Get those B2B display campaigns ready, because LinkedIn carousel ads have arrived!
Enhanced LinkedIn Display
Earlier this month, LinkedIn unveiled its new carousel ad format to all advertisers, giving brands and marketers more versatility when rolling out their LinkedIn display campaigns.
Carousel ads can include as many as ten swipeable cards that can be fully customized to tell a richer, more complete brand story. Advertisers can also use the carousel ads to point traffic to a series of different landing pages, as opposed to just one. For now, the carousel ads are limited to images only, and there has been no mention on whether or not videos will be an option later on down the road.
Image Source: LinkedIn
“Native carousel ads are the next step in the continued evolution of LinkedIn Sponsored Content to help you humanize your B2B marketing efforts and foster a deeper connection with your audience.” said Rohan Rajiv, Product Manager at LinkedIn in a recent blog article. “Because carousel ads are interactive and have eye-catching visuals, they stand out in the newsfeed. Stories become tangible and encourage the audience to engage with the brand on both desktop and mobile.”
Analytics & Reporting
One of the elements that will make the carousel ad format intriguing to marketers and conversion optimizers is that each individual card will be able to track metrics such as clicks and impressions, painting a clearer picture on the images that are converting and the ones that aren’t without having to create separate campaigns.
Additionally, standard data such as click-through-rates and leads generated will be readily available for tracking, much like all other forms of LinkedIn ads currently available.
Downloadable reports are currently available for the new format, and LinkedIn has stated that these insights will be accessible via the Campaign Manager in the near future.
Changes to the Platform
While it’s no secret that carousel ads have been around for a while on other social mediums like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, this update marks only one of a few LinkedIn has made to its advertising platform this year. This addition follows one that occurred back in March, where the Microsoft-owned social network unveiled its new video ad format to all advertisers.
Despite the fact that LinkedIn is lagging behind some of its competition, these changes will ultimately compel more brands to allocate additional spend on its network, which means more channel revenue and more opportunities for affiliates to capitalize.
Getting Started
Over 300 advertisers were initially invited to beta test the carousel ads, and among them 75% saw a lift in click-through-rates. This should be reason enough to start testing the waters with the new format.
There are plenty of different ways to utilize the ads, like displaying a service in more detail, highlighting testimonials, showing multiple products, or simply telling a bigger story. Any business that markets to a B2B audience can leverage carousel ads with a bit of creativity.
To brush up on LinkedIn’s best practises, or to get started on creating some carousel ads of your own, click here.
May your B2B campaigns be even more effective and profitable!