LinkedIn Lead Generation: A Guide for Media Buyers

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LinkedIn lead generation.

Those three words might make you think of recruiters, HR people, and talent acquisition specialists, but LinkedIn isn’t just for hiring. It’s an incredible tool for marketers, too.

Imagine this: your LinkedIn profile is transformed from a dormant page to a lead magnet that draws in your ideal clients effortlessly. 

Sounds exciting, right?

However, how do you navigate this professional network to generate high-quality leads? What strategies can help you connect with decision-makers and influencers in your industry?

Ready? Let’s get started!

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Understanding lead generation on LinkedIn

Lead generation is the lifeblood of any successful marketing strategy. It’s all about attracting potential customers and nurturing them until they’re ready to make a purchase. On LinkedIn, this process takes on a whole new level of effectiveness. 

Why? 

We are pretty sure that brands, media buyers and affiliates may find audiences for their product on LinkedIn, especially if they work in the following verticals:

• Software and Utilities – planners, chatbots, and other tools that are applicable in the work environment are a perfect option for a LinkedIn campaign
• Traveling – traveling offers can also interest local audience – those who work also have vacations (and money to spend)
• Finance – young and seasoned professionals might also be interested in alternative activities, like financial trading apps

So, how does LinkedIn support lead generation? Let’s break it down:

Precise targeting options

LinkedIn offers incredibly detailed targeting capabilities. You can zero in on specific job titles, industries, company sizes, and more. This means you can tailor your campaigns to reach exactly the right audience — whether you’re targeting software engineers with five years of experience or marketing managers in the healthcare industry. Using AND-OR targeting logic, you can combine and refine these attributes to create a laser-focused audience​​​​.

Rich audience insights

LinkedIn provides valuable insights about your target audience. By leveraging data from users’ profiles, activities, and engagement, you can understand what resonates with them. This data-driven approach helps you craft messages that hit the mark, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversion​​.

Diverse ad formats

From Sponsored Content to Message Ads and beyond, LinkedIn offers a variety of ad formats to suit different campaign goals. Sponsored Content appears directly in the LinkedIn feed, blending seamlessly with organic posts and engaging users as they scroll. Message Ads deliver personalized messages straight to users’ inboxes, making your outreach feel direct and personal​​.

Advanced analytics

LinkedIn’s Campaign Manager is packed with tools to track and analyze your campaign performance. You can monitor key metrics like click-through rates, conversions, and engagement, allowing you to fine-tune your strategies in real time. This ensures your lead generation efforts are always optimized for the best results​​.

Integration with other marketing tools

LinkedIn integrates seamlessly with other marketing platforms and tools. Whether you’re using a CRM system, email marketing software, or analytics tools, LinkedIn can sync with your existing setup, providing a cohesive and efficient workflow for managing leads​​.

Based on ad features alone, LinkedIn’s advertising features are a powerhouse for B2B lead generation. But what about generating leads organically? Let’s look at some expert insights on the topic.

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Expert insights on organic lead generation on LinkedIn

Understanding how LinkedIn’s paid ads can boost your lead generation is just one piece of the puzzle. 

Let’s look at organic lead-generation tactics and insights from our latest conversation with digital marketing expert Evan Weber on LinkedIn lead generation. Watch the full interview here:

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Building genuine connections and engagement

One of the most powerful ways to generate leads organically on LinkedIn is by building genuine connections. 

This means going beyond just sending connection requests; it involves engaging with your network consistently via posts, direct messages, and even phone calls. Aim to get to know your network beyond their profile pictures to drive engagement on your posts, and later to drive conversions.

When it comes to posting and creating content, consistency is key. Evan spends 2-3 hours daily on LinkedIn, creating articles, posting updates, and engaging with other posts. He says,

This level of engagement increases visibility and establishes you as a thought leader in your industry, attracting potential leads naturally.

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Leveraging direct outreach

Evan emphasizes the importance of direct outreach to boost engagement on your posts:

By combining these organic strategies with the targeted precision of LinkedIn’s paid ads, you can create a comprehensive lead generation strategy that leverages both paid and organic methods for maximum effectiveness.

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Campaign aims and objectives

Regarding LinkedIn, choosing the right campaign aim is crucial for effective lead generation. Let’s break down the main campaign objectives and their strengths, with insights from Alexandra Emelianova:

Lead Generation

Lead Generation campaigns are designed to capture leads directly within LinkedIn. These campaigns use LinkedIn’s Lead Gen Forms, which allow users to submit their information without leaving the platform. According to Alexandra, this objective is highly effective for generating quality leads because it minimizes friction and captures essential details right where your audience already is.

Website Conversions

Website Conversions aim to drive users to your website to complete a specific action, like signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase. Here is an explanation from Alexandra:

Pro Tip: As a little hack, you can bid by click for a video view, which can get you the cheapest video traffic possible through this LinkedIn objective as well.

Alexandra also highlights an important detail: 

“Remember that the idea of Website Conversions is to encourage your users to complete a certain action on your website… However, from my experience, this function doesn’t always work instantly to find leads,” she explains, and adds: 

Instead, Alexandra suggests that Website Visits might offer better results if the goal is to drive traffic that converts.

Engagement

Engagement campaigns focus on increasing interactions with your content and growing your LinkedIn profile’s visibility. These campaigns are excellent for building a following and fostering community engagement. 

Alexandra highlights that choosing Engagement as an objective can be particularly beneficial for projects looking to enhance their presence and attract more subscribers.

By carefully selecting the right campaign objective, you can align your LinkedIn marketing efforts with your specific goals. Lead Generation is your go-to for capturing direct leads, Website Visits can help boost site traffic, and Engagement can build your brand’s presence.

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Targeting strategies for effective lead generation

Precise targeting is one of LinkedIn’s most attractive features for lead generation. Indeed, available options allow you to hone in on the exact audience you want to reach.

Importance of precise targeting

Meeting the right audience at the right time is key to driving conversions. By targeting specific job functions, company industries, and job seniority levels, you can ensure your message is seen by decision-makers and influencers who are more likely to convert. 

Using job functions, company industry, and job seniority

When it comes to LinkedIn targeting, please remember that the most successful and productive criteria are:

•  Job Function
•  Company Industry
•  Job seniority

Even though one may rely on job titles, which can vary widely and be manually entered by users, focusing on job functions is more reliable. For instance, targeting “marketing” as a job function rather than “marketing manager” can capture a broader, yet relevant, audience. Similarly, targeting by company industry and job seniority ensures your ads reach people with the appropriate level of decision-making power within relevant sectors.

Avoiding less reliable attributes

Attributes like member age, gender, and traits can be less reliable and risk introducing biases into your targeting. These factors might not directly correlate with professional relevance or decision-making authority. Alexandra Emelianova advises focusing on more objective criteria to ensure your targeting is effective and unbiased.

Using AND-OR targeting

LinkedIn’s AND-OR targeting logic allows for more refined audience segmentation. For example, you can target professionals who are software engineers (job function) AND have more than five years of experience OR have specific skills like Java or Python. This flexibility helps to build a highly tailored audience that matches your specific criteria.

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Best practices for LinkedIn ad creatives

Now that you’ve got a handle on the technical side of LinkedIn ads, let’s talk about the creative side—where the magic happens.

Creating compelling content

To grab attention, your content needs to resonate. Think about your audience and what matters to them. 

Whether it’s a single image, carousel, or video ad, your message should be clear, concise, and engaging. Use strong headlines, eye-catching visuals, and direct calls to action. 

Testing ad variations

Don’t settle for just one version of your ad. 

Instead, try testing different variations to see what works best. LinkedIn allows you to rotate multiple ad creatives within a campaign. Try different headlines, images, and calls to action to see what grabs attention and drives engagement. Keep an eye on the performance data and tweak your ads based on what you learn. It’s all about finding the right mix that resonates with your audience.

Optimal content length

For LinkedIn ads, keeping your text between 100-220 characters is key. This length is perfect for delivering your message without getting cut off or requiring users to click “see more.” It’s long enough to be informative but short enough to keep their attention.

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Recap: Practical tips and recommendations

Let’s get into some straightforward tips to make the most out of LinkedIn for lead generation and transform your marketing for good.

• Automated bidding strategies
  Use automated bidding strategies like maximum delivery. This helps ensure your ads get placed where they’ll be seen the most, without you needing to adjust bids constantly. LinkedIn’s system handles it, aiming to give you the best results for your budget.
  
• Combining organic and paid strategies
  Don’t just rely on paid ads. Mix in organic methods too. Engage with your network regularly, post valuable content, and be active in discussions. This boosts your visibility and credibility, making your ads more effective because people will already recognize and trust you.
  
• Continuous testing and optimization
  Always be testing different ad creatives, targeting options, and bidding strategies. Use LinkedIn’s analytics to see what’s working and what isn’t. Adjust your campaigns based on this data to keep improving your results.

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It’s time to rethink LinkedIn

Imagine turning your LinkedIn presence into a powerful lead-generation engine. You’ve got the tools: precise targeting, compelling ad creatives, and powerful organic strategies, all you need is to take action!

 By combining organic engagement with targeted ads, you can create real connections and drive conversions. Engage with your network regularly, mix in different ad variations, and continuously test and optimize your campaigns. You may be surprised by how far you can go.