Since its 2003 launch as a professional networking site, LinkedIn has evolved into the premier platform for business communication.
It offers a unique environment where professionals engage with content that drives their careers and businesses forward.
Did you know? LinkedIn launched its first ads in 2005, just two years after its inception.
A major milestone was reached in 2018 with the introduction of Video Ads, revolutionizing how businesses engage with their audience.
Today, LinkedIn has over 875 million members, many of whom hold influential positions in their organizations.
Despite its potential, only a fraction of marketers fully leverage LinkedIn's capabilities.
This guide aims to change that by providing comprehensive insights into LinkedIn Video Ads.
We will explore the different types of video ads available, the specifications and guidelines to follow, and showcase some of the best examples to inspire your campaigns.
LinkedIn Video Ads are a part of LinkedIn’s Sponsored Content offerings, which allow businesses to promote updates, articles, photos, videos, or slideshows to a broader audience beyond their immediate followers.
Unlike pre-roll or post-roll video ads that interrupt content, LinkedIn Video Ads are integrated directly into the user’s feed, making them more engaging and less intrusive.
LinkedIn Video Ads appear directly in the LinkedIn newsfeed, making them look like regular posts from connections or followed pages.
This native placement helps capture user attention without feeling disruptive.
Video ads on LinkedIn leverage dynamic, audio-visual content to convey a brand’s message more effectively than static posts.
This format allows businesses to tell their stories, showcase products, and highlight key messages through engaging visuals and sound.
Just like other LinkedIn advertising formats, video ads benefit from LinkedIn’s advanced targeting capabilities.
Advertisers can target specific groups of professionals based on various criteria such as industry, job title, company size, and more.
This precise targeting ensures that your video ads reach the most relevant audience.
LinkedIn Video Ads are versatile and can be used to achieve various marketing objectives across the entire customer journey:
Businesses can choose between different campaign types to distribute their video content:
LinkedIn Video Ads stand out in the LinkedIn feed, making them an effective tool for brands looking to:
With LinkedIn’s robust targeting and native ad placement, video ads offer a powerful way to connect with decision-makers and influencers who have the potential to drive significant business outcomes.
Whether your goal is to boost brand awareness, drive traffic, or generate leads, LinkedIn Video Ads provide a versatile and impactful solution to meet your marketing objectives.
LinkedIn offers a variety of video ad formats designed to help you engage your target audience effectively.
Understanding these different types can help you choose the right format for your campaign goals.
Here’s a comprehensive look at the types of LinkedIn video ads and how they can be used to maximize your marketing efforts.
Sponsored Content Video Ads appear directly in the LinkedIn feed, providing a seamless viewing experience as users scroll through their updates.
These ads are great for increasing brand awareness, driving engagement, and generating leads.
LinkedIn Stories allows users to share content in a vertical format that disappears after 24 hours.
Video ads in LinkedIn Stories are perfect for delivering time-sensitive messages and engaging with a younger, more mobile-focused audience.
When creating a video ad campaign, you can enable the LinkedIn Audience Network to extend your reach by delivering ads to members on trusted third-party apps and websites.
Video ads shown on the Audience Network can be placed as either outstream or in-stream video ad types.
Outstream video ads appear as standalone ads within the content of a webpage.
They typically play for as long as the user has the video ad in a frame or until the end of the ad.
These ads are native, meaning they blend seamlessly with the webpage content, ensuring a non-disruptive user experience.
In-stream video ads play within a long-form video on a publisher’s webpage. These ads can appear at the beginning (pre-roll), middle (mid-roll), or end (post-roll) of the video.
They generally have higher completion rates as they are part of a video the user has chosen to watch.
LinkedIn offers robust brand safety features, including allowlists, blocklists, and category blocking, ensuring your ads appear in a safe and relevant environment.
The Campaign Manager provides detailed reporting, breaking down performance across different placements, helping you optimize your strategy for maximum impact.
By leveraging both outstream and in-stream video ads, you can extend your campaign’s reach, enhance brand visibility, and drive better ROI through optimized placements.
Creating effective LinkedIn video ads requires adhering to specific guidelines and specifications to ensure optimal performance and reach.
LinkedIn provides detailed specifications for video ads to help you deliver high-quality content that resonates with your target audience.
Here are the crucial specifications and guidelines you need to know:
By adhering to these specifications and guidelines, you can create LinkedIn video ads that are not only visually appealing but also highly effective in reaching and engaging your target audience.
Running a little low on inspiration?
Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered!
Here we’ve compiled a list of some of the best LinkedIn video ads out there.
These examples are perfect illustrations of engaging social media content to inspire your next campaign.
What makes this video ad stand out: This LinkedIn video ad by Microsoft delivers its message effectively with clear graphics and a focus on cybersecurity.
Despite lacking audio, the video uses visuals and text to communicate its point within just 14 seconds, aligning with the brand's guidelines by maintaining consistent colors and logo placement.
What makes this video ad stand out: AWS captivates viewers with an interesting quote that transitions into a storytelling technique, guiding the audience through the company's technological advancements.
The video features diverse voiceovers, impactful kinetic typography, and fitting background music, making it a compelling viewing experience.
What makes this video ad stand out: Salesforce tells a compelling story in just 30 seconds, featuring its mascot popping up to the beat.
The video effectively showcases different people and their work, demonstrating how they are all connected through Salesforce, thereby adding a fun and engaging element to the ad.
What makes this video ad stand out: Canva’s LinkedIn video ad uses storytelling to captivate the audience and guide them through the company's progress.
The ad is enriched with diverse voiceovers, impactful kinetic typography, and fitting background music, contributing to a compelling viewing experience.
What makes this video ad stand out: This LinkedIn video ad by Slack, despite its brevity and lack of audio, communicates its message clearly through simple animation and a strong call to action.
The ad adheres to brand guidelines, effectively highlighting Slack’s advantages.
What makes this video ad stand out: Cisco’s 15-second video introduces a key feature—Full Stack Observability.
With beat sync, voiceover, and simple animation, the ad is concise and effectively communicates its message.
What makes this video ad stand out: Gong’s LinkedIn video ad utilizes a smooth voiceover, a mellow background beat, and simple animations to convey its message.
The use of kinetic typography to highlight key points, combined with app screen sharing, makes the video both catchy and informative.
What makes this video ad stand out: Grammarly’s live-action video takes viewers through a typical workday, using screen sharing to demonstrate the tool’s features.
The casual and simple tone makes the video relatable and engaging.
What makes this video ad stand out: This 15-second LinkedIn video ad by Mailchimp cleverly showcases a problem and its solution visually.
The humorous approach and use of real-time customer data service make the ad both entertaining and informative.
What makes this video ad stand out: Kissflow’s LinkedIn video ad starts by addressing customer pain points, using good animations and an engaging voiceover to highlight the convenience of their solution.
Despite being over a minute long, the use of statistics by G2 adds credibility and keeps viewers engaged.
These LinkedIn video ad examples stand out with their sharp beat sync, smooth transitions, engaging animations, clear messages, and the smart use of brand colors.
They collectively demonstrate how to create effective video ads that resonate with the target audience and drive engagement.
Creating effective LinkedIn video ads requires strategic planning and attention to detail.
To maximize your return on investment and ensure your ads resonate with your audience, follow these best practices:
Start by clearly defining what you want to achieve with your LinkedIn video ads.
Your objective will guide every aspect of your ad, from the content and tone to the call-to-action (CTA). Common objectives include:
Tailor your video content to align with your specific marketing goals:
Storytelling is a powerful way to connect with your audience on an emotional level.
Create content that tells a compelling story and humanizes your brand. This can include:
Since LinkedIn videos autoplay without sound, it’s crucial to include captions to ensure your message is accessible.
Captions not only cater to viewers watching without sound but also make your video more inclusive for those with hearing impairments.
A significant portion of LinkedIn users access the platform on their mobile devices.
Optimize your videos for mobile by using vertical or square aspect ratios and ensuring that all text and visuals are easily viewable on smaller screens.
The first few seconds of your video are critical for capturing attention.
Begin with a unique and engaging hook that encourages viewers to continue watching.
This could be a bold statement, an intriguing question, or a visually striking image.
Clearly communicate what sets your brand apart from competitors.
Highlight your unique selling points through visuals and messaging that align with your brand’s values and personality.
Every effective video ad should end with a clear and compelling CTA.
Encourage viewers to take the next step, whether it’s visiting your website, downloading a resource, or contacting you for more information.
Examples include "Learn More," "Download Now," and "Contact Us."
Test different versions of your video ads to see which performs best.
Experiment with various elements, such as content type, video length, audio and subtitles, description copy, and CTAs. Analyze the results to refine your strategy and maximize engagement.
Track and analyze the performance of your video ads using metrics aligned with your objectives:
By following these best practices, you can create LinkedIn video ads that not only capture attention but also drive meaningful engagement and results for your business.
The length of your LinkedIn video ads plays a crucial role in their effectiveness and the engagement they generate.
While the ideal length can vary based on your campaign goals, audience, and content type, there are some best practices and guidelines you can follow to maximize the impact of your video ads on LinkedIn.
Every brand’s audience is different, so it’s crucial to test various video lengths to see what works best for your specific goals.
A/B testing is an excellent strategy to determine the optimal video length for your LinkedIn ads.
Here are some approaches to get you started:
Creating an effective LinkedIn video ad involves a strategic approach that ensures your content not only reaches but also resonates with your target audience.
Here's a comprehensive guide to help you craft a successful LinkedIn video ad campaign:
Before you start creating your video, clearly identify your campaign objective.
This will shape the content and determine how you measure success.
Common objectives include:
The heart of a successful video ad campaign is its content.
Align your video content with your campaign objective for maximum impact.
Here are the key content types for each objective:
To capture and maintain your audience’s attention, follow these best practices:
With a significant number of users accessing LinkedIn on their mobile devices, ensure your video is optimized for mobile viewing:
After your video ad is live, analyze its performance based on your campaign objective. Key metrics to monitor include:
Finally, continuously optimize your video ad campaigns.
Analyze performance data to identify what works and what doesn’t.
Make necessary adjustments to improve future campaigns.
By following these steps, you can create a compelling LinkedIn video ad that not only captures attention but also drives meaningful engagement and results for your business.
By now, it's clear that incorporating video into your B2B advertising strategy on LinkedIn is not just an option—it's a necessity.
As members increasingly consume video content, leveraging LinkedIn Video Ads can significantly enhance your marketing efforts and drive substantial business results.
Using a multi-format approach provides valuable data and insights into what resonates most with your audience.
It's crucial to keep experimenting and refining your strategy.
Emerging formats like square and vertical videos are proving to be particularly effective, especially on mobile devices.
Remember, the key to successful video advertising lies in continuous testing and optimization.
Monitor your campaign performance, gather insights, and adjust your content accordingly.
By staying agile and responsive to what works best, you can maximize the impact of your LinkedIn Video Ads.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to elevate your LinkedIn advertising strategy.
Start incorporating video ads today and watch your business grow.
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