With this post, we announce a new regular feature on the LinkedIn Marketing Blog: Introducing the LinkedIn Ad Review.
Every month in the LinkedIn Ad Review will shine a spotlight on a top-performing piece of LinkedIn Sponsored Content. In the Review, we’ll analyze why the Sponsored Content’s headline, visual, and copy work together to get across the brand’s message.
Before we dive in, we’ll say that to anyone producing advertising on LinkedIn, we offer three basic pieces of advice:
- Get Specific. Don’t be afraid to tailor your content to the audiences that need and value it most.
- Make It Human. Adding a human, relatable element to your content helps your audience members see themselves in the story.
- Don’t Overthink It. Not all content needs to be complicated – if you’d click, it’s likely that your community will, too.
Without further ado, here’s our first LinkedIn Ad Review, a look at a recent Sponsored Content ad from Autodesk (created by RAPP, San Francisco). With this Sponsored Content, Autodesk uses a clean, well-designed ad to appeal to its target market: engineers, the designers of the industrial world.
What Autodesk Did
In the Sponsored Content ad we’re reviewing today, Autodesk, a San Rafael, Calif.-based 3D design and engineering software company, used the elegant design (complemented by an equally elegant photo of the design) of a can as an entry point for a discussion about innovation in product design and manufacturing.
We believe that the visual is the new headline, and the photography in this ad is not only alluring, it begins to tell the story. The image of a can, presumably a can that is manufactured efficiently, speaks to the audience of engineers, who can relate to the issues of designing such a product.
The headline works in tandem with the photograph of the can to raise a question in need of answer: “Do you see a can? Or efficient manufacturing?” We also love the call-to-action that promises an answer to the question and speaks directly to the target audience: “See what the engineers saw.” The CTA delivers by taking those who click through to a video that demonstrates how customers are using Autodesk to boost the efficiency of their manufacturing processes.
Why It Works
This Autodesk Sponsored Content works because it follows the three bits of advice we share above.
- First, it’s specific. It’s about can manufacturing. I don’t know how you get more specific than that.
- Second, it’s human. Even though the photo is a metallic manufactured good, the questions surrounding the can spur the curiosity of engineers, the target market, by implying that a satisfying answer will be given to those who click through.
- Third, Autodesk didn’t overthink it. The can is a simple but engaging image, and the ad delivered a well above benchmark CTR of 1.49%. For the many who did click through, the ad leads to a landing page that includes a video about how a company called Can Lines Engineering relies on Autodesk. This video works seamlessly with the can image in the Sponsored Content.
The LinkedIn Ad Review’s verdict: We love this Sponsored Content.
Start your own LinkedIn Sponsored Content right now. Visit LinkedIn Campaign Manager.
