Tracking Results

LinkedIn offers a variety of reports that you can use to track the performance of your LinkedIn ads. In fact, you can track down to specific ad-unit variations, and tweak targeting criteria and ad content to exploit opportunities. On the flip side, you can turn off ads that are underperforming at any time.

LinkedIn cannot predict click-through rates on your ads and makes no guarantees for ad performance. Furthermore, LinkedIn cannot serve your ads on specific days or at specific times, so in many ways, you’re at the mercy of LinkedIn. Because there is no way to know exactly who you’re competing against for ad space and what competitor bids are for that space, all you can do is monitor what appears to be working in your ads and do more of it.

LinkedIn displays ads based on bids and ad performance. Therefore, you need to invest in your bids but also in improving your ads. You can access reports about your ad clicks, impressions, click-through rate, average cost per click, budget, and the total amount of money you’ve spent by campaign and within date ranges that you select. You can also compare campaigns and download reports.

Be patient and don’t get discouraged. It takes time to learn what works and what doesn’t for each ad and advertiser. What works for one company might not work for the next. Your budget, ad content, and target audience have a significant effect on your LinkedIn advertising success, so commit to testing, learning, tweaking, and trying again. In time, you’ll learn what works best for your product and audience and you’ll see your click-through rates rise!

The Least You Need to Know

• Anyone with a LinkedIn account and a credit card can advertise on LinkedIn.

• LinkedIn ads are displayed using a bidding system and an auction for ad space with bids starting at $2.

• You can develop up to 15 versions of each ad campaign you create and track them individually.

• LinkedIn ads can be turned off or on at any time.