Innovate Your Business: LinkedIn Sponsored Content Strategies Revealed

The most effective business networking strategies are the ones that have been carefully curated by LinkedIn’s own team of curators. These expertly designed content strategies include a range of topics from job listings and career advice to leadership styles and best practices for businesses. By working with our network of thought leaders, we aim to help you develop your strategy and connect with like-minded individuals who can accelerate your professional growth.

This year, as part of the #LinkedinSponsoredCategories campaign, we wanted to take a closer look at how other companies are using LinkedIn sponsored posts and how they’re doing it right. We also explored different types of sponsorship, including public relations, event campaigns, social media, sponsorships, etc, to understand which posts were actually successful in reaching their target audience. In addition to this, we looked into what types of posts generated more engagement and why. We then analyzed the data to find out some crucial insights around the top 5 post formats on LinkedIn. Keep reading to learn how LinkedIn is helping its members grow professionally, personally, and socially.

What Are LinkedIn Sponsored Posts?

LinkedIn sponsored posts refer to paid placements on your profile, providing additional value to your connections. For example, an employer might pay $5 per 1000 views or get $1 per view on posts with 10 000 or more views. This will allow them to reach a wider audience within LinkedIn’s community of professionals and build a reputation and credibility through consistent posting efforts over time. To ensure that these messages resonate with potential customers, employers may use influencers for their promotional message, but they are not required to do so and can choose to promote directly to employees (such as via social media) or directly to consumers (such as online reviews).

In order to engage your followers and increase visibility to potential customers, organizations may need to create various types of sponsored posts. Here are some examples:

Job Listings : Companies might sponsor job openings on your LinkedIn profile and provide resources on landing pages, job boards, salary estimations, and more. They could also add a personalized section below each listing to inform users about their services — such as “How Can I Get Started?”

: Companies might sponsor job openings on your LinkedIn profile and provide resources on landing pages, job boards, salary estimations, and more. They could also add a personalized section below each listing to inform users about their services — such as “How Can I Get Started?” Newsletter : You can create newsletters tailored to specific audiences to keep your subscribers informed about upcoming events, new products, and industry news.

: You can create newsletters tailored to specific audiences to keep your subscribers informed about upcoming events, new products, and industry news. Community Stories : Organizations can share stories related to their communities in ways that are interactive and engaging.

: Organizations can share stories related to their communities in ways that are interactive and engaging. Industry News : Publications can publish industry updates in a variety of ways, such as blog articles, podcasts, video, and more.

: Publications can publish industry updates in a variety of ways, such as blog articles, podcasts, video, and more. Thought Leadership : Experts and thought leaders can share valuable information in exchange for money, such as in-depth interviews with experts, thought pieces, webinars, and more.

: Experts and thought leaders can share valuable information in exchange for money, such as in-depth interviews with experts, thought pieces, webinars, and more. Company Updates: If your company has issues with any updates or changes coming up in the future, you can include information related to those changes in ways that are relevant to readers.

Examples of LinkedIn Sponsored Post Format Types

Below are the five most common type of branded posts used across LinkedIn by brands and companies. While there are many ways to advertise on LinkedIn, here are two examples to illustrate the types of ads:

Featured Image Ads

Featured image ads are one of the most popular types of ads on LinkedIn, especially when used correctly. With featured image ads, companies promote images in a way that attracts a certain demographic, such as college students, women, or men, or anyone interested in tech/business/entrepreneurship. Some popular platforms for featuring photos on LinkedIn include Unsplash, Pinterest, and Instagram Reels. It’s important to be transparent about the type of image being used in the ad, so people know what kind of imagery is being used to sell their product or service. One great tip for using featured images on LinkedIn is to focus on high-quality images that stand out from competitors and are visually appealing.

Featured picture ads tend to outperform other forms of advertising because they offer higher engagement rates to users, as well as higher impressions and click-through rate. But even with this advantage, featured pictures still tend to fall short of earning the trust of prospective clients because people don’t know if the company plans to display the image on all of their profiles. As such, you need to make sure that your featured image ads are optimized for search and not just for LinkedIn users. So, be sure to optimize your advertisements to show up as often as possible on LinkedIn.

Featured Image Pins & Thumbnail Ads

Featured pins and thumbnail ads are another form of paid promotion on LinkedIn. Unlike featured image ads, featured pin ads are only shown to current connections and never to non-members. When it comes to promoting your brand and offering solutions, thumbnail ads are an excellent choice, as they can quickly draw attention to your business and generate traffic to your site. Many times, companies use thumbnails on Facebook groups, but you can use them as standalone posts on LinkedIn or anywhere else where you want users to see your latest promotions. Because thumbnails are so simple, they are usually the first thing that will come to someone’s mind when looking at a list of options from your website.

Featured Pin Ad Tips

Here are tips for creating a successful pinned ad on LinkedIn. First, consider the format of your ad. Do you want to drive traffic to your website, convert prospects into leads, or provide customer support? Then, think about the type of user you’re targeting. Is it a student looking for courses for their degree program? A freelance writer searching for new writing opportunities? A sales rep trying to attract potential customers? Once you have decided on the platform and type of user you want to target, start brainstorming ideas about how to position your ad. What keywords should you use? Does your ad need to be placed in front of the correct audience? And finally, how would you describe your product? How long should an ad be? Finally, consider how much space you need to place your ad. Would you like to run a full-size banner that covers the entire screen? Or would you prefer to spread your ad out over multiple screens?

Now that you have determined your goals in advance, let’s dive into the implementation phase. On LinkedIn, you can create a custom ad template or adjust pre-made templates for maximum flexibility. Next, decide which location you want your ad to appear on, whether it needs to be in a feed, or anywhere else on your page, and finally, what kind of image and caption you want your ad to contain. Lastly, choose the type of payment you want your ad to use (in both cases, check the box beside the ‘Ad on LinkedIn’ button) and hit send! Within an hour, you’ll have successfully created a highly visible and engaging ad for your client. Additionally, since you chose the exact same platform to run your ad, there’s no chance of getting blocked in your area. Therefore, chances are there will be no negative feedback from any prospective or existing clients. Overall, if done properly, LinkedIn sponsored posts can yield impressive results for your business, allowing you to increase your visibility to a broader range of potential customers.

The Best Ways to Use LinkedIn Sponsored Posts

Here are some key recommendations for developing your LinkedIn sponsored posts. Firstly, it’s essential to research the type of audience you’re aiming for. For instance, while you might want to reach a younger and more diverse group of potential customers, your marketing to older demographics may not always work due to cultural differences or a lack of knowledge about industry trends and topics. Another option is to opt for niche-specific categories, such as healthcare, finance, education, or technology, to reach a more focused set of potential buyers.

It’s also wise to plan ahead when running ads on LinkedIn, so you’re prepared for any unexpected complications. Consider using Google Analytics to track how many views your ad is getting, as well as the likes, shares, comments, and engagements received. Knowing when to adjust your budget or move away from paying for every single interaction helps avoid the frustration of constantly chasing numbers that aren’t necessarily accurate or representative of your overall success. Furthermore, be mindful of taking risks. Running ads on LinkedIn requires quite a bit of initial investment, especially since the process is relatively unpredictable. However, the potential rewards can outweigh the risks. Ultimately, leveraging your sponsored posts effectively can help you maximize the potential benefits from your investments and improve your personal brand in the eyes of your chosen audience.