Podcast Summary: Ep. 257 - LinkedIn Ads EXPERT Shares Insider Tips!🫨

Podcast Information:

• Title: Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson Presented By Marigold
• Host: Jay Schwedelson, GURU Media Hub
• Guest: AJ Wilcox, Founder of B2Linked
• Release Date: January 17, 2025
• Episode Title: #1 LinkedIn Ads EXPERT Shares Insider Tips!🫨 Has Spent $150M+ on LinkedIn Ads!

1. Introduction to AJ Wilcox and His Expertise

Jay Schwedelson opens the episode with enthusiastic praise for AJ Wilcox, dubbing him "the smartest dude when it comes to LinkedIn." AJ is recognized for his specialized agency, B2Linked, which exclusively focuses on LinkedIn Ads. Jay also highlights AJ's own podcast, "The LinkedIn Ad Show," emphasizing AJ's deep passion and extensive knowledge of the platform.

Notable Quote:

• Jay Schwedelson (00:33): "This time, we legit have an expert. Who do we got? We got A.J. Wilcox. He is the smartest dude when it comes to LinkedIn. Out of anybody I know that I've met. It's not even close."

2. AJ Wilcox’s Journey to Becoming a LinkedIn Ads Expert

AJ shares his transition from SEO and Google Ads into LinkedIn Ads. Initially unfamiliar with LinkedIn’s advertising options, his proactive approach led him to adopt and adapt his Google Ads strategies to LinkedIn. This experimentation proved highly successful, culminating in managing LinkedIn's largest spending account globally. His close collaboration with LinkedIn’s product team further cemented his expertise, eventually inspiring him to launch B2Linked.

Notable Quote:

• AJ Wilcox (01:58): "I jumped in and just...used the same strategies that I was used to on Google Ads over on LinkedIn. And within about two weeks, the sales team came up and said, hey, A.J. we're fighting over your LinkedIn leads."

3. Debunking Myths About LinkedIn Ads

AJ addresses common misconceptions surrounding LinkedIn Ads. He emphasizes that LinkedIn offers unparalleled business targeting capabilities, allowing advertisers to pinpoint audiences based on job titles, seniority, skills, company size, and more. However, he cautions about the platform’s higher costs, noting that inexperienced users often face inflated costs per click due to poor campaign setups.

Notable Quote:

• AJ Wilcox (03:40): "LinkedIn basically has a monopoly on business data. So you can target people by their job title, their seniorities, their skills, groups, company size, even by company name."

4. Strategies for Effective LinkedIn Ad Testing

When advising on how to allocate a $10,000 testing budget, AJ recommends leveraging LinkedIn’s Thought Leader Ads. These ads, which promote individual posts from company leaders, tend to garner high engagement as they target individuals rather than companies. He underscores the importance of having a coherent strategy, particularly for B2B campaigns, which require multiple nurturing steps before converting cold audiences into sales-ready leads.

Notable Quote:

• AJ Wilcox (05:07): "If you're just testing the platform to see if, like this ideal target audience of ours, what is engaging to them, can I get them to respond? Then I think the very best thing you can do is run LinkedIn's new thought leader ads."

5. Predictive Audiences vs. Lookalike Audiences

Jay shares his experience with Lookalike Audiences on LinkedIn, which yielded poor results. AJ confirms this by explaining that LinkedIn discontinued Lookalike Audiences last year, replacing them with Predictive Audiences. Predictive Audiences offer superior performance, often surpassing the effectiveness of the original seed lists in terms of conversion and engagement rates.

Notable Quotes:

• Jay Schwedelson (07:02): "We get completely the wrong people. So we always stay in our lane with only the people that we uploaded do we market to."
• AJ Wilcox (07:45): "Predictive audiences on LinkedIn from a contact list are amazing. We have not yet found an instance where our conversion rates and our engagement rates weren't higher on the predictive audience than they were on the original seed list."

6. Evaluating InMail Ads

Jay expresses skepticism about LinkedIn’s InMail ads, likening them to targeted emails. AJ concurs, citing their high costs and low effectiveness with cold audiences. However, he notes that InMail can be valuable when targeting warm audiences, achieving better open and click-through rates due to pre-existing familiarity.

Notable Quotes:

• Jay Schwedelson (08:37): "I think inmails stink. [...] I think they're horrendous. Am I wrong?"
• AJ Wilcox (08:37): "They're LinkedIn's most expensive ad format... If you're sending these messages to retargeting audiences, they open at much higher rates because they recognize you."

7. Overcoming B2B Marketing Obstacles on LinkedIn

A common challenge for B2B marketers is acquiring business contact information rather than consumer emails. AJ highlights a recent LinkedIn update that introduced a "validate work email" feature, ensuring that users provide corporate emails instead of generic Gmail or Yahoo addresses. This enhancement significantly reduces friction and aligns lead data with enterprise requirements.

Notable Quote:

• AJ Wilcox (10:13): "Finally this year, LinkedIn patched it. They gave us a field called work email... Now there's a little checkbox that says, validate work email. And so now if they try to type in a Gmail, it says, sorry, you can't submit until you put in your corporate email."

8. Perspectives on Automation Tools for LinkedIn

Jay voices his reservations about automation tools that handle connection requests and messaging, citing their negative impact on genuine interactions. AJ agrees, advocating for manual relationship-building while endorsing automation strictly for data collection and audience targeting. He warns that automated conversations often appear insincere and can erode trust.

Notable Quotes:

• Jay Schwedelson (10:48): "I'm very anti these automation tools… I think that destroys your own personal circulation of your posts."
• AJ Wilcox (11:23): "Anytime that you automate a relationship and a conversation I think it just, it, it's a bad look."

9. Enhancing Organic LinkedIn Presence

While AJ primarily focuses on LinkedIn Ads, he shares valuable insights on optimizing organic LinkedIn strategies. He emphasizes the importance of content variety to maintain audience engagement. Mixing different post formats—such as text, images, documents, and videos—prevents monotony and keeps the audience attentive.

Notable Quote:

• AJ Wilcox (12:46): "If you do the same kind of post all the time...they end up scrolling past and not engaging. So what I would recommend is come up with a few different [post types]."

10. The Future of LinkedIn Ads and Adaptability

Jay poses a hypothetical scenario where LinkedIn ceases to exist. AJ underscores the importance of niching down while remaining adaptable. He expresses interest in exploring other platforms like Reddit Ads and TikTok for B2B, but remains committed to his expertise in the B2B sector, considering pivoting his agency to focus on comprehensive B2B marketing strategies across various channels.

Notable Quote:

• AJ Wilcox (14:39): "I might go TikTok for B2B. But realistically, like, I know so much about B2B and I would probably end up pivoting my agency to, to just like whatever you're doing in B2B, we're going to find the right channels."

11. Connecting with AJ Wilcox

As the episode concludes, AJ promotes his LinkedIn profile and his podcast, "The LinkedIn Ad Show," encouraging listeners to follow him for valuable insights and to engage with his content. He invites connections with personalized messages referencing the podcast, fostering a community of engaged marketers.

Notable Quote:

• AJ Wilcox (15:27): "If you want to connect, just make sure you add a little customized message of like say you heard me on Jay's show and I'm happy to accept it."

Conclusion:

This episode of "Do This, NOT That" provides an in-depth exploration of LinkedIn Ads through the expertise of AJ Wilcox. From debunking myths and optimizing ad strategies to enhancing organic presence and navigating platform changes, AJ offers actionable insights tailored for B2B marketers aiming to harness LinkedIn's potential effectively. Listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of maximizing LinkedIn Ads' ROI, leveraging new features like Predictive Audiences, and avoiding common pitfalls associated with automation and ineffective ad formats.

For marketers looking to elevate their LinkedIn advertising game, this episode serves as an invaluable resource, blending practical advice with real-world experiences from a seasoned LinkedIn Ads expert.

Follow AJ Wilcox:

• LinkedIn: AJ Wilcox’s LinkedIn Profile
• Podcast: The LinkedIn Ad Show

Additional Resources:

• B2Linked: b2linked.com
• Marigold Sponsorship: Marigold Relationship Marketing