How to Run LinkedIn Ads: A Step-by-Step Guide

Running LinkedIn ads for clients can be a game-changer, but it requires a strategic approach. Did you know that LinkedIn has over 900 million members worldwide? By mastering the art of LinkedIn advertising, you can tap into this massive audience and drive exceptional results for your clients.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through every step of the process, from setting up ad accounts to measuring performance. You'll learn how to develop a winning strategy, launch impactful campaigns, and optimize for success. Plus, we'll introduce you to AI-powered tools like Bardeen that can automate repetitive tasks and save you valuable time.

Ready to become a LinkedIn ads expert and wow your clients? Let's dive in!

Setting Up Your Client's LinkedIn Ads Account for Success

Creating a LinkedIn Ads account for your client is the first step in launching a successful advertising campaign. Here's what you need to know to set up the account properly and position your client for success.

1. Gather Required Information

Before you begin, make sure you have all the necessary information from your client, such as their company name, website URL, and billing details. You'll also need access to their LinkedIn Page if they have one.

For example, if your client is a B2B software company, you'll need their official company name, website, and a way to access their existing LinkedIn Page or create a new one on their behalf.

2. Choose the Right Account Structure

When setting up the ad account, consider the best structure for your client's needs. If they have multiple products or services, you may want to create separate campaigns or even separate ad accounts for each one.

A well-organized account structure will make it easier to manage and optimize campaigns later on. For instance, if your client sells both software and consulting services, separate campaigns for each will allow you to tailor messaging and targeting more effectively.

3. Understand Ad Format Options

LinkedIn offers several ad formats, including Sponsored Content, Sponsored Messaging, Text Ads, and Dynamic Ads. Each format has its strengths and is suited for different objectives.

Sponsored Content, which appears directly in the LinkedIn feed, is ideal for building brand awareness and driving engagement. Sponsored Messaging allows you to send personalized messages to prospects, while Dynamic Ads can be customized with the user's profile information for added relevance.

4. Set Up Conversion Tracking

To measure the success of your client's ads, you must set up conversion tracking. This will allow you to see which ads and targeting criteria are driving the most valuable actions, such as lead form submissions or purchases.

LinkedIn's Insight Tag makes it easy to track conversions on your client's website. By adding this snippet of code to the site, you can attribute conversions back to specific ad campaigns and optimize accordingly.

5. Add Team Members and Assign Roles

Finally, don't forget to add any relevant team members to the ad account and assign them the appropriate user roles and permissions. This will ensure everyone has the access they need to collaborate effectively.

For example, you may want to give your client view-only access so they can see campaign performance, while granting full control to the person who will be managing the ads day-to-day.

By following these steps and best practices, you can set your client's LinkedIn Ads account up for success from the start. You can also automate sales prospecting to further streamline your advertising efforts.

In the next section, we'll dive into developing an effective LinkedIn Ads strategy to help your client reach their goals.

Developing a Winning LinkedIn Ads Strategy

A successful LinkedIn Ads campaign starts with a well-defined strategy that aligns with your client's marketing goals, targets the right audience, and delivers compelling ad creative. By taking the time to plan and strategize upfront, you can maximize the impact of your client's advertising budget.

1. Align Campaigns with Marketing Goals

Before launching any LinkedIn Ads campaign, it's crucial to understand your client's overall marketing objectives. Are they looking to generate leads, drive website traffic, or build brand awareness? Your ad strategy should directly support these goals.

For example, if your client wants to increase lead generation, you might focus on campaigns that promote gated content like whitepapers or webinars. If the goal is brand awareness, Sponsored Content ads that showcase the company's unique value proposition may be more effective.

2. Research and Define Target Audience

LinkedIn offers robust targeting options that allow you to reach specific professional audiences based on job title, company size, industry, skills, and more. Conduct thorough audience research to identify the key decision-makers and influencers your client needs to reach.

Use LinkedIn's Audience Insights tool to gather valuable data about your target audience's interests, behaviors, and demographics. This information can help you refine your targeting criteria and create ad content that resonates with their needs and preferences.

3. Craft Compelling Ad Creative and Copy

Your ad creative and copy should be tailored to your target audience and designed to capture their attention in a crowded LinkedIn feed. Use eye-catching visuals, clear headlines, and concise body copy that communicates your client's key message and value proposition.

Test different ad formats, such as single image ads, video ads, or carousel ads, to see which ones perform best with your audience. Continuously monitor and optimize your ad creative based on engagement metrics like click-through rates and conversion rates.

4. Develop a Strategic Budget Allocation

To maximize your client's return on ad spend (ROAS), it's important to allocate their budget strategically across different campaign objectives and ad formats. Consider factors like the size of your target audience, the competitiveness of your industry, and the expected cost-per-click or cost-per-lead.

Use LinkedIn's Campaign Manager to set daily or lifetime budgets at the campaign level, and adjust bids based on performance over time. Be sure to regularly review your campaign results and shift budget towards the audiences and ad formats that are delivering the best results.

By focusing on these four key areas - marketing goal alignment, audience targeting, ad creative, and budget allocation - you can develop a comprehensive LinkedIn Ads strategy that drives meaningful results for your client.

In the next section, we'll dive into the nitty-gritty of launching and managing LinkedIn Ad campaigns, from setting up campaigns in Campaign Manager to monitoring performance and optimizing for success. For those looking to automate sales prospecting, integrating AI tools can significantly enhance strategy effectiveness.

Save time and focus on strategic tasks by using Bardeen's AI tools. Learn more about how to automate sales prospecting and improve your LinkedIn Ads strategy.

Step-by-Step Guide to Launching LinkedIn Ad Campaigns

Launching a successful LinkedIn Ad campaign involves several key steps, from setting up your campaign in Campaign Manager to defining your target audience, choosing the right ad format, and setting bids and budgets. By following best practices at each stage of the process, you can maximize the impact of your client's advertising spend and achieve their marketing goals.

1. Create Your Campaign in Campaign Manager

To get started, sign in to LinkedIn Campaign Manager and click "Create Campaign." Select your campaign objective, such as lead generation or brand awareness, and choose a name for your campaign. This will be the foundation for all your subsequent campaign settings.

Next, define your target audience using LinkedIn's robust targeting options. You can target by job title, company size, industry, skills, and more, allowing you to reach the most relevant prospects for your client's business. Consider using prospect list building strategies for better targeting.

2. Choose the Best Ad Format for Your Goals

LinkedIn offers a variety of ad formats to suit different campaign objectives and audience preferences. Sponsored Content ads, which appear directly in users' feeds, are ideal for driving engagement and website traffic. Message Ads allow you to send personalized messages directly to users' LinkedIn inboxes, making them effective for lead generation.

Consider your client's goals and target audience when selecting an ad format. For example, if you're promoting a webinar or e-book, Sponsored Content with a strong call-to-action may be the best choice. If you're targeting decision-makers at specific companies, Message Ads could be more effective.

3. Set Strategic Bids and Budgets

To control costs and ensure your client's budget is spent efficiently, it's important to set appropriate bids and budgets at the campaign level. LinkedIn allows you to set either a daily budget or a lifetime budget for each campaign, as well as a maximum bid for each click or impression.

When setting bids, consider factors like the competitiveness of your target audience and the expected cost-per-click for your industry. You may need to adjust your bids over time based on campaign performance to optimize your return on ad spend.

4. Test and Optimize Ad Creative

Even the most well-crafted targeting strategy won't succeed without compelling ad creative. Develop multiple versions of your ads with different headlines, images, and calls-to-action, and use LinkedIn's A/B testing feature to identify the top-performing variations.

Monitor your click-through rates, conversion rates, and other key metrics closely, and be prepared to continually refresh your ad creative to combat ad fatigue and maintain engagement over time. For help with messaging, consider generating emails with AI for personalized outreach.

By following these steps and leveraging LinkedIn's powerful targeting and optimization tools, you can launch and manage high-performing ad campaigns that deliver results for your clients.

Master the art of LinkedIn advertising, and you'll be the hero your clients need in the battle for B2B marketing supremacy.

Measure Performance and Optimize Your LinkedIn Ad Campaigns

Tracking the right metrics is essential for running successful LinkedIn ad campaigns for clients. By monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) such as click-through rate, conversion rate, and cost per conversion, you can gain valuable insights into what's working and what needs improvement. Use this data to continually optimize your campaigns and drive better results over time.

1. Key Metrics to Track for LinkedIn Ads

Some of the most important KPIs to measure for LinkedIn Ads include:

• Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of people who clicked your ad after seeing it
• Cost-per-click (CPC): The average amount you pay for each ad click
• Conversion rate: The percentage of people who took a desired action, such as filling out a form or making a purchase, after clicking your ad
• Return on ad spend (ROAS): The revenue generated from your ads divided by the amount spent on those ads

Tracking these metrics will give you a clear picture of your ad performance and ROI.

2. Leverage LinkedIn Campaign Manager Reporting

LinkedIn Campaign Manager offers robust reporting features to help you monitor your ad performance. You can view metrics at the account, campaign, and ad levels, as well as set custom date ranges to analyze trends over time.

Take advantage of the platform's built-in conversion tracking to measure actions taken on your website after someone clicks your ad. This will help you understand which campaigns and ads are driving the most valuable results for your client's business.

3. Test and Optimize Your Campaigns

Regularly review your ad performance data to identify opportunities for optimization. Test different targeting options, ad formats, and creative elements to see what resonates best with your audience.

For example, if you notice that certain ads have a higher CTR or conversion rate than others, consider allocating more budget to those top performers. Or, if you find that your CPC is higher than industry benchmarks, try adjusting your targeting criteria or bid strategy to improve efficiency with automation.

Save time by using Bardeen to manage your LinkedIn ad data. Check out how you can automate tasks and focus more on creative strategies.

4. Report Results and Make Recommendations

Share regular performance updates with your clients, highlighting key metrics and trends. Use data visualizations like graphs and charts to make the information easy to understand at a glance.

In addition to reporting on past performance, provide data-driven recommendations for future campaigns based on your findings. For example, if you've identified a particular audience segment that converts well, suggest targeting more people with similar characteristics in upcoming campaigns.

By consistently measuring results and making strategic optimizations, you can prove the value of your LinkedIn ad management services and help your clients achieve their marketing goals.

Phew, that was a lot of information to digest! Give yourself a pat on the back for making it this far. In the next section, we'll tie everything together with some final thoughts and takeaways.

Conclusions

Running LinkedIn ads for a client is crucial for delivering targeted campaigns that drive business results.

This guide covered:

• Setting up and structuring a client's LinkedIn Ads account
• Developing an effective LinkedIn ad strategy aligned with goals
• Creating, launching and managing LinkedIn ad campaigns
• Measuring performance, optimizing and reporting results to clients

By mastering LinkedIn ads management, you'll be well-equipped to help clients succeed. Consider using automation tools for sales prospecting to stay ahead and become the go-to expert. Don't miss out on becoming the go-to expert, or you might find yourself playing catch-up with the competition!