E3: LinkedIn Ads Measurement Masterclass with Borys Khodan, Synthesia
In the latest episode of The LinkedIn Ads Lab, I sat down to chat with Borys Khodan, Head of paid media at Synthesia, about how his world of paid media works, how he thinks about the world of LinkedIn ads, and the complexities of attribution. Borys and I have similar backgrounds in that our careers in paid media both started at the motherships—Borys coming from Google and myself from LinkedIn. We both have developed a unique understanding of each platform and how they fit into attribution from seeing a variety of attribution models in practice across multiple clients, and for Borys it's become his speciality now not just across Google but also LinkedIn and other channels.
Some of Borys' key learnings:
- Creative is King: Good creative is no longer optional on LinkedIn. It's essential to grab attention and drive performance.
- Manual Bidding Over Max Delivery: Start with manual bidding at the lowest possible bid, raising it incrementally to avoid wasting budget.
- Attribution is Multifaceted: Use a mix of conversion API, self-reported attribution, and LinkedIn’s revenue attribution report for a holistic view of campaign success
- Invest in Learning: Borys advocates paying for knowledge and mentorship as a shortcut to improving performance in paid media.
- Leverage Data: Setting up accurate tracking and understanding how to analyze campaign data is critical to maximizing LinkedIn's potential.
Transitioning from Google to Client Side
One of the major themes of the interview was how Borys’ transitioned from the structured environment of Google to the more agile, fast-paced world of Synthesia, a company that is redefining video production with AI-generated avatars. He admitted that the move required a big shift in mindset: “Your area of ownership expands 10x, even 100x. You’re suddenly responsible for everything, from managing the team to building processes and handling multiple channels.” This shift gave him deeper exposure to how his marketing efforts impact the company’s bottom line, a change that has sharpened his strategic approach, particularly in the area of LinkedIn Ads.
How Synthesia think about marketing
Borys shared that Synthesia have the big challenge of building a category for a product that’s still unfamiliar to many. Since most people are unaware of AI video creation platforms, Synthesia's strategy leans heavily on paid social and video formats to visually demonstrate the product's capabilities. They lean heavily on education in their marketing efforts "We have to explain what problem we are solving because a lot of our customers have been using PDFs and texts for years without even considering video as an option."
How Borys thinks about LinkedIn Ads
Borys’ process for managing LinkedIn Ads revolves around a few key principles, with creative and attribution playing central roles. Borys relies heavily on manual bidding, starting with the lowest bid possible and raising it incrementally. He shared a key piece of advice for anyone working with LinkedIn Ads: “Don’t start with max delivery unless you’re willing to burn through your budget quickly.” He also stressed the importance of niche targeting, advising marketers to drill down into their ideal customer profiles (ICP) to ensure they’re speaking directly to the right audience.
The core of the conversation was around the role of attribution in LinkedIn ads. His approach to attribution blends both data and intuition, making decisions based on conversion API data, self-reported attribution, and then at the end of the day, just some gut feel based on his deep understanding of campaign trends. When it comes to what he looks at to make decisions, Borys uses a blend of in-platform and CRM-based tracking to get the clearest picture of campaign performance. His process is multifaceted, using LinkedIn’s conversion API to track leads beyond initial clicks, and combining that data with self-reported attribution. "Self-reported attribution is a must," Borys said, highlighting how asking customers where they heard about Synthesia adds an extra layer of validation to campaign data. He also relies on LinkedIn’s revenue attribution report to track general trends and campaign efficiency over time, though he admits it’s not always perfect. “It’s helpful for understanding broader trends, but I wouldn’t make major decisions based on it alone,” Borys noted.
The importance of Creative in LinkedIn Ads
An important part of Borys’ success with LinkedIn Ads comes down to his focus on creative. He stressed that creative is now more important than ever on LinkedIn, where there’s increased competition and higher expectations from users. “Good creative used to be optional on LinkedIn; now it’s everything. You need to capture attention immediately, or you’ll lose out,” he explained. This is why Borys spends a significant amount of time refining messaging and creatives to ensure they resonate with the audience. He believes that even small improvements in creative can lead to significant gains in campaign performance, and that a focus on creative should make up about 75% of a campaign’s effort.
Conclusion
Overall, I loved this episode because it underscores the importance of combining creativity with a data-driven approach in LinkedIn Ads. Borys' insights highlight focusing on the basics—knowing your product, audience, and creative—alongside sophisticated attribution techniques will help you navigate the complex world of LinkedIn Ads successfully.
Overall, Borys' approach to LinkedIn Ads is a mix of data-driven decision-making, constant creative experimentation, and a deep understanding of how attribution models can impact campaign success and what he has to say offers a valuable roadmap for anyone looking to level up their LinkedIn Ads strategy.
