AJ Wilcox says, “While consulting with companies on their LinkedIn advertising initiatives, I routinely get asked, “How should I bid? CPM or CPC?”

I very quickly noticed that my response is very different from “conventional wisdom.” When I hear others asked this question, I repeatedly hear, “It depends on your goals.”

These misguided souls go on to explain, “If your goal is brand awareness, bid for impressions (CPM). If your goal is direct response, bid for clicks (CPC).”

Not only is this a gross oversimplification of a rule of thumb, but I’d argue it’s flat-out wrong.

Although the examples I provide here will be related to LinkedIn Ads, it’s important to note that these same principles apply regardless of the platform you use.

Why it’s wrong

It doesn’t matter what your goals are; your job is to generate impression/traffic/leads/sales at lower costs and higher volumes.

Even if you’re only concerned with exposure, wouldn’t you want to get that exposure for the lowest cost? Along the same vein, if you’re concerned with traffic, of course you want to secure that traffic for the lowest cost possible. Using biddable media, you have your bid type as a lever to effect that efficiency”.

LinkedIn Ads: CPC vs. CPM bidding — Stop saying, ‘It depends on your goals’

Marketing Land

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