Leveraging LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads to Drive Sales and Build Executive Presence

People buy from people they like and trust. So why does most social media marketing focus on communication from businesses and brands instead of individuals?

In this session from Hero Conf San Diego 2025, Ashley Mo teaches LinkedIn advertisers how to
1. Turn executives into thought leaders and brand advocates
2. Leverage LinkedIn thought leader ads to stay top-of-mind and drive sales
3. Capitalize on short-form video content, the fastest growing content on LinkedIn

Transcript

1. Leveraging LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads to Drive Sales and Build Executive Presence Ashley Mo C r e s s e t amo@cressetcapital.com @ashleylmo
2. cressetcapital.com 2 What do all these memoirs have in common?
3. LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads (TLAs)
4. cressetcapital.com 4 LinkedIn helps CEOs and founders tell your brand’s story
5. cressetcapital.com 5 LinkedIn helps your employees & influencers tell your brand’s story
6. Why it’s important
7. cressetcapital.com 7 Why leverage LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads Outperform Page posts
8. cressetcapital.com 8 LinkedIn TLAs outperform traditional brand awareness tactics Source: LinkedIn report 1.5x Higher click- through rate 1.6x Higher engagement rate 45% Increase in demo request Lead Gen Form submission rates within retargeting audiences 30% More efficient CPC 30% Higher follower growth Averages compared to traditional LinkedIn brand awareness tactics (eg Single Image Ads)
9. cressetcapital.com 9 Why leverage LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads Organic and Paid continue to merge Outperform Page posts
10. cressetcapital.com 10 Build trust and authenticity with content from real people
11. cressetcapital.com 11 Why leverage LinkedIn Thought Leader Ads Build trust in the age of AI Organic and Paid continue to merge Outperform Page posts
12. Lessons from Cresset’s TLA testing
13. cressetcapital.com 13 Guess the winner: image vs. video
14. cressetcapital.com 14 Guess the winner: non-executive vs. executive
15. cressetcapital.com 15 Always be testing “Best” media type varies by goal Try boosting non-employee content, e.g. customer testimonials You can’t predict winners
16. TLA Launch Checklist
17. cressetcapital.com 17 Always be selling: don’t forget your call-to-action (CTA)
18. cressetcapital.com 18 From organic to paid: TLA Launch Checklist 1 Optimize profile copy and add CTA 2 Publish post 3 Approve sponsorship request 4 Seed engagement in the first hour 5 Wait 48-72 hours before boosting 6 Run ad 90 days max
19. cressetcapital.com 19 If there’s one thing you remember People buy from people they know, like, and trust. LinkedIn TLAs can help you build trust and make the sale.
20. Questions? Let’s Connect! linkedin.com/in/ashleylmo
21. cressetcapital.com 21 Disclaimer All right, title and interest in and to these materials are the sole and exclusive property of Cresset Capital Management, LLC, and its affiliates (collectively, “Cresset”). Cresset Asset Management, LLC, also conducts advisory business under the names of Cresset Sports & Entertainment, CH Investment Partners and Cresset Capital. The information contained in these materials is not intended to provide professional investment, legal or tax advice and should not be relied upon in that regard. The contents of these materials are for general information only and are not provided with regard to your specific investment objectives, financial situation, tax exposure or particular needs. The contents hereof are not a recommendation of, or solicitation for, the subscription, purchase or sale of any security, including the fund(s) and/or investment products mentioned herein. Nothing contained herein should be used as the basis for making any specific investment, business or commercial decision. You should carefully read the final prospectus, offering memorandum, organizational agreement and/or other supplemental and controlling documents before making an investment decision regarding any particular security. Investments, including interests in real estate and private funds, are subject to investment, tax, regulatory, market, macro-economic and other risks, including loss of the principal amount invested. Investments denominated in a foreign currency are subject to factors including but not limited to changes in exchange rates that may have an adverse effect on the value of the investment. Past performance as well as any projection or forecast used or discussed in these materials are not indicative of future or likely performance of any investment product. Statements may be forward looking and are not intended as specific investment advice or guarantees of future performance. Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or result expressed or implied by such statements.
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