By AJ Wilcox

Why Thought Leader Ads Need a Strategy

LinkedIn’s Thought Leader Ads let you boost posts from your employees’ personal profiles and can generate high click‑through rates at low cost. However, many marketers struggle to translate that performance into results for company ads. In a recent episode of the LinkedIn Ads Show, AJ Wilcox explained why the shift from personal engagement to brand impact is so tricky (b2linked.com). People connect more easily with individuals than with companies, so you need a deliberate strategy to make the trust and attention you build flow back to your brand.

Top Tactics to Transfer Trust to Your Brand

To bridge the gap between Thought Leader Ads and Mention the company early. Have your thought leader call out the company name in the first sentence of the post. This simple cue helps readers associate the person with the brand.

Encourage followers to follow the company. Use your Thought Leader Ads to invite people to follow your company page and explain why they should (e.g., weekly research or tips).

Add your logo to the creative. Include the company logo as a watermark on images or videos so people visually link the thought leader to the brand.

Tell an origin story. Use the ad to share a founding or inspirational company story that naturally mentions your organization.

Retarget engaged viewers. Build audiences of people who interacted with your Thought Leader Ads and retarget them with company ads. This allows you to test whether warmed‑up audiences respond better than cold audiences.

Funnel Positioning & Community Engagement

Thought Leader Ads work best at the top of the funnel: they build trust quickly, create engagement at record levels and expand your retargeting pool. But AJ explains that these ads can also play a role in the middle or bottom of your funnel when paired with retargeting and strong storytelling. Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community to share your experiences and get support from other advanced marketers.

Get Expert Help From B2Linked

If you’d like expert guidance on launching and scaling your Thought Leader Ads, reach out to the B2Linked team of LinkedIn Ads specialists. They’ve managed hundreds of accounts since 2014 and can help you craft a full‑funnel strategy that connects personal trust to company growth.

Related Articles

Check out these related articles for more LinkedIn Ads strategies:

• LinkedIn Ads New Features for 2024–2025: What to Expect – predictions and roadmap for upcoming ad formats.
• Top LinkedIn Ads Hacks Supplied by the Community – crowdsourced tips from advanced advertisers.
• LinkedIn’s Highest‑Performing Lead Magnets – how to build viral lead magnets that convert.
• What Video Format Performs Best on LinkedIn Ads? Horizontal vs Vertical vs Square – surprising results that show horizontal videos win.
• LinkedIn Ads Audience Penetration: Hacks to Optimize Your Reach – learn how to use the new Audience Penetration metric to improve targeting.
• How to Build a Unique Personal Brand in 2024 – learn to use vertical and horizontal videos to grow your personal brand.
• Blog Posting Guidelines for Repurposing Long‑Form Videos – follow the Content Factory process to repurpose videos into engaging articles.

Watch the Full Episode & Join the Conversation

Watch the full episode below, then let us know which tactic you’re most excited to try. Have you already run Thought Leader Ads? Share your results in the comments or drop your questions for AJ and the team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysvA8oYplj4company ads, AJ shared several tactics (b2linked.com):

• Mention the company early. Have your thought leader call out the company name in the first sentence of the post. This simple cue helps readers associate the person with the brand.
• Encourage followers to follow the company. Use your Thought Leader Ads to invite people to follow your company page and explain why they should (e.g., weekly research or tips).
• Add your logo to the creative. Include the company logo as a watermark on images or videos so people visually link the thought leader to the brand.
• Tell an origin story. Use the ad to share a founding or inspirational company story that naturally mentions your organization (b2linked.com).
• Retarget engaged viewers. Build audiences of people who interacted with your Thought Leader Ads and retarget them with company ads. This allows you to test whether warmed‑up audiences respond better than cold audiences.

Funnel Positioning & Community Engagement

Thought Leader Ads work best at the top of the funnel: they build trust quickly, create engagement at record levels and expand your retargeting pool (b2linked.com). But AJ explains that these ads can also play a role in the middle or bottom of your funnel when paired with retargeting and strong storytelling. Join the LinkedIn Ads Fanatics community to share your experiences and get support from other advanced marketers.

Get Expert Help From B2Linked

If you’d like expert guidance on launching and scaling your Thought Leader Ads, reach out to the B2Linked team of LinkedIn Ads specialists. They’ve managed hundreds of accounts since 2014 and can help you craft a full‑funnel strategy that connects personal trust to company growth.

Related Articles

Check out these related articles for more LinkedIn Ads strategies:

• LinkedIn Ads New Features for 2024–2025: What to Expect – predictions and roadmap for upcoming ad formats.
• Top LinkedIn Ads Hacks Supplied by the Community – crowdsourced tips from advanced advertisers.
• LinkedIn’s Highest‑Performing Lead Magnets – how to build viral lead magnets that convert.
• What Video Format Performs Best on LinkedIn Ads? Horizontal vs Vertical vs Square – surprising results that show horizontal videos win (What Video Format Performs Best On LinkedIn Ads? …).
• LinkedIn Ads Audience Penetration: Hacks to Optimize Your Reach – learn how to use the new Audience Penetration metric to improve targeting.
• How to Build a Unique Personal Brand in 2024 (DennisYu.com) – learn to use vertical and horizontal videos to grow your personal brand (dennisyu.com).
• Blog Posting Guidelines for Repurposing Long‑Form Videos (BlitzMetrics.com) – follow the Content Factory process to repurpose videos into engaging articles (blitzmetrics.com).

Watch the Full Episode & Join the Conversation

Watch the full episode below, then let us know which tactic you’re most excited to try. Have you already run Thought Leader Ads? Share your results in the comments or drop your questions for AJ and the team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysvA8oYplj4