LinkedIn Tips

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Best Practices for Sponsored Content | LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram Ad Tips

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LinkedIn ads

LinkedIn ads help your business with three types of marketing objectives:

Awareness: Create more awareness of your company or brand.

Consideration: Drive website visits, increase engagement, or encourage video views.

Conversions: Collect leads and drive website conversions.

Audience considerations: LinkedIn is much more business-oriented than the other social networks in this post. It offers targeting options based on professional qualifications like job title and seniority.

You can choose from several different types of LinkedIn ads.

Sponsored Content
Sponsored Content ads appear in the news feed on both desktop and mobile. They’re used to get your content in front of a larger audience and showcase your brand expertise.

Quick tip: Headlines under 150 characters have the best engagement. Larger images get higher click-through rates. LinkedIn recommends an image size of 1200 x 627 pixels.

Linkedin Sponsored Content

Sponsored InMail
Sponsored InMail is similar to email marketing, except that the messages go directly to users’ LinkedIn inboxes. However, Sponsored InMail has an interesting unique feature. Users only receive ad messages while they are active on LinkedIn. That means messages don’t sit around getting stale.

Quick tip: Short body text (under 500 characters) gets the highest click-through rate. The top five performing calls-to-action for Sponsored InMail are:

Try

Free

Today

Click

Apply

Text Ads
Text ads are small ad units that appear at the top and the right of the LinkedIn news feed. They only appear to desktop users, not on mobile devices. Despite the name, text ads can actually include a thumbnail image of 50 x 50 pixels.

Quick tip: Show a human face. Profile images work better than logos or pictures of objects.

Facebook ads

Facebook ads are designed to help you achieve one of three broad types of campaign objectives:

Awareness: Build brand awareness or increase reach.

Consideration: Send traffic to your website, increase engagement, encourage app installs or video views, generate leads, or encourage people to communicate with you on Facebook Messenger.

Conversion: Create online conversions, make catalog sales, or drive foot traffic to offline stores.

Audience considerations: Facebook is popular across demographics and offers detailed targeting options. This makes it a great platform to get started with social media advertising.

Photo ads
In addition to a photo, Facebook photo ads include 125 characters of text plus a headline and link description. They can also include a call-to-action button like Shop Now or Send Message.

You can create your photo ad in Facebook Business Manager, or simply promote a post with an image from your Facebook Page.

Quick tip: Facebook photo ads work really well for showcasing new products or services. Show people using your product, rather than a simple photo of the product itself.

Video ads
Facebook video ad options range from short mobile video ads up to 240-minute promoted videos designed to be watched on desktop. With so many options, it’s critical to have solid goals and understand who your target market is and where your video will reach them.

Facebook video ads can work well in conjunction with a TV ad campaign. Even if T.V. is not part of your marketing mix, video ads can be a great way to draw people in. Use compelling visuals that highlight the best parts of your brand.

Quick tip: Short videos tend to have higher completion rates. However, if you’ve got a compelling message you can go a little longer.

Rareform uses mobile Facebook video ads to highlight its unique value proposition. The company makes bags out of recycled billboards. Their video ads get a 19% higher return than ads without video.

Stories ads
In this full-screen format, photos display for six seconds, and videos can last up to 15 seconds.

You can’t specifically select Facebook Stories ads on their own. They’re included as a possible placement when you select Automatic Placements when creating your ad.

Quick tip: Stories only last for 24 hours, so this is a great format for in-the-moment marketing like limited-time offers. The majority of people Facebook surveyed said they wanted Stories ads to be “quick and easy to understand.” Keep things simple.

For example, the clothing brand tentree used a Facebook Stories slideshow ad with six photos to show off six different men’s hats. The campaign had a 70% lower cost per product page view than other digital ads.

Carousel ads
A carousel ad lets you include up to 10 images or videos, each with their own link, all in one ad.

Carousel ads work well to showcase different features of a product, or to explain a step-by-step process. They’re also a great way to present multiple products.

Quick tip: Use the different elements in your carousel ad together to present a compelling, effective story or message.

Slideshow ads
A slideshow is an ad that creates a video from several static images—your own or stock images that Facebook provides.

Slideshows offer the compelling motion of video, but require no video-specific resources to create. If you’re not ready to try video ads but want to move beyond static photos, slideshow ads are a great option.

Happy Socks uses slideshow ads to show off their colorful product in an eye-catching way.

Collection ads
A collection ad highlights your products right in the Facebook feed. The ad includes a cover photo or video plus product images with pricing and other details. This allows people to learn more about your product without leaving Facebook. When someone clicks on the ad, they go to an Instant Experience (see below).

Quick tip: Collection ads work especially well for retail and travel brands.

Instant Experience ads
Formerly called Carousel ads, these are full-screen interactive ads for the mobile feed. An Instant Experience ad can include up to 20 images or up to two minutes of video. You can include a call-to-action button with up to 30 characters of text.

Instant Experiences also include interactive features like tilt to pan.

Quick tip: Instant Experience ads can also be used to collect customer or lead information using an instant form.

Messenger ads
Messenger ads are simply Facebook ads placed on the home screen of the Messenger app. You can use them to encourage people to connect with your business on Messenger, but they can also link to your site.

Here’s how a Messenger ad looks in the mobile interface:

Quick tip: You can use Messenger ads to restart conversations that have trailed off. Use a custom audience of people who have previously messaged your business.

Lead generation ads
Facebook lead generation ads are mobile-only ads that include pre-populated forms. This makes it easy for people to:

  • sign up for your newsletter
  • request a free trial
  • ask for a quote

They’re a great tool if you’re looking for leads to pass along to your sales team, or to build your online sales funnel.

Quick tip: Ask for the minimum amount of information you need to process leads effectively, to maximize completion.

Instagram ads

Facebook owns Instagram. So it’s not surprising that Instagram ads support the same three broad categories of campaign objectives as Facebook ads:

Awareness

Consideration

Conversion

Audience considerations: Instagram is most popular with millennials. Plenty of Generation Xers also use the platform.

The specific Instagram ad types also mirror four of the Facebook ads types:

Photo

Video

Carousel

Collection

You can create each type of ad for either the main Instagram feed, or for Instagram Stories.

Photo and video ads
Your Instagram photo or video will look like a regular Instagram post—except that it will say Sponsored in the top right. Depending on your campaign objective, you may also be able to add a call-to-action button.

Quick tip: Make sure your photo and video ads are consistent in style with the organic posts you share on Instagram. This helps viewers recognize that the ad is from your brand.

Try testing video ads against photo ads using the same content. America’s Test Kitchen found that adding motion to its ads resulted in a 45% increase in leads over the same ad using just a photo.

Carousel ads
In an Instagram carousel ad, viewers swipe to scroll through different images.

Quick tip: Make sure the images you use in your carousel ad are visually similar and tied together by a common theme. It shouldn’t be jarring to swipe between the different photos in the ad.

Look at this Carousel ad for Snag Tights. The similar images and consistent bar of text across each photo clearly connect the components of the ad and help to tell a consistent story.

Collection ads
Just like Facebook Collection ads, these feature a cover image or video plus several product shots. Clicking on the ad directs the user to an Instant Experience.

Quick tip: Instagram Collection ads don’t include a headline, but they do allow up to 90 characters of text.

Instagram Stories ads
Instagram Stories ads can use photos or videos up to 120 seconds long. These ads display in full-screen format between people’s stories.

Quick tip: Add interactive elements to Story ads for the best performance.

Dunkin’ found in an A/B test that a Story ad with a poll sticker had a 20% lower cost per video view. Plus, 20% of people who watched the video voted in the poll. (On the very important topic of which is better: donuts or fries.)

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Leverage Your LinkedIn Company Page

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Your LinkedIn Company Page (now called LinkedIn Page) is an important branding opportunity that many businesses aren’t taking advantage of. There, you can develop thought leadership, share content from your company’s influencers, reveal your company culture to attract new talent, and increase your company’s visibility!

In this article, I’ll walk you through the steps you must take to ensure that your Company Page is fully optimized and becomes the content hub for your employee advocacy!

When used effectively, your LinkedIn Page can be your business’ content hub — the first thing that your target buyers/audience see when they research your company’s products and services.

Optimize Native Content to Your LinkedIn Page

Your LinkedIn Company Page can be the basis of your employee advocacy program. This is the perfect place to share the best posts from your employees (especially sales reps) because on average, employees typically have 10x the reach as the company. When they engage on a post, their connections will see it as well.

Don’t forget to share images and videos. Images generally see a 2x higher comment rate, and video is 5x more likely to spark a conversation than any other type of content shared on LinkedIn.

Make the “About Us” section about your audience. Don’t focus on your mission, years and business or even company story here. Instead, make it about your buyer. After all, they are the hero of this story. Let them know who you help and how you solve their problem(s).

Tip!!!! LinkedIn Pages are SEO-friendly, just like individual profiles. Google indexes 156 characters of your page text, so be sure that your description leads with powerful, keyword-rich copy. On LinkedIn, members can search for companies by keyword, so include words and phrases that describe your business, expertise, and industry focus.

Here are some keys to remember:

  • You have 2000 characters to engage your readers and share a part of your company story.
  • Many of your employees might go to the LinkedIn Page to grab information for their own profiles, so make sure you have the best branded copy possible.
  • Write your description in a Word document first. Why? Because it will catch spelling errors, allows you to check for grammatical errors, and you can add special characters like bullets and emojis.
  • Be very clear on your Buyer Persona. Who do you usually work with? What are their issues? How can you help?
  • Provided there is enough room, you could even put a testimonial, a very short one, from a happy client in this section.
  • At the bottom of your description, add your contact information. I suggest adding both a unique email address and phone number so you can track where your business is coming from.

Take Advantage of More Native Content

There are more ways for you to leverage native content! LinkedIn recently introduced Taglines and a new CTA button to drive traffic wherever you want. This is above and beyond in your description section and part of other updates to the LinkedIn Company Page.

Make sure to edit those two new features and think about your Tagline and Button as CTA’s for whatever the banner is promoting, whether it’s your company, new products or services, or events.

Other than that, you also need to add your company’s:

  • Specialties (keywords; include up to 20)
  • Address (add as many company locations as you have)
  • Website
  • Company size
  • Date it was founded
  • Type of company
  • Affiliated groups (if you have any)
  • Three relevant hashtags

Share Content Centered on Your Company’s Employees

When a prospect comes to your Company Page on LinkedIn, they can see all the employees who work for you. Ensure everyone has updated their LinkedIn profile to include your company in their experience section. Then, ask them to follow your Company Page.

Then, use your page to highlight your company culture. When you put outstanding employees in the limelight, you could create content by:

  • Filming a short interview.
  • Asking your employees for their favorite quotes.
  • Creating infographics around them, which you share every month.
  • Sharing your employees’ philanthropic works (as long as they’re aligned with your company values).
  • You could also post videos, images, or blogs that highlight your company culture. This shows viewers what it’s like to work at your company, and will increase positive sentiment.

Plus, if you upgrade to a premium account on LinkedIn and you’re focused on hiring, you could turn your LinkedIn Company Page to a lifestyle page. The lifestyle pages, as well as company photos, can help display an atmosphere where people will want to work, which can help your recruiting efforts.

Share Relevant Content

Speaking of content, consistently share relevant content that adds value to your targeted reader. Creating and sharing content on your Company Page is a great way to increase engagement and visibility.

When your current followers see your content on their main feed, they will engage with posts that resonate with them. Then, their connections might see your posts as well, increasing your reach.

Consequently, you must be thoughtful about the content you share, and share it with a purpose. To get the most out of your Company Page, you must share 3rd party content in addition to your content.

One mistake many companies make is to either share no content at all or only post job-listings. Those posts are like advertisements and don’t provide value. As a result, people don’t engage with them. And, similar to an individual, you want to focus on creating more engagement.

Some of the types of content to share are:

  • Created content like infographics, images and videos.
  • Repurposed content from your blog and other social feeds.
  • Curated content – 3rd party posts that are relevant to your audience.

Some ideas for content are:

  • Articles that your CEO, head of marketing, head of sales, or other influencers at your company posted on LinkedIn Publisher.
  • @Mention influential people or companies your content references.

If you need guidance, we’re here to help! Visit Apis Productions’ Social Media Packages page and let us know what your needs are.

LinkedIn Isn't a One-Way Street_Apis Productions

LinkedIn Is Not a One-Way Street

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by JP

Social media, in general, is often seen as a tool to reach the masses. You might see a stray engagement that way but how often do we actually “engage” back?

It’s not effective to just post, leave, and expect unlimited traffic.

  • You’ve got to genuinely ask people (not companies) to give their opinion on subjects that you want to learn more about.

  • You’ve got to seek other ideas and open the discussion to anyone (publicly).

  • You’ve got to use hashtags that involve other topics that might not be related to your post but does relate to your field and interest.

When it comes to LinkedIn, there are two points I’d really like to point out when it comes to building your base and maximizing your engagement.

1: Remember you can only “connect” with people first…not companies. Build your base with your personal LinkedIn platform.

  • Write articles with your personal profile. (There’s a difference between articles and posts)

  • Be your original self and keep it professional.

  • Make certain your personal LinkedIn profile is up to date. This includes your current title, links to your company website – even special links you want to include like your company email or phone number.

2: Follow the companies you are interested in. This is where LinkedIn company pages come in. (These are posts.)

  • Share original content from your blog or website on your company page.

  • Keep your creatives polished and branded.

  • Keep the text (or copy) about the post simple and the link to the URL short.

  • Reply promptly to any comments or likes from your posts on your company page.

  • Comment on other company pages that are added in your feed when you follow them on your personal platform. This = Engagement!

  • Share content from other company pages you follow and comment on them.

  • Be authentic in your comments and don’t link to anything else unless it directly relates to your business page.

If you need guidance, we’re here to help. Visit Apis Productions’ Social Media and let us know what your needs are.

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Why LinkedIn Should Be Part of Your Promotion Strategy

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Start Networking

Are you connected? Depending on your promotional needs and capacity, you might be on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Remember to take a look at LinkedIn as well. While LinkedIn might seem like a social media venue for individuals, not organizations, it can play a key role in your promotional strategy.

LinkedIn Excels at B2B Connections

Like all social networking sites, LinkedIn is an opportunity to build community. Since LinkedIn is a profile of the work that you do, it’s the place to let other businesses know how you can help them grow and support their needs. While many social media networks don’t necessarily translate into tangible leads, LinkedIn does.

LinkedIn Generates Lasting Connections

Leads come from good quality interactions with other businesses. Instead of trying to accumulate as many contacts as possible, focus on building quality connections with those contacts that you have. Use LinkedIn’s search feature to find important contacts in your area, and connect with them personally through discussion groups or private messages. Tag your existing connections in your posts to encourage communication. By making an extra effort to cultivate connections, you’ll create stronger business networks that could yield real-world customers.

Sponsored Updates Offer an Entry Point for Key Content

When you’ve created a piece of content that you’re proud of and you want to bring it to a wider audience, you can share it with a targeted audience through LinkedIn’s sponsored updates. With a sponsored update, you pay to ensure that your updates get to the audience you request, and you can track analytics to see how successful your updates are at attracting reader engagement.

Discussion Groups are a Venue to Share Your Expertise

By making useful and content-rich comments in LinkedIn groups, the community of businesses that need your information will begin to rely on you as a trusted source. Focus on commenting in small, niche discussion groups or groups specific to your region so that your posts will stand out.

If you need guidance, we’re here to help. Visit https://apisproductions.com/social-media-campaigns/ and let us know what your needs are.

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