As a small business owner with 1-3 team members, it’s easy to fall for the temptation of LinkedIn ads. This is especially true if you want to promote a course or group program where you need a higher volume of sales (in comparison to a 1:1 higher ticket offer).
In this blog post, I wanted to break down what LinkedIn ads are, when they are worthwhile, why I don’t recommend using with them too early, and what to do instead.
What are LinkedIn ads?
Similar to other social media ads, LinkedIn ads are appealing because they get you guaranteed traffic. In other words, regardless of your audience's interest in the specific piece of content you create, you can guarantee it gets seen by a certain number of people.
Marketing efforts can be split into two buckets:
Paid marketing - you spend money and time to get your content or message (your ad) in front of your desired audience. For content, the quality of the content doesn't determine the number of eyeballs on it.
Organic marketing - you spend time to get your content or message in front of your desired audience. For content, the quality of the content does determine the number of eyeballs on it.
In order to successfully run an ads campaign, several things need to be in place:
Strong content / ad copy or relevant direct messages
Design assets like graphics
Lead tracking to know where leads come from
LinkedIn’s advanced targeting means that you have a lot of freedom to select who to show the ad to; however, this advanced targeting comes at a monetary price.
I have no issue with LinkedIn ads in principle. For large companies with big budgets, LinkedIn ads can make a lot of sense, because they're a way to quickly test the market and get leads.
However, many small business owners invest in LinkedIn ads too early and end up burning cash and not generating leads. Let this article serve as a cautionary note.
What should you do before investing in LinkedIn ads?
Prior to running LinkedIn ads, I recommend that you nail your organic LinkedIn efforts.
We want to make sure:
Your profile is optimized
Your messaging is clear
Your network size is sufficient
Your content is performing
Your messages are converting
(You might be thinking "my profile is already optimized." Read this article to understand what an optimized profile means and why you are leaving money on the table without one.)
Pretend for a minute that instead of operating an online business, you have a physical store. What would you do first:
Invest in ads to bring customers into your store
Make sure your store has clear signage, painted walls, and an easy-to-read menu
Of course, you would do the latter. You need to have an attractive storefront to attract customers to. Otherwise, you'll be attracting customers but when the customers arrive, they won't want to buy anything (they won't "convert").
While you don't have a physical store, it is essential that your online store has these basics in place - an optimized profile, clear messaging, and so forth.
Without them, you'll be running ads and attracting people to an undesirable storefront. In that case, it doesn't matter how good your ads are! They still won't convert. I know you don't want that.
How I can help you
When I start working with a small business owner, we always start with organic marketing efforts. We begin by optimizing your profile so that you clearly explain your credibility, who you serve, how you serve them, and what action the profile viewer should take.
Then, we create a custom LinkedIn strategy for you so that you can feel comfortable navigating LinkedIn and find right-fit clients for your business. We learn how to use DM outreach and content to bring the right clients into your orbit so you can consistently grow your business. And lastly, you implement the strategy with my support.
Learn more and get started here.
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