B2B CMOs and LinkedIn
Of all the social media platforms, LinkedIn was cited as the favorite by 74% of B2B CMOs polled in the Chief Marketer 2019 B2B Marketing Outlook survey. It’s not surprising since LinkedIn is most widely used by 706 million people, the majority of whom are business people and professionals.
What sets LinkedIn apart from other social media platforms is that it allows users to better identify and narrow down its niche audiences. Users can identify their target audiences by such things as job title, experience, industry, interest area, member group, and company demographics.
Features
Prior to the pandemic, LinkedIn’s toolkit offered LinkedIn Events and LinkedIn Live as venues through which members could connect with others. LinkedIn Events allowed companies to offer in-person venues at which members who initially connected virtually could meet and learn at brand-sponsored workshops and seminars. When combined with LinkedIn Live, this also allowed a connection to the brand’s website and allowed others to participate virtually.
When the pandemic was declared, both transitioned entirely to virtual menus. Either way, the venues proved valuable in using video as a key marketing component. Keith Richey, LinkedIn’s Senior Director of Global Marketing, said the transition virtually has been so successful with the addition of video that it’s generated seven times more reactions and 24 times as many comments than before.
Since then, LinkedIn, like other platforms, has added features that encourage its audience to utilize it even more. In March, the platform replaced what used to be Sponsored InMail with Conversion Ads. The difference is that Conversion Ads allow viewers to select their own path experience while giving CMOs the ability to generate awareness and/or insert calls to action along every step of the journey.
In addition, when users now complete a lead-gen form or view a video, brands can better target their messaging and interact with consumers. In support of that, updates to LinkedIn Audience Network were also made that allows marketers to scale their interaction with customers and extend it to other platforms.
Finally, LinkedIn continues its interest in account-based marketing and is seeking new partners in its Marketing Partners program. It added three new partners with ABM capabilities in the second quarter of this year.
Ad Tips
Because of the size of its audience and demographic of its members, B2B advertising on LinkedIn can be fruitful. Brands thinking of advertising should consider these things.
The ideal ad headline should be under 60 characters. Similarly, the text should not exceed 500 characters. If an image is used, limit ad size to 1,200 x 627 pixels and link posts to 1,200 x 1,200 pixels for desktop and 1,200 x 628 pixels for mobile phones. For story ads, 1,200 x 627 pixels is recommended.
If utilizing video, the ideal length is 15 seconds or less with a 30-minute maximum and three-second minimum. The aspect ratio should either be 9:16 or 16:9.
For campaign manager self-service ads, $10 per day is the budget minimum while there’s a $2 minimum bid for CPC or CPM.
