Connect LinkedIn Ads to Google Data Studio: Full Tutorial

Connect LinkedIn Ads to Google Data Studio: Full Tutorial

Are you looking for a way to connect your LinkedIn Ads account to Google Data Studio? If so, you’re in luck! This blog post will provide a full tutorial on how to do just that.

LinkedIn Ads is a powerful tool to help you reach your target audience on the world’s largest professional networking site. However, like any other advertising platform, it has its pros and cons. 

Google Data Studio is a free data visualization tool that allows you to create beautiful reports and dashboards from multiple data sources. It’s perfect for businesses that want to make data-driven decisions but don’t have the resources to invest in expensive data visualization software. 

In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know to connect your LinkedIn ads account to Google Data Studio easily.

LinkedIn Ads

LinkedIn ads let businesses target potential customers based on their LinkedIn profiles, allowing them to promote content, products, or services.

LinkedIn Ads Benefits

There are many benefits of using LinkedIn Ads, including the ability to target a specific audience, the ability to track results, and the ability to scale campaigns.

LinkedIn Ads Drawbacks

Some drawbacks to using LinkedIn Ads include the high cost per click and the need for a large budget to run a successful campaign. Additionally, LinkedIn Ads can be difficult to set up and manage if you are unfamiliar with the platform.

Different Types Of LinkedIn Ads Campaigns

There are four kinds of LinkedIn Ad campaigns: Sponsored Content, Text Ads, Display Ads, and InMail ads. Each type of campaign has its strengths and weaknesses, so choosing the right kind of campaign for your needs is essential.

Google Data Studio

The Google Data Studio tool allows users to create interactive reports and dashboards from multiple data sources. It is part of the Google Analytics 360 Suite, including Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Google Optimize.

Data Studio makes it easy to visualize data from multiple sources in one place. It offers a drag-and-drop interface for creating charts and graphs and a wide range of pre-built templates and themes.

Data Studio is free to use with a Google account, and there are no limits on the number of reports or dashboards you can create. You can share reports with others by email, link, or embedding.

Google Data Studio Benefits

There are many benefits to using Data Studio, including:

  • The ability to connect to multiple data sources, including Google Analytics, BigQuery, Sheets, and CSV files.
  • Easily create charts and graphs using a drag-and-drop interface.
  • A wide range of pre-built templates and themes.
  • The ability to share reports with others by email, link, or embedding.
  • It’s free to use with a Google account.

Google Data Studio Drawbacks

While Data Studio has many advantages, there are also some drawbacks to consider:

  • Finding suitable data source connectors can be difficult if you’re unfamiliar with coding languages like JavaScript or Python.
  • The platform can be overwhelming if you’re unfamiliar with data visualization tools.
  • There is a learning curve associated with using Data Studio effectively.

What Are The Benefits Of Connecting LinkedIn Ads To Google Data Studio

There are many benefits of connecting LinkedIn Ads to Google Data Studio. You will gain insight into your LinkedIn Ads campaigns that you would not otherwise be able to acquire. Additionally, you can use the data from LinkedIn Ads to create custom reports and dashboards in Data Studio. You can significantly improve your campaign performance by analyzing this data and making necessary changes.

Some of the specific benefits of connecting LinkedIn Ads to Google Data Studio include:

  • Gaining insights into campaign performance: By connecting LinkedIn Ads to Data Studio, you can see how your campaigns are performing in terms of reach, engagement, and conversions. This data can be extremely helpful in understanding what’s working well and what needs to be improved.
  • Creating custom reports and dashboards: With Data Studio, you can create custom reports and dashboards, which means you can tailor the information you see to your specific needs. For example, you might want to create a dashboard that shows reach, engagement, and conversion data for your LinkedIn Ads campaigns. Or, you might want to create a report that breaks down campaign performance by day or week. Either way, customizing your reports and dashboards is a massive benefit of using Data Studio.
  • Segmenting data: One of the great things about Data Studio is that it allows you to segment your data in various ways. For example, you can segment by campaign, ad group, or even individual ads. Segmenting means you can drill down into the details of your campaigns and understand what’s working well at a granular level. Additionally, segmenting your data makes it easier to spot trends and make necessary changes.

Overall, connecting LinkedIn Ads to Google Data Studio has many benefits. Consider this if you want to gain more insight into your campaigns or create custom reports and dashboards.  

Below Are The Prerequisites Required For Connecting The Platforms

You must meet a few prerequisites to connect LinkedIn Ads to Google Data Studio. 

  • First, you must have a LinkedIn Ads account and a Google Data Studio account. 
  • Second, you will need to have access to the LinkedIn Ads API. 
  • Lastly, you will need to have some basic knowledge of SQL.

Different Methods For Connecting LinkedIn Ads To Google Data Studio

Method 1: LinkedIn Ads Connector

The LinkedIn Ads connector is a tool that allows you to connect your LinkedIn Ads account to Google Data Studio. Google provides this tool, and it is free to use. The connector will enable you to access your LinkedIn Ads data in Google Data Studio, including campaign performance data, ad performance data, and demographic data.

To use the LinkedIn Ads connector, you need a LinkedIn Ads account and a Google Data Studio account. You will also need to have the latest version of the Google Chrome web browser installed on your computer.

Once you have all of the required accounts and software set up, you can follow the steps below to connect your LinkedIn Ads account to Google Data Studio:

  1. Log in to your LinkedIn Ads account and navigate to the “Accounts” tab.
  2. You need to then click the “Add Account” button and select “Google Data Studio” from the list of available connectors.
  3. Enter your Google Data Studio credentials (email address and password) into the fields provided and click “Log In.”
  4. Select the LinkedIn Ads account you want to connect to Google Data Studio and click “Allow Access.”
  5. All your LinkedIn Ads data will now be available in Google Data Studio!

Method 2: Supermetrics for BigQuery

Supermetrics for BigQuery is a paid tool that allows you to connect your LinkedIn Ads account to Google BigQuery, a powerful database platform offered by Google Cloud Platform. Once you have connected LinkedIn Ads and BigQuery, you can access your LinkedIn Ads data in BigQuery, including campaign performance data, ad performance data, and demographic data.

To use Supermetrics for BigQuery, you need a LinkedIn Ads account, a Google Cloud Platform account, and a Supermetrics for BigQuery subscription (pricing starts at $149/month). 

Once you have all of the required accounts and software set up, you can follow the steps below to connect your LinkedIn AdstoBigQuery using Supermetrics for BigQuery:

  1. Log in to your LinkedInAds account and navigate to the “Accounts” tab
  2. Click on the “Add Account” button and select “Google Cloud Platform” from the list of available connectors
  3. Enter your Google Cloud Platform credentials (email address and password)into the fields provided and click “Log In.” 
  4. Select the LinkedIn Ads account you want to connect to BigQuery and click “Allow Access.” 
  5. All your LinkedIn Ads data will now be available in Bigquery!

Method 3: Google Analytics Connector

The third and final method for connecting LinkedIn Ads to Google Data Studio is using the Google Analytics connector. 

  1. Go to your LinkedIn Ads account and click on the “Tools” dropdown menu to get started. 
  2. Select “Export reports” from there and choose “Google Analytics” as your export destination.
  3. LinkedIn will then generate a CSV file of your chosen report and send it directly to your Google Analytics account. 
  4. Once the file has been exported, log into your Google Analytics account and go to the “Admin” section. 
  5. In the “Property” column, click on “Data Import” and then select “Upload new file” from the list of options. 
  6. Click on “Upload & Import” to import the LinkedIn Ads CSV file.
  7. This will create a new data set in Google Analytics that you can then use in Google Data Studio. 
  8. To do this, create a new blank report in Google Data Studio and click on “Add data.” Click on “Google Analytics” and choose the new dataset created from the LinkedIn Ads export.
  9. This will add your LinkedIn Ads data as a new data source in Google Data Studio.

Tips for using LinkedIn Ads data in Google Data Studio

Use filters to segment your data.

When you connect LinkedIn Ads to Google Data Studio, you’ll have access to a wealth of data that can be overwhelming. To make the most of this data, it’s important to use filters to segment it in a way that is meaningful to you. By segmenting your data, you can more easily identify patterns and trends to help you make better decisions about your LinkedIn Ads campaigns.

Google Data Studio offers several ways to segment LinkedIn Ads data. One way is to use the “Dimensions” and “Metrics” fields in the “Data Source Settings” panel. These fields will allow you to select the dimensions and metrics you want to include in your report. Another way to segment your data is to use the “Filters” function in Google Data Studio. This feature allows you to filter your data by various criteria, such as date ranges, campaign names, and ad group names.

Once you’ve segmented your data, you can start to create reports that are more focused and informative. For example, if you’re interested in understanding how your LinkedIn Ads campaigns perform over time, you can create a line graph that includes the “Impressions” metric and segments it by date range. Or, if you want to see which ad groups are performing the best, you can create a table that includes the “Ad Group Name” dimension and sorts by the “Clicks” metric. Using filters and segments, you can tailor your reports to suit your needs better and make more informed decisions about your LinkedIn Ads campaigns.

Use Multiple LinkedIn Ads Data Sources

Another tip for making the most of LinkedIn Ads data in Google Data Studio is to use multiple LinkedIn Ads data sources. By doing so, you’ll better understand how your campaigns are performing and can allocate resources more efficiently.

For example, let’s say you’re running two separate LinkedIn Ads campaigns: one for brand awareness and one for lead generation. You could create two separate reports in Google Data Studio, each with its dimensions and metrics from each campaign’s respective LinkedIn Ads account. By doing this, you would be able to compare the performance of each campaign side-by-side and determine which campaign is more effective at achieving its goals. Additionally, you could add other data sources (such as website traffic or sales)to these reports for even more insights into how each campaign performs relative to other marketing efforts.

Using multiple LinkedIn Ads data sources is a great way to get a more holistic view of your campaigns and make better-informed decisions about where to allocate your resources.

Conclusion

The benefits of connecting LinkedIn Ads to Google Data Studio are numerous. Doing so allows you to get an insight into your target audience, develop more effective campaigns, and measure your progress more accurately. Set up is simple and takes just a few simple steps to get going. However, there are some points to keep in mind when using LinkedIn Ads data in Google Data Studio, such as using filters to segment your data and using multiple LinkedIn Ads data sources.

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