Which LinkedIn Ad Style is Most Effective for B2B?

Which LinkedIn Ad Style is Best for B2B

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform, with over 57 million businesses. It allows companies to cultivate long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships and conduct business.

LinkedIn is a top platform for B2B companies to achieve their marketing objectives. Although you can connect with other businesses through manual outreach, LinkedIn ads can accelerate the process and enable you to grab the attention of the essential decision-makers you want to build relationships with within a shorter time.

As LinkedIn has the highest conversion rate of visitors to leads compared to other social media platforms, it is a great tool for generating more leads through its ads. The conversion rate on LinkedIn is nearly three times more than that of Twitter and Facebook. Besides, LinkedIn ads can help increase brand awareness, build credibility, and boost sales, making them an essential component of your marketing strategy.

Here, we’ll explore the various options available for LinkedIn B2B advertising, analyze their advantages and limitations, and guide you in choosing the most suitable one for your business.

What Are the Different Types of LinkedIn Ads?

There are four primary types of LinkedIn ads for B2B companies, which include:

• • Sponsored content that appears on the LinkedIn newsfeed and comprises single-image ads, video ads, carousel ads, and event ads.

• • Sponsored messaging that directly engages with your audience via their LinkedIn inbox.

• • Lead generation forms that gather information from users who click on your ad’s CTA button.

• • Text and dynamic ads appear on the right side of LinkedIn. Text ads are similar to Google ads, whereas dynamic ads are personalized to a great extent.

Sponsored Content

Sponsored content, also known as native ads, is displayed in the newsfeeds of your target audience. These ads are labeled as “promoted,” distinguishing them from other content. They provide a great way to advertise your company’s existing content, such as articles, recent company news, or promotions.

Why Use Sponsored Content?

• • Build brand recognition

• • Garner more followers

• • Boost impressions and clicks

• • Direct high-quality leads to landing pages

Pros and cons

• • Pro: Appears in your target audience’s regular feed, making it non-invasive.

• • Pro: Naturally generates interest and engagement.

• • Con: May not always result in more leads.

Sponsored content LinkedIn ads specs

Here are different specifications for LinkedIn ads, which vary based on the type of sponsored content you choose:

• • Single-image ads

• • Video ads

• • Carousel ads

• • Event ads

Single image ads

• • Headline: Up to 70 characters

• • Introductory text: Up to 150 characters

• • File types: JPG or PNG

• • File size: Up to 5 MB

• • Recommended horizontal ratio: 1:1.91 (1,200 x 628 pixels)

• • Recommended square ratio: 1:1 (1,200 x 1,200 pixels)

• • Recommended vertical ratio: 1.91:1 (628 x 1,200 pixels)

Video ads

• • The headline should not exceed 70 characters

• • The introductory text should be limited to 150 characters

• • The video file should be in MP4 format

• • The sound format of the video should be AAC or MPEG4

• • The size of the video file should range between 75 KB to 200 MB

• • The video duration can be between 3 seconds to 30 minutes

Carousel ads

• • Card headline: Up to 45 characters

• • Introductory text: Up to 255 characters

• • File type: JPG or PNG

• • Recommended resolution: At least 1,080 x 1,080 pixels

• • Number of carousel cards: 2 to 10

• • Maximum file size: 10 MB

Event ads

• • Event name: up to 255 characters

• • Introductory text: up to 600 characters

• • Image ratio: 4:1 (automatically taken from your event page)

Sponsored Messaging

Sponsored messaging, previously known as “sponsored InMail,” allows you to advertise to businesses directly through their inboxes. You can use customized and private messages to engage with your target audience and generate more leads. This form of LinkedIn B2B advertising operates on a cost-per-send basis, meaning you pay for each message sent.

Sponsored messaging has double the open rates and engagement of traditional email, making it an effective way to reach your target audience by appearing directly in their inbox.

Why use sponsored messaging?

• • Generate more leads

• • Personalize invitations to promote webinars or tradeshows

• • Have more effective conversations with other businesses

Pros and cons

Pros:

• • Directly reach your target audience

• • More personalized approach

• • Guaranteed 100% deliverability

Cons:

• • More expensive compared to other types of ads

• • There’s a limit on how many people can receive a sponsored message ad per month on LinkedIn.

Sponsored messaging LinkedIn ads specs

For message ads, the subject line can be up to 60 characters, the message text can be up to 1,500 characters, the custom footer can be up to 2,500 characters, and the call-to-action (CTA) can be up to 20 characters.

For conversation ads, the message text can be up to 500 characters, the custom footer can be up to 2,500 characters, and the CTA can be up to 25 characters.

Lead Generation Forms

According to research conducted by LinkedIn, 58% of marketers consider lead generation as the top priority for their digital marketing campaigns. To help you generate more qualified leads, LinkedIn offers lead generation forms, also known as lead gen forms, which work in tandem with sponsored content and sponsored messaging. When a prospect clicks on your ad, they are directed to a pre-filled form that contains their LinkedIn profile information. This makes it easier to collect important information from potential leads and improves the quality of your leads.

Why use lead gen forms?

Lead generation forms are designed to simplify the process for potential prospects. The form automatically fills out most of the required information, eliminating the need for prospects to input their details manually. Additionally, prospects can conveniently fill out the form without leaving LinkedIn. You have control over the information you need, and the lead generation form handles the rest of the process.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• • A simple process increases the likelihood of prospects following through, resulting in higher lead generation.

• • ROI measurement is made more accessible.

Cons:

• • Lead generation forms only work when used in conjunction with sponsored content or sponsored messaging.

• • They do not offer remarketing potential.

• • Including too many fields may hinder your efforts.

Lead gen forms specs

• • The form name should not exceed 256 characters.

• • The offer headline should be limited to 60 characters.

• • The privacy policy should be no more than 2,000 characters.

• • The call-to-action (CTA) should be kept to 20 characters or less.

• • The confirmation message should not exceed 300 characters.

• • It is recommended to use 3 to 4 form fields for optimal results.

• • The maximum number of form fields allowed is 12.

• • Up to 3 custom questions can be added, with each question having a limit of 100 characters.

Text and Dynamic Ads

Text ads are displayed along the right side of a user’s newsfeed. These ads are easy to create, and you can make multiple variations for a single campaign to determine the most effective approach. They operate on either a cost-per-click or cost-per-1,000 impressions model.

Dynamic ads are also displayed on the right side of a user’s newsfeed. However, the key difference is that these ads are highly personalized to the target audience. When the ad appears, the viewer sees information such as their name, company, and other relevant details.

Why use text or dynamic ads?

Creating text ads is a quick and straightforward process. You can use B2B filters to target specific audiences and track your conversions. Additionally, you have the freedom to set your budget.

Dynamic ads are highly personalized, which can result in more engagement and responses from your target audience. You have the ability to create customized calls-to-action (CTAs) that encourage prospects to visit your company page or website. These ads allow you to launch individualized campaigns to achieve specific goals, such as increasing brand awareness or driving traffic. LinkedIn tailors the ads to individual users, creating a closer relationship between them and your brand. If you’re looking to build awareness about your new business, dynamic ads can be an effective way to introduce it to your audience and increase engagement and conversions.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• • Creating these ads is a straightforward process

• • You can easily manage and control your advertising costs

• • Dynamic ads are more personal, which can lead to a broader reach

Cons:

• • Users may overlook these ads due to their placement

• • Text ads do not have the same reuse period as other LinkedIn ads

Text and dynamic ads specs

The specifications for text and dynamic ads on LinkedIn, like other B2B ads, may vary based on your selected options. You can choose from the following:

• • Text ads

• • Spotlight ads

• • Follower ads

Text ads

• • Headline: Maximum of 25 characters

• • Description: Maximum of 75 characters

• • Logo file type: JPG or PNG

• • Maximum logo file size: 2 MB

• • Logo image dimensions: 100 x 100 pixels

Spotlight ads

• • Headline: Maximum of 50 characters

• • Description: Maximum of 70 characters

• • Company name: Maximum of 25 characters

• • Call-to-action (CTA): Maximum of 18 characters

• • Company logo file type: JPG or PNG

• • Company logo image dimensions: 100 x 100 pixels

• • Maximum logo file size: 2 MB

Follower ads

• • Headline: Up to 50 characters

• • Description: Up to 70 characters

• • Company name: Up to 25 characters

• • Company logo file type: JPG or PNG

• • Company logo size: 100 x 100 pixels

• • Company logo file size: Up to 2 MB

How Do You Determine the Best Type of LinkedIn Ads for B2B?

To select a suitable LinkedIn ad for your B2B company, it’s essential to identify your objectives first. Typically, campaign goals can be classified into one of the following three categories:

• • Awareness: Your goal is to increase brand recognition among businesses.

• • Consideration: You aim to showcase your product or service and encourage your audience to visit your website or engage in other social actions.

• • Conversion: You want to provide detailed information (e.g. pricing) and use compelling CTAs to generate leads, downloads, or other specific actions.

When selecting a LinkedIn ad type, you should consider your campaign objectives. For instance, if you’re a newly launched business with a new product, sponsored content ads can help build brand awareness. Alternatively, video or carousel ads can tell a story and showcase your product.

If you want to generate more qualified leads, you might consider using a conversation ad. This type of ad allows you to send a personalized message directly to a user’s inbox, providing them with more information about your product and inviting them to sign up for a demo or download a case study. You can further simplify the lead generation process by incorporating a lead gen form.

Additional considerations for determining the best LinkedIn Ads for your B2B business

Selecting the most suitable LinkedIn ad is not just about the campaign goals. You should also consider your budget. The cost of LinkedIn ads depends on the type of ad and the payment option you select.

Another important factor to consider is defining your target audience. While narrowing down the audience that will receive your ads is important, it’s also crucial not to limit it too much. Conducting A/B test campaigns can be helpful in determining which ads are most effective and which audiences connect best with your brand.

Summing Up

LinkedIn ads offer an efficient marketing approach for B2B companies, enabling you to achieve objectives such as lead generation and conversion rate optimization. Selecting the most suitable ad types for your business and goals can significantly impact your success. You might discover that a combination of various ad types is most effective for you.
Prospect Engine can assist you if you want to start using LinkedIn ads for your B2B but don’t know where to begin. We can guide you in selecting the right format, defining your target audience, creating engaging creative content, and much more. Book your free consultation with us now!