How Effective Are LinkedIn Paid Ads for Recruiting?

In 2022, it’s increasingly clear that social media is a powerful tool for recruiting and hiring top talent. Undoubtedly, LinkedIn has revolutionized how companies find and engage with potential candidates.

With over 849 million members worldwide, 58 million companies, and over 50 million people looking for jobs weekly, LinkedIn offers access to an incredibly diverse pool of potential employees from all industries across all countries.

Whether brands are looking for entry-level employees or executives with decades of experience, there are unique opportunities on LinkedIn that simply cannot be found elsewhere.

When looking to hire someone, the first place many recruiters turn to is LinkedIn. This is because LinkedIn provides a wealth of information on potential candidates.

LinkedIn profiles often include a person’s work history, education, and skills — making it easy for recruiters to quickly screen candidates and identify those who might be a good fit for a particular job.

In addition to its vast pool of potential candidates, LinkedIn is also an excellent platform for building relationships with potential hires. LinkedIn lets brands connect with people in their network and message them directly — making it easy to start a conversation with someone they’re interested in hiring.

Many companies use LinkedIn’s free features to post job listings and connect with candidates.

However, some companies are now turning to LinkedIn Paid Ads to get even more visibility for their open positions. LinkedIn Paid Ads work similarly to other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, where companies can create targeted campaigns with specific objectives in mind.

Advantages of using LinkedIn paid ads for recruiting

Target audiences more effectively

LinkedIn Paid Ads offer several advantages for companies looking to recruit talent. They allow brands to target their audience very specifically.

Using LinkedIn’s targeting options, companies can be sure that people who fit the desired criteria (such as location, job title, and skill set) interact with their ads. This allows brands only to pay to reach candidates relevant to their open position.

Access to key analytics

Another advantage of LinkedIn Paid Ads is that it allows brands to track how many people see and click on their ads.

This information can be valuable in helping them optimize their ad campaigns and ensure they are getting the most bang for their advertising buck.

Generate more leads

LinkedIn Paid Ads can also help companies generate more leads. When people click on their ad, they reach a landing page. There, they can learn more about the company and its open positions.

This is a great way to get more qualified candidates interested in the company and increase their chances of making a hire.

Improved brand awareness

In addition to generating more leads, LinkedIn Paid Ads can also help improve brand awareness.

When potential candidates see a company’s name and logo in their LinkedIn feed, they’ll be more likely to remember the company when they’re ready to start looking for a new job — giving brands a leg up on the competition when it comes time to make an offer.

Higher quality candidates

Finally, LinkedIn Paid Ads can help brands attract higher quality candidates.

Because they can target their ads specifically, they’re more likely to reach people genuinely interested in the positions they’re looking to fill, saving them time and energy in the long run, and making it well worth the investment.

Disadvantages of using LinkedIn paid ads for recruiting

High cost per click

One of LinkedIn Paid Ads’ most significant disadvantages is the high click cost. Because LinkedIn is such a competitive platform, the cost of advertising can be higher, making it difficult to justify the expenditure, especially for small businesses with limited budgets.

Less engagement than other platforms

Another disadvantage of LinkedIn Paid Ads is that they tend to have less engagement and active users than other social media platforms.

According to a study by Search Engine Journal, right behind Twitter, LinkedIn has the lowest engagement rate of any other social media platform, meaning companies using LinkedIn Paid Ads may not reach as many potential recruits as possible.

Potential for irrelevance

A potential downside of LinkedIn Paid Ads is that they can become irrelevant quickly. If brands are not careful about their target, their ads could end up being seen by people not interested in their open positions, leading to wasted clicks and a lower return on investment.

May not reach decision-makers

It’s essential to remember that LinkedIn Paid Ads may not reach decision-makers. In other words, even if someone interested in the open position sees the ad, they may not have the authority to make a hiring decision. This is something to remember when companies plan their ad campaigns.

While there are certainly some disadvantages to using LinkedIn Paid Ads for recruiting, the advantages outweigh them. With better targeting and access to key analytics, brands can ensure that quality candidates will see their LinkedIn ads. This will improve their hiring chances.

Companies that want the best talent should strongly consider using LinkedIn Paid Ads as part of their recruitment strategy.

How should companies create LinkedIn paid ads?

Identify the target audience

One of the most important things companies need to consider when creating LinkedIn Paid Ads is who they are trying to target.

They should start by identifying their ideal candidate profiles based on location, industry, experience level, education, and more. This will help them to create a highly targeted ad campaign that is more likely to reach the right people.

Create eye-catching creative

Another critical element of LinkedIn Paid Ads is the actual ad creative. Companies need to ensure that their ads are attention-grabbing and engaging. This is what will attract potential recruits. And, it can encourage them to click through to learn more about the open position.

Companies may want to consider using images, videos, or other multimedia content in their LinkedIn ads to make them more eye-catching.

They may want to consider using images, videos, or other multimedia content in their LinkedIn ads to make them more eye-catching.

Optimize the landing page

After creating an ad, companies need to optimize their landing page for lead generation. This means ensuring that it has clear calls to action, provides relevant information about the company and open positions, and is mobile-friendly, among other things.

By optimizing the landing page for lead generation, companies can improve their chances of successfully recruiting top talent through LinkedIn Paid Ads.

Track analytics

Finally, it is crucial to track the performance of LinkedIn Paid Ads and adjust as needed to continue improving results. Companies may want to use advanced analytics tools to analyze data like click-through and conversion rates.

This can help them to determine which ad creatives are most effective at engaging potential candidates. It’ll also allow them to optimize their campaigns over time. Companies can improve their results by carefully managing their LinkedIn Paid Ad campaigns and finding the best candidates for open positions.

Overall, there are many factors to consider when creating paid LinkedIn ads for recruiting purposes. Companies need to carefully select their targeting options, create engaging and effective ad creatives, optimize their landing page for lead generation, and track the performance of their ads to maximize their results.

By following these steps, companies can improve their chances of successfully recruiting top talent through LinkedIn Paid Ads.