Linkedin Video Ads for 2023: Best Practices Guide (Includes 20 Examples)

If you want to step up your game on Linkedin marketing and advertising, then you need to take a serious look at videos. 

Why? Here are some facts you can’t ignore

• Video consumption on Linkedin is growing rapidly with over 50% of members engaging with videos on their feed daily.
• Users are spending x3 more time on videos than static.  
• Brands are x6 more engagement with Linkedin live (a video format as well)
• Video content gets 30% more comments than non-video content

There just isn’t enough excuses to skip videos anymore on Linkedin – Even if you are in the most boring B2B industry ever.

Although i’d argue that the more “boring” your industry is, the more you’ll need videos to capture your prospect’s attention. 

That’s the reason for this guide.

We’ll take you through everything you need to know to run successful Linkedin video ads in 2023. 

Ready? Let’s go. 

What is Linkedin Video Ads and is it effective? 

“Are there video ads on Linkedin like Facebook and Youtube?” 

Short answer: Yes. Linkedin provides native video capabilities as well. 

That’s one of the most common questions advertisers have for B2B video content campaigns. 

What are Linkedin Video ads?

Linkedin video ads are ad formats on Linkedin that allows a brand to express itself through sight, sound, and motion.

Here’s an example of video content by Amazon

Custom video ads are one of the best ways to bring your brand to life and captivate your audience. 

Linkedin video ads are mainly used across the 3 stages of the marketing funnel. 

• Brand awareness
• B2B Thought leadership
• Lead generation

Depending on what the marketing objective is, the video creative has to be different to be effective. There is no one-size-fits-all video for every objective. 

What makes the video so powerful, yet tricky, is the execution of it.

Creating a video is easy. But creating a high-performing video that gets clicked is challenging. 

Why? 

Think about it. To make a good video ad, you’ll need to get a series of creative factors right. You’ll need the following to be nailed.  

• Messaging
• Visuals
• Branding
• CTA
• Duration
• Audio

and more. 

That’s why many companies avoid video or are not finding success with it. It’s complex and not your fault! 

We’ll make it easier for you by breaking down the best practices that you can follow later in this article. 

Alright? Great. 

How to get started with Linkedin Video Ads

Setting up your first Linkedin video ad campaign is easy.

Before you start, here are a couple of checklists you’ll need to have: 

• An active Linkedin Company Page
• Ad copy for your intro text 
• At least a sponsored content poster rights for the company page (If you only want to post direct sponsored content)
• A video (duh)
• A Destination/Final URL (Where do you want to send your traffic to?)
• A Call To Action
• Your targeting options and prospect persona

Got the above ready? Let’s set-up your Linkedin video ad. 

Related: How to run a Linkedin Ads in 2023 – A Definitive Guide to Advertising on Linkedin

Step 1: Log into your Campaign Manager Tool

The campaign manager tool is where you can create and manage your video ads campaign. There are 2 ways to get there. 

1. Log in to your Linkedin profile’s home page. On the top right, click on “Work” and then “Advertise”. If you’re on the new interface, the “Advertise” should appear before the “Work”

2. Alternatively, you may save and use this direct URL to access your ad account. https://www.linkedin.com/campaignmanager/accounts

Step 2: Create a Video Campaign

This is assuming you have created a Linkedin ad account. It’s different from your Linkedin page. 

1. You may click and use the Default campaign group which Linkedin gives and you can’t delete. If you prefer to use a new campaign group, i recommend creating a new one. 

2. Once you’re in the campaign group, Click on Create a campaign

3. Select the objective and you can start including your video content

Which video marketing objective should you choose? 

Ask yourself what do you want your audience to do? That should direct the goal and your video strategy. 

• For awareness objectives, that’s about getting as many people as possible to see your brand. The goal is to create a positive impression and let others know that you exist. 
• For the consideration objectives, this will be applicable for brands who want prospects to click, take action, engage or watch a video. 
• For the Conversion objectives, that’s where brands aim to get people to fill out a form or take a conversion action like signing up for a webinar or purchasing. 

Before you get too excited and choose conversion objectives like sales, you’ll need to truly understand how ready is the audience you’re targeting? 

The biggest mistake marketers make is to jump straight to conversion objectives for a set of cold audiences. If the audience has never heard of your brand or if they do not understand your product, jumping straight to the conversion objective will fail. 

I can promise you with 100% certainty that particular video strategy will not work. Do not do it even though it seems like an easy solution. 

If you really must, at the very least, use Linkedin Lead Gen Form together with your ad. That’ll mitigate the risk a little more although still not ideal. 

Step 3: Select your target audience

The next step is to select your audience targeting and understand your forecasted result. 

We cover this in-depth with a Linkedin targeting breakdown here. 

If you’re just starting out, i’d recommend using Job Functions AND Seniority. 

Aim for an audience size of 80-120k for a brand new campaign. 

If the audience size is still too large due to a big geography size, then add more AND boolean options. Job Skills is another good filter to test. 

Linkedin Video Ads Best Practices for 2023

You’ve spent time, money, and resources to create a video ad. You’re ready and you hit publish. But all you got was crickets. Why isn’t your video ad performing? 

Was it because of the colors? Or, maybe the pace of the video wasn’t good? Or, the video was too long and CTA wasn’t clear? 

We’ve got you. Here is a list of best practices that you can follow to ensure the video hits the mark. Whether or not you’re doing brand awareness or going after leads, these will up your results for your video ads. 

1. Brand Awareness Ad: Aim to be more personal and include your storytelling and branding near the end of the video content. 
   
2. Brand Awareness Ad: Use more personalized human experiences. There’s a 15% lift in view rate when a relatable human is present. A happy and smiling face goes a long way. 
   
3. Brand Awareness Ad: Using aspirational words for video advertising. This helped to increase the view rate by est 31%
   
4. Brand Awareness Ad: Don’t use branding too early in the video and only talk about yourself. Focus on the prospects first. Include your brand only at the end. 
   
5. Brand Awareness Ad: Aim for 10 – 15s videos in general. Longer videos also works but i’d recommend it more for storytelling. Do not expect conversions, that’s not the goal of conversions. Brand awareness is about warming up the prospects, building desire and improving brand sentiment/recall. 
   
6. Consideration/thought leadership Ad: Introduce the brand in the first 2 seconds.Vibmob found that this resulted in 16% engagement – Remember, this is recommended more for this thought leadership stage
   
7. Consideration/thought leadership Ad: Videos that featured industry buzzwords saw 31% more engagement. Now, this makes more sense here as you are not targeting warmer audiences. For cold unfamiliar audiences, avoid buzzwords. 
   
8. For whatever funnel, you should always Include captions for your video
   
9. Consideration/Thought leadership ad: Quick GIF-style videos would work well.Advertisers see a 52% lift in GIF-Style video ads that are less than 5 seconds. For videos 5-15 seconds, the lift in engagement is roughly 43%. For long GIF-Style videos from 15-30 seconds, you’ll likely see only a 25% lift in engagement. 
   
   Do take note that GIFs are not supported as a video ad. You’ll need to create short videos that will loop itself when ad is live. Anything less than 15 seconds should put it in auto-loop (You’ll have to test this as this might get updated). 
   
10. Consideration/Thought leadership ad: Use words that suggest “growth” and potential.Words that talk about gains and amplification in CTAs work well. How well? At least a 53% lift in engagement. The words you use matter.
    
    Some examples are words like, “Learn how”, “Fastest”, Easiest”, “Growth”, “Potential”, “The future of etc”. 
    
11. Lead Generation ads: Introduce your brand in less than 2 seconds. This has shown to provide a CTR lift of 17%.
    
12. Lead generation ads: Use Lead generation forms together with video ads. Lead generation forms tend to perform x400 better than a website visit. Pre-filled forms are extremely powerful to ensure a seamless prospecting experience
    
13. Lead generation ads: Use at least 4 scene changes in the first 3 seconds of the video. 
    
14. Lead generation ads: Ensure your most important message is shown in the first 3 seconds of the video. Attention span is short and you need to frontload your irresistible offer fast. 
    
15. Lead generation ads: Use action-oriented words (Start Now, Make, Discover, Learn Now) in CTA to increase CTR by 20%
    
16. Call out your audience clearly in the ad copy and the video itself. For example: “For IT leaders in healthcare, learn how etc” 
    
17. Always keep mobile in mind for all Video ads. Is it viewable and clear in mobile? 
    
18. You should retarget with video views! Advertising to warm audiences will likely give better results. Keep your videos extremely short as Linkedin’s retargeting is based on the % of video completion. Imagine if you had a 15 min video ad, it would take a member 3.75min of watch time before they can be retargeted. That’s way too long and you’ll probably lose that audience.
     
19. The best video ad format to use as of now is the new Vertical or Square video ads. It’s new and it looks big on Linkedin’s newsfeed. These new formats definitely capture more attention. 

Linkedin video ad benchmarks & ad metrics

These are the Linkedin native video metrics & benchmarks to look out for when running video ads. 

• View-through rate: 28.5% (Baseline)
• Click-through rate: 0.35%
  • (This benchmark applies only if you selected Website visits, Website conversions, Lead generation objectives since only those objectives optimizes towards the click)
• Engagement rate: 1.69%

Related: An always updated resource for other Linkedin ad benchmarks

Linkedin also provides comprehensive video metrics to help with your reporting and optimizations.

Use these as directional cues on whether you’re performing well or not. 

• Video Views: Considered as 2 or more continuous seconds of playback. Video must also be at least 50% on the screen, or a click/action was taken. 
  
• Video View Rate: Calculated as the total number of views divided by impressions, then multiplied by 100%. The definition of views here is similar to the above. 
  
• eCPV: This refers to the estimated cost per view. This includes views that are not paid (organic) when someone shares. 
  
• Views at 25%: Number of times your video was watched to 25%. This includes members who skipped to this stage. 
  
• Views at 50%: Number of times your video was watched to 50%. This includes members who skipped to this stage. 
  
• Views at 75%: Number of times your video was watched to 50%. This includes members who skipped to this stage. 
  
• Completion: Number of times your videos was completed at 97-100%. This includes members who skipped to this stage. 
  
• Completion rate: Number of completions divided by views in %
  
• Full screen plays: This shows the number of times a video was viewed in full screen mode. 
  
• Impressions: This counts when someone is scrolling the feed, saw the video ad but did not meet the “view” criteria of at least 2-sec continuous playback view, or 50% within screen, or member who click. 

Related: Overview of Linkedin video advertising cost 

Linkedin video specs, dimensions, and sizes.

Creating a video and not sure what the ad specifications are? 

Here’s all the important specs you’ll need to know 

• Introductory text: You’ll have up to 600 characters here
• Accepted length of videos: 3 seconds to 30 mins (Please review the best practices above)
• File size: 75KB to 200MB
• What’s the file format: MP4
• Frame rate: Less than 30 FPS (frames per second)
• Pixel and aspect ratio
  • Landscape 16:9 aspect ratio (1.78):Minimum: 640 x 360pxMaximum: 1920 x 1080px
  • Square 1:1 aspect ratio (1):Minimum: 360 x 360pxMaximum: 1920 x 1920px
    Vertical 9:16 aspect ratio (0.5652):Minimum: 360 x 640pxMaximum: 1080 x 1920px

Note: Vertical videos will only appear on members using mobile devices. 

• File format: JPG or PNG
• Audio format: AAC or MPEG4
• Audio size: Less than 64 Khz
• Video caption: SRT format

20+ Best Linkedin video ad examples and case studies

The fastest way to learn how to get good at something is to model against other successful examples. We’ve spent hours combing through the best Linkedin video that you can learn from. 

This research wasn’t easy because there’s quite way too many bad video content and video ads on Linkedin. There’s a clear gap in knowledge to getting this right! 

The videos are chosen because of their strong results in engagements & CTR. 

Linkedin video ad example 1: Slack

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

Slack is crushing video ads on Linkedin. For context, this is a brand awareness ad. They are trying to build mindshare and help people understand the value of using slack. There’s even an irresistible headline that says “Try Slack for free”. Colors, branding, and sound would stop a member from scrolling on their feed. Ad is also short and to the point. Overall a great brand awareness ad. 

Linkedin video ad example 2: Microsoft

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

A good conversion-focused ad from Microsoft. Good use of the logo on the top right. Smart selection of action words as well. The graphics and headline is also clear on the value they’re offering. 

Linkedin video ad example 3: Apple

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

Apple. There aren’t many companies in the world better at brand awareness marketing than them. They’ve got many things going in this video. Great colors, clear offer, concise video. The scene changes are also very fast which helps maintain the attention of members. Biggest of all, i like how they are using squared video as compared to the usual horizontal videos we typically see from B2B companies.

Linkedin video ad example 4:

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

I love how paypal calls out their audience in the video. It’s so large you can’t miss it. If you’re not a business owner, then this is not for you. The video goes on to ask about challenges related to business owners and how Paypal could solve them. Just like Apple, they are also pioneering Square video ads and reaping the rewards from it. A great overall brand awareness ad. The only issue i have is that the headline needs to improve. They could start what member will get if they click on the “Learn More” CTA. 

Linkedin video ad example 5: Amazon

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

Amazon gets real personal by showcasing an employee’s day to day life. Their goal is brand awareness to attract highly talented professionals. They show the real-life struggles, passions, and dreams of an employee. The video is also fast pace with many scene changes which helps maintains attention. Notice how they also use big bold text to bring home key points. 

Linkedin video ad example 6: Refinitiv

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

Linkedin is probably the best place to use graphs in your video ad due to the professional nature of the platform. Excellent strategy by Refinitiv to appeal to the banking and investment professionals. I like how they use numbers and namedrop companies like HSBC. Look how they get more specific about what members will get. Overall a great lead generation video ad to model after. 

Linkedin video ad example 7: Grab

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

2020 has been a crappy year for many. From long quarantine periods to people losing their jobs. Grab encapsulates these challenges and resilience through this emotional ad. This is great for brand awareness as Grab showed empathy. 

Linkedin video ad example 8: Gong.io

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

Great visuals and colors that stands-out from the Linkedin blue/white backgrounds. Instead of the typical offers like whitepaper, eBooks, and webinars, Gong chooses to feature cient testimonials in this short cut scene change video. And the use of the dog is really unique. Not many companies would do that which makes this stand out. 

Linkedin video ad example 9: Square

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

Square does a great job in explaining their business proposition with this short video. What i like about this ad it how they front-load the messages and have scene changes quickly. Also a good strategy to add an extra CTR link within the intro text for higher CTR results. Overall a great brand awareness ad. 

Linkedin video ad example 10: Facebook for Business

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

Facebook does excellent brand awareness videos. This video was built to educate and show thought leadership. Great scene changes and narrative. I might suggest that the key messages are front-loaded to the first 5-10 second since this is a long video and not many will complete watching the ad. 

Linkedin video ad example 11: Google

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

Very creative use of video ad from Google. Check it out, they simply use one scene that shows a key insight that their prospects want. The CTA has a little bit of animation like a GIF style. Being a super short video, this ad continuously loops itself. Google also calls out their audience really well through the copy. Another learning point is the use of different video size formats. That makes this video ad unique.

Linkedin video ad example 12: Anatomage Inc. 

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

Alright, i know the brain picture might irk you out but bare with me. This ad is from a medical education company and their objective is to get a click. This should give more context. It’s start off with a clear value proposition. They challenge the status quo of doing things and show that there’s a better way in medical education. I like that the video is short as well. I do feel that they could reduce the video length to 5-10 secs if possible. 

Linkedin video ad example 13: CentralDBC

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

This is a straight-up testimonial ad. Case studies work superbly well for website visits/conversions kind of objectives. The assumption here is that the audience are familiar with the brand offer and right now, showing a testimonial from a credible company and individual will help boost trust in the company. in the video, the customer explained their challenge and how CentralDBS helped them overcome it. Brilliant! I also like that they included captions and subtitles. Also, there’s a strong call to action “Free for 3 day” 

Linkedin video ad example 14: Whirlpool Corporation

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

They are targeting employees of Walt Disney with an offer. The call-out of the audience is so clear and hyper-relevant. A great social media video ad example. 

Linkedin video ad example 15: Eclipse Holsters

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

Love the use of emojis here. Who says ads on Linkedin is boring! You can make it fun as well. This ad isn’t the typical B2B ad as well. It showcases a DIY product and hardware with a practical tutorial. Great for generating clicks and interest. Definitely stands-out from the typical boring business ads. After all, marketing is all about standing out and getting noticed right? 

Linkedin video ad example 16: Content Cucumber

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

This reminds me of the Harmon Brother ads. Humour goes a long way and this ad nailed it. It brings across a memorable offer and concept through a meme type of video. Not the stiff typical ad that everyone ignores. Check out the headline as well. The offer of a “Free Blog” is clear. 

Linkedin video ad example 17: Chorus.ai

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

It’s all about giving value upfront instead of upselling. That’s the fastest way to win someone’s trust and share of wallet. ChorusAI does a perfect job here with this video content. They focus on sharing key insights that their prospects would be interested in. CTA is also direct and clear where prospects know that they need to subscribe to follow more. 

Linkedin video ad example 18: PredictiveHire

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

The image stands-out. Sometimes it doesn’t have to be humans with all positive high-fives and smiles. It becomes too fake and corporate. This topic touches on a soft spot on discrimination in hiring as well. The video is short and to-the-point as well. They use large text in their video to drive the message. I do think they can further improve this ad by ending with a Download message. Or, at least inform people what’s in the download. 

Linkedin video ad example 19: SAP

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

SAP crushed it here with a clear offer. To the point with a strong CTA. I love how SAP includes their brand in the top right for their video as well. My only concern for this ad is that this wouldn’t do too well as a brand awareness campaign. If a member is not familiar with SAP Enable Now, they won’t attend the virtual demo. There’s no need if they don’t feel like they have a problem. 

Linkedin ad example 20: Google 

Click on the image to view the video ad. 

What we like about this video ad: 

Google did a great brand awareness video ad here. Although the video was long, it was really compelling and insightful showing how the world searched for information last year. If you have proprietary insights, use it like how google has and share it to get more mindshare and awareness. Long videos don’t mean less engagement if your information is compelling. 

Related: Looking for more Linkedin ad examples? Here’s 141+ best performing Linkedin ads.

How to retarget using Linkedin video views and ads

Here’s the thing about the B2B sales process. It’s very long and the buying journey is not linear.

This means that the prospects will drift in and out of their interest of your product.

Here’s an illustration by Gartner of the typical B2B buying process. It’s more complex and takes more than just an ebook download or a webinar to convert someone.

This is where retargeting is crucial. Whenever someone has identified a problem and started exploring a solution, you must constantly retarget them and be top of mind.

Since the buying journey is long, your competitors can easily come in at any point to take your prospects away.

Imagine if you’ve spent all the effort to educate your prospects but retarget them when they are more ready? They might forget about you and revenue is lost to your competitor!

The same can be said if a company only focuses on hard selling and demos. If your marketing message is all about supplier selection lower-funnel content, then your prospects are not going to care. You need to help them understand the pain point first and how your solutions fit before pushing them to a demo.

So how does Linkedin video view retargeting help with the long buyer journey?

Linkedin allows you to retarget when members view your video ad at the 25%, 50%, 75%, 97% mark.

You’ll also be able to select the time range when of when your audience engaged with your ads. This helps you to ensure retargeting of the most recent audience or if you have a longer sales cycle, you can retarget members on a long time frame.

You’ll be able to select from 30, 60, 90, 180, 365 days.

Where to find Linkedin video views retargeting?

Here are some screenshots on where to find the video views retargeting.

Once you click on the video retargeting, you’ll be able to make more selections on video retargeting.

Should you use Linkedin video ads or not? Or can we ignore it? 

At this stage, i hope you’re convinced that video should be part of your B2B advertising strategy. Members consume more and more video content everyday. Leaving video out will not be a good idea. 

Using multi-format gives you more data and insights on what works for your audience. This native video format is applicable to every stage. You simply need to adjust different elements accordingly. 

Most importantly, keep testing. There are new square and vertical video formats that you should take advantage of. From our initial testing, these new formats work better because it’s larger on mobile screens and not many advertisers are using them yet. 

For a complete guide on advertising on Linkedin, you may refer to this Linkedin ads guide