Recently, our team was discussing the innate difference between Google Search and social advertising.
Nick Bosch, our senior digital marketing analyst loves Google Search because it focuses directly on a user’s intent — they are specifically looking for something.
Whereas on social platforms, paid advertising is interest-based and shown within your feed among proprietary and timely content from your connections.
When it comes to social advertising, LinkedIn comes with a higher price tag but can directly target demographics that its platform users have already opted into.
LinkedIn is now doubling down on their advertising toolbox [likely] knowing that a cookie-less world would reduce the ability for other platforms to target audiences by demographics.
On August 17, 2022, LinkedIn Director of Product Marketing, Gina Kleiner, invited the public to a webinar which offered a sneak peek into its product roadmap for 2022 and beyond.
According to LinkedIn, the updates will “help empower organizations grow their brands” – a timely announcement with more than 830M members and 58M companies on the platform (and counting).
What LinkedIn advertisers need to know
Here are the most recent changes and updates from LinkedIn Advertising that may impact our clients and community.
Key takeaways for Advertisers on LinkedIn:
- More Robust Insights and Measurement: Expect to see enhancements demographic data, tracking engagement, and the ability to uncover content and topics that matter to your audiences in Q3. Additionally, Brand Lift Test enhancements now offer industry peer benchmarks. An API connection for offline conversions will help track the impact of LinkedIn spend for harder-to-track metrics like phone calls.
- Lead Gen Forms: New, free-to-use Lead Gen Forms are arriving in the second half of 2022, allowing brands to collect leads from organic traffic to their Company Page.
“Landing Pages for Marketers aim to convert high-consideration buyers with additional storytelling real estate in Ads, along with an auto-filled Lead Gen Form.”
- New Ad Formats: A new ad format called Document Ads (for promoting lead-gen content such as whitepapers), along with Click-to-Message Ads and Conversation Starter Ads are launching in Q3. In Q4, expect custom keyword blocking for advertisers. Post Boosting was launched earlier in 2022 -- a quick impression increase tactic. Stay tuned for ads within the new Discover Tab in early 2023.
- Optimization and Relevancy: A/B Testing for campaigns (coming Q3) will allow brands to compare the performance of campaigns that differ by one variable – a big win for ad optimization.
- Advertiser Productivity: The long-awaited Media Library and Multi-ad creation are coming in Q3. LinkedIn Business Manager is set to arrive in the second half of 2023 – expect this to be a handy tool for agencies managing multiple ad accounts and pages.
“The latest updates are very valuable for B2B brands. Several of the updates, such as LinkedIn Business Manager and the updated media library, are comparable to other platforms like Meta and Google Ads, which will streamline the advertising process for those familiar with those tools.”
— Lauren Splitt, Digital Marketing Analyst
Other notable changes include:
- LinkedIn Live control and promotion enhancements are set to arrive in Q4 including the ability to save smaller clips from your live stream after they have aired.
- In Q4 2022, the LinkedIn Audience Network will roll out brand safety integration with DoubleVerify, Brand Suitability/Custom Contextual Targeting for DoubleVerify-enabled customers, and Custom allowlist capability via the new Brand Safety Hub experience.
- A Revenue Attribution Report (launching Q3) will help measure ROI and help optimize PnL.
- LAN-first In-stream Video Placements (Q3) to reach curated B2B professional audiences via premium in-stream video ad placements.
- Expanding partnerships: Adobe, Demandbase, Zapier, Mailchimp, and more, plus, creative partnerships with third parties such as Shutterstock.
Stakeholders in your target audience are likely already using LinkedIn, and advertising on the platform can help you reach them with a much greater impact. If your business depends on generating leads, LinkedIn Advertising may be worth exploring to help you reach new, highly valuable customers.
If you’re interested in leveraging your paid media techniques on social platforms, our digital marketing pros can help you get started.
