Creating an Ad on LinkedIn

When you’re ready to start advertising on LinkedIn, just log in to your account and click the Advertising link in the footer or click the Home link in the top navigation bar followed by the Advertise on LinkedIn link that appears in the drop-down menu. This takes you to the Home page of LinkedIn Ads where you can simply click the Start Now button to open the Create Your Ad Campaign form shown in Figure 11.3.

In the Ad Campaign Name field, enter a name for your ad that will help you easily remember the ad in the future. You’re the only person who will see this name. It can be confusing to remember specific ads if you create many, so be descriptive with the name you enter in this field. When you want to manage your campaign in the future, track performance, adjust your budget, and so on, you’ll save a lot of time by giving your ad a recognizable name now.

Next, create your ad! If you want people to be taken to a website outside of LinkedIn.com when they click on your ad, select the radio button next to Your Web Page, then click on the example URL to open a text box where you can type in the URL of your choosing. If you want people who click on your ad to be taken to your profile or Company Page on LinkedIn, select the radio button next to A Page on LinkedIn and choose the appropriate destination from the drop-down menu that appears.

Figure 11.3: Complete the form to create your ad campaign.

Add an image by clicking on the Add Image link. A pop-up window appears where you can browse your hard drive and upload your image. Keep in mind, your image must be in .png, .jpeg, or .gif format and under 2 MB. Also, it will be resized to 50×50 pixels, so make sure it’s in a usable format and size before you upload it.

Input your ad headline and description by selecting the Click to Enter a Headline and Click to Enter a Description links, respectively.

WARNING

Finally, you can enter up to 15 variations of your ad, so you can test images, headlines, descriptions, and landing page URLs. Track the performance of each ad version to learn which is most successful. You can use the information you gather to create even better ads in the future.

Once you’ve completed the form, click the Next Step button. You’ll have an opportunity to select targeting criteria and set your budget before you are required to provide your credit card information and submit your ad for review. If your ad meets the LinkedIn Ads standards, it will be approved and begin displaying on LinkedIn. The remainder of this chapter provides details about targeting, budgeting, advertising guidelines, best practices, and tracking performance.