Hmm a couple of thoughts here:
It really depends on what kind of business you run. The question isn't "are LinkedIn ads good?", but "are they good for your specific customer?".
-> If you sell to other businesses (B2B), especially if you need to reach specific decision-makers at certain companies (e.g. Head of HR at manufacturing firms), then LinkedIn can be brilliant. Its targeting is second to none for that kind of thing. You can target by job title, industry, company size, etc. For one B2B software client, we used LinkedIn Ads to reach specific decision-makers and were able to generate leads for just $22 each.
-> However, if your business sells to the general public (B2C), especially local services like a plumber, a cafe, or a local shop in Plymouth, then LinkedIn would be a complete waste of money. Nobody is on LinkedIn looking for an emergency electrician. For that kind of thing, you'd want to be on Google Search Ads. You want to capture people who are actively searching for "electrician in Plymouth". I remember one campaign we ran for an HVAC company; all their best leads came from Google, because people needed them right now.
So I'd say you need to figure that out first. Are people actively searching for a solution you provide? Go for Google. Do you need to find and get in front of a very specific type of business professional who isn't searching? Then LinkedIn is worth a look. You're definitely better off putting your budget where your customers are.
Hope that helps!
***It completely depends on whether people are actively searching for you. If you're a local service and people are Googling "plumber in Plymouth", then you need to be on Google Ads, not LinkedIn. LinkedIn is really only for when you need to target very specific business professionals, like Marketing Directors at software companies, who aren't looking for you right now. The choice isn't about the platform, it's about your customer.
Hope this helps.
***Some thoughts:
This really boils down to one simple question: are your customers actively searching for a solution you provide, or do you need to find them?
If you're a local service business – an electrician, a consultant, a cleaner – people are probably searching on Google when they need you. They'll type "accountant in Plymouth" into the search bar. In that case, you want to spend your money on Google Search Ads to show up at that exact moment. For most local businesses, this is definitely the best bet.
LinkedIn is a different beast. Its power is in finding very specific people for B2B. Say you sell a service only to Finance Directors at companies with over 100 employees. You can't target that on Google, but you can on LinkedIn. It’s for when you need to find them, not the other way around. It can be expensive, and if you're not selling B2B it's almost certainly the wrong place.
So, if they search for you, use Google. If you have to search for them, and they're a specific business role, then LinkedIn is an option.
Hope this helps
