LinkedIn Conversation Ads are Gone, Now What?

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LinkedIn Conversation Ads were introduced by LinkedIn in 2020 in response to the shift towards more personalized, one-to-one marketing. Ideal for website visits and lead generation. 

Unfortunately, since last month, it is no longer possible to run Conversation Ads in the EU due to privacy legislation . B2B companies, in particular, that used Conversation Ads for lead generation, will feel this in their wallets. 

I’ll explain how you can build on your LinkedIn Ads strategy in 2022 without letting the costs get out of hand. I also lift a corner of the veil because LinkedIn is working on a replacement.

The Lost Value of Conversation Ads

In short, LinkedIn Conversation Ads ensured that a conversation in the private messaging tab was completely automated. Similar to a chatbot tool, you create a conversation flow for the recipient for different calls-to-actions. Such as a lead generation form, an external link, and the next message in the flow. The improved personalization resulted in an increased CTR (click-through rate), a low cost per send, and finally, a reduced cost per lead.

LinkedIn Conversation Ads are Gone, Now What? - LinkedIn Conversation Ads

With lead generation forms on the feed as the only alternative, the future doesn’t look very bright, does it? Not quite true, if you do it right! A new strategy is required to prevent increases in costs and reduced effectiveness of LinkedIn campaigns. And I’ll help you with that with the tips below.

Keep the cost per lead low with A/B testing.

Relevance is key. The goal of your lead generation strategy on LinkedIn for 2022 should be to create the most relevant message for your target group. What are the focus points for A/B testing?

  • Use your advantage. Although LinkedIn Conversation Ads are no longer possible, you can still use the target group statistics. Based on click behavior, you can still see which functions, job titles, companies, and industries showed the most interest in your Conversation Ads. So you should definitely use this information to your advantage to make your audience targeting sharper.
  • Jump out. Test the specifications of your ad. Try using a 1:1 or 4:5 format on LinkedIn instead of the standard landscape format. Grab the scroller’s attention by deviating from the well-trodden path. An Instagram Story format, for example.
  • Tell a story. Test with ad sizes (images and carousel) for lead generation. Would your target audience prefer one catchy image, or would you rather be included in your story by means of a carousel or video? Make sure that your video does not last longer than 30 seconds to keep your VTR (view-through rate, the ratio for viewing the video completely, ed.) high.
  • Immerse yourself in the target group. You probably read this often, but you really empathize with your target group. What attracts your reader’s interest: downloading a white paper or an e-book? An e-book is often lighter and more playful in design and contains less formal language. A white paper often has a formal set-up business layout and is written in professional jargon. A small difference in words already gives a very different impression! The reason for some A/B testing, then.

Extra opportunities

LinkedIn Conversation Ads are Gone, Now What?

Leadgenform Remarketing

There are still some incomplete lead forms from previous campaigns without you even noticing. Remarketing helps to convince these people and win warm leads. Be efficient with your targeting, and don’t look for new people excessively.

Create an “Anyone who opened your lead form” retargeting audience and add it to the campaign. Next, create an “only people who submitted your lead form” audience and exclude them from the campaign.

Smart move!

Converting power words to

Ultimately, it is, of course, your intention to let your target group perform certain actions. You do this with power words in your copy. Experiment with the following types of power words:

  • Urgency: now, fast, exclusive, right away, immediately, don’t miss it.
  • Cause-effect: therefore, by, how, because.
  • Emotions: inspire, discover, remarkable, original, see, see, save.

In addition, there are always the general power words, such as: understand, best, first, tips, results, challenge, et cetera.

New on LinkedIn: Click-to-Message Ads

Newsflash: LinkedIn is working on something new! Namely, Click-to-Message Ads

How does it work? 

You can actually see it as conversation ads, but with an extra layer of privacy. The new messaging tool enables advertisers to reach the target audience via their feed with a CTA button. 

If you click on the button, you must first permit them to use your personal information to send a message to your LinkedIn inbox. First consent, then action: as it should be.

This new capability would inherit the benefits of LinkedIn Conversation Ads but respect privacy laws. Stimulate consideration and conversion among high-intent audiences to achieve a low CPL. In the first quarter of 2022, a few LinkedIn partners will start testing the beta feature for two months and give us their thoughts on how it could be better.