targets corporate domains, LinkedIn newsletters are delivered to the primary email address on a user's profile. This is often a long-held personal email, providing marketers a rare opportunity to access a highly-guarded inbox that is difficult to reach through other channels.
Due to high CPCs, LinkedIn ad copy should be direct and clear about who the offer is for. Unlike Facebook's flashy, attention-grabbing style, the goal on LinkedIn is to repel unqualified clicks and attract only the most relevant prospects, maximizing budget efficiency.
Unlike Facebook's algorithm, which thrives on broad audiences, LinkedIn's requires precision. Success comes from using small, hyper-targeted audiences, often built from custom-uploaded company lists, to ensure every dollar reaches the exact target profile.