LinkedIn Ads Dashboard for Non-Technical Users

Learn how to navigate the LinkedIn Ads dashboard, set up your account, and optimize your ad campaigns without needing technical expertise. Find key capabilities, benefits, and advice here.
LinkedIn Ads Dashboard for Non-Technical Users
Written By
Nitin Mahajan
Published on
December 9, 2024

If you're diving into LinkedIn Ads, here's a quick guide to get you started with the LinkedIn Ads dashboard, tailored for non-technical users. This dashboard simplifies ad management, enabling you to:

  • Quickly launch ads targeting businesses and professionals on LinkedIn
  • Monitor key metrics like views, clicks, actions taken, and return on investment
  • Adjust targeting and budget based on performance
  • Generate and share reports easily, without needing design or coding skills

The dashboard is designed to be user-friendly, offering a straightforward view of your ad performance, customizable tracking of metrics that matter to you, and tips for optimization. Whether you're setting up your account or looking to improve your campaigns, this guide walks you through each step, ensuring a smooth and effective advertising experience on LinkedIn.

Key aspects include:

  • Understanding the dashboard's capabilities and benefits
  • Setting up your LinkedIn Ads account
  • Navigating through reporting tools
  • Optimizing campaigns based on real-time data

No technical expertise required; just a focused approach to managing and enhancing your LinkedIn ad campaigns.

Key Capabilities

This dashboard is designed to be user-friendly:

  • See everything in one place: Get all your ad info like how many people see and click on your ads, and how much you're spending, without having to dig through different reports.
  • Make it your own: You can set up the dashboard to show the stuff you care about most. You can also get reports sent to you automatically, so you're always in the loop.
  • Always up-to-date: The dashboard automatically updates with the latest data from your LinkedIn Ads account, so you're not stuck with old info.
  • Spot trends: Easily see what's working and what's not by looking at how your ads perform over time.
  • Share your findings: You can download and share reports in different formats like CSV or PDF, making it easy to keep everyone on the same page.

Benefits

Here's why the LinkedIn Ads dashboard is a big deal:

  • Everything in one spot: Keep track of how all your LinkedIn ads are doing from one dashboard. This saves you from having to switch between different reports.
  • Clear view: You get a straightforward look at important numbers like click-through rates, conversions, and return on investment. This helps you see which ads are doing well and which ones aren't.
  • Make it suit your needs: The dashboard lets you track what matters to you. You can add or remove metrics, make charts, and set up scheduled reports.
  • Keep improving: With clear insights from the dashboard, you can tweak your ads to perform better over time.

The LinkedIn Ads dashboard makes it easier to understand how your ad campaigns are doing, spot chances to get better results, and make decisions based on solid data - and you don't need to be a tech expert to use it.

Setting Up Your LinkedIn Ads Account

Starting with LinkedIn Ads is straightforward and quick. Here's how to do it:

  • Head over to ads.linkedin.com and click on Get Started.
  • You'll need to pick if you're setting this up for a company page or your own profile.
  • Fill in some basic info about yourself or your company. This includes things like:
  • Your company name
  • Your website
  • How to contact you
  • Make sure to read and agree to LinkedIn's advertising rules. This step is crucial to make sure you're on the same page with LinkedIn.
  • Add a way to pay, like a credit card. You'll only be charged when your ads are actually shown to people.
  • Confirm who you are with details like:
  • Your phone number
  • Your business address

This step helps keep things secure.

Once your account is all set, you can dive into making ads. LinkedIn will guide you through choosing what you want your ads to achieve, who should see them, how much you want to spend, and when your ads should run. You'll also get to create your ads, picking images and writing text that grabs attention.

The LinkedIn Ads dashboard is where you'll see how well your ads are doing. You can check out different metrics here to understand what's working and what's not. This way, you can tweak your ads for better results without needing to be a tech expert.

If you're new to this, don't worry. LinkedIn has lots of help and tips to get you going. Setting up your account is just the beginning of reaching out to the right professionals with your ads.

Navigating the Dashboard

Reporting Dashboard

The Reporting Dashboard in LinkedIn Ads lets you see how your ads are doing in a way that's easy to understand. You can change what you see to fit what you're interested in. Here's how:

Filters

Filters let you look at specific ads, time periods, or types of ads. For instance, you can check out:

  • How your ads did last week or last month
  • Performance of certain ads or groups of ads
  • Different ad types (like text, pictures, or videos)
  • How ads did on different devices (like computers, tablets, or phones)

Breakdowns

Breakdowns show you more details by splitting your data. You can see things like:

  • Age groups
  • Male or female
  • Where people live
  • What kind of job they have

This helps you see who likes your ads the most.

Charts and Tables

You can add charts and tables to show important info like:

  • How many people saw your ads
  • How many clicked on them
  • How often people clicked
  • How much each click cost
  • How many people did what you wanted them to do after clicking

Export Reports

You can save your reports as CSV or PDF files to look at later or to show to other people in your team.

Charts and Demographics

The dashboard has pictures and charts that make it easy to see how your ads are doing.

Performance Charts

These charts let you see how things like clicks and costs change over time. This way, you can quickly see what's working and what's not.

Demographics

These charts show you how different groups of people (like different ages or jobs) are reacting to your ads. This helps you figure out who to target more.

Export Reports

You can save different types of reports:

  • Campaign reports: These give you a big picture of how your whole ad campaign is doing.
  • Creative reports: These show how each ad is doing so you can see which ones people like the most.
  • Audience reports: These tell you how different groups of people are responding to your ads, so you can target better.

Saving your reports as CSV or PDF files means you can:

  • Share what you've found with your team
  • Use other programs like Excel to look at your data more closely
  • Keep records to see how things change over time

With the LinkedIn Ads dashboard, even if you're not a tech expert, you can still get a lot out of your ad campaigns by looking at the data and making smart changes.

Understanding Key Metrics and KPIs

Keeping an eye on certain numbers and indicators is key to making your LinkedIn ads work better. Our LinkedIn Ads dashboard makes this easy, even if you're not a tech person.

Here are the main things you should watch:

Impressions

Impressions are about how often your ads show up for people on LinkedIn. Watching this helps you understand if your ad is getting out there.

Clicks

Clicks mean someone saw your ad and was interested enough to click on it. Keeping track of clicks tells you if your ad is catching people's attention.

Click-through Rate (CTR)

CTR is a fancy way of saying what percentage of the time people see your ad and then click on it. A high CTR means your ad is interesting to your audience.

Cost Per Click (CPC)

CPC is how much you pay each time someone clicks your ad. Knowing this helps you manage your budget better.

Conversions

Conversions happen when someone does what you hoped they would after seeing your ad, like buying something. Tracking conversions shows if your ad is really working.

Conversion Rate

Conversion rate tells you out of all the times your ad was shown, how often it led to a conversion. This helps you see how effective your ad is at achieving its goal.

Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)

ROAS is about how much money you make from your ads compared to how much you spent on them. It's a good way to see if your ads are worth the cost.

Our dashboard lets you easily add charts to see how these numbers change over time. You can also look at your data based on different types of people to understand who your ads are hitting the mark with.

By keeping an eye on these metrics and setting up reports to come to you automatically, you can spot and fix problems quickly. This way, you can adjust your targeting, what your ad says, its design, and how much you're willing to pay to get better results.

Our dashboard gives you all the tools you need to make your LinkedIn ads better without needing to know all the tech stuff. It's designed to make using data to improve your business straightforward.

Creating Your First Ad Campaign

Starting your first ad on LinkedIn is pretty straightforward. Here's a simple guide to help you get started:

1. Choose Your Objective

First off, decide what you want your ad to do. You might want to:

  • Drive more people to your website
  • Collect contact info from interested folks
  • Spread the word about your business page
  • Find new employees

Pick the goal that matches what you're trying to achieve.

2. Define Your Target Audience

Now, tell LinkedIn who should see your ads. You can choose based on:

  • Job titles or industries
  • The companies they work for
  • Their interests or groups they're in
  • Where they live
  • Their age or gender

This makes sure your ads show up for people who are likely to be interested.

3. Set Your Budget and Bid

Decide how much you want to spend and the most you're willing to pay for a click.

A good tip is to start with a small budget to test the waters, then increase it if things go well.

4. Choose Ad Format

Pick the type of ad you want to use. You can choose from simple text ads to more eye-catching options like images, videos, or carousels.

5. Create Ad Content

Write a catchy headline and a clear description. Choose a good image or make a new one. Here are some tips:

  • Talk about how you can solve problems, not just what you offer
  • Keep it simple
  • Focus on the benefits
  • Use visuals that stand out
  • Make sure important info is easy to spot

Our dashboard can even help create images and text for you.

6. Set Up Tracking

Use tools like Google Analytics to see what people do after they click on your ad. This helps you understand how well your ad is working.

7. Launch and Monitor Your Campaign

Start your ad and keep an eye on how it's doing. Look at things like how many people see your ad, how many click on it, and what actions they take afterward.

Change your targeting, how much you're willing to pay, or your ad itself to get better results. Our dashboard makes it easy to keep improving your ad.

Just follow these steps, and you'll be able to make and run your own LinkedIn ads without needing to be an expert. Start small, watch how your ads are doing, tweak as needed, and then do more of what works. We're here to help if you need it!

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Optimizing Campaigns

Making your LinkedIn ads better is key to getting more out of what you spend and hitting your business goals. The LinkedIn Ads dashboard has everything you need to check out how your ads are doing, find problems, and make smart changes to get better results, all without needing to be a tech genius.

Here are simple ways to make your LinkedIn ad campaigns work harder for you:

Analyze Performance Trends

Look at your numbers over time to spot patterns. Important things to keep an eye on include:

  • How often your ads are shown and to how many people
  • How many clicks and the percentage of clicks to views (CTR)
  • How much each click costs (CPC)
  • How many people do what you want them to do after clicking (conversions) and the rate of conversion
  • How much money you make compared to what you spend (ROAS)

Use charts to make it easier to see these trends. See if your numbers are going up, down, staying the same, or jumping around.

Look at different parts like where people live, who they are, what devices they use, and what kind of ads they see.

Seeing these trends helps you understand what's working and what needs a change.

Identify Optimization Opportunities

Once you know how your ads are doing, you can see where you need to make them better, such as:

  • If not many people are seeing your ads
    • Try reaching more types of people
    • Spend more or offer more for clicks
  • If not many people are clicking your ads
    • Try new pictures or words
    • Make your message clearer
  • If clicks are getting expensive
    • Be more specific about who sees your ad
    • Lower your offer
  • If not many people are doing what you want after clicking
    • Think about your offer again
    • Make the next steps easier
  • If you're spending more than you're making
    • Cut back on ads that aren't working
    • Put more into ads that are making money

Make changes based on what the numbers tell you to get the most out of your ads.

Make Adjustments to Underperforming Campaigns

For ads that aren't doing well, use the dashboard to:

  • Find out what's not working
  • Think of ways to fix it
  • Try small changes first
  • Check if it's getting better
  • Use what works on a bigger scale
  • Keep making it better

Common changes include:

  • Changing the words or pictures in your ad
  • Targeting different people
  • Changing how much you're willing to spend
  • Trying different kinds of ads
  • Fixing your website or landing page

Change one thing at a time to see what really makes a difference.

Double Down on Top Performers

Put more money and effort into ads, audiences, and pictures that are doing really well.

  • Show your best ads to more people
  • Find more people like the ones who like your ads
  • Spend more on ads that are making good money

Putting more into what works helps you make even more money.

Automate and Save Reports

Setting up automatic reports saves you time and makes sure you always know how your ads are doing. Download reports to share with your team.

Continually Optimize

Always be on the lookout for ways to make your ads better. Set aside regular time to check on your ads, try new things, see what happens, and do it all over again. Staying on top of how your ads are doing helps you make the most of your budget and reach your goals.

The LinkedIn Ads dashboard makes it easy to see how your ads are doing, find problems, try out solutions, and put your money where it works best. This means you can make the most out of LinkedIn ads without having to be a tech expert.

Frequently Asked Questions

GDPR Compliance

The LinkedIn Ads dashboard follows GDPR rules, making sure your data is handled correctly and safely.

You have full control over your data. You can check, download, change, or remove your information anytime from your account settings. LinkedIn also uses strong security like encryption to protect your data from unwanted access. Regular checks make sure everything stays in line with GDPR.

Using the LinkedIn Ads dashboard means you can focus on making great ads without worrying about breaking privacy laws.

Data Optimization

The LinkedIn Ads dashboard updates itself with fresh data every day. This means you always have the latest info to make your ad campaigns better.

Having up-to-date data helps you spot ads or audiences that aren't doing well quickly. With daily updates, you can quickly adjust your campaigns to keep up with what's working.

The dashboard does the heavy lifting by updating data for you, so you can spend more time using the information to improve your ads.

Technical Skills Required

The LinkedIn Ads dashboard is built to be easy to use, even if you're not a tech expert. You don't need to know about coding or data analysis to use it well.

It offers tools like customizable reports and tips for improving your ads, all explained in a way that's easy to understand. It guides you through each step, making it simple to create, run, and get better results from your ads.

This means anyone in your team can manage your LinkedIn ads effectively, without needing help from IT or data specialists. The dashboard makes it straightforward to get the most out of your LinkedIn ads.

Conclusion

The LinkedIn Ads dashboard makes it simple for anyone, even if you're not a tech expert, to get your ads up and running on LinkedIn. Here's what you need to know:

User-Friendly Interface

  • It's easy to use. You don't need to know all the tech stuff to see how your ads are doing or to find ways to make them better.

Enhanced Campaign Management

  • You can quickly set up ads, check how they're performing, change who sees them or how much you're spending, and easily share updates with your team.

Data-Driven Optimization

  • The dashboard keeps track of important info like how many people see your ads, click on them, or take action. This helps you spot which ads are working best so you can focus on those.

Custom Reporting

  • You can pull together reports in formats like CSV or PDF to share with others, making it easier to stay on the same page about what's happening with your ads.

Ongoing Improvement

  • With fresh data every day and tips on making your ads better, you can keep improving your results over time.

Compliance and Security

  • The dashboard follows strict privacy rules and keeps your data safe, so you don't have to worry about that part.

In short, the LinkedIn Ads dashboard is all about making it easier for you to manage your LinkedIn ads without needing to be a tech whiz. It brings everything you need into one place, shows you how your ads are doing in an easy-to-understand way, and gives you tips on how to get better results. And you can do all this while being sure your data is handled safely.

Related Questions

Can individuals run ads on LinkedIn?

Yes, any person can create ads on LinkedIn using something called Campaign Manager. You just need your LinkedIn login and a credit card. You can start campaigns, decide on your budget, and see how well your ads are doing.

What is the minimum audience for LinkedIn ads?

The smallest group you can target is 300 people. But, for the best chance of success, LinkedIn suggests aiming for at least 50,000 members. Here are the recommended minimum sizes:

  • Sponsored Content: 50,000
  • Sponsored Messaging: 50,000
  • Dynamic Ads: 300

What are the 4 LinkedIn ad types?

There are four main types of ads you can run on LinkedIn:

  • Sponsored Content - These are eye-catching posts that appear in the LinkedIn feed
  • Sponsored Messaging - Personal messages that go straight to users' inboxes
  • Lead Gen Forms - A way to gather contact details from people interested in what you offer
  • Text Ads - Simple, text-only ads that appear on the side of the page

Can you target only desktop on LinkedIn ads?

Yes, when you're setting up your ad in LinkedIn Campaign Manager, you can choose who sees your ad based on the device they're using. This means you can choose to show your ads only to people using desktop computers if that's what you prefer.

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Nitin Mahajan
Founder & CEO
Nitin is the CEO of quickads.ai with 20+ years of experience in the field of marketing and advertising. Previously, he was a partner at McKinsey & Co and MD at Accenture, where he has led 20+ marketing transformations.