Revnew Blog

4 Types Of Linkedin Ads To Soar Your Business Success in 2024

Written by Ojesvi Singh | Mar 31, 2023 2:05:12 PM

Introduction 

LinkedIn, a popular professional social network, is a hub for millions of professionals worldwide. It's the best platform to connect with decision-makers in your B2B industry. One of the most effective ways to leverage LinkedIn is through Linkedin marketing tools.

Several types of LinkedIn Ads are available, each with unique benefits and targeting options. Understanding the different types of LinkedIn Ads help you create effective advertising campaigns and reach your ideal audience on the platform. 

So, let's explore what LinkedIn ads have to offer for your demand gen strategy.

4 Main Types Of Linkedin Ads And Their Usage

1. Sponsored Content

It includes native advertising content you can promote to a targeted audience on LinkedIn. These ads appear directly in the LinkedIn feed, making them less disruptive and more engaging for users. Sponsored Content ads increase brand awareness, generate leads, and drive conversions on the LinkedIn platform. 

Sponsored content comes with defined recommendations for each ad format. However, their call-to-action options remain the same. They are: 
  • Apply
  • View Quote
  • Sign Up
  • Download
  • Learn More
  • Subscribe
  • Join
  • Register
  • Attend
  • Request Demo. 

Now, let us explore different forms of LinkedIn ads formats under sponsored content, such as:

  • Single Image Ads

The advertising format allows businesses to showcase their brand, product, or service using a single image. Linkedin users can easily view these ads on their mobile or desktop screens. Thus, the format ensures your ad reaches the target audience across all mediums.

When creating a Single Image Ad, you must include:

  • Ad name - Internal name for the ad for tracking purposes
  • Headline - Main text that appears above the image
  • Introductory text - Provides additional context and details about the advertised product or service

You can also include a description for Localized Advertisements Network (LAN) campaigns. It will provide further information about the product/service.

Design Recommendations For Single Image Ads: 
  • File Type:  gif, jpg, or png
  • File Size: 5 MB
  • Image Ratio:
  • Horizontal: 1.91:1 or 1200 x 1200 pixels (for mobile and desktop)
  • Square: 1:1 or 1200 x 1200 pixels (for mobile and desktop)
  • Vertical: 1:1.91 or 628 x 1200 pixels, 2:3 or 600 x 900 pixels, 4:5 or 720 x 900 pixels  (mobile only)

Text Recommendations For Single Image Ads: 

  • Introductory text: 150 characters
  • Ad name (optional): 255 characters
  • Headline: 70 characters
  • LAN Description: 70 characters.
  • Video Ads

It's a powerful advertising format that captivates a professional audience with native video at every stage of the buyer's journey. These ads help you tell your brand story and showcase your products or services. Additionally, it lets you engage with your target audience more personally.

Video Thumbnails for LinkedIn's Video Ads can be in either JPG or PNG format. 
To guarantee a seamless and superior viewing experience for your audience, LinkedIn advises using 30 frame rates per second in videos. In addition, it lets you use custom thumbnails, giving you greater control over the ad's appearance. 

Design Recommendations For Video Ads: 
  • Video File Type: MP4
  • Video Sound Format:  MPEG4 or AAC
  • Frame rate: 30 frames/second
  • Custom Thumbnail ratio and dimensions: 
  • Vertical: 4:5,  Minimum 360 x 450 pixels, Maximum 1536 x 1920 pixels
  • Vertical: 9:16, Minimum 360 x 640 pixels, Maximum 1080 x 1920 pixels
  • Landscape: 16:9, Minimum 640 x 360 pixels,  Maximum 1920 x 1080 pixels
  • Square: 1:1, Minimum 360 x 360 pixels, Maximum 1920 x 1920 pixels 

Text Recommendations For Video Ads: 

  • Introductory text: 150 characters
  • Headline: 70 characters
  • Ad name: 255 characters

  • Carousel Ads

It is an engaging and interactive advertising format that allows you to inspire professionals to take action. With Carousel Ads, you can include 2-10 cards users can swipe through. Thus, creating a more immersive experience for the audience. 

You can create a more dynamic and visually appealing ad using multiple cards. It'll let you capture the attention of your audience and drive conversions.

Design Recommendations For Carousel Ads: 
  • File Type: PNG or JPG
  • Maximum File Size: 10 MB 
  • Ratio and dimensions: 1:1 and 1080 x 1080 pixels
  • Carousel cards number: 2 to 10
Text Recommendations For Carousel Ads: 
  • Introductory text: 255 characters
  • Card headline: 45 characters
  • Ad name: 255 characters
  • Event Ads

LinkedIn's Event Ads allow you to amplify your LinkedIn event and maximize attendance. These ads promote conferences, webinars, networking events, and more. Thus, helping you reach your target audience and generate interest in your event.

Event Ads directly pull the image from the Event page. It ensures that the image used in the ad is consistent with the event's branding and messaging. When creating a LinkedIn Event Ad, you can include an event name also. 

Design Recommendations For Event Ads:

  • Image Ratio: 4:1 (Chosen image will be picked from the Event page)

Text Recommendations For Event Ads: 

  • Introductory text:  600 characters
  • Event name: 255 characters

  • Document Ads

These ads let you share valuable content your target audience can view and engage with directly in their LinkedIn feed. 

However, ensure to review LinkedIn's Copyright Policy to check whether your document complies with the platform's policies. It's also essential to ensure that the document has secure hyperlinks for a seamless user experience.

By using this ad format, you can demonstrate your industry knowledge. Furthermore, it’ll help you establish yourself as a thought leader in your field. 

Design Recommendations For Document Ads: 
  • File Type: PDF,  DOCX, DOC, PPTX, and PPT.
  • File Size: 100 MB
  • Aspect Ratio: Vertical, Horizontal, Square
  • Number Of Pages: up to 10 pages (Max 300 pages or 1 MM words)
  • Standard PDF  metrics and layouts: 
  • Letter: 21.59 by 27.94 cm (Metrics) and 8.5 by 11 inches (Layout)
  • Tabloid: 27.94 by 43.18 cm and 11 by 17 inches (Layout)
  • Legal: 21.59 by 35.56 (Metrics) cms and 8.5 by 14 inches (Layout)
  • Statement: 13.97 by 21.59 cms (Metrics) 5.5 by 8.5 inches (Layout)
  • Executive: 18.41 by 26.67 cm (Metrics) 7.25 by 10.5 inches (Layout)
  • Folio: 21.59 by 33.02 cms (Metrics) 8.5 by 13 inches (Layout)
  • A3: 29.69 by 42.01 cms (Metrics) 11.69 by 16.54 inches (Layout)
  • A4: 21 by 29.69 cms (Metrics) 8.27 by 11.69 inches (Layout)
  • B4: 24.99 by 35.30 cms (Metrics) 9.84 by 13.90 inches (Layout)
  • B5: 17.60 by 24.99 cms (Metrics) 6.93 by 9.84 inches (Layout)
Ad Text Recommendations  For Document Ads: 
  • Introductory text: 150 characters
  • Headline: 70 characters
  • Ad name (optional): 255 characters
Technical Requirements  For Document Ads: 
  • PDFs containing multiple layers should be merged or flattened.
  • PDFs that have pages of varying sizes should be adjusted to fit a uniform page size.
  • Hyperlinks in your document must be secure.

2. Sponsored Messaging

  • Conversation Ads

Conversation Ads come among the unique LinkedIn ad types. They allow you to interact directly with your audience within LinkedIn messaging. The ads offer 2-5 different message layers that appear one after another, each with a CTA button. 

When a user clicks a CTA button, they receive the next message or are directed to a landing page (Depending upon the CTA they choose). The final message only offers options that direct users to a lead form or landing page.

To create successful Conversation Ads, keeping the tone friendly and the messages short is important. Additionally, using LinkedIn's macros, such as the user's first and last names, job titles, and industry, or company names, help make the message personalized and more relevant to the user. 

It lets prospects feel they are having an interactive, live, and personalized conversation with you. Moreover, these Conversation Ads messages remain in the recipient's inbox until they delete them. 

Design Recommendations For Conversation Ads: 

  • Banner File Type (optional): PNG or JPG 
  • Banner Image File Size (optional): 2MB
  • Banner Image Size (optional): 300 x 250 pixels
  • Sender Image: Designated sender' LinkedIn profile image 
Text Recommendations For Conversation Ads: 
  • Ad Name (optional): 255 characters
  • Custom Footer: 2500 characters
  • Message Text: 500 characters
  • Call-to-Action: 25 characters
  • Message Ads

These ads focus on making receivers take action. They appear in targeted prospects' messaging inboxes and include a single CTA button. However, ensure your ad content perfectly displays on desktop and mobile devices since LinkedIn users can access messages from both. 

Use a short, personal, friendly subject line to make the ad effective. 

For example, if you want to invite your target prospect to a marketing event, you can write a direct message: You're Invited to a [company's name] Marketing Event; Join our pilot program. 

Additionally, add an image banner to promote your brand. Also, surveys say Tuesday and Wednesday are the best days for launching a message ads campaign.

Design Recommendations For Message Ads:
  • Banner File Type (optional): PNG or JPG 
  • Banner Image File Size (optional): 2MB
  • Banner Image Size (optional): 300 x 250 pixels
  • Sender Image: Designated sender' LinkedIn profile image 
Text Recommendations For Message Ads:
  • Ad name (optional): 50 characters
  • Message Text: 1500 characters
  • Message Subject: 60 characters
  • Custom Footer: 2500 characters
  • Call-to-Action: 20 characters

3. Lead Gen Forms

Try using pre-filled Lead Gen Forms to boost the number of high-quality leads generated. These are pre-made templates that can be attached to various types of Linkedin ads. 

Thus, you can use these forms with single and carousel images, videos, conversations, or document ads. The form automatically fills in the LinkedIn user's contact and profile details when they click on the CTA.

Using Lead Gen Forms on LinkedIn can increase conversions by 2-3 times compared to standard Sponsored Content campaigns. These forms make it easy for users to engage with your brand and content. Thus, you can easily promote relevant whitepapers, newsletters, or webinars.

Text Recommendations For Lead Gen Forms:
  • Form's Name: 256 characters
  • Confirmation Message: 300 characters
  • Landing page URL: 2000 characters
  • Privacy Policy: 2000 characters
  • Offer Headline:  60 characters
  • Offer Detail (optional): 160 characters
  • Call-to-Action: 20 characters
Form Recommendations For Lead Gen Forms:
  • Form Fields: A maximum of 12 fields are available, among which 3-4 fields are recommended
  • Available Profile Information Form Fields:
  1.   Contact
  2.     Email address
  3.     First name
  4.     Last name
  5.     Phone number
  6.     LinkedIn Profile URL
  7.     City 
  8.     Postal/Zip code
  9.     State/Province
  10.     Country/Region
  11.     Work phone number
  12.     Work email

4. Text and Dynamic Ads

Using dynamic LinkedIn ad types creates personalized experiences for each potential customer. These ads include the following formats:

  • Text Ads

The ads have a simple interface and let you easily build and manage personalized campaigns. These ads help you reach a premium professional audience and generate high-quality leads for your business.

Design Recommendations:
  • Logo File Type: PNG or JPG
  • Logo image dimensions: 100x100 pixels
  • Logo File Size: 2MB
Text Recommendations:
  • Description: 75 characters
  • Headline: 25 characters
  • Spotlight Ads

Spotlight ads direct prospects to your landing page or website. These ads are only desktop-compatible. Nonetheless, spotlight ads make it feasible to tailor the advertisement for each user as per their profile data, such as profile photo, job title, or company name.

Design Recommendations:
  • Company Logo File Type: PNG or JPG 
  • Company Logo Size: 100 x 100 pixels
  • Company Logo File Size: 2 MB
  • Background Image File Size (optional): 2 MB
  • Background Image File Type (optional): PNG or JPG
  • Background Image Dimensions (optional): 300 x 250 pixels
Text Recommendations:
  • Company Name: 25 characters
  • Headline: 50 characters
  • Description: 70 characters
  • Call-to-Action: 18 characters
Options For Call To Action:
  • Apply
  • Sign Up
  • Download
  • Register
  • View Quote
  • Join
  • Learn More
  • Subscribe
  • Request Demo
  • Attend
  • Follower Ads

Follower ads on LinkedIn encourage users to follow your company's LinkedIn page. However, these ads are only viewable on desktops. The ads display each user's profile photo alongside your company logo with their first name and your company name in the ad copy.

Design Recommendations:
  • Company Logo File Type: PNG or JPG
  • Company Logo Size: 100x100px 
  • Company Logo File Size: 2MB
Text Recommendations:
  • Company Name: 25 characters 
  • Headline: 50 characters
  • Description: 70 characters
Options For Call To Action:
  • Visit company
  • Visit careers
  • Visit jobs 

Advertising Costs As Per The Types Of Linkedin Ads

The LinkedIn advertising cost depends on your bids and budgets. Your business and goals will affect your overall ad spend. It is because they define the types of ads on LinkedIn you choose and the budgets you set for your campaigns. 

However, there are some minimum spending requirements for all advertisers on LinkedIn, such as:
  • A $10 daily budget/campaign
  • A $10 total budget/campaign for Sponsored Content. 
  • A $2 bid for CPM or CPM on Text Ad campaigns.

The platform also offers a minimum bid for Sponsored Content campaigns which varies based on who you are targeting.

Which Linkedin Ad Type(s) Is More Preferred in 2024?

As a leading LinkedIn lead gen agency in B2B space, we suggest video ads. LinkedIn's users are significantly more inclined to share videos on the platform, which is 20 times more likely to be shared than other post formats. In addition, LinkedIn's video ad products' response rates have been gradually increasing over time. 

Furthermore, LinkedIn video ads can generate twice as much engagement and 3.5 times higher conversion rates (CVR) for B2B brands than static posts. Thus, adopting video ads for B2B product promotions will be effective. 

However, the below-given poll suggests single-image ads as the best-performing LinkedIn ad option.  

It shows that 42% of 410 participants believe single image ads perform best for their or their client's business, followed by video ads. But 410 is a small number compared to millions of LinkedIn users. Plus, LinkedIn's own survey suggests video ads as the winner. Thus, it is better to go with the stats and prefer video ads as a prime choice to integrate into your lead generation strategies

Conclusion

LinkedIn offers a variety of advertising options to reach the right audience and achieve marketing goals. Sponsored content, sponsored messaging, sponsored InMail, and display ads are the main types of LinkedIn ads that you can choose from. You can effectively promote your offering to the right people on LinkedIn by utilizing the different ad formats and targeting options.

If you are planning to lead LinkedIn marketing to generate leads and improve your brand presence, then LinkedIn ads will be very helpful. However, LinkedIn marketing isn’t limited to ads; it includes full-fledged marketing campaigns. This is where Revnew can help you. LinkedIn experts in our team will help make the most of available resources on the platform and drive desired results. 

Check out how Revnew used the LinkedIn campaign to generate over 358 leads within a short period.