LinkedIn Sponsored Content
Andrew KaplanProduct Marketing LeadLinkedIn Sponsored Content
Pavels KilivniksLinkedIn Content Strategist
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1. Why Content Marketing?2. Demo: LinkedIn Sponsored Content3. Getting Started Tips
Agenda for today
Why Content Marketing?
Content marketing is here to stay
Percentage of B2B RespondentsUsing Content Marketing
2015 B2B Content Marketing Trends-North America: Content Marketing Institute / Marketing Profs
12Number of online searches a B2B buyer performs
before going to a brand’s website. -Source: TopRank Blog
Your prospects are searching for answers — will you be there to help them at the right moment?
Content helps you build relationships with prospects early in their buyer’s journey
90%
Amount of purchase process that buyers complete before making contact with vendor.
-Source: Forrester
74%
Of B2B buyers choose a vendor that’s first to help them with useful content.
-Source: Inside Sales
Deliver helpful content to create trust, build brand consideration, and drive quality leads
Why Content marketing on LinkedIn?
Accurate profile-based targeting
Professional mindset that makes members receptive to
brand content
Premiumaudience of influencers and business decision-makers
B2B marketers call LinkedIn their most effective and widely-used content platform
Sponsored Content: Targeted content marketing in the world’s only professional news feed
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Raise brand awareness
Drive Quality Leads
Build CustomerRelationships
LinkedIn Sponsored Content Demo(Get started at linkedin.com/ads)
Getting started with Sponsored Content is as Easy as 1-2-3
Create campaign
1. Become an Admin of your LinkedIn Company Page
2. Sponsor your best content
Choose your audience
1. Target your ads to your ideal prospect or customer
Make your bids
1. Bid on a CPM or CPC basis
Navigate to Your Company Page
Or, set up a Business Account
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Step 1 Step 2
Don’t have a Company Page? It’s easy to make one!
Choose a Company Update You already have content!
You can also create a campaign at LinkedIn.com/ads
Choose a Company Update You already have content!
Easy as 1-2-3Creating an Ad Campaign
Step 1 Create an Ad Campaign
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
Give your campaigna name: Keep it simple Include targeting regions,
dates, and versions
Step 1 Create an Ad Campaign
Look through your company page to review content
you already have.
Choose a company update thatyou want to sponsor.
You will be able to see a preview for desktop, mobile, and tablet.
Step 1 Create an Ad Campaign
Step 2 Choose Your Audience
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
LinkedIn enables you to choose whom to target using a variety of criteria.
Danielle
Seattle, WA USA
Boston University
COMPANY
NAME
INDUSTRYSIZE
SCHOOL
LOCATION
JOB
TITLESENIORITY
FUNCTION
FIELD OF STUDY
DEGREE
GRADUATION AGE
SKILLS
GROUPS
IP
Communication
Bachelor of Science
2011, 25-34
Simply Measured, 51-200, Internet
Senior Marketing Manager, Marketing, Senior IC
CMA, LEWIS, Social Tools
SEO, Social Media, Digital Marketing, Blogging
Step 2 Choose your Audience
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
LinkedIn enables you to choose whom to target using a variety of criteria.
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
Filter by location: continent, country, state, or region…
Step 2 Choose your Audience
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
… or choose which to exclude from your campaign.
Step 2 Choose your Audience
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
Choose companies you want to target by the company name.
Step 2 Choose your Audience
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
Step 2
…or by industry andcompany size.
Again, you can choose to exclude companiesthat don’t fit your targeting criteria.
Choose your Audience
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
Step 2
Finally, target by job title, job function, or seniority.
Choose your Audience
We offer a variety of targeting options. Experiment with what we offer to reach the right audience.
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
Step 2 Choose your Audience
You can also target by: • Schools • Field and degree of study• Skills• Groups• Gender• Age
Audience Expansion will help you scale yourcampaigns and discover new audiences.
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
Identify the onsite behaviors that indicate high engagement or
specific interests
Define the most desirable business demographic
segments
Understand the audiences that have already taken specific
actions on your site or converted
Step 2 Choose your Audience
You can also target by: • Schools • Field and degree of study• Skills• Groups• Gender• Age
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Explore our playbook for targeting best practices
View or download atbit.ly/1SMDgOA
Step 3 Make your Bids
Decide whether you want to pay for clicksor for impressions.
Set a daily budget and bid. Set the start date.
Creating Direct Sponsored Content
Access Campaign Manager at linkedin.com/ads
Click “Create campaign”
Click “Create new sponsored content”
Enter a name for your Direct Sponsored Content
Once you’re satisfied, click Save
Your Ad will appear as available to sponsor
Set up Targeting…
Make your Bids…
Your Direct Sponsored Content is now live
Measure your results
Track clicks, impressions, social actions, spend, and more
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Easily optimize by audience segment
Getting Started Tips
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Your company website is a great place to look for content to sponsor
SpecificsWhere to look What to look for
CompanyWebsite
Company BlogRelevant ContentEngaging ImagesCadence
Company ResourcesVideosWhitepapersOther Destinations
‘About Us’ Section Promoting other Social Media Channels
PR/NewsSection Company AnnouncementsIndustry news
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On LinkedIn, speak to the professional mindset
Watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLggwkaCOUs
Your content should help members become more productive and successful
-Source: The Mindset Divide: Revealing the Emotional Differences Between Personal and Professional Networks
Your content should help members become more productive and successful
“Snackable” content that appeals to busy prospects hungry for quick insights
Link images to your site to drive high-quality traffic from clicks on your content
Be Concise: Keep your intro text to 70-150 characters … Shorter text correlates with higher engagement
Always include images in your updates: Images lead to higher engagement
Visual is the new headline
Images should be 1200x627 pixels, and any text in the image should stay in a 1000x586 area
Captivate your audience with a compelling headline that stands out from the crowd
Think like a journalist
Humor works...even on LinkedIn!
Think like a journalist: ● Ask a compelling question● Cite a surprising stat● Make a bold argument● Tie in with current events or
pop culture● Quote a well-known leader
or executive
Rich media updates: More engaging than link shares Uploaded rich media Link share with
preview image
Uploaded images often get up to 38% higher CTR vs. link shares (i.e.: far right)
Visit our blog for examples of great Sponsored Content! http://bit.ly/237a0uq
Turn your content into strategy with a content calendar
How much content is enough? It depends on your goals. Top-performing companies post at least once per day, while others post several times per day. They are often using Direct Sponsored Content to manage the volume.
X7
Week of March 3
Week of March 10
Week of March 17
Monday, March 3, 14
Tuesday, March 4, 14
Wednesday, March 5, 14
Thursday, March 6, 14
Friday, March 7, 14
Monday, March 10, 14
Tuesday, March 11, 14
Wednesday, March 12, 14
Thursday, March 13, 14
Friday, March 14, 14
Monday, March 17, 14
Tuesday, March 18, 14
Wednesday, March 19, 14
Thursday, March 20, 14
Content Calendar Example Intro Copy Content Title URL Content Calendar is a planning document that gives you and your team at LinkedIn a plan of attack for a successful Sponsored Update campaign: Creates a publishing schedule that helps you maintain a consistent presence
Visualizes your marketing strategy
Acts as a communication point for all parties
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Looking for even more guidance on creating successful content marketing plans?
1. LinkedIn Content Marketing Tactical Plan: http://bit.ly/25VsuwG 2. Sophisticated Marketer’s Guide to Content Marketing: http://bit.ly/1OQVqtF
Enlist your employees to share your content
100% of top content marketers on LinkedIn have their employees sharing content
10x On average, your employees have 10x more connections than your
company has followers
57.
“ABC” for Landing Pages
Keep your forms short: 5 fields or fewer
Use mobile-responsive design (over 80% of engagement comes from mobile devices)
Include a clear, relevant offer or value proposition to the member: what’s in it for them?
a)
c)
b)
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Examples of good mobile landing pages
59.
“ABC” for Content Management
Tell Campaign Manager to optimize toward the best performing content (as opposed to rotating ads evenly). This is in your campaign settings.
Run 2-4 pieces of content at a time in a campaign
Refresh campaign with 1-2 pieces of new content every 2-3 weeks: sponsor organic content getting 0.2% CTR or higher on your Company Page
a)
c)
b)
Treat each campaign as a unique target audience, and tailor your content to that audience
60.
“ABC” for Targeting Optimization
Don’t hyper-target: 2-3 profile facets is plenty, and aim for an audience size of 500k members at minimum
Target lower seniority levels when possible to improve reach and, in many cases, engagement!
a)
c)
b)
61.
“ABC” for Bid Strategy & Daily Budgets
Bid lower if you’re hitting your daily budget caps after a week of activity
Start your campaign with a high bid to ensure you are competitive in the auction
CPC bidding is generally better if your goal is traffic or leads; CPM is better if your goal is content impressions
a)
c)
b)
marketing.linkedin.com
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Questions?