LinkedIn Campaign Manager Complete Guide (2023)

When it comes to marketing your business, there are many platforms and strategies to choose from. But if you’re looking to reach professionals and recruit top talent, LinkedIn should be at the top of your list.

As a B2B marketer myself, I have been using LinkedIn ads for years, and trust me, they’re an incredibly effective way to reach your target audience. In fact, I have gotten a higher ROI from LinkedIn than other social media networks.

However, starting with LinkedIn Campaign Manager can be tricky if you have never run an advertisement, and to make it as easy as possible, here is a complete guide.

Understanding LinkedIn Campaign Manager

The first thing to understand in a campaign manager is that it is organized in a hierarchical order. There are campaign groups in accounts, campaigns in campaigns and ads in campaigns. You can have multiple ads in a campaign and multiple campaigns in campaign groups. Let’s understand them one by one:

Accounts

Here you have all the accounts you manage. This could be your account or the client’s account that you manage.

Campaign Groups

Each campaign group can hold up to 2000 campaigns which are more than you’d need. Think of campaign groups as a way to organize your LinkedIn marketing objectives. For example, if one campaign is focused on converting traffic, another could get people to webinars. This will make it easier for you to analyze your campaigns.

On the campaign groups, you can toggle on and off the campaigns, which can be useful when you want to run ads or not. Please note that when you create an account, you will automatically have a default campaign group that you cannot change.

Campaigns

This is where you’ll spend most of your time analyzing and understanding your results. Therefore, make sure to name each campaign clearly while setting up campaigns; else, it will become messy.

This is where we can see information about the ad copy and creative. You can have multiple ads in one campaign, which will be useful for a/b testing copy, creatives, and your offer. The objective here is to increase the Click Through Rate (CTR).

How do I use LinkedIn Campaign Manager?

Here is how to do it.

Creating an ad account

To begin you will need to create an ad account if you don’t already have one. To do this, follow these steps

Log in to your LinkedIn account
From the Dashboard click on “Advertise”. The option is available on the right-hand side of the top navigation bar.
Select “Create” and from the dropdown menu, click on “Account”
Enter the details of your ad account, and you are set to go.

Once you have a LinkedIn ad account, you can start creating campaigns.

Creating your campaign

To start creating your campaign, go to the “Campaigns” tab and click on the “Create Campaign” button.

Enter the campaign name and select the objective you want to achieve. LinkedIn offers a variety of objectives, including brand awareness, website traffic, and lead generation.

Once you’ve selected your objective, you need to choose your target audience. Remember to be very specific about who you want to reach with your message. Consider factors like age, gender, location, and interests when deciding who you want to target.

Keep in mind that it’s often best to target a smaller, more specific audience rather than a large, general one. Doing so will make you more likely to reach your target consumers and achieve your desired results.

Select your ad type

On LinkedIn, you can choose from a range of ad formats for your campaigns. Some of these include Single image ads, Carousel ads, Video ads, and follower ads. To choose the one that best fits your needs, consider your campaign’s goals and the content type that will resonate most with your target audience.

For example, a single video ad with a strong call-to-action may be the most effective if you’re looking to generate leads. If you’re looking to increase brand awareness, a carousel ad featuring your products or services could be a good option. Keep in mind that LinkedIn is a professional network, so your ads should be professional and polished.

Select your bid type

Regarding LinkedIn ads, you can choose from four different bid types: maximum delivery (automated), cost cap, manual bidding, and bid suggestions.

Maximum delivery is the simplest bid type, where you just set a budget and LinkedIn will automatically deliver your ads as much as possible within that budget.

The cost cap is a bit more complex, where you set a maximum cost-per-click (CPC) that you’re willing to pay, and LinkedIn will try to deliver your ads below that CPC.

Manual bidding is the most complex bid type, where you manually set a CPC for each ad impression. Although this gives you the most control over your budget, it can also be the most time-consuming.

Managing campaign spend

Once your LinkedIn ad campaign is up and running, you’ll need to monitor your spending. Make sure you’re not overspending on your ads, and adjust your budget accordingly. Also, keep an eye on your click-through rate and conversion rate. If you see that your campaign isn’t performing as well as you’d like, make changes to your ad strategy.

Measuring results

Measuring the results of your LinkedIn ad campaign is essential for every marketer. If you have optimized your ad correctly, there is a high chance that it will perform well. However, it is important to measure the results of your campaign to ensure that your investment is yielding the desired results.

There are several metrics that you can use to measure the success of your LinkedIn ad campaign. These include click-through rate (CTR), cost per click (CPC), and conversion rate. You can use these metrics to track the performance of your ad over time and make necessary changes to improve its effectiveness.

How to give access to a LinkedIn ads account?

Click on the ad account name in the top bar and click on ‘Manage Access’. Here you’ll find the option to add people so they can collaborate with you on your ad account but with a different role. It is important to note that the person you’d like to give access should have a LinkedIn profile to grant them access. The different roles are:

Account Manager – This is the top-level access that has all the access to your account. If your client has limited knowledge, you can ask for this access to set things up. Usually, this access is not required for someone who will manage your campaigns.

Campaign manager – This level of access is required for someone to edit and run the campaigns and post ads for the account.

Creative manager – This makes sense when you’re a graphic designer or a copywriter whom you do not want to give access to the campaign but the ability to add creative and copy.

Viewer – This just allows someone to view the campaigns and ads.

Billing admin – This is automatically assigned to the person who sets up the account but can be changed by adding the person you want. The billing admin will have access to add and change payment methods and view billing history.

How to add your payment method to the campaign manager?

You need to add a payment method before running any campaigns, and you can do this by clicking on your ad account name on the top bar and clicking ‘Billing Centre’. Here, you can also add coupons you receive from Linkedin.

Key Takeaway

A good LinkedIn campaign can make all the difference for your business. With LinkedIn Campaign Manager, you can easily create and manage your campaigns, as well as track their performance. And by following the tips in this guide, you can create a campaign that is tailored to your specific needs and goals. With a little time and effort, you can reach a wide audience through LinkedIn and achieve success for your business.