You can now run TV ads alongside your regular LinkedIn Ads via the LinkedIn Campaign Manager. LinkedIn recently launched Connected TV, allowing marketers to run TV ads to various streaming services. 

Connected TV is currently only available to target English audiences in the United States and Canada, but this could be the future of brand awareness ad campaigns. Connected TV provides a more accessible way for any brand to run TV ads alongside regular digital ad campaigns.

While I don't know much about ads and focus more on web content marketing, I like how Connected TV offers a new dimension and aligns with the Distributed Content Strategy, building awareness, authority, and trust across multiple channels and platforms.

What Are LinkedIn Connected TV Ads?

LinkedIn Connected TV Ads let you reach your target audience through streaming television platforms like Roku, Samsung TV, and NBCUniversal. Using LinkedIn's rich professional data, you can target viewers based on job titles, industries, and company sizes.

These ads integrate LinkedIn's precise targeting into the Connected TV environment via the Campaign Manager, just like you would for regular LinkedIn ads. Connected TV Ads add a new dimension to your marketing and ad strategy by extending reach beyond your target audience's devices and into their televisions.

How Do LinkedIn CTV Ads Work?

LinkedIn CTV Ads use LinkedIn's first-party data to target professionals on streaming platforms. You can reach specific audiences based on job titles, industries, company sizes, etc. This precision ensures your ads appear before the right people, even when they're relaxing at home.

A little creepy and invasive, I will admit, but this is the world we live in 😄.

LinkedIn CTV integrates your ads into streaming content as pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll segments.

• Pre-roll ads play before the main content starts.
• Mid-roll ads appear during natural breaks.
• Post-roll ads show up after the content ends.

This strategic placement lets your message blend seamlessly with the viewer's experience.

Setting up a campaign is straightforward. In LinkedIn's Campaign Manager, you create a new campaign and select "Brand Awareness" as your objective. You enable the Connected TV option, define your target audience, and upload your video ad. After setting your budget and schedule, your CTV ad is ready to run alongside your existing LinkedIn campaigns.

How LinkedIn CTV Ads Align With a Distributed Content Strategy

Relying on a single platform is risky. Algorithms change, and audiences shift. Adding LinkedIn CTV Ads to your strategy diversifies your content distribution, reducing dependency on a single channel while spreading your message across multiple platforms.

LinkedIn CTV Ads extend your reach into the living rooms of your target audience, no longer confined to blogs, social media feeds, or email inboxes. Unlike regular TV ads, LinkedIn CTV is highly targeted and personal to professional audiences, making them more likely to be receptive.

Targeting consistency

LinkedIn's first-party data ensures you reach the same audience across different platforms. Whether they're reading your article on LinkedIn, scrolling through X, or watching streaming content, your message stays consistent and targeted.

By appearing on multiple platforms, you enhance your brand's presence. You're not just a name on a website or a social media post. You're in their professional networks and their personal entertainment spaces. This consistent visibility builds recognition, authority, and trust.

Storytelling across platforms

Multiple touchpoints increase the chances of engagement and conversion. Your audience sees your content in various contexts—on their phones, computers, and now TVs. This repetition reinforces your message and keeps you top of mind.

You can craft a cohesive narrative that spans different media, including blog posts, social media, email marketing, and TV ads. This unified approach creates a stronger connection with your audience, making it more likely to convert.

Enhanced B2B Marketing

As marketing expert Neil Patel points out in a recent article: 

"LinkedIn Connected TV ads represent a significant leap forward in B2B marketing. By combining the targeting precision of LinkedIn with the engagement potential of television, this platform offers a unique opportunity to reach decision-makers in a more relaxed, receptive setting."

Historically, consumer brands have dominated television advertising to reach broad audiences. This approach makes sense for B2C companies but poses challenges for B2B marketers who need to target specific professional demographics.

LinkedIn Connected TV Ads will change the TV ad game by combining television's broad reach with the precise targeting of LinkedIn's professional data. By integrating LinkedIn CTV Ads into your strategy, you can effectively reach a professional audience through a medium that was previously challenging for B2B marketers.

Have any of you had experience with LinkedIn Connected TV Ads? Keen to hear in the comments 👇.