How To Fix LinkedIn Ads Not Working

Running a successful LinkedIn ads campaign can be challenging, as the platform’s advertising capabilities often need to improve. You may encounter issues like an inability to schedule campaigns, restricted ad formats in certain regions, and difficulties targeting or optimizing for specific objectives. Managing budgets, creative assets, and lead generation can also prove arduous for LinkedIn ads managers, resulting in high costs and low conversions.

This article explores common problems faced when advertising on LinkedIn and guides how to overcome them. You’ll learn strategies for navigating the ad approval process, refining audience targeting, optimizing budgets and bids, and creating compelling ad content to drive better results from your LinkedIn marketing efforts.

Identifying the Issue

Identifying the root cause of your LinkedIn ads not performing is crucial for implementing effective solutions. Here are some common issues that could be hindering your ad’s success:

1. Improper Audience Targeting

• Need for more targeting: Overly broad audiences exceeding 300,000 users can lead to ineffective ad delivery and high costs.
• Restrictive targeting: Excessively narrow audiences, such as under 15,000 users, may result in low daily clicks as LinkedIn’s algorithm requires a specific volume to operate optimally.

2. Lack of Mobile Optimization

Neglecting mobile optimization can significantly impact your ad’s performance. Ads and landing pages not optimized for mobile devices often experience high bounce rates and low conversions. Avoid using PDF lead generation forms, which can be challenging to view on mobile devices.

3. Targeting an Unengaged Audience

Up to 95% of the B2B audience on LinkedIn may need to actively seek solutions, making them less likely to engage with promotional content. Instead, focus on building relationships and staying top-of-mind by providing valuable, informative content.

4. Ad Policy Violations

1. Ensure your ads comply with LinkedIn’s advertising policies and requirements. Common issues include spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization errors, trademark or copyright infringements, and sensitive content.

5. Technical Issues

Low impressions, clicks, or conversions could stem from technical problems, such as ad blockers, insufficient budget allocation, incorrect location settings, or time restrictions. Thoroughly review your ad setup and rectify any issues preventing your ad from displaying or engaging your target audience effectively.

Through the identification and resolution of prevalent concerns, you can optimize your LinkedIn advertising efforts and improve the overall performance of your campaigns.

Ad Approval Process

Ensuring Compliance with LinkedIn’s Advertising Policies

Complying with the Advertising Policies of the platform is of utmost importance to have your LinkedIn ads approved and running smoothly. Here are some key points to keep in mind:

1. Ad Content Guidelines

• Use standard text, proper spelling, and correct grammar in your ad copy.
• Avoid excessive capitalization, emojis, or including contact information within the ad.
• Do not use “LinkedIn” in your ad content or imply affiliation with the platform, except for the permitted phrase “find me on LinkedIn” per their Trademark Guidelines.
• Include truthful claims and accurate pricing/offers, and ensure your ad’s language matches the intended audience.

2. Landing Page Requirements

• • Your ad’s landing page must have working links and consistent display/landing page URLs.
  • Display billing practices and a privacy policy (if applicable) on the landing page.

3. Review and Approval Process

Remember, most ads are reviewed according to LinkedIn’s policies, except for a limited set in certain countries that Microsoft reviews. Advertisers can edit ad creatives and understand campaign settings in the Campaign Manager.

Audience Targeting

Defining Your Target Audience

The success of your LinkedIn ads greatly on your effectiveness to targete your audience. Location is the only mandatory targeting field, allowing you to target users by city, metro area, state, or country. However, LinkedIn offers a wide range of additional targeting attributes, including company, demographics, education, job experience, and interests.

To streamline the targeting process, starting with an audience template that aligns with your key audiences is recommended, saving you time and effort. When selecting your targeting criteria, avoid “hyper-targeting” by limiting yourself to 2-3 facets. This approach ensures that your audience size remains sufficient, ideally over 50,000 for Sponsored Content/Text Ads and over 15,000 for Message Ads.

Expanding Your Reach

If your target audience is too narrow, consider leveraging LinkedIn’s Audience Expansion and Lookalike Audience options. These features allow you to reach users similar to your existing audience, expanding your potential reach while maintaining relevance.

Additionally, Matched Audiences enable you to leverage your business data for custom targeting, further enhancing the precision of your campaigns. This feature allows you to target up to 300,000 companies, providing a powerful tool for B2B advertisers.

Optimizing Targeting Criteria

To ensure optimal performance, aligning your targeting criteria with your campaign objectives is essential. For instance, when targeting Job Functions, combine them with Job Seniorities to reach decision-makers with specific expertise. Avoid limiting your audience by targeting only a few Job Titles; use the auto-suggest feature to include all relevant job titles.

Targeting by Job Seniority can be an effective strategy for reaching individuals who influence buying decisions. Alternatively, consider using Member Skills targeting as an alternative to Job Titles, especially when job titles may need to capture the relevant expertise more effectively.

Budget and Bidding

Proper budgeting and bidding strategy are crucial for the success of your LinkedIn ads. Inadequate budgeting can lead to suboptimal results, while a practical bidding approach can maximize your return on investment.

Budgeting Considerations

LinkedIn ads can be expensive, but they often cost less per opportunity and pipeline than other channels. It’s essential to allocate an appropriate budget rather than just using ‘leftovers.’ Here are some key points to consider:

1. Determine Your Objectives: Align your budget with your campaign goals, whether it’s lead generation, brand awareness, or driving website traffic.
2. Analyze Historical Data: Review the performance of your previous campaigns to estimate an appropriate budget range.
3. Test and Optimize: Begin with a limited budget and gradually increase it as you optimize your campaigns based on performance data.

Bidding Strategies

LinkedIn provides a range of bidding tactics that aid you manage your advertising costs effectively. The available options include:

1. Maximum Cost-per-Click (C.P.C.): You set the maximum amount you’re willing to pay for each click on your ad.
2. Maximum Cost-per-Send (CPM): You set the maximum amount you’ll pay for every 1,000 impressions your ad receives.
3. Automated Bidding: LinkedIn’s algorithm optimizes your bids to achieve desired results, maximizing conversions or website traffic.

The choice of bidding strategy depends on your campaign objectives and budget constraints. For example, if your goal is to drive website traffic, you may opt for a CPM bidding strategy, while a CPC strategy might be more suitable for lead-generation campaigns.

Billing and Reporting

LinkedIn provides detailed billing and reporting tools to help you track your ad spending and performance. Key features include:

1. Billing Frequency: Charges can be accrued daily, weekly, or monthly, depending on your spending.
2. Billing Center: Access and export receipts for charges in the Billing Center of the Campaign Manager.
3. Performance Reporting: Monitor critical metrics like impressions, clicks, conversions, and cost-per-conversion to optimize your campaigns.

By effectively managing your budget and bidding strategy, you have the option to inmcrease the impact of your LinkedIn advertising efforts and achieve better results within your desired budget constraints.

Ad Creative and Content

Crafting Compelling Ad Creatives

The success of your LinkedIn ads heavily relies on crafting compelling ad creatives that resonate with your target audience. Here are some key strategies to consider:

1. Visually Appealing Content

• Utilize high-quality visuals, images, and videos that grab attention in the LinkedIn feed.
• Ensure your visuals are relevant, engaging, and aligned with your brand identity.
• Avoid cluttered or overly complex designs that can be distracting.

2. Concise and Compelling Messaging

• Craft concise and compelling ad copy that highlights the unique benefits and value proposition of your offering.
• Focus on addressing your target audience’s pain points and needs rather than solely promoting features.
• Use attention-grabbing headlines and clear calls-to-action (CTAs) that encourage engagement.

3. Continuous Testing and Optimization

• Regularly test different ad formats, sizes, colors, images, and Identify the most effective combinations by replicating variations.
• Leverage LinkedIn’s ad rotation and optimization features to deliver more impressions to your highest-performing ads.
• Keep track of essential performance indicators, including the rate of clicks (CTRs) and conversion rates, and refresh underperforming ads regularly.

4. Leveraging LinkedIn’s Ad Formats

LinkedIn provides diverse advertising formats to help businesses achieve different marketing objectives. Here are some popular options:

When deciding on an advertising format, it is important to take into account your specific campaign goals, target audience, and the content or message you want to deliver. For example, Sponsored Content may be suitable for brand awareness campaigns, while Lead Gen Forms are ideal for capturing qualified leads.

Content Strategies for Effective Ads

To create engaging and effective LinkedIn ads, consider the following content strategies:

1. Analyze Industry Trends and News

• Remain informed about current industry news and trends to provide relevant insights and content.
• Curate and repurpose existing content from your resources or other authoritative sources.

2. Leverage Rich Media

• Incorporate rich media formats like videos, SlideShares, or interactive content to capture attention and convey your message effectively.
• Showcase thought leadership and human interest stories from within your organization.

3. Continuous Testing and Optimization

• Regularly test and refine your ad creative, targeting, and messaging to adapt to evolving audience behaviors and preferences.
• Replace low-performing ads and continuously optimize for better performance.

By following these strategies, you can create ad creatives and content that effectively capture your audience’s attention, communicate your value proposition, and drive desired actions, ultimately improving the performance of your LinkedIn advertising campaigns.

Conclusion

In navigating the complexities of LinkedIn advertising, a strategic approach is vital. By addressing common pitfalls such as improper audience targeting, lack of mobile optimization, and ad policy violations, you can significantly improve the effectiveness of your campaigns.

Remember to meticulously craft compelling ad creatives that resonate with your target audience and leverage LinkedIn’s diverse ad formats to achieve your marketing objectives effectively.

Success on LinkedIn’s advertising platform hinges on continuous optimization and adaptation. Regularly monitor your campaign performance, refine your targeting criteria, and adjust your budget and bidding strategies accordingly.

Feel free to seek guidance from LinkedIn’s resources or contact experts to resolve any persistent issues with your LinkedIn ads. With a data-driven mindset and a commitment to iterative improvement, you can unlock the full potential of LinkedIn advertising for your business.

FAQs

1. Q: What could be causing my LinkedIn ads to be ineffective?

A: Multiple factors might cause your LinkedIn ads to underperform. These include high competition, targeting inappropriate audiences, setting a low advertising budget, using ineffective landing pages, or needing more followers or linked employees on your LinkedIn profile.

2. Q: Why aren’t my LinkedIn ads using the allocated budget?

A: To troubleshoot this, ensure your campaign budget is correctly set and funds are available. Verify any set daily or lifetime budget limits restricting your spending. Additionally, double-check the campaign dates to ensure they are accurate; incorrect dates, such as setting an end date in the future by mistake, can prevent ads from running as planned.

3. Q: What are the reasons for a LinkedIn ad being rejected?

A: A LinkedIn ad or Lead Gen Form can be rejected if it violates the platform’s Advertising Policies. This could be due to issues with the ad’s content, the landing page, or the advertised product. Rejections are indicated when the ad’s status is listed as ‘Rejected’ in the Campaign Manager.

4. Q: How much time does it typically take for LinkedIn ads to show results?

A: Initial results, such as increased clicks, impressions, and engagement, can be observed within a few days after launching a LinkedIn ad campaign. However, achieving more substantial goals like lead generation, conversions, or sales might take several weeks or months.