2022 LinkedIn Advertising Trends in Asia

Previously, we discovered the overview of LinkedIn audience insight in the Southeast Asian market. In this article, you will learn more about the latest top LinkedIn advertising trends in Southeast Asia, and insights into the most optimal ad format for companies as a marketing tool. Through our case studies, we will also share additional bonus tips to boost your campaign performance. 

LinkedIn is the most trusted social platform for information in Southeast Asia.

In Southeast Asia region, audiences generally trust information found on LinkedIn more than on Twitter & Facebook.

What are members looking for when they visit LinkedIn Pages?

Developing a content strategy helps to understand what LinkedIn members are looking for. 

In Asia Pacific, members visit LinkedIn Pages mainly to network and form their professional communities. Yet there are also various other motivations – from career opportunities to learn more about a brand.

To keep your community engaged, consider an always-on content strategy that ensures regular updates across various topics.

Southeast Asian audiences are using LinkedIn increasingly to engage with valuable content. 

Engagements with Sponsored Activity:

• ~2.7X overall growth in clicks & social actions on impressions targeted at SEA audience over two years.
• Audiences engage with meaningful conversations, consume thought leadership & navigate the industry landscape.
• 5.4% Average monthly growth rate of content engagement by the audience on LinkedIn 

💡 Pro-Tip: Give your community the content they want. Several common pillars resonate with LinkedIn members’ motivation across the Asia Pacific. 

Which pillars typically earn the most engagement?

The market data was collected from a sample of 3,000 LinkedIn APAC posts in August 2020. Engagement refers to likes, comments and shares. As these content pillars are not mutually exclusive, a piece of content may be a blend of several pillars.

Growing audience attractiveness is increasing marketing investments

Total Ad Spend (USD) by Marketers in Southeast Asia:

• ~4.3X overall growth in total ad dollars spend on SEA audience over two years on LinkedIn.
• 8.2% Average monthly growth rate of total marketing investments on LinkedIn 

💡 Takeaway: Marketers should build their budgets, keeping the target Share of Voice in light of ever-increasing investments from the competition.

Which ad format is optimal for driving brand awareness? 

Southeast Asian LinkedIn audience engages well with video; carousel ads also tend to outperform single image ad formats.

• Video Ad 35% > Carousel Ad 0.57% > Single Image Ad 0.54%

Overall average target audience engagement* rate for sponsored ad formats with the objective of brand awareness (for campaigns serving >5000 impressions)
*Only video views for video ads; only clicks & social actions for single image ads; additionally, includes card scroll-across views for carousel ads

💡 Pro Tips: Here is a list of best practices that you can follow to ensure the video hits the mark. Whether or not you’re doing brand awareness or going after leads, these will up your results for your video ads.

1. Aim to be more personal and include your storytelling and branding near the end of the video content.
2. Use more personalized human experiences. There’s a 15% lift in view rate when a relatable human is present. A happy and smiling face goes a long way.
3. Using aspirational words for video advertising. This helped to increase the view rate by est 31%
4. Don’t use branding too early in the video; only talk about yourself. Focus on the prospects first. Include your brand only at the end.
5. Aim for 10 – 15s videos in general. Longer videos also work, but we would recommend them more for storytelling. 

Click here to watch a successful example by Grab.

What we like about this video ad:

2020 has been an uncertain year for many. From long quarantine periods to people losing their jobs. Grab encapsulates these challenges and resilience through this emotional ad. This is great for brand awareness as Grab showed empathy. 

Which ad format is optimal for driving engagement? 

Southeast Asian LinkedIn audience engages well with Message Ad & Video Ad formats as the experience tends to be more personalized or 1-on-1.

• Message Ad 57% > Video Ad 4.3% > Carousel Ad 1.2% > Single Image Ad 0.91%

Overall average target audience engagement* rate for sponsored ad formats with the objective of consideration (for campaigns serving >5000 impressions)
*Only mail opens for in-mails; only clicks & social actions for video ads (not video views) & single image ads; includes card scroll-across views for carousel ads

💡 Pro Tips:   

• Be concise, personal, and relevant.
• Use bullets rather than dense copy.
• On average, body text under 500 characters drives a 46% higher click-through rate (CTR).
• Add hyperlinks. Make your Message Ads more interactive by adding hyperlinks, proven to lift CTR by 21%.

Which ad format is optimal for driving lead generation?

Message Ads and Single Image Ads tend to deliver the highest lead rates (% leads submitted of all form views).

For sponsored ad formats targeted with the objective of conversion (for ads having >100 form views)
*Open Rate % = Form Opens / Impressions, and Lead Rate % = Leads Submitted / Form Opens

💡 Pro Tips: Follow these handy tips when writing copy and selecting images for your Single Image Ad.

Tips for copy:

• Make your intro copy concise, compelling and clear. 150 characters or less.
• Include a CTA, tell people what you want them to do next (e.g. Learn More, Apply Now)
• A compelling stat or provocative question can help drive engagement.
• Communicate value – don’t just tell people what you are offering, tell them why they should care.

Tips for image:

• Choose a powerful compelling image that will stand out from other content on LinkedIn feeds.
• Stay away from generic corporate stock images. Where possible, use real people or unexpected images.
• The optimal size is 1200 x 627 pixels with a text-safe area of 1000 x 586.
• Use text overlays to call out key details like a stat or quote. Don’t repeat post copy in text overlay or vice versa.

Bonus: LinkedIn Marketing Tips from Experts

According to our 3-month Campaign to promote a worldwide specialist in Safety & Quality Management, here are some learnings from the campaign to promote their LinkedIn profiles and increase the number of followers in Hong Kong.

• Overall, the best performing ads we ran were the ads under the engagement campaign objective. These types of ads included engaging content and a follow button. 
•  Video content outperformed static content. 
• Follower Ad type is not recommended. Although you may be able to gain some valuable audience insights initially, it becomes a waste of budget. 
• Deep linking in the copy is always recommended.