LinkedIn Spotlight Ads are a powerful but often underutilised tool in the B2B marketer’s arsenal. These personalised display ads appear in the LinkedIn sidebar and dynamically pull in a viewer’s profile data—such as their name, job title, and company—to create highly relevant, attention-grabbing ads.
If you’re a small or medium-sized business looking to scale your LinkedIn efforts, Spotlight Ads can be an effective way to build brand awareness and drive traffic—especially when used as part of a broader digital strategy.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to building a scalable LinkedIn Spotlight Ads campaign that works.
1. Set Clear Objectives
Before launching any campaign, define what success looks like. Do you want to increase brand visibility? Drive traffic to a landing page? Promote an event? Your goal will inform your ad creative, call-to-action (CTA), targeting, and measurement approach.
For example:
- Brand Awareness: Use Spotlight Ads to direct users to a company overview or service page.
- Lead Generation: Send users to a gated content asset or lead form.
- Event Promotion: Drive clicks to an event registration page.
2. Understand the Spotlight Ad Format
Spotlight Ads differ from traditional display formats. These ads are:
- Displayed only on desktop
- Personalised using LinkedIn member profile data
- Comprised of a company logo, background image, short message, and CTA
Because the ad is personalised to each viewer, it stands out more compared to standard display units—making your offer feel more tailored and compelling.
3. Target the Right Audience
LinkedIn’s advanced targeting lets you narrow down by:
- Job title
- Industry
- Company size
- Seniority
- Skills
- Member groups
To scale your campaign efficiently, begin with a core audience segment and expand gradually. For example, you could start by targeting Marketing Managers in Sydney, then expand to all of NSW, or target similar roles in different industries.
For help refining your target personas and content strategy, explore Amire’s content marketing services.
4. Personalise Creatives at Scale
The power of LinkedIn Spotlight Ads lies in personalisation. Use dynamic fields to automatically pull in user details—like “Sean, see what Amire can do for your business.”
Keep the creative simple and aligned to your brand. Focus on:
- Eye-catching visuals (use bright colours or brand elements)
- Clear, benefit-driven headlines
- One strong CTA (e.g. “Visit Website,” “Learn More”)
Consistency in voice and branding across all digital channels is key. For help aligning creatives, check out our digital marketing services.
5. Optimise Your Landing Page
Don’t lose momentum after the click. Make sure your landing page:
- Matches the message of the ad
- Loads quickly on desktop (where Spotlight Ads appear)
- Has a clear CTA and no distractions
If your Spotlight Ad invites users to “Download Our Guide,” ensure they land on a focused, benefit-rich download page—not your homepage.
6. Test and Refine
As with any paid campaign, don’t set and forget. Use A/B testing to:
- Experiment with different headlines and images
- Refine your targeting
- Adjust your bids based on performance
Start with a modest budget and increase spend on top-performing creatives and audiences.
7. Track Metrics That Matter
The LinkedIn Campaign Manager offers reporting on impressions, clicks, CTR, and conversions. But also track:
- Post-click activity: Using UTM parameters in Google Analytics
- Lead quality: Are the leads from Spotlight Ads converting further down the funnel?
This data helps you scale what’s working and pause what’s not.
Quick wins to tighten your Spotlight Ads targeting
| Step | What to do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 . Map your first-party data | Upload customer or lead lists, set up the Insight Tag and build Website, Lead-Gen Form and Contact Matched Audiences. | Lists give LinkedIn the strongest signals, and you can use them as seeds for retargeting or AI-driven Predictive Audiences.(LinkedIn, LinkedIn) |
| 2 . Layer professional filters | Combine Job Function + Seniority + Company Size/Industry instead of relying on Job Title alone. | Multi-layer filters reduce waste and keep CPMs down, especially when you scale into broader geographies.(Liseller) |
| 3 . Use Predictive Audiences for scale | After you log at least 300 conversions, build a Predictive Audience from that list. LinkedIn’s AI analyses common traits and expands reach to members likely to convert. | Predictive beats traditional Lookalikes for B2B because it learns from real conversion data and refreshes daily.(LinkedIn) |
| 4 . Exclude to refine | Remove existing customers, irrelevant industries and low-value job functions. Keep exclusions updated each month. | Exclusions often cut costs by 10–15 % while lifting CTR because you’re not paying to reach people who will never act. |
| 5 . Test micro-segments | Spin up separate campaigns for high-value cohorts (e.g. “Marketing Managers • SaaS • 51-200 staff • NSW”). Start with AU$20/day, then duplicate winners into new regions or industries. | Isolating segments prevents strong performers from subsidising weak ones, giving cleaner data for bid-optimisation. |
| 6 . Watch location precision | LinkedIn is testing recent-location-only targeting down to city level; use it if you sell locally.(LinkedIn) | Tighter geo filters stop impressions leaking into regions you don’t serve. |
| 7 . Respect privacy shifts | Group-membership targeting has been restricted in Europe and may tighten elsewhere. Build plans that don’t depend on sensitive-interest signals.(Reuters) | Forward-proofs your campaigns against upcoming privacy rules. |
8. Integrate With Your Broader Strategy
Spotlight Ads work best when they’re part of a multi-channel approach. Support your campaign with:
- Retargeting ads on LinkedIn and Google Display
- Email follow-ups to leads
- Supporting blog posts and SEO strategy
Combining efforts ensures you stay top-of-mind throughout the customer journey. Learn more about how we help clients align paid and organic with our SEO services.
Final Thoughts
LinkedIn Spotlight Ads are a smart, scalable way to drive targeted engagement and brand recall—especially in the B2B space. When implemented with the right creative, audience, and landing page strategy, they can become a high-performing part of your digital marketing mix.
Want help building and managing your next LinkedIn ad campaign? Contact Amire today to get started.
