There are two facts about Linkedin PPC advertising to consider. One is positive:
- There is NO other platform that can offer targeted automation like this, especially the ability to reach specific roles;
- After comparing substantial budgets: it is a terrible converter with a low ROI – and does not come anywhere near Google PPC – I have to admit
Despite (2) above, and the question of whether sponsored in-mails were actually sent to people who are never named, we still use it in certain cases. Firstly, where search demand is absent and secondly, where role-based targeting is the only sniper approach available.
In efficiency management we used to say that “more is less”. We once again find ourselves in this position when we consider the rational of a 200% higher cost per visitor, where the targeting ability is enhanced by 600%. Which after all, mean that we can save a lot! Indeed we’ve seen B2B campaigns perform much better since we increased our ability to target key decision makers more directly and more discreetly.
What I’m referring to here is Linkedins’ solutions for B2B marketing. My clients often react by saying “But Linkedin charges $3.50 per click and Google only $0.80 to $1.50”. This is entirely correct, however Google does not know exactly who they advertise to – and the intent of the visitor may be very different based on who they are.
With Linkedin, we can now use sniper style communication to really zoom in on the right person. These are the metrics we can use:
- Company Size
- Demographics (Male/Female/Age)
- Specific job title (and suggested related job titles)
- Regions
- Industries
- Qualifications (of our target visitor)
How would a combination of the above targeting criteria play out during a campaign?
Let’s imagine that our company supplies highly efficient personal assistants. In fact it is proven to be popular with Male CEO’s typically aged 38 to 60, with 15 cities in the world where they pay the most for the service. We also know that it the Oil industry, Finance, Real Estate and Education has a high need for the skills and qualifications our PA’s have. However Linkedin can suggest to us all the titles of people similar to CEO’s who would also use the service, for example vice chairman, founder, co-founder etc.
Once we’ve set up our campaign to include these specific targeting criteria, we’ve literally eliminated wastage on our advertising, since we will not advertise to people in the cities where we have no presence – or even better, people who do not have the right credentials to be our client, will not be privy to click on our advertising, thereby saving us a lot of money “down the drain” on the sort of targeting Google cannot currently offer. I love setting up these campaigns and then watch how the right people get in touch for my clients’ services. It’s great to work on campaigns where we absolutely target the people our clients want to work with, in a way that other parties have no clue how my clients generate their business. It is what we call “Accurate, Discreet and Effective” – and it is super fast too.
I foresee that it will be quite a while before Google Facebook and other platforms will be able to match Linkedin (and now Microsoft) in it’s ability to make advertising highly relevant.
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Keywords: Linkedin & B2B campaign management, High and low ROI targeted advertising methods, targeting high-ticket clients, luxury brand marketing, B2B segmentation and targeting. Read more about marketing for accountants.