Tag: LinkedIn

We’ve spent countless hours experimenting with LinkedIn’s advertising platform, and let’s be honest – it’s a goldmine for B2B marketers when you know how to use it right. We will share everything we’ve learned about making LinkedIn’s unique targeting capabilities work for your business.

Why We’re Excited About LinkedIn Targeting

Here’s what we’ve discovered: while everyone else is chasing shadows on Facebook or fighting for keywords on Google, we’ve got something special with LinkedIn. Think about it – we’re working with data that professionals actively maintain and verify themselves. When did you last update your Facebook profile with your new job title? But LinkedIn? That’s probably the first place you went.

The Targeting Strategies We Swear By

Why We Always Start with Industries

Let’s cut to the chase – we’ve found that starting with industry targeting gives us the strongest foundation. Here’s why we love it:

• Professionals tend to stick to their lanes, even when job-hopping
• Industry pain points stay remarkably consistent
• We can speak their language and address specific challenges

How We Play the Company Size Game

Here’s something we’ve learned the hard way: company size tells us way more than just budget potential. It’s a window into how decisions get made. Let’s break down our approach:

For the small guys (1-50 employees):

• We go straight to the top – founders and C-suite
• Quick decisions, direct conversations
• Personal pain points matter most

With the middleweights (51-500):

• We target department heads who feel the pain
• They’ve got budget authority but need consensus
• ROI conversations resonate here

For the big players (500+):

• We spread our net wider
• We target both practitioners and their bosses
• We focus on team-level wins and company-wide impact

Our Role-Based Targeting Matrix

Let’s ditch the job title obsession. We’ve developed a better way to think about this. Here’s how we structure our targeting:

Decision Makers We Love:

• Senior management + Finance (they get the budget talks)
• C-level + Operations (they understand the big picture)
• Directors + Technology (they know what works)

Influencers We Can’t Ignore:

• Mid-level managers who champion change
• Project managers who needed solutions yesterday
• Team leads who face daily challenges

The Advanced Stuff We’ve Figured Out

We’ve found gold in LinkedIn’s interest and traits filters. Here’s what we look for:

• Active group participants in our space
• Folks engaging with thought leadership
• Professional certification seekers
• Career milestone achievers

Why We’re All In on Retargeting

Think of retargeting as our trusty multiplier. When we combine it with LinkedIn’s powerful filters, that’s when the real magic happens. Here’s how we build our targeting layers:

Foundation Layer:

• Industry and company size targeting (our compass)
• Role-specific targeting (our bullseye)
• Professional interests (our qualifier)

Engagement Layer:

• Previous site visitors (they’ve shown interest)
• Blog and content readers (they’re doing their research)
• People who’ve watched our videos (they’re invested)
• Past lead form starters (they’re considering us)

We’ve found this two-layer approach does something powerful – it combines intent with precision. We’re not just reaching the right people; we’re reaching them when they’re already thinking about solutions like ours. It’s like picking up a conversation right where we left off, instead of starting from scratch every time.

The Traps We’ve Learned to Avoid

Let’s talk about what not to do. We’ve made these mistakes so you don’t have to:

• Growth Rate Filters – We stopped using these because employee count changes often mean restructuring, not success. We prefer industry trends and company news for growth indicators.
• Revenue Brackets –  The data is often stale. We stick to company size – it’s more reliable and tells us just as much.
• Age Targeting – LinkedIn guesses ages based on education dates. We focus on experience level instead – much more relevant for B2B anyway.

How We Make It All Work

Our Testing Approach We start broad and narrow down:

• Core industry and size filters first
• Layer in roles
• Add behavioral signals
• Top it off with retargeting

Our Iteration Process

• Small tests to validate our hunches
• Watch those engagement metrics like the Hawks
• Adjust based on real data
• Scale what works, drop what doesn’t

Where We See This Going

We’re keeping our eyes on some exciting developments in LinkedIn targeting:

• Skills endorsement targeting 
• Better content engagement tracking
• More sophisticated career trajectory indicators
• Industry certification targeting

Looking Ahead

The future of LinkedIn targeting is bright. We see new possibilities with skills endorsements, better engagement tracking, and more sophisticated targeting options. But remember – success isn’t about using every filter available. It’s about finding the right combination that connects you with decision-makers who are ready to act.

Have questions about your LinkedIn targeting strategy? Let’s continue the conversation – we’d love to hear about your experiences and share more of our insider tips.