Common Issues with LinkedIn Advertising: A Comprehensive Guide
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LinkedIn has proven itself as a powerful tool for B2B advertising, but like any platform, it comes with its fair share of challenges. While it offers a range of ad formats and targeting options, advertisers often encounter various issues. In this detailed blog, we’ll explore some of the most common problems faced by LinkedIn advertisers and offer insights into how to address them.
1. Inconsistent List Match Rate in Matched Audiences
One of the most frustrating issues LinkedIn advertisers face is the inconsistent match rate when using matched audiences. This feature allows advertisers to upload lists of contacts or accounts to target specific groups, but the match rate can fluctuate over time, even within active campaigns. This inconsistency impacts ad impressions, making it harder to ensure that ads are reaching the intended audience.
Solution:
Keep a close watch on your match rates and adjust your targeting strategies as needed. The match rate can change, so monitor it regularly, especially if you're relying on list-based targeting. Make sure you’re also targeting a sufficiently large audience to minimize the impact of fluctuating match rates.
2. Lead Gen Form Limitations
LinkedIn’s lead generation forms are a powerful tool for capturing leads directly within the platform. However, they come with significant limitations that can make them less effective. First, once a lead gen form is active, you cannot edit it — making it necessary to create a new form if changes are needed. Secondly, there’s a 12-field limit for each form, which may restrict the data you can collect.
Additionally, social sharing of lead gen ads doesn’t work as expected. If a lead gen ad is shared by your audience, the shared post won’t allow others to take the desired action, limiting your ability to generate leads through shared content.
Solution:
To mitigate these issues, always include a landing page version of your lead gen offer. This ensures that if the ad is shared, there is still an opportunity for new users to convert. Additionally, plan your forms carefully, focusing on collecting only the most essential information to maximize conversions within the 12-field limit.
3. Inaccurate Audience Targeting
Occasionally, LinkedIn’s audience targeting can be inaccurate. For instance, there have been reports of highly specific locations, like Antarctica, showing a large number of users as part of the targeted audience. This issue undermines the effectiveness of campaigns and leads to wasted ad spend.
Solution:
Double-check your audience targeting settings and exclude unlikely locations or job titles. If you encounter mis-targeting, you can refine your filters further or contact LinkedIn support for clarification on any unexpected audience results.
4. Bid Range and Simulators Not Reliable
LinkedIn’s bidding system can be perplexing. Advertisers often encounter issues with the bid range recommendations provided by LinkedIn. These suggestions are frequently inconsistent, which can lead to confusion and inefficiencies. In many cases, the platform’s bid simulators do not align with actual campaign performance, making it difficult to gauge the right bidding strategy.
Solution:
If you’re bidding manually, be prepared to experiment with bid amounts. Try adjusting your bids slightly higher than the recommended range to see how it impacts campaign performance. Additionally, ensure that you have a long-term strategy in place, as bid prices can fluctuate regularly.
5. No GIF Ads on LinkedIn
Unlike other social platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn does not support GIF ads directly. This can be a limitation for advertisers who want to leverage the engaging power of GIFs in their campaigns.
Solution:
While GIF ads aren’t supported, you can convert GIFs to MP4 format and use them in your campaigns. This workaround allows you to keep the dynamic, engaging elements of GIFs in your ads while adhering to LinkedIn's format restrictions.
6. Vague Quality Scores
Unlike Google Ads, LinkedIn does not provide a clear incentive or penalty system based on ad quality. The platform uses a quality score for campaigns, but this is often vague, and there’s no tangible reward for creating high-quality ads. Conversely, advertisers can run irrelevant ads with little consequence.
Solution:
Focus on maintaining relevant, engaging content that resonates with your target audience. While there may not be a direct correlation between quality scores and lower costs, ensuring that your ads meet the needs of your audience will improve overall performance.
7. Bidding Against Yourself
For larger organizations running multiple campaigns or using different accounts to target the same audience, there’s a risk of bidding against your own ads. This happens when different LinkedIn accounts or campaigns from the same company target the same audience, leading to higher bid prices.
Solution:
To avoid bidding against yourself, consolidate your campaigns under a single account or ensure that separate accounts are not competing for the same audience. This will help lower the overall cost per click and improve the efficiency of your ad spend.
8. Unable to Delete Ads or Campaigns
Once an ad or campaign is created on LinkedIn, you cannot delete it. Ads remain in the system indefinitely, even if they are no longer running.
Solution:
Instead of deleting old ads, simply replace them with new versions. This will allow you to refresh your campaigns without cluttering your dashboard with inactive ads.
9. No Notifications for Comments
LinkedIn Ads does not offer a feature to alert advertisers when a comment is made on an ad. If an ad receives negative comments, the advertiser must manually check the campaign and respond. This is particularly challenging for large-scale campaigns with high engagement levels.
Solution:
Regularly monitor your campaigns, especially if you’re anticipating feedback. If you have a high volume of ads, consider using third-party tools to track comments or set up manual reminders to check for interactions.
10. Ineffective Audience Expansion
Audience expansion is meant to help advertisers reach more people who resemble their target audience. However, this feature can sometimes attract irrelevant leads that do not align with the campaign goals, resulting in wasted ad spend and reduced ROI.
Solution:
Be cautious when using audience expansion. Regularly evaluate the quality of the leads generated through this feature, and consider turning it off if it consistently brings in irrelevant leads.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn advertising offers incredible opportunities for B2B marketers, it’s not without its challenges. By understanding these common issues and applying the solutions provided, advertisers can better navigate LinkedIn’s platform and optimize their ad campaigns. As LinkedIn continues to update its features, staying informed about these issues and best practices will ensure that your campaigns remain effective and efficient.
For any additional insights or guidance on LinkedIn Ads, feel free to explore LinkedIn’s official resources or consult with an experienced digital marketing professional to maximize your ad performance.
