Microsoft paid $26.2 billion dollars for LinkedIn in 2016. Today the social media network for professionals includes over 500 million members, 61 million senior influencers and 40 million decision makers. So how can a systems integrator find the right prospects and contacts in this vast network? Keep reading …
LinkedIn recently announced an upgrade to their ads system featuring three new innovative ways to help you reach the right prospects. The new tools include lookalike audiences, audience templates and interest targeting with data from Microsoft Bing search.
Lookalike Audiences
With Lookalike Audiences, you can reach new influencers by discovering others that are similar to those who have already shown interest in your business. For example, they may have engaged on your website or provided you with their contact details. Lookalike audiences will help you reach additional companies that match the profile of your qualified contacts that are already engaged with you.
Audience Templates
The Audience Template feature provides more than 20 predefined B2B audiences for you to use and start targeting. These audiences include characteristics such as member skills, job titles and LinkedIn Groups. This saves a lot of time when setting up your campaigns and allows you to reach the right prospects that matter most.
Interest Targeting with Expanded Data from Microsoft Bing
Interest targeting enables you to create ads that target prospects based on their interests, subject to each member’s ad settings and LinkedIn’s Advertising Policy. According to LinkedIn, “member interests may be based on and inferred from member actions and engagement with specific online content on LinkedIn”. Now, LinkedIn has expanded interest targeting to include a combination of interests and “professional topics and content an audience engages with through Microsoft’s Bing search engine.”
Although a fee is required, these powerful targeting features inside the LinkedIn network make reaching your ideal prospects easier and more efficient. If used correctly, the benefits received will far outweigh your investment.
Need help? Schedule a Marketing Discovery Call with Vector Firm today.
