LinkedIn video advertising: the power of visuals in B2B marketing

Is your company already using video ads on LinkedIn? Video has more stopping power than photos or text and can convey a complex message in a short time. Videos are therefore particularly powerful, a unique opportunity to share your message effectively via LinkedIn. And of course, you can further boost this with ads. But why is video advertising on LinkedIn exactly so interesting? What are the benefits for your company? In this article, you will discover what LinkedIn video advertising can mean for your brand and how you can immediately use this type of ad.

What are LinkedIn video ads?

LinkedIn video ads are short videos that companies use to promote their products, services, or brand stories in an appealing way. These videos appear directly in users’ newsfeeds, just like posts from friends and other connections. The content of these videos can vary from informative company updates and inspiring customer testimonials to educational videos about the launch of new products or services. But do you know what is probably the most important? LinkedIn automatically plays your video ads as soon as someone scrolls past them. Now that’s stopping power.

Why LinkedIn video advertising is important for your company

But why should your company specifically focus on video advertising via LinkedIn? Why is this an opportunity compared to, for example, ads with a photo or text? We have at least 5 reasons for this:

  • Building relationships

With LinkedIn video advertising, you can build an authentic connection with your target audience. Videos allow you to tell stories and show your brand’s personality, which helps create an emotional bond. This personal approach fosters trust and loyalty.

  • Competitive advantage

Not all companies fully utilize the possibilities of video advertising. By using video effectively, your company stands out and attracts attention amid other ads. This unique positioning allows you to present your brand as innovative and engaged.

  • Clear explanation

Video is a powerful way to clearly explain complex information and product demonstrations. With visual elements, you can easily illustrate processes, features, and benefits, making it much easier for your audience to understand the content.

  • Increased brand awareness

For companies, it is important to have a strong and recognizable brand. Video advertising on LinkedIn is a great way to share your brand story and convey your organization’s values in a visually appealing way. Videos have the power to quickly and effectively communicate information, making them easier to remember than text or images.

  • Measurable results

LinkedIn provides valuable insights and statistics about video ads, such as the number of views, engagement, and user demographics. This makes LinkedIn video advertising an excellent choice for companies because it allows them to accurately measure the results of their campaigns. When an ad aligns well with the viewer’s wishes and needs, engagement will increase. This results in a higher return on investment (ROI).

Goals of LinkedIn video advertising

LinkedIn video advertising is a versatile tool that enables companies to effectively achieve various marketing goals. Whether you want to increase your brand’s visibility or inform potential customers, videos offer the opportunity to convey your message in an attractive and dynamic way. There are several goals to achieve through LinkedIn video ads:

  • Increased brand awareness
  • Higher conversion rates
  • Improved customer engagement
  • Efficient lead generation
  • Attracting job applicants
  • Successful event promotion
  • Creating an active community

The difference between LinkedIn video advertising and video marketing

Although LinkedIn video advertising and video marketing both use video, they differ in their approach and objectives. LinkedIn video advertising focuses specifically on paid ads that appear in users’ newsfeeds, aiming to increase direct engagement, lead generation, or brand awareness. These ads are often tailored to specific demographics and interests. Video marketing, on the other hand, involves a broader strategy that uses organic video content across various platforms, such as websites and social media. Instead of promoting immediate action, video marketing focuses on building trust and loyalty in the long term, while video advertising targets immediate engagement.

The two often complement each other, and a (version of a) video is regularly used for both purposes. But the best-performing organic video often looks different from the best-performing LinkedIn video ad.

Types of LinkedIn Video Ads

LinkedIn offers various video ad formats designed to help you effectively reach your target audience. Understanding these different types of ads can help you choose the right format for your campaign goals. But which types of LinkedIn Video Ads can you use and for what specific purpose?

  1. Sponsored Content

This type of video appears directly in users’ LinkedIn feeds. These ads are perfect for increasing brand awareness, driving engagement, and generating leads. They blend seamlessly into the feed and play automatically without sound, attracting users’ attention. Make sure to use attractive visuals and captions so your message is clear even without sound.

  1. LinkedIn Stories

These videos disappear after 24 hours and are ideal for conveying time-sensitive messages. They are designed for mobile devices and require striking visuals and text to quickly deliver your message. Interactive elements, such as polls or questions, help increase engagement with your users.

  1. LinkedIn Audience Network Video Ads

With the LinkedIn Audience Network, you can extend your video ad campaign to external apps and websites. They can appear as outstream or in-stream ads.

  • Outstream Video Ads: These ads play automatically when the user has them in view, making them effective for delivering your message to a broader audience. They are displayed on external web pages, meaning they are not limited to the LinkedIn feed. This gives you the chance to reach your audience wherever they are, even outside the LinkedIn platform.
  • Instream Video Ads: These ads play within longer videos on external websites. They appear at three points: at the beginning (pre-roll), in the middle (mid-roll), or at the end (post-roll) of the video. In-stream ads generally have higher view rates than outstream videos because they are part of a video the viewer has already chosen to watch.

Getting started with LinkedIn Video Ads

When you want to start with LinkedIn Video Ads, it is important to follow several steps to advertise successfully. First, you need a company page and an ad account. Make sure your ad account is linked to a payment method. This is easy to arrange via LinkedIn itself. Once you have an ad account, you can start setting up your first campaign. This includes creating your ad account, selecting the right ad format, and defining your campaign goal and message. It is also essential to carefully determine your target audience and set an appropriate budget.

  • Create LinkedIn ad account
  • Determine ad format, campaign goal, and message
  • Assemble target audience
  • Set budget
  • LinkedIn Campaign Manager
  • LinkedIn Insight Tag
  • Launch campaign
  • Optimize LinkedIn campaign

In the full article “Advertising on LinkedIn” we explain each step in detail.

Measuring results

After placing your video ads, you naturally want to know how they perform. To analyze and optimize your results, you can consult the ad dashboard. Here you will find various categories of data about your campaigns’ and ads’ performance, including specific information per ad type. Moreover, the demographic report provides valuable insights about your audience: who viewed your campaign? This overview shows which companies these users work for and what roles they hold. The performance report displays a clear graph with key KPIs, such as the number of impressions, reach, CPM, and CTR.

The future of LinkedIn video advertising

With the growth of digital media and the shift towards visual content, the future of video advertising on LinkedIn is promising. Companies that position themselves with effective video campaigns benefit from strong brand recognition and better customer relationships in the future. By responding to trends, companies can further improve and expand their strategies. It is important to regularly evaluate your video advertising strategy and adapt it to new opportunities.