Unlocking LinkedIn Ad Insights for Nonprofits with Zapier and the LinkedIn Conversions API
Advertising is a powerful tool that many nonprofits rely on for effective marketing and fundraising campaigns. One increasingly popular platform is LinkedIn, which connects your organization with a vast network of professionals and potential donors. However, tracking the impact of your LinkedIn ads and understanding how they influence user actions, also known as conversions, can be challenging. These actions can be anything from visiting your website, signing up for your newsletter, or donating. For nonprofits, understanding which ads are driving donations or volunteer sign-ups is crucial for making the most of limited budgets and maximizing impact. The ability to track conversions provides valuable insights into how your LinkedIn ad campaigns influence user behavior and drive engagement with your cause.
Setting up conversion tracking may seem daunting, but with the simple and new(ish) method of Zapier's integration with the LinkedIn Conversions API, it's easier than you think. It allows you to seamlessly track the conversions generated by your LinkedIn ad campaigns, providing you with actionable insights into what's resonating with your audience. For nonprofits, this means you can better understand your donors' behavior, optimize your campaigns, and ultimately, drive more engagement and support for your cause.
For us and for our clients, Zapier is an ideal partner for leveraging LinkedIn Conversions in your LinkedIn advertising efforts—especially when working between multiple apps and services. Zapier enables:
Streamlined Workflow: Zapier automates the process of collecting and analyzing conversion data from your LinkedIn ad campaigns. This eliminates the need for manual data entry and saves you valuable time and resources that can be better directed toward your mission.
Actionable Insights: By integrating LinkedIn Conversions with Zapier, you can connect your ad campaign data to other relevant applications, such as your CRM or email marketing platform. This consolidated view allows you to understand how your LinkedIn campaigns impact your fundraising funnel and identify areas for improvement.
Optimized Campaigns: With insights from conversion tracking, you can optimize your LinkedIn ad campaigns for better performance. You can tailor your ad copy and targeting to resonate more effectively with your donor base, maximizing your return on investment (ROI).
Data-Driven Decision Making: Conversion data empowers you to make data-driven decisions about your fundraising strategy. You can identify which LinkedIn ad campaign types generate the most donations and replicate those successes in future campaigns.
Getting Started with Zapier and LinkedIn Conversions
Zapier streamlines the process of conversion tracking, saving you valuable time and resources (not to mention the headache of trying to connect disparate systems). The automation also ensures accuracy and eliminates the risk of human error associated with manual data entry. Zapier's integration with the LinkedIn Conversions API provides a seamless and reliable way to track the impact of your ad campaigns, giving you the confidence that your data is accurate and up-to-date.
Getting started with Zapier and the LinkedIn Conversions API is easy. Here's a step-by-step guide to get you started:
Create a Zapier Account: If you don't already have a Zapier account, sign up for free at zapier.com.
Create a conversion rule:
Create a conversion rule in your LinkedIn Campaign Manager. Zapier recommends starting the rule name with 'CAPI' to differentiate it from other conversion rule types.
Set your lookback window for longer to increase the chances of attributing more tracked conversions. The lookback window refers to the length of time within which a conversion can be credited to a particular ad interaction. By extending the lookback window, you can capture more conversions and better understand your campaign's effectiveness.
Associate your CAPI conversion rules to as many applicable campaigns as possible to maximize attribution and visibility. If you don’t have any campaigns running, you can assign the rule to those ads when you’re creating them.
Create a trigger:
In your Zap, create a trigger using an app that will be your conversion source. The fields in this trigger should contain the necessary information for your CAPI conversion rule.
The trigger data should at least return an email address, but a first-party cookie ID or first/last name will help increase the match quality.
Create an action:
To add an action to your Zap, click the Action step or the plus + icon in the Zap editor.
In the Change action dialog box, search for and select LinkedIn Conversions.
In the App & events section, click the Event dropdown menu and select Send Conversion Event.
Click Continue.
In the Account section, click Choose.
Select the account from the dropdown menu if you already have an account connected to Zapier for the action app. If not, click + Connect a new account and connect your LinkedIn ad account to Zapier.
Click Continue.
In the Account dropdown field, select your ad account.
In the Conversion dropdown field, select your conversion rule.
Map the data from your trigger data into the remaining fields.
Once you've completed all relevant fields, click Continue.
Click 'Test' to send a conversion event to your LinkedIn ad account and ensure everything works.
If the test was successful, you can click Publish to turn on your Zap. If not, review the details in the error report and adjust.
View conversion tracking and reporting metrics: Once your Zap is set up and published, you can view conversion tracking and reporting metrics in your LinkedIn Campaign Manager.
While you can set up conversions directly on the LinkedIn Insight Tag, the Zapier integration offers even more flexibility for nonprofits. You can automatically track ad conversions from offline events (e.g., in-person fundraisers or meet-ups) or forms not officially part of your website where the LinkedIn tracking code can live—make sure you create those events in the LinkedIn Campaign Manager first.
For example, you can update a Google Sheet with conversion data and then use a Zap to push that data to LinkedIn's Conversion API. Within minutes, your Looker Studio Dashboard, or any other reporting tool you use that tracks your active ad campaigns, will be updated, giving you a comprehensive view of how your campaigns are progressing—all in one place.
Leveraging the Zapier and LinkedIn Conversions API integration, your nonprofit can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of your LinkedIn ad campaigns. This will empower you to make data-driven decisions, optimize your campaigns for better results, and drive more engagement.
Remember, tracking conversions is not just about numbers; it's about understanding your audience, refining your messaging, and making the most of your limited ad dollars. Using Zapier and the LinkedIn Conversions API, you'll be well-equipped to better track the impact of your campaigns against your fundraising goals this year.
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