LinkedIn has a wealth of targeting options from job titles to company domain uploads. As with most social media channels, having a great audience is paramount to the success of the campaign and reaching your KPI goals.
LinkedIn groups are likely more used as a discussion tool for users than targeting but it should be an area you’ll want to explore for your LinkedIn initiatives.
What Are LinkedIn Groups?
LinkedIn groups are exactly what you would think; they’re a place for professionals with similar interests, industry, or professions to share information and build connections. PPC Hero is a great example of a place for digital marketers to gather & discuss.
Think about the various personas you’re targeting, I anticipate there are groups that your target audience is a part of.
How to Find Groups to Target
It’s hard to beat typing in broader job titles or industry terms and simply browsing around. From there, create a list of groups that look interesting. You’ll want to strike a balance between size and specificity.
Industry conferences are also another great place to look. Associated groups are likely also pretty active at least certain parts of the year.
Finally, simply asking your client or other members of your company (sales, support, etc.) what groups they’re a part of can work to compliment the conversations they’re already having.
LinkedIn Group Targeting Success
One of my clients wanted to expand their reach on LinkedIn so we launched advertising with a number of different audiences to benchmark each’s strengths and weaknesses. They ran the gamut including persona targeting (job titles, company size), domain targeting, customer match, and group targeting.
With a month of data, groups came out the big winner. Some performance highlights include:
- 28 of the 37 total conversions generated (75%)
- 14% CVR compared to 4% for the other targets
- A $67.40 CPL versus $217.32 (69% lower)
In almost every KPI, we see groups outperforming your more standard LinkedIn targeting.
LinkedIn Group Targeting Pitfalls
Before you get carried away with switching everything over to group targeting, this is just one test so I recommend you take a similar testing approach.
Audience size appears to be the biggest concern with these types of audiences. Eventually, you’ll churn through everyone and either your message has worked or it hasn’t. Depending on the group, you’ll want to stay cognizant of what you are marketing. Targeted content is going to work best when it’s receptive to the group’s focus.
