Telling a story through your advertisements is an excellent way to foster a connection between consumers and your brand. This connection is increasingly crucial: people – particularly younger adults – want shopping experiences that resonate with them; they want to feel engaged. It is far easier to leave a meaningful impression on a consumer when his or her interaction with your brand begins with a compelling marketing campaign. It’s no mystery why social video marketing continues its meteoric rise.
And would you look at that: another effective way to attract attention on social media – the carousel ad, familiar from Facebook – has made its merry way to Linkedin.
What is a carousel ad?
The carousel format allows marketers to showcase several different “cards” within a single ad space. A card can feature either an image or a video, and Linkedin allows companies to use up to 10 cards per advertisement.
It’s the perfect way to capture and hold attention in a sea of standard, static images.
With Linkedin carousel ads, your brand can choose between telling the in-depth story of one product or providing snapshots of different ones. Either way, users get a more complete picture of your business, thus fostering a stronger connection between you and your target audiences.
What makes carousel ads special?
Carousel ads offer marketers a tremendous amount of flexibility when it comes to driving traffic and capturing leads. Within a single ad space, your business can advertise 10 different products with 10 different CTAs, each of which can bring users to a unique landing page.
Plus, on top of all the standard, broad advertising metrics like CTR and number of leads, Linkedin carousel ads allow marketers to view the number of impressions and clicks for each individual card. With that kind of insight, your company can refine carousel ads until you find the perfect way to present the story of your brand.
Over 300 advertisers tried out the beta version of Linkedin carousel, and 75 percent of them said the increased engagement and CTRs are enough for them to remain customers.
Have carousel ads worked elsewhere?
Compared to static image ads, Facebook carousel ads push down cost-per-conversions 30-50% and reduce cost-per-clicks by 20-30%.
Sure, carousel ads require more time and creative energy. But, if those kind of numbers don’t make the effort worthwhile, I’m not sure what does. (For reference, the average Facebook ad drives a 0.90% CTR and costs $1.72 per click.)
Instagram rolled out carousel ads in 2016, and extended the format to their Stories feature earlier this year. Although hard data is elusive, the details of the Instagram algorithm are informative: the more users engage with your content, the higher preference you’re given in their feeds.
Users are far more likely to interact with advertisements that tell stories, particularly those that resonate with them. That Instagram has applied the carousel format to their Stories feature indicates a high degree of interaction.
How can I capitalize on Linkedin carousel ads?
Simple goals
Use creativity and emotion to craft a compelling brand story. Implement your strongest CTAs to drive traffic to your site. Create effective landing pages to generate leads.
Metrics
Keep track of impressions and clicks for each card to quantify brand presence. Stay on top of your CTRs to measure traffic. Follow demand trends through leads and conversion rates.
Content
Be as visual as possible. Use a variety of images, graphics, and text formats to keep the experience engaging throughout the carousel. Finish with your best CTA to move users right along to a landing page.
Optimization
Use A/B testing to determine whether short (3-5 cards) or long (6+ cards) carousels are most effective for your campaign. Experiment with different card orders to create the perfect story.
In Conclusion…
If you’re a believer in paid social (and we hope you are) Linkedin carousel is an excellent addition to your cross-channel presence. For advertisers in every industry – and especially those in retail and food – the carousel is the storytelling tool everyone needs to craft an appealing brand that encourages loyalty. Incorporate this feature into your social campaigns and you’ll become more recognizable than you already are.