LinkedIn is one of the best platforms out there for B2B advertising. And they’re always rolling out new updates that make advertising on LinkedIn even better! Back in April, two new forms of targeting were released by LinkedIn, that has huge potential for B2B lead generation. This article is going to tell you how to make the most out of it. The two new targeting types are being called “Company Category” and “Company Growth Rate”.

Oh, and if you need help with advertising on LinkedIn, talk to our expert digital marketers today.

Company Category

I know what you’re thinking. Wait a minute, doesn’t LinkedIn already have a company industry targeting option? How is this any different from that? 

Company Category targeting lets you target companies from a curated list, which is usually from sources like Forbes, Fortune, and even LinkedIn themselves. It allows you to target companies by custom segments like the S&P 500. You can advertise to people based on the category their company/organisation falls into. 

Right now, the choices are limited, but in time, the list of companies is expected to increase. As of now, the list includes some of the fastest-growing companies in the world, as well as the fastest-growing companies from different countries. Check out the available options:

• Forbes World’s Most Innovative Companies
  You can reach companies that fall under Forbes World’s Most Innovative Companies.

• Fortune 100 Fast-Growing Companies (Worldwide)
  This lets you target companies from all over the world that are in the Fortune 100 Fast Growing Companies list.

• Fortune 500 (the US only)
  Target companies from the US that fall into the Fortune 500 company category.

• Fortune Global 500 (Worldwide)
  Reach companies all over the world that fall into the Fortune Global 500 category.

• Linkedin News Editors’ Top Companies (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan,  Mexico, United Kingdom, United States)
  Use this option to reach companies from the mentioned countries that fall into the LinkedIn News Editors’ Top Companies category.

• Linkedin News Editors’ Top Startups (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan,  Mexico, Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States)
  Target companies from the mentioned countries who also fall into the LinkedIn News Editors’ Top Startups category.

• London Stock Exchange (Worldwide)
  Target companies from all over the world that fall into the London Stock Exchange category.

So… how do you use it? Well for example, if you want to specifically target the top startups in India then this is a good choice. Sure the lists are kind of broad now but we can expect a few changes or improvements to come soon. You can also combine other targeting features to fine-tune your targeting and ensure that your ads are reaching the right people.

Company Growth Rate

This type of targeting allows you to target companies by their rate of growth per year. This is determined by factors like employee growth, revenue growth or even inferred data from other similar companies within the same locality and industry. 

There are a few different options for this type of targeting:

Negative growth companies: Reach people from companies that have had negative growth or employee growth rate in the past year.

0-3% company growth: Reach people from companies that have had 0% – 3% company growth or employee growth rate in the past year.

3-10% company growth: Reach people from companies that have had 3% – 10% company growth or employee growth rate in the past year.

10-20% company growth: Reach people from companies that have had 10% – 20% company growth or employee growth rate in the past year.

20%+ company growth: Reach people from companies that have had 20%+ company growth or employee growth rate in the past year.

Probably the only drawback in these types of targeting is the fact that company growth rate only applies to the companies for which LinkedIn has information on. So there could be companies out there that you might want to target, but LinkedIn wouldn’t have them on their list. So you might not reach all companies you have in mind. The best way to solve this issue would be to create and run multiple campaigns with different segmentations to reach all the companies that you are interested in.

Advertising on LinkedIn is a bit on the expensive side. You have to pay for every click, just like Google Ads. But people who click on Google Ads have a higher chance of converting, given that they have more purchase intent. That is not the case for LinkedIn. But it is undeniable that LinkedIn could be an invaluable part of your B2B marketing strategy. Simply because of the large number of companies and all the different targeting options you can choose from. It is basically a social network for businesses. All the profiles on LinkedIn are full of relevant information which you can use for targeting.

So what are you waiting for? Interested in advertising your brand? Talk to our digital marketing experts today. Drop us a message!