Like most high-performing B2B marketers, you probably run LinkedIn ad campaigns for your organisation or agency. You’re probably also aware of the many powerful targeting capabilities available to you. But it’s unlikely you’re getting the maximum potential out of them. Luckily for you, we can help. Let’s run through some of the most valuable pieces of targeting advice we’ve been given from experts in LinkedIn campaign management and empower you to target like a professional archer.
Stay within the recommended range
One of the golden rules of targeting is to stay within the recommended audience size range. In our opinion this is typically between 40,000-400,000 people. By curating your audience within these lines you are able to stay specific and targeted without limiting your reach and potential for results. Retargeting or niche audiences would be suited to the lower end of the spectrum, while the higher end is typically more suited to brand awareness campaigns.
Layer for success
Layering your targeting filters like the perfect winter outfit is a crucial element in any successful Linkedin campaign. There’s a whole array of different types from job title, to interest, groups and more. The best combinations to opt for depend on your objectives and ideal target audience, but we’d typically recommend starting with location, and layering other filters like job function, company size and industry.
Opt for job function instead of job title
In most cases, the experts would recommend choosing a job function e.g. marketing than job titles e.g. marketing manager. Why? This allows you to capture a whole bunch of relevant people that would likely be cut out if you just focused on specific job titles.
The only scenarios where we would recommend titles is if every other parameter is quite broad, e.g. all of America, no specific industries OR if you have a very niche, specific persona and you really can’t be flexible with it.
Exclude, exclude, exclude
While what you choose to include in your targeting is important, what you choose to exclude is equally key. If there are any job roles that may be included within your parameters that you don’t want to see your ads – just exclude them from the outset. It’s as easy as that! If there’s some you see popping up in the data after you’ve started running your ads, do not hesitate to hit exclude.
Tweak and refine as you go
Once your perfectly curated audience is out in the LinkedIn universe, it’s not time to retire your targeting tools. Just like your ad copy and messaging, optimisation is key to perfecting your audiences. As long as you are running your campaigns, you should be seeking to tweak and refine. This should be informed by both the data you see in the demographic charts of your dashboard and the feedback you get from your sales team.
Voila! It’s time to exercise your new skills in the targeting arena. Fire up your campaign manager and start reeling in those leads.