Fun interview with the folks at B2B Playbook where we talk about b2b marketing, Linkedin ads, and startup life. 

I'll also cover a pretty amazing retargeting framework that Impactable has rolled out to over 200+ clients!

Linkedin Ads VS Facebook Ads

People really like to compare different ad channels to each other to try to see which one is better or where they should put their money or maybe even just what to try next. 

I’ll start off by saying that each channel is actually pretty different for a few different reasons and you can’t just be thinking in terms of cost per click or cost per lead. 

You need to evaluate channels on these criteria. 

1. Targeting

• Each channel builds targeting in a different way and is better suited for targets that match a certain demographic.  Part of this is because people actually use each platform differently and are in different modes when using them. 

Facebook is traditionally considered a more consumer-type platform where people come to consume content, be entertained, and buy B2C-type products. These are typically impulse buys. 

It’s typically not the best place to start a B2B relationship or build a target list using their filters but it can be a great medium to show up on if you bring your targeted list from outside. 

Targeting on Facebook:

On Facebook, you can’t really get that granular on the position title, years of experience, industry, and things of that nature. You can target “business owners” or professionals and then you can work in interests that might help identify what bucket they fall in. 

Targeting on Linkedin:

Linkedin is the world’s largest professional database which gives it a pretty big advantage when it comes to building targeted lists for B2B ads or outreach. 

You can specify things like:

Position tile

Job function

Seniority level

Geography

Years of experience

Industry

Company size 

And then on top of those..things like interest in marketing automation, retargeting, sustainability and more. 

You can stack job/industry criteria on top of interest/skill sets to really get an ideal prospect who is more likely to have a need and be interested in your offering. 

Audience mindset

The other thing I try to keep in mind when advertising on a channel is this. What is the average user really here to do. And is my ad going to disrupt that activity in a good way or bad way? 

Linkedin is probably the only platform that B2B decision-makers actually log on to with the mindset of being influenced on business and buying decisions. They are looking for industry news/insights, tips + hacks, and also to discover new products/services and vendors that could save them money or deliver better client success. 

Price vs Quality

The other sticking point for many is that they hear “Linkedin ads are just too expensive” or maybe just more expensive than facebook. 

If you are looking at cost per click or cost per lead…i’ll 100% agree with you. 

I’d argue that Linkedin delivers much higher quality traffic for the above reasons and that a booked call from Linkedin is 3-5 more likely to end up as a new paying client than a Facebook call. 

I’d take 5 Linkedin ads booked calls over 10 Facebook booked calls any day of the week. 

So what’s the answer? - I’d use both but favor Linkedin with my spend. To me it’s rarely ever a matter of this or that..but more how do we leverage each platform to their best functionality. 

Elements of a Linkedin Ad - Launch Day!

1. First, you have the name at the top. This is optional but can help with organization or even numbering different options. 

2. Next, you have the introductory text space. 

This is where you’ll input the main copy for the ad which will show above the image. For this one, I’m referring to single image ads which are the most common. Once you understand how these work and what each space is for, the other ad formats are honestly not that intimidating. 

3. Third up is the destination URL

This just means that if someone clicks the image of the ad or the call to action button (CTA) this is the destination they will be pushed to. 

4. Next is the ad image. 

We like to use rectangular images here much like the “sponsored Linkedin post” option in canva. These are typically 1200 x 627. 

5. Fifth element of an ad is the headline. 

This is the small sentence (just 200 characters) that will show below the image of the ad and next to the call to action button 

6. The 6th element of a Linkedin ad is the description. 

You get 300 characters here and it’s basically as it sounds..a description of the service or action you’d like them to take. 

The thing about the description is that it will not actually show on mobile. It can only be seen when you are leveraging the Linkedin display network and when the user is on the desktop. 

For us that means that this is typically visible when we run retargeting campaigns and open things up to the Linkedin audience network. 

In the event that this actually does show, it will show the description and not the intro. So viewers will see the image, the headline, and the description. 

Just something to keep in mind when using the audience network. 

7. Last element of a Linkedin ad here is the call to action button. 

This is the button that appears on the bottom right of the ad image and has a clickable action. 

This is just a text filed and then the prospect will be pushed to the destination URL when they click. 

For example the most commonly used would be “learn more” and which then pushes them to the website destination URL. 

OR “Download” which then pops up a LinkedIn lead gen form which triggers an ebook to be sent to the prospects provided email address. 

And there you have it folks….you are ready to save and launch the ad!

And if you’ve been following along and setting things up with us, you have everything you need to track conversions, build the retargeting audience, and launch a killer retargeting campaign in about a month!

Keep following us as we get into some intermediate stuff next with ad optimization, retargeting strategy, UTM tracking, Google analytics, and more!