By Vlad Vidaeff
LinkedIn has been the haven for B2B marketers for quite some time. Known as the “Facebook for professionals,” the network’s active users are mostly professionals in a variety of industries. Along with individual profiles, many companies have company pages on LinkedIn. Given its user base, LinkedIn has recently introduced LinkedIn Account Targeting. This blog will discuss how companies can run effective account-based marketing campaigns by using this new tool.
Account-based marketing has seen a rise in popularity in recent years. Account-based marketing occurs when a company targets specific customer accounts. Through LinkedIn’s new offerings, marketers can now tailor their Sponsored InMail or Sponsored Updates to a priority list of accounts. Sponsored InMail occurs when users receive ads as messages while sponsored updates occur when users receive promoted posts on their timelines. To use LinkedIn Account Targeting, a company will give LinkedIn a list of the accounts (companies) they would like to target. Linkedin will then cross-reference this list against the more than eight million Company Pages that use LinkedIn. Furthermore, marketers will be able to target users by seniority, geography, or job function, among others. This part of the arsenal is called LinkedIn’s Audience Match Capabilities and is similar to the advertising services offered by Facebook and Twitter.
One of the primary benefits of LinkedIn Account Targeting is that it allows marketers to target up to 30,000 companies at once. Previously, under LinkedIn’s old advertising offerings, marketers could only target up to 100 companies at once. In addition, much of the targeting had to be done manually while now most of the grunt work occurs on LinkedIn’s end. This substantial upgrade increases efficiency and vastly increases the reach of advertising campaigns on the platform. LinkedIn has also promised that there will be additional offerings associated with LinkedIn Account Targeting though they have not presented any specifics. Nevertheless, this is a big win for B2B marketers. Through LinkedIn’s new resources, advertising campaigns can reach a much larger set of segments in a more efficient manner. Companies who beta-tested the service such as Comcast Business, Salesforce, and Swrve have been pleased with their experiences. The REFUGE Group’s expertise in social media includes paid advertising on LinkedIn. If you’re interested in learning more, feel free to contact us at [email protected] or 713-528-0200.
