As easy as it may said to be but going through the work on online advertising can be really difficult especially when you do not have idea on how to do it, especially when it comes to platforms as nuanced as LinkedIn.
However, the unique opportunity that LinkedIn’s advertising platform offers, allowing you to reach potential customers based on their professional interests and connections, is a privilege that can significantly enhance your marketing objectives.
Whether you’re looking to diversify your advertising strategy or aiming directly to connect with your target audience professionally, understanding how to set up a LinkedIn ad account is crucial.
By mastering the setup process, you can effectively launch campaigns tailored to your business needs, whether for brand awareness, lead generation, or driving website traffic.
This comprehensive article is designed to guide you through creating a LinkedIn ad account, from initial setup to fine-tuning your campaign settings.
You’ll learn how to navigate the LinkedIn Marketing Solutions interface, select ad formats that align with your advertising goals, and configure your account settings to optimize your campaigns.
Additionally, we’ll cover how to review and confirm your information, agree to LinkedIn’s terms to create your account, and add users to your LinkedIn Campaign Manager.
Whether setting up a LinkedIn account for a business for the first time or looking to refine your existing LinkedIn advertising strategy, this guide will provide the insights needed to create impactful marketing campaigns on one of the world’s leading professional networking platforms.
Create Your LinkedIn Ad Account
The initial setup of your LinkedIn ad account is a really important step that well sets the foundation for your advertising success. To begin, follow these straightforward steps:
Sign in to LinkedIn
Firstly, sign into your LinkedIn account to access the LinkedIn Campaign Manager. This platform is your central hub for all advertising activities on LinkedIn, allowing you to create and manage your campaigns efficiently.
Navigate to LinkedIn Ads
Once logged in, click the Work icon at the top-right corner of your LinkedIn homepage and select Advertise. If you’re a new advertiser, you’ll be directed to a welcome screen to create a new ad account.
You’ll see the overview page of your last accessed ad account for existing advertisers. To switch accounts, just make a click on the account name in the upper left of the Page and choose the correct account from the dropdown.
Start a new account setup.
Upon arrival at the welcome screen, LinkedIn will propose an account name, company Page, and currency tailored to your profile details.
You can adjust the account name by clicking under Account name and entering a new name. The suggested LinkedIn Page is usually the most recently updated Page where you hold an admin role.
After reviewing and confirming these details, click Agree & Create Account to finalize the setup. This action will lead you to the campaign creation page within Campaign Manager, where you can start designing your advertising campaigns.
Remember, once your ad account is created, the currency and associated LinkedIn Page cannot be changed. You will automatically receive account manager and billing admin access, enabling you to add colleagues or partners to manage the account collaboratively.
Set Up Account Details
To effectively set up your LinkedIn ad account details, follow these essential steps:
Choose Account Name
Begin by signing into Campaign Manager. Once there, the account name is displayed in the upper-left corner of the Page.
If you wish to rename your ad account for better recognition or organizational purposes, click the account name, select Edit account, and enter a new name in the Account name field.
For example, you could choose a name that reflects the type of campaigns you’ll be running or the department within your company that will be managing the account. Confirm your changes by clicking Update account.
Select Company Page
Associating a LinkedIn page with your ad account is crucial as it enables using all ad formats and features in Campaign Manager.
If your account isn’t linked to a Page, you’ll be unable to use specific ad formats like Sponsored Content or Dynamic ads.
It’s important to choose the right Company Page as this decision cannot be changed without creating a new ad account. Selecting the wrong Page can lead to wasted resources and ineffective campaigns.
To link a Page, navigate to Account settings in Campaign Manager, click Edit account, and type the name or URL of your LinkedIn Page in the provided field.
Pick the Account Currency
The currency for your ad account must be selected during the initial setup and cannot be altered later. This currency will be used for all billing and budgeting purposes within your campaigns.
To set your preferred currency, access the campaign settings and choose from the available options, which include USD, EUR, GBP, and many others based on your billing address. Ensure this selection aligns with your company’s financial operations to avoid complications in campaign budgeting.
By meticulously configuring these details, you ensure your LinkedIn ad account is tailored to meet your business’s specific needs, facilitating smoother and more effective campaign management.
Review and Confirm Information
Before finalizing your LinkedIn ad account setup, reviewing and confirming several key details is crucial to ensure everything is correctly set up for your advertising needs. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you verify the necessary information.
Verify Account Name
Once you sign into the Campaign Manager, you’ll see the account name in the upper-left corner of the Page. If you have multiple ad accounts, click the account name to view a detailed list and ensure you’re working on the correct one. This is essential as the account name is prominently displayed in all your campaigns.
Check Company Page Association
Your LinkedIn ad account must be associated with a Company Page to utilize all available ad formats and features. Suppose your account isn’t linked to a Company Page.
In that case, you won’t have access to Sponsored Content ad formats like single image ads, video ads, or carousel image ads, as well as Dynamic ad formats such as follower ads, spotlight ads, or job ads.
To check or modify this, navigate to ‘Account Settings,’ click ‘Edit Account,’ and then input the name or URL of your LinkedIn Page. Remember, once a Page is linked to your ad account, it cannot be changed unless you create a new ad account.
Confirm Billing Details
It’s essential to ensure that your billing details are accurate to prevent disruptions in your ad campaigns. Check that the billing information, including the payment method and the billing address, is up-to-date.
If you need to make changes or update your credit card information, you can do this through the Account Billing Center.
If your account is set up for monthly invoicing, ensure your company details are correct per legal documents to pass the credit check. Reviewing and confirming these details is crucial, as any inaccuracies can lead to issues with your ad campaigns.
By carefully reviewing and confirming these details, you can avoid common pitfalls and set your LinkedIn advertising campaigns up for success.
Agree and Create an Account
Once you have reviewed and updated your information on the LinkedIn Campaign Manager, you are ready to finalize the creation of your ad account.
Click Agree & Create Account to proceed. This step is crucial as it confirms your acceptance of LinkedIn’s terms and conditions and establishes your account with the specified settings.
Upon creating your account, note that the currency and LinkedIn Page associated with the account cannot be changed. This ensures consistency in your advertising campaigns and billing processes.
Additionally, you will automatically be granted account manager and billing admin access. This level of access allows you to add colleagues or partners to manage the ad account, enhancing collaborative efforts in your advertising strategies.
It is essential to understand the status of your LinkedIn Ads account, which can be found on the Campaign Manager account page.
An active status indicates that your account is set up correctly and you are ready to begin advertising. If your account is on hold, it is essential to check the secondary status for more details about the issue, which could be related to billing or account verification.
Ensuring all information is correct and agreeing to create the account sets a solid foundation for your LinkedIn advertising campaigns.
This step is about starting your ad campaigns and setting them up for future success by ensuring all necessary permissions and settings are in place.
Final Steps and Important Notes
Access Campaign Manager
To manage your LinkedIn ad campaigns effectively, access the Campaign Manager. Click the Work icon from the top-right corner of your LinkedIn homepage and select Advertise.
For new advertisers, you’ll be directed to a welcome screen to create a new ad account, while existing advertisers will see the overview page of their last accessed ad account.
If in any way you need to switch accounts, just click the account name on the upper left of the Page and select the correct account from the dropdown.
Add Users and Manage Roles
Adding team members to your LinkedIn Ads account is crucial for collaborative campaign management. You can only add users who are your 1st, 2nd, or 3rd-degree connections.
Assign user roles carefully, choosing from options that allow varying levels of access and control. To add a user, sign into Campaign Manager, navigate to Account Settings, click Manage access, and then Add User.
Please enter the User’s LinkedIn Profile URL, select their role, and confirm by clicking Add. Remember, the account creator is automatically the billing admin, but having more than one account manager is advisable for redundancy.
Understand Limitations and Constraints
Be aware of the limitations and constraints within the LinkedIn Ads platform. Each ad account must have a billing administrator, and the LinkedIn page associated cannot be changed after the account is set up.
Users who need to create sponsored content ads must also be added as sponsored content posters, managed through the LinkedIn page settings, not as Campaign Manager. Brtter understanding these rules will really help you navigate the platform more effectively and avoid common pitfalls.
Conclusion
Through meticulous guidance, this article has rendered a comprehensive road map for setting up a LinkedIn ad account, detailing every critical step from the initialization of an ad account to its finalization and the strategic addition of users for optimized campaign management.
Throughout this journey, the narrative has underscored the importance of meticulous detail orientation—from selecting the proper ad formats aligned with your marketing goals to the significance of accurate account details, laying a foundation for impactful marketing campaigns on LinkedIn.
Key facets such as selecting an appropriate company page, ensuring your billing details are correct, and understanding the functionalities within the LinkedIn Campaign Manager have been highlighted, ensuring readers are well-equipped to navigate the nuances of LinkedIn advertising.
Embarking on LinkedIn advertising necessitates a thorough understanding and strategic approach, as this guide delineates.
By following the outlined steps, marketers can leverage LinkedIn’s unique professional networking platform effectively to meet and exceed their advertising objectives.
The significance of this undertaking extends beyond the immediate; it is a vital investment in your brand’s digital footprint, promising expanded visibility and engagement within your target professional demographic.
With the ever-changing digital terrain, the insights and methodologies shared herein serve as a blueprint for harnessing the full potential of LinkedIn advertising, urging marketers towards continuous adaptation and innovation in their strategies.
FAQs
1. How can I set up a LinkedIn advertisement from start to finish?
To create a LinkedIn ad, follow these five steps in the LinkedIn Campaign Manager:
a) Define your campaign objective (awareness, consideration, or conversions).
b) Choose your targeting criteria to specify who will see your ad.
c) Select the type of ad you want to run (options include sponsored, message, dynamic, or text ads).
d) Determine your advertising budget.
e) Monitor and assess the performance of your ad to gauge its success.
2. What are the steps for a beginner to run a LinkedIn ad campaign?
If you’re new to LinkedIn advertising, start by creating a LinkedIn Page if you still need to create one. Then, use the Campaign Manager to:
a) Choose your advertising goal.
b) Build your target audience.
c) Decide on the ad format you want to use.
d) Set your budget and campaign schedule.
This approach will help you kick off a successful ad campaign on LinkedIn.
3. Is a LinkedIn page necessary to initiate a LinkedIn ads campaign?
To start a Sponsored Content ad campaign on LinkedIn, you need to have either a LinkedIn Page or a Showcase Page linked to your Campaign Manager ad account. Sponsored Content ads allow you to reach a broader audience beyond your Page’s followers.
4. How do I link my LinkedIn Page to my ad account?
To connect a LinkedIn Page to an existing ad account, follow these steps:
a) Log into Campaign Manager.
b) If you need to switch between accounts, click the account name at the top left of the Page and then you will need to select the desired account from the dropdown menu.
c) Navigate to ‘Account settings’ from the left menu, then click ‘Edit account’.
d) Make necessary changes and click ‘Save Changes’ to finalize the association.