LinkedIn has proven to be a good source of leads for many companies. So good, in fact, its paid advertising program has helped grow the company’s revenue in 2011 at a faster rate than Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Google and Microsoft. Why are marketers flocking to LinkedIn paid advertising? They are using LinkedIn pay per click (PPC) because it simply works. LinkedIn provides greater ad targeting for Business-to-business companies. Click through rates also tend to be much greater for B2B companies. The following are some steps to help build a targeted LinkedIn PPC campaign. 
1) Define target demographics and build buyer personas
Aside from the typical persona building process, it’s important to identify at least one of the following: ideal verticals, geography, function (title), company or what LinkedIn Groups the target may be a member of. These are the attributes chosen in order to target ads. The goal of the campaign will determine the combination of attributes used for targeting.
2) Identify their problems
This is critical because people only go to the web to solve their problems and/or to be entertained. It’s the problems identified and the ad’s perceived solution to these problems that will motivate defined personas to click-through to the landing page.
3) Create opt-in content that solves their problems
This is the product that powers the quid pro quo transaction on the landing page. The visitor’s email address and other form fields on the landing page are the currency for the transaction. Ad copy should market this piece of content.
4) Develop a landing page for the problem solving content
This is where the quid pro quo transaction occurs via a form. Each landing page developed for the campaign should follow best practices for conversion and have a trackable URL that identifies traffic from the LinkedIn ad.
5) Set up A/B or multivariate tests for the landing page
Small variations in a landing page, such as copy, layout, color or graphics, to name a few, can have a big impact on its ability to convert a visitor. Some tests show modest improvements while others double or even triple conversion rates. It is recommended to have an ongoing landing page testing program.
6) Create at least one attention grabbing graphic (50×50 pixels)
LinkedIn allows for a small graphic to be included with each ad. Multiple images can be an additional testing attribute as described above. Try to use graphics that are simple yet attention-grabbing to the eye.
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About the Author: Brad Fogel
