LinkedIn Advertising – Effectively Targeting the Business World Online

Companies looking for B2B, or business to business, advertising can still get in on the benefits of social media marketing. One way to do this is to target the audience appropriately. LinkedIn is a site focused on professionals in business and industry with over 100 million members. It is growing by about three million members each month. Marketing strategies that include LinkedIn offer an initial targeting of business professionals.

The majority of LinkedIn members are in the prime of their careers (average age is about 45), college graduates, and make substantial income (average annual household income of over $90,000). Over 500,000 LinkedIn members are at the senior management level. Over 2.7 million members are middle management or above. The influence of the LinkedIn demographic on business buying power should not be ignored. A LinkedIn advertising campaign can involve a number of strategies.

Businesses can have a presence on the LinkedIn network through a Company Page. These allow businesses to give an overview of the company and display products and services. Customized LinkedIn company pages help them to be as inviting and interactive as possible. Company professionals can monitor statistics on who is following and visiting the business page. This page can also be used to inform possible job applicants and make them aware of openings and procedures.

Custom groups on LinkedIn can also be used in your LinkedIn advertising campaign. These are networking groups that are specific to a certain business, hobby, goal, etc. They are more focused in nature, so you can build relationship with precisely the individuals you are targeting.

LinkedIn advertising is set up where companies can target their ad placement even further. This targeting is done through information that members enter in their profiles on LinkedIn. Companies can target ads by location, age, gender, but also business type, industry size, company size, seniority level, and job function.

LinkedIn advertising also includes display ads and targeted email marketing. With options for small businesses and very large ones, this professional network offers an, up-to-date take on B2B marketing that is proving very effective for many companies. The majority of businesses using LinkedIn advertising are from the fields of finance/banking, travel, and technology, with many from education and automotive companies as well. There are even marketing companies that are specializing in LinkedIn advertising for companies that wish to outsource the set up and maintenance of a LinkedIn marketing campaign.

LinkedIn is becoming a very powerful medium for business to business marketing and should be part of any business’ strategy for raising the awareness of their brand and product.