LinkedIn offers marketers a variety of ad formats to choose from, each tailored to specific marketing goals. These include Single Image Ads, Video Ads, Document Ads, and Event Ads, among others (more on this in Chapter 5: Choosing the Right Ad Format, you can also read more about the ad formats in LinkedIn’s Ad Guide). The choice of format depends on the advertiser's objectives, target audience, and content type. In this section, we’ll see examples of brands using different ad formats to communicate and target audiences based on their business type and goals.
1. SaaS Companies Targeting Specific Personas
SaaS companies that serve specific professional roles can use LinkedIn's targeting capabilities.
Why? LinkedIn is full of professionals actively seeking insights, tools, and solutions.
How? You can run campaigns targeting marketers, sales leaders, founders, or other key roles using LinkedIn's precision targeting.
HubSpot, an inbound marketing and sales platform, creates tailored content for each persona, such as guides for CMOs or case studies for startup founders, effectively reaching their ideal customers. Let’s understand this with an example below:
In the above example, Hubspot has used multiple Single Image Ads to promote an eBook,to push the target audience further down the funnel.
Why do these ads work?
- Clearly communicates with decision-makers actively seeking professional development resources.
- Demonstrates thought leadership and builds trust through high-quality, educational content.
- Moves potential customers from the awareness to the consideration stage.
2. Established Business in One Segment, Expanding Into a New Segment with Different Value Proposition
LinkedIn Ads are particularly effective for companies that have an established presence in one segment but are expanding into another with a distinct value proposition. This approach is especially valuable when the buying process involves complex decision-making and longer sales cycles.
Why? LinkedIn members includes key decision-makers, making it perfect for Account-Based Marketing (ABM). 86% of B2B companies use ABM with 41% giving it top preference.
How? LinkedIn offers precise targeting options based on job title, industry, and company size. You can even target specific accounts, enabling you to engage high-value prospects throughout an extended sales cycle.
Salesforce, a leading CRM platform, uses various LinkedIn ad formats to promote Salesforce for Small Business. Let’s look at an example below:
In the above example, Salesforce for Small Business has used a Video Ad featuring a client who explains why CRM platforms are important for small businesses. This video ad is engaging and doubles up as a genuine testimonial from a client who has used the product.
Why does this ad work?
- Establishes immediate credibility, provides social proof and reduces hesitation.
- Connects emotionally and addresses pain points, while helping clients visualize ROI.
- Streamlines the buying process and showcases value
- Transforms customer experiences into marketing assets
3. Event Organizers Running Webinars or Conferences
LinkedIn's event promotion tools help boost online and in-person professional events, such as webinars, conferences, and award ceremonies.
Why? The platform's professional nature lends credibility to events, attracting high-caliber audiences.
How? Use Sponsored Content or Event Ads to reach relevant audiences, drive registrations, and retarget engaged users.
Adobe uses LinkedIn Ads to promote its annual Adobe Summit, a digital experience conference. They target marketing professionals and digital strategists, using LinkedIn's audience targeting to reach potential attendees most likely to be interested in and benefit from the event.
Adobe has used Single Image Ads, Document Ads and Video Ads (with a registration link) to promote the Adobe Summit 2025 and related experiences/information.
Why do these ads work?
- Precise Targeting & Hyper-Relevant Reach:
- Targets marketing professionals, digital strategists, and marketers through multiple ad formats.
- Leverages LinkedIn's professional audience for hyper-relevant reach.
- Ensures ad visibility to decision-makers and industry leaders.
- Strategic Use of LinkedIn Event Promotion Tools:
- Utilizes the platform's native event promotion tools.
- Positions the event as a must-attend professional development and networking opportunity.
- Capitalizes on professionals' desire for continuous learning and networking.
- Engaging Content Formats for Enhanced Communication:
- Uses Single Image Event Ads for clear, immediate communication.
- Uses Document Event Ads to provide a clear value proposition by offering content-heavy information about the event.
- Uses Video Event Ads in a "Summit in 60 Seconds" format to provide details on hosts, promote merchandise, and give a preview of the overall event.
- Optimized Content Matching & Value Signaling:
- Matches event content with precise professional personas.
- Reaches individuals most likely to derive value from the conference.
- Signals high-value content through strategic ad design and messaging.
- Seamless User Experience & Retargeting:
- Provides a low-friction registration pathway
- Enables direct registration and a seamless user experience
- Content formats allow for sophisticated retargeting of engaged professionals, preventing creative fatigue.
4. Companies with New Technologies Offering a High-Consideration Product or Service
Businesses introducing new product categories and/ or high-value solutions can leverage LinkedIn to build awareness, educate their target market, and establish credibility.
Why? Businesses introducing new product categories or high-value solutions can leverage LinkedIn to build awareness, educate their target market, and establish credibility. LinkedIn is used by 93% of B2B marketers as part of their content marketing strategy.
How? Run videos, document ads, or thought leader ads educate your audience. Use interest-based targeting to reach professionals engaging with topics. Share exclusive reports, trend analyses, or invite-only webinars. 58% of decision-makers say thought leadership directly influenced their decision to award business to an organization. Use website retargeting and engagement audiences to nurture interest effectively. Leverage LinkedIn Conversation Ads to engage potential buyers and address objections directly. Focus on early adopters, innovators, and industry leaders who are more likely to embrace new solutions.
Gong, a revenue intelligence platform, uses LinkedIn Ads to establish its category and educate potential customers about the benefits of its solution. They target sales leaders and revenue ops professionals, using content marketing to explain the concept of revenue intelligence and its impact on sales performance.
Gong.io uses Video Ads and Thought-Leadership Ads featuring its users across industries to explain how they use Gong. Each ad showcases snippets of the product and how it is used, focusing on how Gong led the user to experience a ‘wow’ moment.
Example 2: Snowflake, a cloud data platform, uses LinkedIn Ads to educate potential customers about their data warehousing solution. They target data engineers, CTOs, and other data professionals, using a mix of thought leadership content and product information to build awareness and credibility over time.
Snowflake uses a Single image ad to promote its offerings directly and make the targeted user aware of the problem it is solving.
Why does this ad work?
- Establishes thought leadership and succinctly communicates the product's value and capabilities.
- Drives engagement through relatable, industry-specific content while balancing category education and product promotion.
- Showcases practical applications, reducing perceived risk.
- Addresses the needs of a technically-savvy audience (e.g., Snowflake mentioning 'Snowflake on Azure').
5. Enterprise-Focused Companies
Businesses selling to large enterprises can benefit from LinkedIn's ability to reach decision-makers in specific companies.
Why? Selling to enterprises means dealing with multiple stakeholders, long sales cycles, and complex decision-making. LinkedIn gives you direct access to these decision-makers. The average B2B sales cycle ranges from 1 to 3 months for straightforward products, extending up to 6 months or more for complex solutions.
How? Use company targeting to reach large enterprises, then run multi-touch campaigns across awareness, engagement, and conversion stages to nurture different stakeholders. Finally, leverage LinkedIn Conversions API (CAPI) and view-through attribution to track the true impact of ads on your pipeline. LinkedIn CAPI is a server-side tool that connects online and offline data to LinkedIn, providing a comprehensive view of your customer’s journey. It enhances ad performance, strengthens data privacy, and enables full-funnel tracking for improved campaign optimization and a more efficient cost per action.
SAP, an enterprise software company, targets C-level execs and IT decision-makers at Fortune 500 firms through LinkedIn Ads. They use ABM on LinkedIn, which helps them tailor their messages to specific target accounts.
SAP uses Document Ads to present reports with facts, figures, and research, positioning them as the preferred choice for e-commerce platforms looking for cloud solutions. The report showcases SAP’s awards, credibility, client testimonials, quality features, and the platform’s ability to lend scalability to clients.
Why does this ad work?
- Highlights SAP’s scalability and quality to showcase that it can meet the needs of both small and large enterprises as they grow.
- Uses tailored messaging to provide detailed information for multiple stakeholders.
- Uses social proof to highlight awards and client testimonials to build trust.
- Supports awareness, engagement, and conversion stages.
6. Recruiters Seeking Top Talent
LinkedIn's professional network makes it an excellent platform for talent acquisition.
Why? Professionals actively update their interests and engage with industry content, seeking better career opportunities. 65 million people use LinkedIn to search for jobs every week.
How? Promote job openings with LinkedIn Ads, target candidates based on skills and experience, and even engage with competitors.
Google targets specific job titles, skills, and experience levels to attract top talent in competitive fields like AI and machine learning.
For the above recruitment ad, Google has used a Single Image Ad to attract top talent for job roles at Google.
Why does this ad work?
- Communicates the job opportunity succinctly.
- Aligns the copy with Google's mission to ‘help customers.’
- Uses clear messaging to drive higher engagement, attract the right candidates, and generate high-quality leads.
LinkedIn Ads work best when the product or service requires consideration, has a higher value, and targets professional decision-makers. The platform's strength lies in its ability to nurture leads over time, making it ideal for complex B2B sales processes and thought leadership campaigns.
7. Startups
LinkedIn Ads work exceptionally well for early-stage startups due to their ability to address specific challenges these companies face in building credibility, generating leads, and scaling efficiently.
Why? Early-stage startups often struggle with establishing trust and visibility in competitive markets. LinkedIn’s professional ecosystem provides access to decision-makers and industry leaders, enabling startups to build credibility and position themselves as thought leaders. Moreover, LinkedIn’s advanced targeting ensures that startups can focus on high-value prospects without wasting resources—a critical advantage when operating on limited budgets. Sharing expertise through LinkedIn posts, sponsored content, or ads helps startups gain recognition as industry innovators. LinkedIn’s targeting tools allow startups to reach professionals based on job titles, industries, and skills, ensuring high-quality leads.
How? Startups can use LinkedIn Ads to amplify their presence and drive engagement through tailored campaigns. By leveraging features like Sponsored Content and Lead Gen Forms, they can attract prospects while collecting actionable data for follow-ups. Using LinkedIn's demographic filters, startups can target decision-makers, focusing ads on C-level executives or department heads within specific industries. They can also promote thought leadership by sharing whitepapers or case studies via Sponsored Content to establish authority in the field. Next, they can also use LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms to capture contact details seamlessly from interested users without redirecting them off the platform.
CraftWorks uses Document Ads to present the features of it’s product. This aligns well with CraftWorks' expertise in industrial AI solutions. By highlighting the ability to speed up production, reduce manual inspections, and train AI models tailored to specific data, the ad clearly communicates how navio VISION can solve real-world problems faced by manufacturers.
Why does this ad work?
- For an early-stage startup like CraftWorks, Document Ads allow then to target high-value leads effectively.
- By sharing detailed information about their AI solutions, CraftWorks enhances its credibility among potential clients.
- The ad's focus on solving specific industry challenges helps build trust with potential customers, which is crucial for early-stage startups seeking to establish a strong market presence.
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