If you’ve identified LinkedIn Ads as a channel you want to start leveraging to connect with your audience, you might be wondering whether it’s worth hiring a LinkedIn Ads agency or managing it all on your own.

Note that you don’t have to hire a LinkedIn Ads agency specifically, but we wouldn't recommend hiring a full-service agency if you have a LinkedIn Ads-specific problem.

Whether you hire a LinkedIn Ads agency to manage your LinkedIn Ads or take it in-house, there are pros and cons to both options that are worth considering.

And though we may be a little biased (we being a LinkedIn Ads agency ourselves), our goal in sharing this article is to provide you with the information you need to make the decision that’s right for you.

When weighing your options between a LinkedIn Ads agency and managing LinkedIn Ads in-house, there are three things you should consider:

• Control and Visibility
• Time and Money Invested
• Expertise

Control and Visibility

When you hire a LinkedIn Ads agency, they take over the management of your account.

That’s not to say that you don’t still have access, you absolutely do (if an agency is talking about removing your access completely, that’s a major red flag).

But an agency is going to expect that you won’t interfere with the strategy and setup they’ve laid out in your account.

The activities they perform (i.e. create campaigns, adjust bids and budgets, create ads, etc.) will be done in the best interest of your account, but will be their own.

Once you hand over the reins, the amount of control you have over your own account will be diminished (or at least shared between both parties).

Not only that, but some agencies choose not to share their processes.

You may be informed on ad performance, but left wondering what strategies were implemented to get those results.

If you want full control and visibility over what goes on in your LinkedIn Ads account, we recommend managing it in-house.

Or, as an alternative, partner with an agency willing to share their processes with you (we understand this a huge roadblock for those looking to partner with an agency, so we at B2Linked make it a priority to be transparent in our process).

And actively participate in strategy sessions. Meet regularly with your agency to keep tabs on campaign progress and set expectations early about what your goals are for your LinkedIn Ads account.

Time and Money Invested

If you manage your LinkedIn Ads yourself, unless you have prior experience with the platform, you’ll need to learn the ins and outs on your own.

The average cost per click (CPC) on LinkedIn Ads is about 5 - 8 times higher than what you’d find on Meta Ads.

The average cost per SQL on LinkedIn Ads is about half that of Meta’s, though, when done properly, so it’s well worth it in the long run.

But the issue is, that’s a lot of money to invest up front if you’re just starting to learn the platform.

Not to mention the amount of time that’s also spent both managing the account (creating campaigns and ads, monitoring performance daily, optimizing for the best results, etc.) and learning how to make the platform work.

The benefit of hiring an agency, in this case, is you can offload all of that responsibility.

A LinkedIn Ads agency will have already invested the time and money learning how the platform works and will be able to spare you from having to invest in it yourself.

The added benefit is that you get more time back to put into other areas of the business.

Expertise

This ties in closely with the previous point, but a LinkedIn Ads agency already knows the ins and outs of the platform.

They’ve invested the time and money to find what works and what doesn’t.

Because of this, you can expect positive results much more quickly when hiring a LinkedIn Ads agency than if you were to take over the responsibility on your own.

Not only this, but instead of just you (one person) managing your LinkedIn Ads, you have an entire team of LinkedIn Ads experts working on your account when you partner with an agency.

Some LinkedIn Ads agencies (B2Linked included) also have access to tools that allow them to manage and optimize your ad performance faster, more efficiently, and at scale.

By partnering with an agency, then, you can do more than you’d be able to by managing your LinkedIn Ads in-house.

Which is Better?

In short, if you want to retain full control and visibility over your LinkedIn Ads account, then taking it in-house may be the better option for you.

On the other hand, if you want to skip the pricey learning curve and see positive results more quickly, then partnering with a LinkedIn Ads agency may be the way to go.

If you do decide to hire an agency, be sure to check out our list of the best LinkedIn Ads agencies on the market right now in order to find the one that’s right for you.

And if you’re curious how much it costs to hire a LinkedIn Ads agency, we’ve got a great resource breaking that information down, as well.

There are a lot of great options to choose from. Here at B2Linked, we understand that you need to make every advertising dollar count in order to see a return (and remain in good standing with your boss).

Most ad agencies, freelancers, and in-house marketing teams talk about getting a return from their digital advertising efforts, but after auditing 800+ LinkedIn Ads accounts, we’ve seen one common theme: Wasted ad spend.

That’s why we help B2B companies maximize their return from LinkedIn Ads by minimizing waste from poor targeting, bidding, and campaign setup.

If this all sounds important to you, consider booking a discovery call. We’d absolutely love the chance to get to work with you!

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