Common LinkedIn Ads Mistakes and How to Fix Them

LinkedIn Ads can be a powerful tool for reaching a professional audience and driving business results. However, many marketers make common mistakes that hinder their campaigns' effectiveness. Here’s a look at some of these mistakes, along with detailed tips, tricks, and benchmarks to help you maximize your LinkedIn Ads performance.

Poor Targeting

Mistake

One of the biggest mistakes is poor targeting. LinkedIn offers robust targeting options, but many advertisers fail to use them effectively. They either target too broadly or too narrowly, missing out on potential leads.

How to Fix

Define Your Audience

• Tip: Use LinkedIn’s targeting features to define your audience based on criteria like industry, company size, job function, seniority, and skills.
• Trick: Use Boolean logic in your targeting to combine multiple attributes (e.g., “Marketing AND Manager”).
• Benchmark: Campaigns targeting by job function and seniority tend to have a 32% higher engagement rate compared to those targeting broader categories.
• Pro Tip: Start with an audience size of at least 50,000 to 100,000 to ensure you have enough reach without being too broad.

Use Audience Segmentation

• Tip: Create different audience segments for different messages. Tailor your ads to speak directly to each segment’s needs and pain points.
• Trick: Use LinkedIn’s Audience Expansion feature to reach similar audiences to your existing segments.
• Benchmark: Segmented campaigns can see up to a 60% increase in conversion rates.

Leverage Matched Audiences

• Tip: Upload your own contact lists or retarget website visitors to ensure you’re reaching people who are already familiar with your brand.
• Trick: Use LinkedIn Insight Tag to gather more data on your website visitors and retarget them effectively.
• Benchmark: Retargeting campaigns often achieve a 70% higher conversion rate than non-retargeting campaigns.

Weak Ad Copy and Creative

Mistake

Ad copy and creative that don’t resonate with your audience or fail to capture their attention can lead to poor performance.

How to Fix

Craft Compelling Headlines

• Tip: Your headline is the first thing users see. Make it clear, concise, and compelling.
• Trick: Use numbers and statistics in your headlines to grab attention (e.g., “Increase Your Sales by 30%”).
• Benchmark: Headlines with numbers can boost CTR by 36%.

Use Strong Visuals

• Tip: High-quality images or videos can significantly increase engagement. Make sure your visuals are relevant and eye-catching.
• Trick: Use carousel ads to showcase multiple images and tell a story.
• Benchmark: Video ads typically achieve a 20% higher engagement rate than static image ads.

Include a Clear Call to Action (CTA)

• Tip: Tell your audience exactly what you want them to do, whether it’s downloading a whitepaper, signing up for a webinar, or visiting your website.
• Trick: Use actionable language in your CTA (e.g., “Download Now” or “Get Started”).
• Benchmark: Ads with clear CTAs have a 30% higher conversion rate.

Ignoring Analytics and Performance Data

Mistake

Failing to monitor and analyze your ad performance can lead to missed opportunities for optimization.

How to Fix

Regularly Review Metrics

• Tip: Track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, cost per conversion, and return on ad spend (ROAS).
• Trick: Set up automated reports to receive regular updates on your campaign performance.
• Benchmark: A good CTR for LinkedIn ads is around 0.5%. Aim for a conversion rate of 2-5%.

A/B Testing

• Tip: Continuously test different versions of your ads to see what works best. Test different headlines, images, CTAs, and targeting options.
• Trick: Use LinkedIn’s Campaign Manager to set up A/B tests and compare performance.
• Benchmark: Successful A/B testing can improve campaign performance by up to 20%.

Adjust Based on Data

• Tip: Use the insights from your analytics to refine your targeting, ad copy, and creative. Don’t be afraid to pivot your strategy if the data suggests a better approach.
• Trick: Implement changes incrementally and monitor their impact before making further adjustments.
• Benchmark: Regular optimization can reduce cost per lead by up to 25%.

Not Optimizing for Mobile

Mistake

With a significant portion of LinkedIn users accessing the platform via mobile devices, not optimizing your ads for mobile can result in lost opportunities.

How to Fix

Mobile-Friendly Design

• Tip: Ensure your ad images and landing pages are optimized for mobile. Use responsive design to provide a seamless experience across devices.
• Trick: Test your ads and landing pages on multiple devices to ensure they look good and function well.
• Benchmark: Mobile-optimized ads can see a 34% higher CTR than non-optimized ads.

Shorten Forms

• Tip: If you’re using lead gen forms, keep them short and straightforward. Mobile users are less likely to fill out long forms.
• Trick: Ask only for essential information initially and follow up later for additional details.
• Benchmark: Short forms can increase form completion rates by up to 50%.

Neglecting the Landing Page Experience

Mistake

Driving traffic to a poorly designed landing page can result in high bounce rates and low conversions.

How to Fix

Consistency

• Tip: Ensure your landing page matches the ad in terms of messaging and design. This consistency helps reinforce your message and increases trust.
• Trick: Use similar images, colors, and language on your landing page as in your ad.
• Benchmark: Consistent messaging can increase conversion rates by up to 39%.

Optimize for Speed

• Tip: A slow-loading landing page can deter potential leads. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to improve your page load times.
• Trick: Compress images and leverage browser caching to improve load times.
• Benchmark: Pages that load within 2-3 seconds have a 50% higher conversion rate than slower pages.

Clear CTA

• Tip: Just like your ad, your landing page should have a clear and compelling CTA. Make it easy for users to take the next step.
• Trick: Use large, contrasting buttons for your CTA to make them stand out.
• Benchmark: Clear and prominent CTAs can boost conversion rates by up to 30%.

Budget Mismanagement

Mistake

Improper budget allocation can lead to overspending or underfunding your campaigns, both of which can affect your ROI.

How to Fix

Set Clear Objectives

• Tip: Define what you want to achieve with your ads (e.g., brand awareness, lead generation) and allocate your budget accordingly.
• Trick: Use LinkedIn’s budgeting tools to set daily or lifetime budgets and avoid overspending.
• Benchmark: Allocate 70% of your budget to proven campaigns and 30% to experimental ones.

Monitor Spend

• Tip: Regularly check your ad spend and adjust your budget as needed. Make sure you’re not overspending on underperforming ads.
• Trick: Set up alerts to notify you when you’re approaching your budget limits.
• Benchmark: Regular budget monitoring can reduce wasted spend by up to 25%.

Use Bid Strategies

• Tip: Experiment with different bidding strategies (e.g., cost per click, cost per impression) to find the most cost-effective approach for your campaigns.
• Trick: Start with automated bidding to gather data, then switch to manual bidding for more control.
• Benchmark: Optimized bidding strategies can lower cost per conversion by up to 20%.
• Pro Tip: Begin with a minimum budget of $100 per campaign to gather enough data and make meaningful optimizations.

Overlooking LinkedIn’s Ad Formats

Mistake

Not utilizing the variety of ad formats available on LinkedIn can limit your campaign’s reach and effectiveness.

How to Fix

Explore Different Formats

• Tip: LinkedIn offers several ad formats including Sponsored Content, Sponsored InMail, Text Ads, and Dynamic Ads. Each format has its own strengths and can be used to achieve different objectives.
• Trick: Test each ad format to see which performs best for your specific goals.
• Benchmark: Sponsored Content typically achieves a 0.5% CTR, while Sponsored InMail can see open rates as high as 50%.

Match Format to Goal

• Tip: Choose the ad format that aligns with your campaign goals. For instance, use Sponsored InMail for direct communication and Text Ads for quick, concise messages.
• Trick: Combine different formats in a single campaign to reach users at various stages of the buyer’s journey.
• Benchmark: Multi-format campaigns can achieve a 30% higher engagement rate.

By avoiding these common mistakes and implementing these detailed fixes, you can significantly improve the performance of your LinkedIn Ads campaigns. Remember, continuous testing and optimization are key to staying ahead in the competitive landscape of LinkedIn advertising.

Need help with your LinkedIn campaigns? We offer professional audits and personalized strategies to maximize your LinkedIn Ads performance. Book a discovery call with us today!