LinkedIn Message Ads are a powerful tool for B2B marketers looking to directly engage with their target audience.
This guide will walk you through everything you should know about Message Ads, from their basic definition to advanced implementation strategies.
What are LinkedIn Message Ads?
Message ads deliver direct messages to your prospects through LinkedIn Messaging, encouraging action.
These ads are native, meaning they’re designed to blend seamlessly with regular LinkedIn messages. They can appear on both desktop and mobile devices.
Here’s an example of a Message Ad:
Dig deeper: LinkedIn advertising: A comprehensive guide
How can I tell the difference between a Message Ad and a regular message on LinkedIn?
If you go into the Messaging section of LinkedIn, you can see that some messages have the word Sponsored in the preview on the left side. Those are Message Ads.
What’s the difference between Message Ads and Conversation Ads?
Both are forms of sponsored messaging through LinkedIn.
Message ads consist of a targeted message with a single call-to-action button that drives to a landing page.
Conversation ads consist of a targeted message with multiple call-to-action buttons that can drive to a landing page, open a lead gen form or provide more information in follow-up messages.
Are there any restrictions on Message Ads that I should be aware of?
Yes. You cannot target LinkedIn members based in the European Union (EU).
If a campaign includes both EU and non-EU targeting, the campaign will deliver to non-EU audiences only.
Why should I use Message Ads?
According to LinkedIn, they drive higher engagement and response rates compared to traditional email marketing.
While Mailchimp’s industry average open rate is 21%, LinkedIn reports an average of 50%.
In my experience running multiple Message Ads for an enterprise-level financial services client, I’ve seen an impressive average open rate of 56.69%, closely aligning with LinkedIn’s benchmarks
Which objectives can I use when running Message Ads?
You can only create Message Ads using website visits, lead generation or website conversion objectives. I most often use the Website Visits objective when creating Message Ads.
How to set up a LinkedIn Message Ad
To get started, you only need a few things:
A sender: There is a process for this that I’ll talk about in the next section.
Subject line: 60 characters maximum.
Message text: 1,500 characters maximum.
Call to action (CTA): Up to 20 characters.
Image (Optional): 300x250px banner image.
Custom footer (Optional): This can be a disclaimer or terms and conditions.
Lead form (Optional): If you selected lead generation as the campaign objective, you’ll need to attach a form to your ad.
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Best practices when developing Message Ads
Following best practices is essential for driving engagement and conversions with your LinkedIn Message Ads.
Identify a reputable sender
Ensure the recipient is already a first-degree connection on LinkedIn. You’ll need to send them a request through the platform, which they must approve.
To do this, click the Add a sender button when creating your ad, type in their name, select them and then hit Send request.