The advertising industry never stands still, and LinkedIn has turned a new chapter in advertising on the platform with the introduction of Thought Leader Ads (TLA). In this article, you'll learn everything you need to know about this innovative ad format and how it can take your business to the next level . What are Thought Leader Ads? Thought Leader Ads are a new ad format on LinkedIn that allows the promotion of posts from employees and executives of the company. Unlike traditional ads, this format offers the advantage of leveraging the credibility and authenticity of the people behind the posts to convey messages. Why are Thought Leader Ads so significant? The success of advertising often depends on the ability to create a personal connection with the target audiences. People are more likely to trust the opinions and experiences of individuals they know and respect. With Thought Leader Ads, you can establish this personal connection and increase the reach of your messages. According to LinkedIn, Thought Leader Ads can achieve a 1.7x higher click rate and a 1.6x higher engagement rate. Use cases for Thought Leader Ads There are several strategic use cases for Thought Leader Ads to help achieve your marketing goals: 1. Customer Acquisition Thought Leader Ads provide an effective way to reach potential customers and bring them closer to the strengths and positioning of the company. By crafting clear messages and choosing the right sender, you can spark the interest of your target audience and move them to action. 2. Customer Retention It often makes sense to stay in touch with existing customers and build a personal relationship. Thought Leader Ads offer the opportunity to build trust through personal communication with customers and deepen the relationship. 3. Employer Branding Thought Leader Ads can also be used to present the company as an attractive employer. Employees can share positive experiences, and executives can present themselves as personable and approachable. This strengthens trust in the company, and potential applicants can identify with the brand. How to implement Thought Leader Ads? To use Thought Leader Ads on LinkedIn, you need to meet certain prerequisites and follow the right process: - Check if your company has an advertising account on LinkedIn and if the necessary permissions for creating ads are available. - Ensure that employees have listed the company as their employer in their profiles and that their profiles are publicly accessible. Step by step setup 1. Select campaign objective Currently, only Brand Awareness and Engagement are available for Thought Leader Ads. 2. Choose the desired ad format (only Single Image Ads and Video Ads are currently available) 3. Disable Audience Network Summary: The LinkedIn Audience Network must be disabled for Thought Leader Ads to run. 4. Browse existing content 5. Search and select employees Select the relevant post by an employee or executive from the content library and set the budget and target audience. 6. Search & select posts 7. Send request - Attention : There is a limit of five requests that you can send to each Thought Leader. - If you do not receive a response to this request, you cannot send more. - The link can also be copied and sent directly to the person. Best practices for Thought Leader Ads To maximize the potential of Thought Leader Ads, there are some proven strategies you should consider: - Don't use a “Leader” who hasn't posted anything beforeThought - Carefully select Thought Leaders - Use only one image (posts with multiple images cannot be used) - Do not use re-posting - Use for retargeting campaigns - Creation of target audiences from clicks on the ads - Evaluate KPIs correctly: Campaign metrics such as click rate and cost-per-click tend to be much better with Thought Leader Ads than with traditional company ads. However, we recommend examining the metrics in detail. Especially with the campaign objective “Engagement,” all engagement actions are included in the engagement rate. It may be that only a fraction of engagement clicks make up the “clicks to the landing page,” and a majority of clicks fall under “other clicks.” Check the growth of followers. Rates and direct messages to the person whose posts you are using. The true impact of this campaign is most apparent here. - Link relevant articles or resources to enhance the user value and impact of your messages. - Make sure that the length of the posts does not exceed 200 words to maintain the target audience's attention. - Mention other relevant pages or people to increase the visibility of your posts. - Carefully select the duration of your campaign and ads (3-4 weeks is generally optimal) to achieve the best results. - Use engaging images and videos: Visualization is an important aspect of advertising. Use engaging images or videos that support the message of your Thought Leader Ads. Ensure that visual elements are professional and of high quality. - Personalized targeting: Use LinkedIn's extensive targeting options to tailor Thought Leader Ads to your target audience. You can segment by demographics, interests, job titles, and more to ensure your ads reach the right people. - Utilize social proof: If the promoted posts already have many likes, comments, or shares, use this as social proof in your ads. Show that the content of your Thought Leaders already resonates to strengthen the target audience's trust. You can use the following content: - Success stories and case studies: Promote posts that showcase successful projects, customer stories, or case studies. This shows potential clients how your company provides real value. - Industry insights and trends: Share insights into current industry trends, research results, or relevant statistics. This establishes your employees as experts in their field and attracts interested parties. - Tips and advice: Publish practical advice and tips that help your target audience tackle challenges or improve skills. This type of content fosters engagement and showcases your expertise. - Behind-the-scenes insights: Give your audience a glimpse behind the scenes of your company. Show how projects come about, what the workday looks like, or how employees develop their expertise. Questions and discussions: Pose questions or start discussions on relevant topics. This encourages the target audience to interact and promotes opinion exchange. - Linking with current events: Use current events, holidays, or special occasions to create relevant content and adjust your Thought Leader Ads to the current zeitgeist. - Customer reviews and testimonials: Show customer reviews and testimonials in the Thought Leader Ads to strengthen the trust of potential clients. Authentic experiences from satisfied customers are a compelling sales argument. Conclusion Thought Leader Ads offer a unique opportunity to extend the reach of your messages and forge a personal connection with your target audience. Use this innovative ad format to leverage the credibility and authenticity of your employees and executives to achieve your marketing goals. We are happy to assist you in optimizing and building your Thought Leader Ads. Feel free to contact our LinkedIn experts at internetwarriors without any obligation.

Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms worldwide and has become an effective advertising platform for businesses. As the 4th most popular social media platform, Instagram boasts around two billion monthly active users sharing nearly 100 million photos and videos daily. With the ability to run ads in Stories and the Feed, Instagram offers businesses the chance to engage their target audiences in a visual and creative way. But what truly makes Instagram Ads unique, and how can companies best utilize them? In this article, we look at the unique selling points (USPs) of Instagram ads and how businesses can use them to effectively reach their target audiences. From audio-visual storytelling through Story or Feed Ads to seamless integration with Facebook advertising and extensive measurement and optimization options - here you’ll learn everything you need to know about Instagram ads to take your ad campaigns to the next level. Instagram as an Advertising Platform: Influence, Reach, and Innovation But with which USPs can Instagram shine as an advertising platform? After all, 71% of American companies are already using the platform to run ads.   Thanks to its high user numbers, Instagram has a significant influence on trends and consumer behavior, like almost no other platform. Influencers can reach hundreds of millions of users in an interest group and thus demand enormous sums for placements, such as Selena Gomez (405 million followers) or Cristiano Ronaldo (568 million followers), who earn hundreds of thousands of dollars with a single post. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Instagram has proven itself as an advertising platform thanks to its easy-to-use interface and the high engagement willingness of its users. Almost no other platform allows for such effective community building as Instagram, and thanks to features and continuous updates, such as the integrated shopping function, users can now conveniently purchase products marketed by their favorite influencer directly through Instagram. In the USA, users now even have the option to connect their crypto wallets with Instagram and can fully market, sell, and directly monetize their NFTs here. All these features allow businesses or influencers to build strong communities, which in turn generate even more reach through likes and shares. To leverage these advantages for your business, it’s worth taking a look at the different advertising formats Instagram offers and learning which benefits each format can provide you: Overview of Instagram Ads Instagram initially offers Photo Ads (1) . They are probably the best-known way to advertise on Instagram, serving to convey strong visual content in just one post to customers. Photo Ads can also help you generate conversions, increase app installations, or boost your overall brand awareness. Video Ads (2) are another popular way to advertise because they appeal to customers acoustically and visually. The keyword here is visual storytelling. Video Ads are played in the user's feed like Photo Ads and optimally should not be longer than a minute. Video Ads work best when you convey exciting content about your brand at a high-quality level. The Carousel Ads (3) option allows advertisers to pack up to 10 images or videos in one post and thus move customers to purchase or increase their interest through detailed product images. Another method is to place ads in the Explore Feed (4) or search field ads. This feed represents the area on Instagram where users can discover new accounts and content not appearing in the feed of the followed accounts. The advantage is that people here are purposefully looking for new posts and thus do not feel disturbed by ads in their personal feed. The Story Ads (5) are shown to the user between normal Instagram Stories of subscribed accounts, seamlessly integrating into the user experience. They occupy the entire screen and therefore require appealing graphic design. Story Ads also offer the possibility to directly redirect the user via a shortcut to linked products and websites. In both the Explore Feed and the personal feed, it’s possible to use all content options like IGTV, Stories, and Reels as advertising space. But which options are suitable for you, how does the setup work, and what costs should you expect? Setting Up the Instagram Ads Campaign The setup of an Instagram Ad campaign is done through the Meta-Ad Manager and can be adjusted or deactivated at any time. In the following, we explain step by step what you need to pay attention to when setting up. The setup of an advertising campaign can be divided into a total of 6 steps. 1. Choose campaign objective 2. Set budget 3. Define target audience 4. Choose ad placement 5. Create your ads 6. Measurement and optimization options 1. Choose Campaign Objective In this step, you can select one of 11 possible campaign objectives, depending on your requirements. The most common choice is “Traffic” since it can help increase website visits, app downloads, or sales. 2. Set Budget When setting the budget, you have two options: daily budget or lifetime budget. The difference between these two options is whether you want your campaign to run constantly or only until a specific end date. For constantly active campaigns, the daily budget option is recommended, while for campaigns with a fixed end date, the lifetime budget option proves more effective. With the latter option, you specify a maximum budget when setting up campaigns, which Instagram automatically allocates over the period you define. 3. Define Target Audience Another important step is to define the target audience for your ad campaign. If you already have an established target audience, you can use it, or alternatively create a new one. For this, you can use parameters such as location, age, gender, demographics, interests, and language. Based on your choices, Instagram shows you a reach forecast and provides insights on the specific characteristics of your target audience. 4. Choose Ad Placement In this step, you decide where your ad will be displayed on Instagram. The “Automatic Placement” option takes this decision off your hands and places your ad across the Meta ecosystem to achieve maximum reach. Alternatively, you can choose manual placement and decide for yourself on which platforms and in what form your ad will be displayed. 5. Create Your Ads The last step involves the actual creation of your ads. Here, you can either get creative, use providers like Canva, or hire creative agencies. As Warriors, we have been creating social ads campaigns for our clients for years and are happy to assist you with advice and action. However, if you choose to create the ads yourself, make sure you adjust the formats depending on the ad placement location. To help you select the appropriate format, we've summarized the most important formats here: Stories, Reels, Videos: 1080 x 1920 Reel Cover: 420 x 654 Story Cover: 1200 x 1220 Instagram Image Size in Feed/Carousel: 1080 x 1080 (square), 1080 x 1350 (portrait), 1080 x 566 (landscape) 6. Measurement and Optimization Options The Meta-Ad-Manager offers you the ability at any time to monitor, regulate, and optimize your campaign. KPIs and performance overviews help you measure both your budget and your current success. Tools like the “Advantage+ Creative” can automatically improve your ads if desired. This could include adding a 3D animation or automatically adjusting the brightness of the display. You want to unleash the full potential of your Instagram Ads but need professional support during the setup? As a full-service online marketing agency, we specialize in assisting you in all aspects related to Instagram Ads. We are happy to advise you and support you in generating new customers and leads via Instagram. Visit our website and learn more about our extensive services in Instagram ads. Contact our experts and start your successful advertising campaign on Instagram today!

As the world's largest music streaming platform, Spotify reaches millions of listeners who use the app to listen to music or their favorite podcast every day. It's no wonder Spotify is ideal for advertising. In short: Spotify Advertising is all the rage!  Spotify Advertising offers advertisers the opportunity to build a personal connection with customers through audio advertisements. Unlike traditional ads, Spotify ads don't completely interrupt the audio experience but ideally contribute to the listener's enjoyment. Another advantage is that listeners are more likely to consciously register the message compared to other advertising environments, as they tend to focus on what they hear rather than mindlessly scrolling through a browser. Digital audio advertising allows you to reach listeners with personalized messages and engage them with topics relevant to them. According to Spotify, 75% of users say they are more likely to remember an ad when the ad is tailored to their current situation or environment.  Spotify's user numbers are growing daily. Already, the audio provider has approximately 456 million users per month, about 67% of whom are aged between 21 and 35. In Germany, the age distribution of Spotify users is as follows: 14-19 years 18.9%, 20-29 years 33.8%, 30-39 years 23.3%, 40-49 years 10.2%, 50-59 years 9.4%, 60 years and older 4.3%. Therefore, Spotify is the right platform for advertising targeting the 14-29 age group. Users' attention is particularly high with pure audio formats, which makes Spotify ads especially suitable for conveying information to target audiences, increasing brand awareness, and strengthening the company's image. Spotify ads are therefore especially recommended for advertisers looking to achieve marketing goals such as reach and brand building. Learn more in the current blog post from the Warriors about the types of Spotify ads available and how you can benefit specifically from using digital audio advertising. Types of Spotify Ads Spotify advertising can be done in different ways. Each of these formats has its own advantages and reaches listeners in a unique context. Classic Audio Ads The first option for placing an ad on Spotify is classic audio ads. These are placed for listeners independent of device usage and time of day between the songs they are listening to. Users are not distracted and can fully focus on the message. Such ads are even more effective when equipped with a link that leads directly to a landing page or app. Video Takeover Another option is so-called 'video takeovers'. These video ads are only displayed to users when they actively use the app or platform, i.e., when they are searching for music or artists. This way, it is guaranteed that the message will be both seen and heard. Advertisers benefit from Spotify's industry-leading platform viewability with video ads. All video ads also contain a customizable call-to-action button to encourage interaction with the ad. Sponsored Sessions Another video solution is the 'Sponsored Session'. Here, the advertiser gifts listeners 30 minutes of uninterrupted music. The video is only played when the screen is in the user's view. This advertising format ensures the advertising company 100% share of voice this way. Podcast Ads Recently, Spotify has enabled podcast ads and streaming ad insertion (SAI) in almost all Spotify original and exclusive shows. For millions of listeners worldwide, podcasts are a regular and reliable source of news, entertainment, and information. Spotify podcast ads combine the intimacy of traditional podcast ads with the precision and transparency of modern digital marketing. With streaming ad insertion, Spotify podcast ads provide verified and measurable ad impressions instead of downloads. This new level of transparency provides advertisers with audience insights and ad performance data, enabling them to optimize their podcast strategy even more efficiently. Overlay Ads Another option to advertise on Spotify is overlay ads. These are played as soon as the streaming person returns to the Spotify app. The display ad is clickable and links to your company's website or app, thus increasing traffic. Homepage Takeover and Leaderboard Ads on Desktop There are two more ad formats, which are, however, limited to Spotify's desktop application: the homepage takeover and the leaderboard ads. Homepage Takeover are display ads placed as banners on the Spotify homepage for 24 hours. When the Spotify application is actively visible on the screen, the Leaderboard ads are played for 30 seconds to reach users particularly effectively.  How Spotify Advertising Succeeds in Spotify Ad Studio For audio advertising on Spotify, only a few steps are necessary. Implementation begins with creating a Spotify account, followed by signing up at the Spotify Ad Studio. The Spotify Ad Studio is the streaming service's advertising platform and the only requirement.   The first step is setting the available advertising budget. Even with a monthly budget of €250.00, a small campaign can be run, but we recommend a minimum budget of €2,000.00. Defining the exact target audience is crucial here, allowing you to reach listeners based on gender, age, location, interest, or music taste, among other factors.  Subsequently, both audio ads and video ads can be configured. Spotify provides a wide range of free tools for this purpose - from speakers to scriptwriting assistance. Evaluations are also conducted through simple tracking and automated reports via email. Additionally, real-time reporting can determine how the target audience interacts with the created ads, enabling direct optimizations in the next step. Best Practices To leave a lasting impression on listeners with your ads and to optimize the campaigns, the following tips are helpful: Use real-time targeting Significantly increase the intent rate with relevant target audiences Formulate a clear call-to-action Ads with a direct prompt have a significantly higher click rate Mention the brand clearly Clearly mention the company in the audio ad Frequency: 3-5 per user/week Send the message multiple times to the target audience More than 5 messages per user per week are not recommended, as effectiveness may otherwise decrease Use suitable background music Ads with background music achieve a significantly higher intent rate Choose the right genre for the selected target audience Grab users' attention Funny and inventive ads stick in the mind internetwarriors - Social Ads Agency Berlin Do Spotify ads sound interesting and are they the perfect addition to your online marketing strategy ? Then you are in the right place with the Warriors!  Audio marketing on Spotify offers exciting potential for companies. As an online advertising agency with over 20 years of experience, internetwarriors specialize in topics such as social ads and campaign management. Within the scope of our SMM support , we assist you from the start - in creating an account, creative content, campaign creation, to web tracking implementation and reporting. And this is not only in connection with Spotify ads!  If your advertising goals focus on selling products, increasing sales, or gaining a larger market share, we especially recommend Google Ads . Do you want to fully exploit the potential of Spotify ads and optimally complement your online marketing strategy? Then you're in the right place with the Warriors! As an experienced Social Ads Agency with more than 20 years of expertise, we support you in running effective Spotify ads. From account creation to campaign optimization, we are by your side. Our extensive range of services also includes other social ads and campaign management services. Benefit from our experience and let's achieve your advertising goals together. Contact us today and find out how we can support you! Contact us now and benefit from our extensive range of services!

TikTok, with millions of users, is one of the largest social media platforms globally. This presents a great opportunity, as TikTok offers potential for a successful online marketing strategy. It can be used not only for social entertainment but also as an advertising platform for brands. Due to its vast reach and diverse audience, TikTok Ads are a promising marketing tool for businesses of all sizes. Read the current Warriors blog post to learn more about what TikTok Ads are, the benefits they offer, and the types of TikTok Ads available. We will guide you step by step on how to create successful TikTok Ads in the Ads Manager. First musical.ly, now TikTok: The playground for Generation Z TikTok is a free social mobile app for sharing, creating, and discovering video content. It allows users to unleash their creativity and create videos from 15 seconds to a minute, which can be edited on the platform with filters, music, and speed changes. Popular niches for short videos include cooking, singing, dancing, and comedy. The video portal is an evolution of the popular lip-sync app musical.ly. Today, the video network is a hot spot for advertisers - not just for big companies. In the app, users can like videos, tag people, comment on videos, and save them in their favorites folder. An additional technical feature is the sharing of videos on the platform. TikToks can be sent via WhatsApp, email, or other social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, as well as through the app's personal messaging feature. TikTok works to tailor each user's feed to their preferences. The entry barrier is low, allowing every user the opportunity to create videos on the platform. Target audiences for TikTok Ads In the fall of 2021, TikTok reported over a billion active users, 4 million of whom are in German-speaking regions. The target audience for TikTok Ads is primarily young adults: almost half (43%) of TikTok users are between 18 and 24 years old. Advertisers seeking customers up to the age of 35 will achieve the best results. Requirements for successful TikTok marketing TikTok recommends making advertisements credible, so the videos are "positive, authentic, and inspiring." In TikTok marketing, simple, user-generated content is particularly successful. Many small businesses achieve millions of impressions and hundreds of thousands of clicks with this strategy. Video ads can be up to 60 seconds long, but TikTok recommends limiting them to 21-34 seconds for the best results. The first 3 to 10 seconds should be particularly striking and engaging to keep viewers from leaving. Successful TikTok Ads highlight the main message or product within the first 3 seconds. 93% of the most successful TikTok videos use audio. Fast tracks with more than 120 beats per minute typically have the highest view-through rate. However, subtitles and text in TikTok advertisements are also important. According to AdAge, TikTok found that 40% of auction ads with the highest view-through rate include text overlays. In summary, TikTok offers many exciting advertising opportunities, especially thanks to long dwell times, increasing user numbers, new formats, and a young community. Types of TikTok Ads In-Feed Ads In-Feed Ads are self-service ads that you can create yourself using the TikTok Ads Manager interface. Image Ads Image Ads run only in TikTok's News Feed apps (BuzzVideo, TopBuzz, and Babe) and include an image, brand or app name, and ad text. Video Ads Video Ads are available for TikTok itself or for TikTok's family of news apps. They run as full-screen videos lasting 5-60 seconds in the user's For You feed. Each ad includes a video, ad image, brand or app name, and ad text. Spark Ads Spark Ads allow a brand to amplify organic content from their own account or other users. TikTok research shows Spark Ads have a 24% higher completion rate and a 142% higher engagement rate than standard In-Feed Ads. Pangle Ads Pangle Ads are ads delivered through the TikTok Audience Network. Carousel Ads These ads are only displayed in TikTok's News Feed apps and feature up to 10 images with unique captions per ad. This ad type is suitable for specific TikTok Ads targeting. TopView Ads TopView Ads are video ads that appear full screen for 5 to 60 seconds when users open the TikTok app. TikTok Advertising - Campaign Creation in TikTok Ads Manager The setup of the TikTok Ads Manager initially reminds one of the old Facebook advertising interface. However, the creative creation and tracking differ from each other. Step 1: Goal and Budget To get started, log into the TikTok Ads Manager and click on the Campaign button. TikTok has seven advertising goals divided into three categories: Awareness Reach: Show your ad to the maximum number of people. Consideration Traffic: Direct traffic to a specific URL. App Installations: Guide visitors to download your app. Video Views: Maximize video ad views. Lead Generation: Use a pre-filled instant form to collect leads. Conversions Conversions: Drive specific actions on your website like a purchase or subscription. Catalog Sales: Dynamic ads based on your product catalog (in beta phase and only available for customers with a managed ad account in supported regions). Step 2: Setting Ad Details Give your campaign a name that is easy for you to recognize. It can be up to 512 characters long. If you have an unlimited budget or prefer to set the budget for specific ad groups rather than the entire campaign, you can set the option "No Limit" for your campaign budget. Otherwise, choose whether to set a daily or lifetime budget for your campaign. Campaign budget optimization is also available for goals like "App Installations" and "Conversion" with the bid strategy "Lowest Cost." TikTok is currently testing a feature for optimized cost-per-click goals that provides a suggested bid. Step 3: Choose Placement and Ad Format Each campaign consists of between one and 999 ad groups. The name of each ad group can be up to 512 characters long. You can choose different placements for each ad group. Not all placements are available in all locations: TikTok Placement: In-Feed Ads in the For You feed. News Feed App Placement: Ads in TikTok's other apps - BuzzVideo, TopBuzz, NewsRepublic, and Babe. Pangle Placement: The TikTok Audience Network Automatic Placement: Allows TikTok to automatically optimize ad delivery. Step 4: Targeting and Automation You can only upload your videos once you create the individual ads. Then you can decide whether TikTok should automatically create combinations from your images, videos, and ad texts. The ad system will subsequently only display the best-performing ads. TikTok recommends that new advertisers enable this setting. Then, define your target audience in targeting. TikTok Ads allow you to filter users not just based on demographics like country, gender, religion, age, and language but also select potential buyers based on their interests. TikTok independently creates these groups (interests) based on the user's previous behavior in the app. Possible industries include Beauty, Travel, and Pets. A scale in the top right corner shows how broad or narrow your audience will be with each additional targeting limit. Furthermore, the target audience can be restricted by operating system or network quality. Step 5: Budget and Schedule You have already set a budget for your entire campaign in the TikTok Ads Manager. Now it’s time to set the budget for the ad group and determine the schedule for when it should run. Choose a daily or lifetime budget for your ad group and then select the start and end time. Under Dayparting, you can also set your ad to run at specific times during the day (depending on your account's time zone). Step 6: Bidding, Optimization, and Tracking This step in creating TikTok ads is all about optimization goals and bidding strategies. The payment model varies depending on the optimization goal chosen. If you select "Standard," your budget is spent evenly over the entire period. In contrast, if you choose "Accelerate," TikTok uses your budget as quickly as possible to achieve a greater impact in a shorter time. Bid Cap: Maximum amount per click (CPC), per view (CPV), or per 1,000 impressions (CPM). Cost Cap: Average cost per result for optimized CPM. Costs will fluctuate above and below the bid amount but should average out to the set bid. Lowest Cost: The ad system uses the ad group budget to achieve the largest number of results at the lowest cost per result. Tracking of events is managed via TikTok Pixel. This measures user activity or web performance of TikTok Ads. Additionally, there is Developer Mode, which allows dynamic parameters to be inserted on websites to track events in detail. Step 7: Ad and Display Format After selecting the ad name, you can choose from a variety of image and video ad formats in the ad details section. Once the campaign creation is completed, the ad appears in the user's feed as an In-Feed Ad. Each ad group can contain up to 20 ads. Additionally, each ad name can be up to 512 characters long, but it is only intended for internal use (it does not appear on the ad itself). Your ad will be reviewed before it is activated. internetwarriors - Online Marketing Agency for Social Media Ads As a 360° online marketing agency in the heart of Berlin, internetwarriors is your competent partner when it comes to a comprehensive strategy for successful Social Media Marketing . Thanks to our years of experience, we know exactly what specific requirements come with popular platforms like TikTok, Facebook , or Instagram . We take individual wishes into account and offer all-around support in all marketing disciplines. Feel free to contact us for advice . Did you enjoy the blog? Recommend it now! Facebook Twitter Telegram Linkedin Envelope Whatsapp AUTHOR

Table of Contents With 810 million registered users worldwide, including 17 million in the DACH region alone, LinkedIn has become an essential component of online marketing strategies over the past few years. For your company or as an individual, it's important to effectively harness the potential of the career network to build a significant organic reach. Key content, LinkedIn's tools, and personal relationships can be interesting options that are relevant for building reach. Learn more about the potentials of LinkedIn. Find out about LinkedIn now LinkedIn marketing as part of corporate strategy To increase the awareness of a company, website, shop, or individual, there are different marketing tools. SEO as a free channel is particularly in focus, as is SEA as part of an online marketing strategy. LinkedIn as a career portal has gained significant relevance in recent years. The numbers speak for themselves. With 810 million registered users worldwide, there is a vast portfolio of potential interested parties for companies and individuals operating internationally. Focusing on the DACH region, companies can theoretically captivate 17 million users if all possibilities of the career network are fully utilized. Even if LinkedIn's reach is initially theoretical because not all users interact with your company due to few touchpoints, awareness and impact can be significantly increased. Basics of a successful LinkedIn strategy First, it's crucial to establish the basics to succeed on LinkedIn. The following steps are necessary to start your success story on the platform: Personal account: The personal account serves as the gateway to LinkedIn, initially necessary to operate within the network. Create a company page: Using your account, you have the option to set up a company page if the focus isn't solely on yourself. There are three options: listing your company as a small, medium, or large business, setting up a showcase page, or alternatively identifying as an educational institution if applicable. Logo & Slogan: This is where the adventure of "increasing reach" begins. The logo is self-explanatory, but a fitting slogan can already spark interest. For instance, "The global leader in social media management" by Hootsuite indicates competence and authority and also specifies the company's sphere of influence. Optimization of the company page: Use the tools that LinkedIn provides effectively on the company page. With the help of translations, you can set up your company page in up to 20 different languages. Allow relevant keywords related to your company to flow into the description and assign important hashtags. An appealing banner image and the implementation of buttons like "Contact Us", "Visit Website", or "Learn More" support the contact process. What does organic reach mean on LinkedIn? This article frequently mentions "organic reach" that should be built on LinkedIn. Essentially, "organic" is synonymous with "free" reach because, similar to SEO, different strategies and measures help increase awareness without using financial resources. Just as with the search engine Google or the social media giant Facebook, LinkedIn also offers the opportunity to increase your company’s reach through paid advertisements, for example. LinkedIn strategy for your company Before starting to experiment on LinkedIn without a plan, you should familiarize yourself with appropriate strategies and develop your own, tailored approach for your company. The basis of a strategy is the formulation of goals and, deriving from that, the appropriate target audience. LinkedIn is suitable for several potential business objectives: Brand Awareness: The career network can sustainably increase brand awareness. LinkedIn is especially well-suited for building B2B connections. Expansion of organic reach: With the network, you can reach a large number of users by creating relevant content, maintaining contacts, and using tools effectively. Generation of qualified leads: Ideally, highly qualified leads can be generated via LinkedIn if your company page is oriented towards this. Improvement of communication: LinkedIn offers the possibility of open and transparent communication with potential partners, positively influencing the company's perception. Recruitment of employees: The more positive and attractive your company is perceived on the platform, the easier it is to attract competent employees. Content is King – also on LinkedIn The colloquial phrase "Content is King" has been and continues to be a foundation for a successful SEO strategy. It can be applied directly to LinkedIn, as only with high-quality content can organic reach be increased in the network. With content that offers real value, you create interest in yourself or your company. Misleading headlines that generate high click rates are not sustainable and may lead to user irritation. Use the opportunity within the content to present theses that may evoke different perspectives and are, therefore, gladly discussed. LinkedIn rewards interaction with more organic reach. The content can vary in nature. From a simple status update to images to relevant posts within groups or the LinkedIn network, you can rely on different types of content. LinkedIn's text publisher provides valuable support when it comes to publishing content. Video content holds a special place in the career network since it can positively regulate time-on-site. LinkedIn Tools: Groups, Hashtags & Mentions As in any network, it can be used as a multiplier. Utilizing hashtags supports the discovery of your posts. Hashtags categorize content, and interested parties can subscribe to them. Using three to five hashtags is advisable. Fewer reduce organic reach, and more increase the risk of being considered spam. It's worthwhile to mention other people and companies within your content to capture their attention, establish a position, or leverage their reach for your own dissemination. Groups are a helpful multiplier if they are thematically appropriate. Here, you can encourage discussions or offer support. It pays to comment with a link on existing discussions or posts. This way, you generate attention for your content. Interaction and communication with your community As reach grows, so too do attention and workload. As interest in yourself or your company increases, interaction and communication with your community require significantly more attention. If you fail to respond to comments or engage, the benefits of increased reach can be quickly lost. Use increased reach to highlight your services, offerings, or products with call-to-actions or lead buttons. Ideally, bookings or orders may result. Posting rhythm and monitoring your own activities Regularity is key to success, along with quality. Establish a posting rhythm for publishing content. Ultimately, monitoring your activities is necessary to draw the right conclusions. When is the best time for publications? Who or what serves as an excellent multiplier for my content? How many people have I reached? How many comments and likes were generated? These success KPIs support a well-founded analysis of your activities. If you have further questions about LinkedIn, you can get more information here. Internetwarriors are happy to advise you on all matters concerning LinkedIn.

Table of Contents Is YouTube advertising part of your online marketing strategy? Maybe you haven't used YouTube yet. Perhaps you have been running YouTube Ads for years and are noticing a decline in performance. Indeed, the framework conditions have changed significantly in recent years, making it more challenging to find relevant channels and videos where you can place your ads. Why is this the case? Our YouTube Warriors have investigated this question. Of course, we not only present problems but also bring solutions on how you can still use YouTube effectively in 2021. How does advertising on YouTube work? If you are not yet familiar with YouTube Ads, here is a quick overview: On YouTube, the largest video platform owned by Google since 2006, companies and individuals can create their own channels and upload videos. These videos can be set to “public,” “unlisted,” or “private” to control who can view them. Public videos can be monetized, meaning they are available for advertising. This allows advertisers to run ad videos on these videos. There are different ad formats and placements, such as non-skippable ads at the beginning of a video. Billing is based on format, either by views, impressions, or clicks. How have the guidelines for the YouTube Partner Program developed? In 2012, the YouTube Partner Program was opened up to everyone. This allowed all channel owners to make their videos available for advertising. The result: a wide variety of small and large channels were available to advertisers. At the same time, the channels competed with each other for ad space. In April 2017, YouTube tightened the guidelines for participation in the Partner Program: the requirement was 10,000 views on the channel. Another tightening occurred in January 2018, which YouTube justified by raising standards to improve the quality of channels and videos for ad space. Specifically, this means that since then, 4,000 hours of public viewing time within the last 12 months and 1,000 subscribers have been required. With this revision of the guidelines, large channels benefited, and many small channels no longer met the requirements of the Partner Program. Since large channels typically target a B2C audience, monetizable channels in the B2B sector are becoming scarce, as they often can no longer participate in the Partner Program due to their size. What do the current YouTube guidelines mean for advertisers? The variety of channels and videos in the YouTube Partner Program brings several advantages for advertisers: for example, individual videos or channels can be precisely selected as placements, allowing for highly accurate control over the environment in which the video ad appears, creating greater relevance. Especially for niche topics, smaller channels and videos with fewer views but a better-matched target audience are very valuable. Particularly in B2B areas, where relevance and quality are much more important than mass distribution, this precise selection of placements is lost with the current guidelines of the Partner Program. While videos can still be researched in the Display Planner, channels and videos that were once perfectly matched are often no longer available because they no longer meet the requirements and are not monetizable. This means that it has become much more difficult to find accurate placements for niche topics. In 2021, the conditions are changing again with an adjustment of the guidelines. Those who operate a YouTube channel but do not meet the requirements of the Partner Program can no longer choose to keep their videos ad-free (i.e., not monetized). YouTube itself reserves the right to decide whether ads are displayed on these channels and videos. If ads are displayed, the revenue remains 100% with Google, and channel owners do not even receive information on where, when, and how often ads were shown in their videos. What this means for advertisers and to what extent small channels can again be used for advertising is unclear. The old diversity of long-tail placements has not yet returned. We will continue to monitor the topic and share our insights with you as always. Are YouTube Ads a suitable channel for your business? Are you unsure whether YouTube is suitable for your business and industry? A simple search gives you an initial impression of whether relevant placements are available and to what extent your target audience is present on YouTube and which content and topics are particularly popular. Search for the most important relevant terms on YouTube: Are there videos on your topic? Also, consider extended topics and terms that may interest your target audience (products, services, and questions you may not offer or answer yourself but are closely related to your topic because they describe a similar problem, for example). How many views and clicks do the videos have? How many subscriptions do the channels have? Are there interactions with the videos? Are the videos monetized? The answers to these questions and the results of your research give you an initial impression of whether YouTube Ads could be worthwhile or how important YouTube is as a platform for your industry. It is also advisable to consult external expertise—look for a YouTube expert who has experience with the platform. 7 Tips for improving your YouTube ad performance   Do you want to improve the performance of your YouTube Ads? Here are 7 tips from our Performance Marketing Warriors, who have extensive experience with YouTube advertising. 1. Define your audience Our first tip may seem trivial, but knowledge of your audience is essential in all online marketing measures and thus also forms the basis for performing YouTube Ads. Who do you want to reach with your channel and content? What goal are you pursuing with your channel, videos, and ads, and for whom are they relevant? If you already have a YouTube channel, you can learn more about your audience in YouTube Analytics. Also, consider which phase of the Customer Journey your audience is currently in: which topics and terms are relevant in this phase? Which related topics interest your audience? 2. Put yourself in the audience's shoes (User Intent) What is your audience looking for, what do they want to know, see, and do? The User Intent is also of great importance in all online marketing channels. Keep in mind to provide added value and not just purely promotional content. Your video content must be relevant to your audience—this is especially true for videos that you want to use to build organic reach. But also when creating video ad materials, make sure to engage your audience and convince them to watch more of your channel's content or visit your website. Advertising can and should also be entertaining or helpful. 3. Placements and Targeting A helpful tool for researching suitable targeting options is the Google Display Planner, which allows you to identify thematically suitable placements (YouTube videos or channels) where you can run your video ads. Alternatively, you can add placements directly when creating the campaign and use the search function. Especially in the B2B sector, the thematic focus of your YouTube advertising is important for reaching your target audience and generating relevant traffic. Take advantage of video remarketing campaigns and specifically target users who have watched a video from your channel or visited your website. If you have multiple videos available, set your campaign so that users do not see the same video every time but get a variety of videos displayed, reducing the risk of your advertising being perceived as too intrusive. 4. Use Frequency Cap “Blocking YouTube ads” is searched over 4,000 times a month, and over 300 times “YouTube ads annoy.” This user intent (seeking a solution to the problem of unwanted YouTube ads) suggests that YouTube Ads should be placed with sensitivity. Especially on a platform where it's rarely about purchase intent but primarily entertainment and information, commercial content is a sensitive topic. The “Frequency Cap” allows you to limit how often users see your ad videos, reducing the chance of them becoming annoyed and forming a negative impression of you or your brand (and giving your ad a “thumbs down” or skipping it). How much is too much also depends on the audience and the advertising or ad format; for example, B2B ads have proven successful about two to three times a week. Remember: less is more! 5. Use Exclusion Criteria Even if you have done extensive research beforehand, you should use exclusion criteria. This prevents your advertising from appearing on videos that don't fit you and your target audience because, for example, they don't offer the desired content quality. At a campaign level, you can set your criteria under “Inventory types” or “excluding types/labels,” such as videos with or without age restrictions. You can also exclude specific channels and videos. Working with a good YouTube agency, they will already have extensive lists of bad placements, which are continuously updated. 6. Optimize your own channel To use YouTube effectively, you should integrate your channel into your strategy. Although you also have the option to advertise a product or service directly with YouTube Ads and direct users to your website or online shop, your channel is a crucial complement. YouTube, as the second largest search engine, brings great potential for many different industries and topics. With an optimized channel, you create organic reach and become more visible as a brand. You can also use YouTube ads to advertise your channel and videos and increase your channel's number of subscriptions. 7. Complement YouTube Ads through collaborations If there are no or too few suitable channels and videos for relevant placements, remember that there are other ways to gain traffic and leads through YouTube. Besides your own channel, you can use collaborations to increase your reach. After the update of the YPP guidelines, smaller topic-specific channels can hardly monetize their videos through the Partner Program. As an alternative, you can enter into direct collaborations. This could mean, for example, that your service, product, or event is mentioned in videos. Looking for expert support for your YouTube campaigns? Do you want to generate more traffic via YouTube? As a full-service online marketing agency, we focus on performance marketing. Since we also manage other channels, we have an eye on your business and content marketing strategy and how the YouTube channel fits into it. Our YouTube Warriors have extensive experience, particularly in the B2B segment. Because we create and optimize YouTube channels and run YouTube advertising, we bring both perspectives, and can advise you on generating both organic and paid traffic via YouTube. We also offer a Masterclass on YouTube Channel Optimization. Contact us here ! Did you enjoy the blog? Share it now!

Table of Contents We often come across interesting or funny posts, articles, videos, or pictures on the internet that we don't want to keep to ourselves and happily share with our friends via social media channels. But is sharing the content using the Share Button really compliant with data protection laws? The first anniversary of the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is approaching quickly, and websites have been updated. Cookie consent banners and tracking information have become part of our daily lives, often appearing in the middle of the page, covering relevant content, and just being perceived as annoying. Users quickly click anything to make the desired information visible again. But how has user behavior actually developed since the GDPR? Are you now more careful about which content you share via social media sites? Have you noticed that when filling out forms, you now have to check many more checkboxes, and that you receive emails with long paragraphs about data protection policies from the e-commerce shops of your choice? The GDPR has strongly influenced the guidelines for social media in the EU. A point that remains very important is the social share buttons on websites. Here, website operators also share a significant responsibility. As has often been observed in the past, social media platforms like Facebook do not handle personal data responsibly. Therefore, it is crucial for website operators to take action. The following important parameters need to be clarified: Is the integration of social buttons harmless? What is behind it? Is implementation on my website allowed from a data protection perspective? We will try to answer and clarify all these questions. We will show you how you can integrate a share function on your website without hesitation. Sharing is Fun The ability to share media content via digital channels is essentially part of the standard equipment of a blog or website. The key to spreading this content is social media channels, with Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp leading the way. Sharing articles or pictures takes very little effort. Generally, pressing a button is all it takes to increase the reach. But what processes are actually behind it, and how can such a button be integrated into the website? Share Button: Integration in WordPress or other CMS The integration of social share functionality via WordPress or another content management system is quickly accomplished, with various options and functions available. For example, you have the option to implement a counter (a web application for counting clicks on the website). Alternatively, they can be integrated as a fixed bar on the page. The plugins offer many different options that can be integrated into the website's layout. [caption id="attachment_18952" align="aligncenter" width="540"] Fig. 1: Different Design Options | Source: c’t Shariff[/caption] As a website operator, you not only have a responsibility for the website content but also for the technical functions. You should ensure that the integrations comply with data protection laws. Despite strict GDPR regulations, many plugins or extensions that promise easy installation do not yet meet these requirements. This Issue Lies Behind the Colorful Share Buttons One should pay close attention to which extensions are implemented on one's website. When it comes to social media buttons, problems often arise where the browser sends personal data like IP address, cookies, and other information to social services. Even when the user has not used the share function. This is often because some buttons are embedded as iFrames and therefore do not reside on the website itself, subsequently sending data to third parties. Furthermore, personal data of the user are disclosed when they are on websites while already logged into Facebook, Instagram, and others, thus providing social services with more information about the user. Currently, the question remains open whether social media services, website users, or website operators should be held accountable. A legal decision is still pending. Solution for Data Protection-Compliant Social Share Integrations You're probably wondering how you can integrate a share button compliantly on your website? The following solutions are possible. Two-Click Solution The Two-Click Solution, although outdated, was established on many websites for a while. After the GDPR, this method for using social share buttons has become popular again. In this case, social share buttons are only activated on the first click. Before this activation, no data exchange has taken place. Only when the user checks the box or activates the slider can sharing occur. Thus, two clicks are necessary to share a post. This procedure is intended to consciously remind users that data exchange only occurs when actively allowed. Fig. 2: Graphical Two-Click Solution Integration with the Plugin Shariff Shariff is of German origin and is one of many plugins that enable data protection-compliant sharing and liking. Heise Medien GmbH publishing group released the Shariff solution as early as 2014 and has continuously further developed it since then. Many content management systems offer Shariff as a plugin/module or extension. Shariff thus represents an attractive solution alongside the Two-Click Solution. It is important that users only come into contact with social networks when they become active. The communication with the social networks is controlled by a special script and acts as an intermediary between the social channel and the user on the site. Social Plugins After the GDPR Since May 25, 2018, dealing with personal data has become even more sensitive and continues to be scrutinized. It is advisable to carefully check if sensitive data is shared when using social plugins. This includes names and email addresses, and can even involve IP addresses, so it should be checked to what extent data protection is adhered to or if adjustments are necessary. The GDPR has tightened the reins on social media. To provide your users with a data protection-compliant website, you should take a critical look at proper implementation. We do not offer legally binding advice here, but merely provide recommendations. For legally binding statements regarding the implementation of the GDPR, we recommend contacting data protection officers and specialist media law attorneys. You can find more info about GDPR and email marketing on our blog. What Can We Do for You? If you would like to integrate data protection-compliant social share buttons on your website, contact us. We are happy to assist you with advice. Did you enjoy the blog? Recommend it now! Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn Envelope Whatsapp AUTHOR

Table of Contents The strategy, implementation, and the pros and cons of lead generation through LinkedIn forms – illustrated with a case study from internetwarrior's client heyData. Introduction to heyData (and our assignment) The company heyData heyData offers data protection as Software-as-a-Service and advises companies as a certified data protection officer on all matters of data protection and security. heyData targets B2B companies on their way to becoming a one-stop-shop. The legal-tech company serves hundreds of customers in the DACH market . Especially due to the corona pandemic, heyData experienced rapid growth in both revenue and the number of employees. The assignment for internetwarriors heyData's target audience and thus also for internetwarriors are SMEs, start-ups, tax advisors, etc. Goals : Relevant contact requests, leads KPIs : Cost per (qualified) lead (with correspondingly low wastage) Case Study: Lead Gen Challenge The goal of the "Lead Gen Challenge" for heyData is lead generation with a high conversion rate. To achieve this, the optimal channel is defined first, which is: via LinkedIn Ads reaching the desired target audience, and the possibility of detailed targeting for paid ads minimizes wastage. The actual implementation is done through appropriate content: offers for whitepapers and webinars from heyData. The mechanism behind it is ensured by LinkedIn Lead Gen forms. Success Factor: Campaigns for the Customer Journey The campaigns for heyData were developed along the customer journey , following the sequence of "Awareness" , "Interest" , and "Consideration" . To illustrate these three phases, let's imagine the potential customer is initially introduced to heyData's offerings at specific touchpoints early in their "virtual journey" and learns about them ( information phase ). In the second phase, they engage more deeply with the offer and are led to its benefits through trust-building measures ( explanation phase ) before contemplating in the third phase what advantages and solutions the offer provides for them and their business ( conviction phase ). A campaign is successful only when it leads to a conversion, such as the subscription to a data protection service from heyData. Top Funnel Campaigns: Added Value Initially, the campaign for heyData focused on the top funnel , addressing the information phase . The main goal was to make first contact with the target audience. For example, the target audience was "start-ups" , specifically the employees of start-ups, and especially the decision-makers or those dealing with data protection in the company. A "digital-savvy" target audience was defined accordingly. The target audience alignment options on LinkedIn allowed for resulting, effective combinations like "Knowledge: Start-ups" plus "Career level: Executive" to reach this audience. Individual ads were developed for the different target groups , addressing topics and challenges from "the world of start-ups," to continue with the start-up target group. Specifically, an ad posed the question "Is your start-up GDPR compliant?" and offered a whitepaper with solutions and tips. Text, image , and of course, the whitepaper were developed and designed according to the target audience to directly engage them. The promise of a top funnel campaign that provides added value was fulfilled through the "request a free whitepaper" button. The whitepaper is primarily intended to inform , allowing heyData to prove themselves as experts , convince potential clients, and build trust . Promotion of heyData's services should only follow in the second instance and towards the end of the whitepaper. Low Funnel Campaigns: Transaction In contrast to a top funnel campaign initiating first contact, a low funnel campaign targets potential customers who are much closer to a deal in terms of their information level. They already know what heyData is and what the company can offer in terms of data protection and are in the conviction phase . The "target audience remarketing" refers to users that the tracking has already noted as having had contact with heyData. The tracking registers via an integrated LinkedIn pixel that the user has already been on heyData's website, the Lead Gen form has been opened, or as a third option, the user has been on heyData's LinkedIn page. Different ads are displayed to the "remarketing audience" compared to the "first contact audience". The banners lead not to a whitepaper but directly to heyData's website, encouraging them to get in touch and, for example, offering a consultation. Success Factor: Lead Funnel a) Website Funnel How are leads collected, and how is the lead funnel structured? On the one hand, the classic solution of a conversion-optimized landing page on heyData's website offers the opportunity to pick up linked users via a contact form. This allows for the landing page to be equipped with diverse content like images, videos, etc. In this way, users immediately receive the key details about the offer or product. The lead funnel can also be individually designed . This allows testing where users might get stuck in the lead funnel process towards becoming relevant leads. Lastly, a double opt-in procedure is possible here, for instance, by confirming an order twice through clicking on the website and verifying via email. This, for example, can directly place the user on the company's newsletter distribution list and foster lead nurturing . b) LinkedIn Lead Forms LinkedIn Lead Forms appear right after the user clicks on the LinkedIn Ads. The user remains on LinkedIn and is not redirected to the company's website. When setting up the lead forms , it can be defined which lead details like name, first name, email address or phone number need to be provided to receive the added value like a whitepaper. Here, up to twelve pieces of information can be requested, although attention must be paid to the drop-out rate . The lead gen forms can be designed with the company's logo and header to partially reflect the corporate design. The forms can also optionally include information on the company's data protection policy . After successfully completing the lead form, the user is directed to the URL with the whitepaper download. In LinkedIn's campaign manager, all leads are displayed with information on when and through which campaign the lead occurred, as well as, of course, the associated lead data . Important: These data should be regularly retrieved and processed as soon as possible. Summary, the advantages of LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms: The company's website does not need to be used No need for a conversion-optimized landing page, which may still need to be built Users can enter their data directly without first navigating to the website Higher conversion rate Cheaper cost per lead Lead data is often pre-populated with LinkedIn profile information Best Practices What has been tested and optimized within this campaign setup? On the one hand, various designs of LinkedIn Ads and the Lead Gen Forms were tested and optimized, as well as different target groups and their associated parameters. To optimize the actual strategy, a comparison was made: reaching users directly with heyData's offer through "Low Funnel only" – or using a strategy with Top and Low Funnel plus the "detour" through an added value/whitepaper to first demonstrate heyData's expertise. The latter ultimately performed better. Conclusion & Results The LinkedIn Lead Forms generated a significantly higher number of leads and were cheaper than acquiring leads through the website. The quality of the leads was also assessed. In general, it is important to continually check the effectiveness of the measures through a close integration of marketing and sales and an open exchange of information, and adjust the strategy if necessary. Lead forms without a telephone number result in a cheaper cost per lead because the user has to provide less information. But: Leads with a phone number have a significantly higher conversion rate , leading to more successful deals. The added value strategy works well and is an essential intermediate step for building trust and presenting oneself as an expert. Would you like to learn more? Want to test a Lead Gen campaign for your company? Contact us . Did you like the blog? Share it now! Facebook Twitter Telegram Linkedin Envelope Whatsapp AUTHOR

Table of Contents LinkedIn is one of the most popular networks on the social web, especially when it comes to professional exchange. As user numbers grow, so do interactions. This has allowed the platform to evolve into a personal branding channel over the past few years, offering companies many benefits beyond job searching: Take advantage of an environment that allows you to acquire and maintain contacts across national borders. With an engaging newsfeed, you have the opportunity to quickly expand your reach and gain a strategic advantage. Reason enough to check your own profile for suitability, right? Make the active and targeted networking of your audience work for you! We at internetwarriors support you in "mixing professionally" on LinkedIn. Contact us! In the digital age, self-marketing on the internet is a must. But as you may have already noticed yourself, this is often not so easy. We reveal what you should pay attention to in your business profile to present yourself interestingly. #1 A Meaningful Profile Picture - First Impressions Count Whether we like it or not, we all judge people, brands, or companies when we first encounter them. This process happens automatically. It helps us navigate our environment. Use the potential of the first impression and create a professionally appealing profile picture. It is a first "icebreaker" and therefore of great relevance for the presentation of your company.  When choosing the right profile picture, make sure it's immediately clear which company it represents. The logo or the acronym of the brand name is ideal for this. As a header image, a slogan or the credo of your company often works very well. The background should use the colors of your brand. Combine these elements to create an optimal overall image and thereby convince with a perfect first impression. #2 The Profile Slogan - Immediately Captivate Your Contacts In addition, you should include a profile slogan in your LinkedIn presence that catches the attention of profile visitors. Make sure it contains relevant keywords for your company, so you can be easily found by your target audience.  And not least, a meaningful profile description helps to spark interest in your target group. Pay attention to the correct keywords here as well. An integrated call to action facilitates direct interaction with other users. #3 Custom URL – Make Your Link Truly Personal An adapted profile URL can also contribute to a positive impression. Instead of sending a link consisting of arbitrary numbers, a link that clearly relates to you is much more effective. The vanity feature allows you to quickly and easily customize the URL. #4 Display Your Projects, Articles, or Interviews  On LinkedIn, you have the opportunity to present yourself from your best side. Impress users with already successfully completed project work. Aesthetically presented, you can easily reinforce the initial positive impression. Of course, these work samples are always suggestions and idea generators for new projects with existing and/or new clients.  If your reputation has been positive in addition to this, for example through articles/contributions, interviews, or similar, share it with people. Integrate links or relevant media into your appearance and thus solidify your image. Furthermore, it is always well-received if you can establish yourself as an expert in your field. Write your own articles, for instance, from which your contacts can gain added value. However, the crucial thing is that you post regularly to keep drawing attention to yourself.  #5 Regularly Interact with Your Network – Stay Remembered The be-all and end-all on a platform like LinkedIn is to consistently update your content and nurture your contacts. Take time after trade fairs, conferences, or other business events to generate new contacts by sending out personal requests. This ensures that your network continues to grow.  Against this background, it's also worth taking a look at contact recommendations. But what's the point of all the contacts if you don't interact with them? Ask others to endorse your skills or to act as mini-testimonials for you.  Validation by third parties has a noticeable impact on the positive perception of your profile. Your contacts will also appreciate it if you do the same for them. Additionally, like, share, and comment on articles and posts that interest you to increase visibility within your network.  Lacking ideas for content that suits your target audience? We develop the right strategy for you and put your content in the spotlight. Be successful on LinkedIn now - with us, the online professionals from internetwarriors! #6 Share Interesting Topics with Your Network Not only regular interaction with your existing network is important, but sharing exciting posts with your community is especially effective to avoid being forgotten.  Have you read an interesting article about, for example, the latest changes in the field of online marketing? Share it with your network. Engage in discourse with your connections, exchange ideas with other experts, and become an interesting contact on your community's network lists.  #7 Increase Reach with Hashtags Using hashtags is very effective for drawing attention to your posts beyond the reach of your existing contacts.  Use the "#" symbol before individual topic-specific keywords to increase the reach of your post.  7 Points You Should Definitely Include in Your LinkedIn Company Profile  Use a meaningful profile picture Think of a slogan and a strong profile description  Swap arbitrary numbers in your URL with your profile name Embed your projects, articles, and interviews on your page Comment and Like the posts of your community Post regularly interesting contributions Generate more reach with your posts by using topic-relevant hashtags Do you have further questions about LinkedIn? We at internetwarriors are happy to advise you on any concerns. Get in touch with us now! Did you enjoy the blog? Recommend it now! 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Table of Contents In this blog article about targeted B2B customer acquisition with LinkedIn Ads, Johannes Stabel, COO Johannes, explains how to generate profitable and performance-based new customers with minimal waste coverage. It is important with LinkedIn Ads to have a healthy balance between investment, advertising budget, time, and the outcome in the form of leads. Why exactly is LinkedIn being used as an effective lead generation tool? LinkedIn is a very large social business platform in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, which definitely leads the way when it comes to modern advertising measures like Lead Ads. The granular targeting options are particularly efficient Job titles, industries, and company names. Theory Lead Funnel – LinkedIn Lead Ads First, LinkedIn Ads create awareness. This means that people come into contact with the company or brand for the first time. Then people go through the following stages: They become Prospect Leads. This is the first phase where a potential new customer is captured through LinkedIn, for example by redirecting from LinkedIn to the contact form on your website. Next is the Qualified Lead phase. This means that the Prospect Lead has possibly been converted into a qualified lead. Contact details are manually filtered and sorted out. It is assessed which data could represent potential new customers through LinkedIn. Once the Qualified Leads have been identified, the Opportunity Leads stage follows. In this phase, consultations can take place where questions about the existing contract may be clarified. If there are no further ambiguities, it ultimately leads to a conclusion – the new customer was acquired via LinkedIn.   Practical Traffic with LinkedIn Ads Important questions or areas that need to be precisely defined in order to successfully generate new customers via LinkedIn: Which channels are already involved in your company? Online Offline (Print, Trade Shows, Traditional Sales) What goals/KPIs are currently being pursued? Exact target group definition The funnel from the first contact with the customer to the final closure should not be too long and should remain within a realistic framework. What do the individual phases of the funnel look like and are there already specific data that can be evaluated? A connection and coherent evaluation of the data is crucial. A potential funnel that could be developed is the lead generation through LinkedIn Ads. For this, we clarify the following questions: What are valuable leads and what do we actually want to track? What is a possible objective? How long was a customer on my site? How many newsletter subscriptions do we have? How many people have downloaded a PDF? We recommend using Google Analytics because this tool can connect multiple traffic channels and recognize potential synergies. To start the whole process and be able to track leads, a campaign group must be created on LinkedIn. A campaign is then created within the campaign group, for which we need an objective: Website Conversion For this, a conversion tracking on the website is needed, through which leads can be collected. Lead Generation No website is required here. The leads are generated through the LinkedIn lead form. The data can be saved and collected as a CSV in an Excel sheet. It is important to clearly define the target group when creating a campaign. There is an extra attribute for this, namely the audience expansion. However, if the target group is too small, it may happen that no traffic is generated through LinkedIn lead generation. After defining the target group, the budget and bid type must be determined. Automatic CPC bid: Attempts to achieve the best performance Maximum CPM / Maximum CPC bid: This strategy always tries to get the most out of the budget Enhanced CPC bid: Optimizing ad delivery for the number of leads Then the ads can be written. Follow these steps: 1. Name the ad (enter a contextually relevant title) 2. Then you have some space for an introductory text that describes in a few short sentences what the ad is about 3. After that, enter the target URL 4. Furthermore, the use of an image is possible 5. As well as the use of a Call to Action button If not using the LinkedIn lead form, it is important that the landing page looks user-friendly. For this, a detailed competitor analysis is important and a clear Call to Action. What happens next? Which factors then lead to success? Lead Qualification A common data basis of all different parties (sales, marketing, and performance manager) is important here. This must be accessible and easily understandable for everyone. The following can be noted in it: When was the lead triggered? From which campaign does the lead originate (This is measurable with UTM parameters attached to the target URL on LinkedIn) The sales team can contact this lead and then assess the relevance of this lead. If the lead converted, this can also be noted. The campaign manager, who optimizes the LinkedIn Ads, can then use this table to track whether the leads gained actually converted or if a campaign yielded leads but no closures. In response, they can react and optimize the campaigns if necessary. Leads with LinkedIn Ads from internetwarriors Do you need support or advice on LinkedIn Ads and lead generation? Then contact us for a free consultation. Did you enjoy the blog? Recommend it now! Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn Envelope WhatsApp AUTHOR