Tips and Tricks for targeting LinkedIn Sponsored updates to business audiences at scale

Jon Lombardo LinkedIn

Content Marketing Lead

AJ Wilcox B2Linkedin.com

Founder

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR TARGETING

LINKEDIN SPONSORED UPDATES TO

BUSINESS AUDIENCES AT SCALE

TODAY’S

AGENDA

AGENDA

1. WHY CONTENT MARKETING?

2. WHAT ARE SPONSORED UPDATES?

3. 5 TIPS FOR CREATING COMPELLING SPONSORED UPDATES

4. B2LINKED.COM AND THE B2B ADS LANDSCAPE

5. LINKEDIN ADS, RETARGETING, AND THE FUNNEL

6. MEASURING SUCCESS

WHAT WE’LL COVER THIS MORNING

THE SOPHISTICATED

MARKETER’S GUIDE TO

SPONSORED UPDATES

WHY GREAT CONTENT

IS ESSENTIAL IN MODERN

MARKETING

Content Matters:

10

Number of pieces of content buyers engage with to

research their purchase. -Source: Google, Zero Moment of Truth Study

74% Of B2B buyers choose a vendor that’s first to help

them with useful content. -Source: Inside Sales

90% Amount of purchase process that buyers complete

before making contact with vendor. -Source: Forrester

PEOPLE BUY YOUR PERSPECTIVE FIRST AND

YOUR PRODUCTS SECOND

Keys to Great Thought-Leading Content YOU NOW SELL WITH YOUR

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

PRO TIP: FOR THE 8 CRITERIA OF THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, CONSULT THE BLOOM GROUP’S BLOG POSTS.

On LinkedIn, Speak to the Professional Mindset

-Source: The Mindset Divide: Revealing the Emotional Differences

Between Personal and Professional Networks

LINKEDIN MEMBERS ASK FOR THOUGHT

LEADERSHIP FROM BRANDS

WHY

SPONSORED UPDATES?

DELIVER NATIVE ADVERTISING IN THE WORLD’S

ONLY PROFESSIONAL NEWSFEED

THREE FEATURES

THAT SET SPONSORED UPDATES APART

ACCURATE PROFILE-BASED TARGETING

PROFESSIONAL MINDSET CREATES A FAVORABLE

CONTENT MARKETING ENVIRONMENT FOR BRANDS

PREMIUM AUDIENCE AT SCALE

THREE REASONS TO INCLUDE

SPONSORED UPDATES IN YOUR MEDIA MIX

MOBILE-OPTIMISED ADS AT SCALE

USEFUL FOR BRAND BUILDING, CONTENT ENGAGEMENT

& LEAD GENERATION

PERFORM 3X-5X BETTER THAN TYPICAL DISPLAY ADS

[5] TIPS FOR

TURNING YOUR CONTENT INTO

COMPELLING SPONSORED

UPDATES

Target Your Content to the Right Customers 1. FOCUS ON YOUR AUDIENCE

Think Like a Journalist 2. THINK LIKE A BUSINESS JOURNALIST

PRO TIP: IMAGE POSTS *GET UP TO 2X

PERFORMANCE

3. INVEST IN STRONG VISUALS

Make Your Pages Mobile Ready 4. DESIGN FOR MOBILE-FIRST

PRO TIP: 75% of Sponsored Updates

engagement comes from mobile

5. ‘FRAME ALL THE THINGS’

PRO TIP: REVIEW UPWORTHY’S SLIDESHARE ON ‘THE SWEET SCIENCE OF VIRALITY’ FOR MORE TIPS

On LinkedIn, Speak to the Professional Mindset GREAT CONTENT POSSESSES

IMAGE, HEADLINE, AND URGENCY

INTRODUCING

B2LINKEDIN.COM AND

THE B2B ADS LANDSCAPE

B2B CHALLENGES

Business-to-Business (B2B)

• Selling to a business rather than the end user/consumer

• Business users are still consumers

• 72% of the Fortune 1000 are B2B

• B2B is less sexy than B2C, but it’s where the money’s at

• Paid Search (AdWords/Bing Ads) keyword-based targeting

• Intent-based

• CEOs type the same keywords as janitors

• How do you ensure your dollars are spent on someone with BANT?

HOW DO YOU REACH THESE BUSINESS MEMBERS?

• Industry Publications • Advertise in industry rags (ChiefExecutive magazine)

• AdTech Vendors • Bizo

• Quantcast

• DemandBase

• Paid Social • Twitter – Weak B2B targeting

• Facebook – Decent B2B targeting, personal focus

• LinkedIn – precise targeting, business focus

B2B AD OPTIONS

• Up to date (self selected)

• Robust targeting

• Near-unlimited traffic

• Business mentality

LINKEDIN ADVERTISING

• SaaS software

• Recruiting

• That hard-to-reach professional

• Reaching influencers

WHY IS IT SUCCESSFUL?

• Before 2012 • LinkedIn visited when members wanted to update their resume

• 2012 • LinkedIn releases InFluencer program to allow influential business professionals to write long-

form content

• 2013 • LinkedIn acquires Pulse news service and begins to serve relevant professional content

• Sponsored Updates ad units rolled out

• 2014 • Long-form publishing made available to all members

• In just a few short years, LinkedIn made the move from resume site to content hub

• Also, more ad inventory…

ISN’T LINKEDIN A RESUME SITE?

Sponsored Updates – News feed

• 800x400px image (180x110 desktop)

• .4% CTR is good

• Character limits

• 150 char intro

• 55 char title

• 155 char description

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT SPONSORED UPDATES

Targeting (profile completeness dependent) • Job Title (Project Manager)

• Job Function (Marketing)

• Seniority (Manager)

• Company Name (Microsoft)

• Category/Industry (Hi-tech, consumer goods)

• School Name (Stanford)

• Skills (nunchuck, MySQL)

• Group (Project Management R Us)

• Gender (M/F/Both)

• Age (55+)

• Company Size (51-2000)

• Geography (San Francisco Bay Area)

• In any combination

• & Exclusions!

ROBUST TARGETING OPTIONS

1. Titles

2. Job Function + Seniority

3. Skills + Seniority

4. Groups (+ Seniority)

4 METHODS FOR TARGETING SPONSORED

UPDATES

CMO

Groups

Job

Function

Titles

Skills

THE REDHEADED STEPCHILD?

Blog

Post/Infographic

Guide /

Whitepaper

Ebook

Webinar

Low Friction

High Friction

Retargeting

Marketing

Automation

THE CONTENT MARKETING FUNNEL

Ads = Manipulation

Content = ?

OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ADS

1. Paid Search retargeting = Building audience around keyword

2. LinkedIn retargeting = Building persona!

• Deliver content tests to your ideal audience

• Continue nurturing dream audience

GLORIOUS RETARGETING

LinkedIn.com/Ads • Excellent for savvy PPC marketers

• Test into the channel

• Run both Sponsored Updates & Text Ads

• Prove out LinkedIn traffic to scale

LINKEDIN SELF-SERVICE ADS

B2Linked engineers LinkedIn advertising accounts for optimal

tracking, attribution, and success.

AJ@B2Linked.com

@WilcoxAJ

www.B2Linked.com

LET US HELP YOU

MEASURING

SUCCESS

“Always Be Optimizing” MAKE SURE YOU TRACK YOUR POST TRAFFIC

On LinkedIn, Speak to the Professional Mindset LINKEDIN CAN HELP YOU MEASURE SUCCESS

Q&A

THANK

YOU