How to LinkedIn Ads Tutorial for Startups

Step-by-Step LinkedIn Ads Tutorial 

LinkedIn is the tool for Startups selling B2B. 

You should be first social selling as a Founder on LinkedIn. Making connections, getting people to signup for your Beta. Sharing founder stories for likes and social klout.

After doing all that, only then you should be looking at LinkedIn Ads. And this is how we end up at this Ad tutorial.

So how do you set up your targeting, budget and messages? Well, here's a straightforward tutorial to setup LinkedIn Ads campaign from scratch.

Getting Started with LinkedIn Ads

1. Sign into LinkedIn: Use your personal LinkedIn account to access LinkedIn Campaign Manager.
2. Create an Ad Account: Click on the "Advertise" button at the top right or visit the LinkedIn Campaign Manager.

Setting Up Your LinkedIn Ads Campaign

1. Conversion Tracking: Start by setting up conversion tracking using Google Tag Manager. Install Google Tag Manager on your website and add the LinkedIn Insight Tag to track your conversions.
2. Define Your Campaign: Decide on your campaign's objective. 
3. Create a Campaign Group: Name your campaign group, set a budget, and schedule. For example, a $5,000 budget from Sept 1 to Sept 30.

Pro Tip: If you need your campaign to run a certain length of time, then setup a daily cap. This way, you don't deplete the budget in a few days, but rather span it out for the length of the campaign.

Building Your LinkedIn Ads Campaign

1. Target Audience: Choose your target location and language. Further narrow down your audience based on job seniority, experience, and relevant skills.
2. Ad Formats: Select the ad format that suits your objective, such as single image ads, carousel ads, or video ads.

Pro Tip: This is where you an make or break your campaign. Make sure you target the right audience. If your audience size is too small, the Algorithm wouldn't be able to work properly and you would get wonky results. Try to keep the audience size larger than 50K as a minimum. 

Optimizing Your LinkedIn Ads

1. Retargeting and Lookalike Audiences: Use retargeting to target visitors who interacted with your ads. Build lookalike audiences based on your website visitors.
2. Testing and Adjusting: Continuously test different ad formats, audience segments, and creatives. Adjust your strategy based on performance data.

Pro Tip: You can spend some time retargeting and changing audiences. If you still have some budget left and already fulfilled your campaign objectives (e.g. Generate 250 leads) then consider playing around with these settings to expand your audience size.

Tweaking LinkedIn Ads

• Use Google Tag Manager: For easier tag management and tracking updates.
• Audience Size: Aim for a target audience of at least 50K. You can get better results with an audience size of +250K. 
• Budget: Ensure you have a significant budget for effective testing and optimization. LinkedIn ads can be expensive, so plan accordingly.

5 Pitfalls to Avoid with LinkedIn Ads

1. Ignoring Audience Targeting: Avoid overly broad or narrow targeting. Find the sweet spot to reach relevant professionals without wasting budget.

2. Skipping Conversion Tracking: Failing to set up conversion tracking means you can't measure your ad performance. Use Google Tag Manager and LinkedIn Insight Tag to track conversions accurately.

3. Neglecting Ad Creative: Poor visuals and copy can kill your campaign. Invest in high-quality images and concise, compelling copy that speaks to your audience's pain points.

4. Underestimating Budget Requirements: LinkedIn ads can be costly. Ensure you have a sufficient budget for testing and optimizing your campaigns. Low budgets lead to ineffective testing and poor results.

5. Failing to Test and Optimize: Don't set and forget. Continuously test different ad formats, audience segments, and creatives. Use performance data to optimize and improve your campaigns.

Avoid these pitfalls to maximize the effectiveness of your LinkedIn ad campaigns.

Best Practices for LinkedIn Ads

1. Precise Audience Targeting: Define your audience with precision. Use LinkedIn's targeting options to select the right demographics, job titles, industries, and more.

2. Set Up Conversion Tracking: Implement conversion tracking using Google Tag Manager and the LinkedIn Insight Tag. This helps you measure and optimize your campaigns effectively.

3. Compelling Ad Creatives: Use high-quality images and videos. Ensure your copy is clear, concise, and speaks directly to your audience's needs and pain points.

4. Test Different Ad Formats: Experiment with single image ads, carousel ads, and video ads. Testing various formats helps identify what resonates best with your audience.

5. Optimize Regularly: Continuously monitor and adjust your campaigns. Analyze performance data to tweak targeting, ad creatives, and budgets for better results.

6. Use Retargeting: Create retargeting campaigns to reach users who have already interacted with your brand. This increases conversion rates and maximizes your ad spend.

Follow these best practices to enhance your LinkedIn ad campaigns and achieve better results at your Startup.

If the LinkedIn Ads Tutorial didn't answer all of your questions, then reach out to our team at ShoutEx, we'll gladly help your Startup.