Take a look at these various advanced advertising solutions given by LinkedIn and the scenarios when brands can utilize them. This blog also enlists the importance of LinkedIn as a marketing platform.
Social Ads
Follow Company Ads
- Ads to acquire new followers, enabling brands to subsequently engage them with company status updates
- Recommended if the objective is to increase the number of company followers and transform it into a resource for sharing timely news & events information or your newest whitepaper
Recommendation Ads
- Creating valuable brand advocates by showcasing existing endorsements and inspiring additional recommendations
- Recommended once there are a few 'recommendations' for your products & services on LinkedIn
- The objective is to integrate into the social graph of people already satisfied with your offerings
Join Group Ad
- Highlighting current relevant conversations to increase membership in groups
- Recommended for open groups to convert weak social ties into strong ties
Display Ads
Standard Ad Units and Text Links
- A combination of images and text in a banner format. Flash is supported
Homepage Takeover
- All the ad spaces on the home page sold to a single brand
- Ensures maximum visibility and clicks
Compounded Content Ads
- To drive engagement through multiple streams of dynamic content (video, company status updates, and more) in a single unit
Sponsorships
Employee Profile Sponsorships
- To deliver relevant messages to LinkedIn members any time they view a profile of one of your employees
Group Sponsorships
Custom Group Sponsorship
- Exclusive access to group/groups for delivering custom media
- Recommended for raising awareness and positioning the brand as a thought leader by delivering rich content, including video, polling members with questions, and integrating a blog, Twitter or RSS feed
Enhanced Group Sponsorship
- Exclusive access to an ad placement within group/groups
- Gives more control and flexibility
Answers Platform Sponsorship
- The objective is to reach professionals during their critical decision-making process
Custom Applications
- Applications designed to meet specific needs
- Recommended for offerings when the objective is to use LinkedIn's API to target niche audiences
Partner Messages
- To deliver targeted messages with industry-leading open rates using LinkedIn's InMail messaging platform
- Partner messages allow for customization, including a co-branded landing page, an ad unit and a call-to-action button
Targeting Options
- Location - This gives you the option of geo-targeting for your campaign
- Company - You can select exact company names, or categories of companies
- Job Title - You can select exact job titles or define the job function
Depending on the objective of your campaign, you can select appropriate custom advertising solutions offered by LinkedIn and define your targeting exactly to reach the correct audience. An example of custom targeting would be to target people who have recently got a promotion (LinkedIn users tend to change their job titles in such a scenario). These people can be rewarded for their achievements by giving them an exclusive incentive which can be provided via a custom solution like 'Partner Messages' or 'Custom Applications'.
All these solutions work on a CPM (cost per thousand impressions) model, except for partner messages where you have to pay per message.
Why Should Marketers Care
Conclusion
Have you started utilizing LinkedIn as a marketing platform to reach influential, affluent and educated audience while they're making key business decisions? If not, let us know in the comments section about what is hindering you.