As Google’s CPCs continue to rise, B2B marketers are increasingly shifting their attention toward LinkedIn Ads—not just as an awareness tool, but as a growth driver.
LinkedIn has strengthened its appeal by rolling out updates to Campaign Manager, introducing server-side CAPI integration, and launching a revenue attribution report. With these enhancements in place, the platform now offers viable alternatives for brands looking to pull qualified leads into their funnel.
For marketers ready to experiment, here are five LinkedIn Ads formats worth testing to unlock new performance potential:
1. Thought Leader Ads (TLAs)
Launched in 2023, TLAs consistently generate high engagement because they come from personal LinkedIn accounts rather than branded pages. These top-of-funnel ads work best when the content focuses on solving customer problems, features senior professionals with solid followings, and maintains an authentic tone. Formats with strong hooks, short paragraphs, and visuals—like images or videos—tend to perform best.
Marketers can use TLAs to promote gated content or simply to build influence and engagement, tracking metrics like impressions and reactions from key ICP accounts.
2. Conversation Ads
Unlike TLAs, conversation ads are hyper-targeted. Designed for smaller, high-intent audiences, they deliver personalized messages directly into a user’s inbox. These ads are cost-effective for prospecting, especially when directed at decision influencers.
Elements worth A/B testing include the sender profile (e.g., CEO vs. sales director), CTA variations, subject lines, and message length. For best results, test one variable at a time to isolate performance data.
3. Video Ads
LinkedIn’s growing support for video has opened new engagement opportunities at the top of the funnel. Audiences on the platform favor relatable, authentic content over highly produced brand videos. Advertisers are seeing stronger results with user-generated or lo-fi videos that mirror the platform’s conversational tone.
Marketers should prioritize storytelling, authenticity, and shorter runtimes to maximize video performance.
4. Carousel Ads
Though not as dynamic as video, carousel ads offer interactive storytelling through swipeable cards. Brands can showcase product features, insights-driven content, or problem-solution narratives across slides.
The final slide typically contains a CTA, informed by testing. These ads strike a balance between visual engagement and structured messaging.
5. Offer Testing
With most LinkedIn ad formats focused on top-of-funnel engagement, your offers should match user intent. Avoid high-commitment CTAs like “Book a demo” too early. Instead, experiment with lower-friction actions such as “Learn more” or interactive tools like calculators.
Once leads engage, align your follow-up strategy with email nurturing sequences tailored to the content that captured their interest.
Final Takeaway
LinkedIn Ads shine in building early-stage engagement and warming up leads. With enhanced attribution tools like CAPI and LinkedIn’s revenue reporting, marketers can now measure impact more clearly across the funnel.
When executed strategically, these ad formats can help brands sidestep Google’s rising ad costs while capturing valuable attention from decision-makers and influencers alike.
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News Source: SearchEngineLand.com
