"Zurich is the city with the second most LinkedIn members in the entire DACH region"

According to LinkedIn, the new offering is intended to meet the demand for video ads in the B2B sector. A survey conducted by the company among German marketers showed that companies placed a strong focus on B2B video ads in 2017. 67% wanted to increase positive brand perception and just as many wanted to generate sales leads. 45% advertised products and services in their videos.

B2B marketers should now benefit from a wide range of target group options. Specifically, they can define exactly which members their video ads should reach based on criteria such as job title, seniority, company name, industry or skills profile.

Advertising Week: Until now, videos had to be embedded via YouTube. With Native, this can now be done directly. Can we now expect better results?

Alexandra Kolleth: Our members have been able to embed videos in their newsfeed or blog posts on LinkedIn since mid-2017. Our core corporate value is "members first" - in other words, if we don't offer our members exciting products and thus create engagement on the platform, we won't have any corporate customers. And since business with enterprise customers accounts for around 90 percent of our revenue, "members first" is a core value for us. Our new offering for marketers - the inclusion of ads in our newsfeed - includes extensive targeting options based on our member data, variable billing models and accurate measurement data. Marketers can define exactly what they want to achieve with the campaign, be it lead generation, number of views or visits to the homepage. Accordingly, billing models are available that are calculated according to costs-per-mille, costs-per-click or cost-per-view values. Detailed engagement data is available for evaluation, helping companies to understand their target group and increase ROI. Conversion tracking from LinkedIn can also be used to track the number of leads generated, new registrations, website views and other interactions. It is also possible to use LinkedIn's Lead Gen Forms. The forms, pre-filled with profile data, offer a seamless user experience and help companies to quickly generate high-quality leads.

What formats are possible, including portrait formats?

LinkedIn supports horizontal video ads in MP4 format.

Are there any restrictions regarding the length?

Video ads on LinkedIn should last between three seconds and 30 minutes. However, it is advisable not to go overboard. The most successful videos are a maximum of 15 seconds long. The most important information should be shown in the first ten seconds, because from this point onwards, the viewer's attention wanes. Especially on a business platform like LinkedIn, videos stand out from the crowd and help to visualize company messages - this is also confirmed by the social media management of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

Is LinkedIn also planning storytelling formats?

Content marketing is extremely effective on LinkedIn. Campaigns that extend over years and create a long-term "sales funnel" are our "bread and butter" business, so to speak. The advantages of our platform: the majority of our members enter details such as region, industry, seniority and title. The data is mostly correct and up-to-date, as our members want to network with others, i.e. be found. Accordingly, the targeting on LinkedIn is very precise. In addition, members here operate in a business context and have a corresponding "mindset". Ads for white papers on Industry 4.0 therefore don't look out of place between cat and vacation pictures.

How many LinkedIn profiles are there in Switzerland

LinkedIn has eleven million members in German-speaking countries and has continued to grow steadily since the beginning of 2015. The reason for this constant growth: LinkedIn is investing sustainably in the region and implementing the wishes of its members and customers on the platform. For example, LinkedIn launched its new "Career Tips & Mentoring" feature in February 2018. The salary comparison feature was introduced in December 2017, allowing members to obtain detailed information about salary structures using self-updating data. Switzerland plays a key role here. Zurich, for example, is the city with the second most LinkedIn members in the entire DACH region. In addition, large Swiss companies such as Credit Suisse, Nestlé and Swiss Re rely on our recruitment and marketing solutions and work with us worldwide. I would even say that Switzerland was the most important market when we launched in German-speaking countries in 2011. Germany and Austria have only caught up in recent years.

What form of advertising do you recommend to Swiss advertisers?

Video formats are much more popular with members than static content. During the beta phase, more than 700 companies tested our video ads, including companies such as General Electric and Philips. The results showed that LinkedIn members spend almost three times as much time on video ads as on other content. This is also the case in Switzerland - so videos should also be integrated into the marketing strategy here.

Interview: Beat Hürlimann