Facebook and LinkedIn are two of the most popular social media platforms for advertising. Both platforms allow businesses to target specific audiences and promote their products or services. However, there are some key differences between Facebook and LinkedIn ads that marketers should understand before launching campaigns on these platforms. This article will provide a comprehensive overview of the differences between Facebook and LinkedIn advertising.
Audience
The main difference between Facebook and LinkedIn ads is the audience on each platform. Facebook has over 2 billion monthly active users from all demographics. LinkedIn has around 277 million members, mainly professionals and higher income individuals.
Here are some key audience differences:
Massive reach – 2 billion+ monthly active users | Smaller audience – 277 million members |
All demographics | Mainly professionals and higher income |
Great for B2C targeting | Better for B2B targeting |
Facebook’s huge user base allows brands to target all types of consumers from different demographics, interests, behaviors and more. LinkedIn’s audience is much more limited but focused on working professionals.
Ad Targeting Options
When it comes to ad targeting, Facebook again provides more options for drilling down into specific user groups. Facebook targeting includes:
- Location
- Age
- Gender
- Interests
- Behaviors
- Connections
- And more
LinkedIn also provides robust targeting options including:
- Job title
- Company
- Industry
- Seniority level
- Groups
- Skills
The major difference is Facebook has more focus on consumer demographic and interest targeting, while LinkedIn focuses on professional targeting by job role, industry, skills and more.
Ad Formats
In addition to audience differences, the ad formats available on each platform also vary.
Facebook Ad Formats
Facebook offers a wide range of possible ad formats, including:
- Photo ads
- Video ads
- Carousel ads
- Slideshow ads
- Stories ads
- Messenger ads
- Dynamic ads
- And more
This allows advertisers to showcase their brand creatively across Facebook and Instagram (owned by Facebook).
LinkedIn Ad Formats
LinkedIn provides fewer ad format options, the main ones being:
- Sponsored content
- Text ads
- Dynamic ads
- Message ads
LinkedIn ad formats tend to be more text-heavy and focused on driving clicks rather than brand awareness. The limited creative options aim to maintain the professional nature of the LinkedIn platform.
Placement
In addition to different audiences and ad formats, placement also varies between Facebook and LinkedIn ads.
Facebook Ad Placement
Facebook ads can appear in the following locations:
- Facebook News Feed
- Facebook Marketplace
- Instagram Feed and Stories
- Messenger
- Audience Network (3rd party apps/sites)
This allows Facebook advertisers to reach users across Facebook’s entire family of apps and sites.
LinkedIn Ad Placement
LinkedIn currently only shows ads in the following areas:
- LinkedIn Feed
- LinkedIn Messages
Placement is much more limited compared to the range of options Facebook provides. However, LinkedIn feed ads are highly viewable as members scroll through their feeds.
Ad Pricing and Bidding
Facebook and LinkedIn also have different ad pricing models and bidding options.
Facebook Ad Pricing
Facebook ads are priced through an auction-based model where advertisers bid against each other for ad placement. Bidding options include:
- CPC bidding – Pay per click
- CPM bidding – Pay per 1,000 impressions
- CPA bidding – Pay per conversion action
- Return on Ad Spend bidding
Cost per click generally runs $1-$3 based on competition, targeting, placements, etc.
LinkedIn Ad Pricing
LinkedIn also uses CPC bidding where costs are generally higher. Average CPC is $5-$10 based on factors like industry, targeting, etc.
Compared to Facebook, LinkedIn ads tend to be more expensive especially for high value B2B and professional targeting options.
Measurement and Attribution
Understanding attribution and measuring results is key for any ad platform. There are some differences in how Facebook and LinkedIn track and attribute conversions.
Facebook Attribution
- Multi-channel attribution – account for conversions across channels
- 28 day attribution window – optimize for long term conversions
- Values each impression
LinkedIn Attribution
- Last-click attribution
- 30 day conversion window
- Focuses on last ad interaction before conversion
Facebook takes a more holistic measurement approach, while LinkedIn focuses more on the final ad interaction. This affects optimization and reporting.
Audience Insights and Tools
Both platforms provide great insights into your target audiences via analytics tools.
Facebook Audience Insights
Facebook provides robust Audience Insights to help advertisers:
- Analyze target audience demographics
- See audience interests and lifestyles
- Plan targeting strategies
- Identify potential lookalike audiences
LinkedIn Audience Insights
LinkedIn also has helpful tools like Audience Insights that show:
- Firmographics – company, industry, seniority, etc.
- Best days/times to reach audience
- Audience interests
- Recommended targeting options
These insights help optimize campaigns on both platforms.
Ad Creation and Testing
When it’s time to actually create and optimize ads, Facebook and LinkedIn also have different approaches and best practices.
Facebook Ads Manager
Facebook provides Ads Manager to:
- Design attractive ad creatives with images/video
- A/B test ad variations
- Check past campaign performance
- Manage and edit existing ads
LinkedIn Campaign Manager
LinkedIn Campaign Manager allows advertisers to:
- Create effective sponsored content and text ads
- A/B test ads
- Track KPIs and campaign performance
- Optimize based on results
Facebook offers more robust creative ad options and testing capabilities vs. LinkedIn’s simpler toolset.
Audience and Targeting Recap
To quickly recap the audience and targeting differences:
- Facebook – Broad targeting of all consumer demographics
- LinkedIn – Narrower professional and B2B targeting
Ad Format and Placement Recap
The ad format and placement options also vary between the platforms:
- Facebook – Highly creative ads across Facebook apps
- LinkedIn – Text and content ads focused on the LinkedIn feed
Pricing and Attribution Recap
And a brief pricing and attribution recap:
- Facebook – Auction model bidding with multi-channel attribution
- LinkedIn – Higher CPC bidding with last-click attribution
Use Case Examples
Some examples of ideal use cases for Facebook vs. LinkedIn ads include:
Facebook Ads Use Cases
- Ecommerce brands targeting consumers across demographics
- CPG brands launching new products
- Restaurants promoting offers to local customers
- B2C lead generation offers
LinkedIn Ads Use Cases
- B2B tech companies prospecting
- Recruitment and staffing
- Financial services targeting professionals
- Business event promotion
These examples demonstrate where each platform shines based on their respective audiences, ad formats and placements.
Pros and Cons
Analyzing the pros and cons of Facebook vs. LinkedIn ads:
Facebook Ads Pros
- Massive audience reach
- Advanced targeting options
- Engaging creative ad formats
- Powerful analytics
- Relatively affordable cost per click
Facebook Ads Cons
- Very competitive bidding
- Lower organic engagement on posts
- Heavy ad clutter in the feed
- Constantly changing algorithms
LinkedIn Ads Pros
- Professional, targeted audience
- Higher organic engagement
- Less ad clutter
- Powerful B2B targeting
LinkedIn Ads Cons
- Smaller overall audience size
- Limited ad formats and placement
- Higher cost per click
- Last-click attribution model
These pros and cons demonstrate the inherent tradeoffs between the platforms.
Conclusion and Recommendations
In conclusion, Facebook and LinkedIn serve very different advertising objectives. Some key takeaways are:
- Facebook for consumer targeting at scale
- LinkedIn for focused professional/B2B marketing
- Align ad creative with each platform’s user expectations
- Consider both for comprehensive approach if budgets allow
- Test each platform to see which delivers the best ROI for your business goals
Overall, it’s recommended for most advertisers to at least test out both Facebook and LinkedIn ads. Each platform offers unique opportunities to reach valuable target audiences. With proper targeting, creative testing and optimization, both networks can effectively contribute to omni-channel marketing strategies.