5 Benefits of LinkedIn Marketing.

1) Reach a More Professional Audience

First things first: perhaps the most publicized difference between LinkedIn and other social network is its audience. Users on the network skew older, more educated, and have a higher income than those on almost all other platforms. Pool together all this demographic information, and you’re looking at a businessman or businesswoman in their early 30s who has graduated from college and earns more than $75,000 per year.

That demographic is not relevant if you’re looking to reach teenagers or low-income individuals. But if your core target audience consists of educated professionals with at least some work experience, LinkedIn tends to be your best bet.

2) Narrow Your Targeting Through Industry-Specific Variables

As mentioned in the introduction, advertising success on social media largely depends on how you can make sure your message reaches your most desirable audience. Targeting opportunities on the channel you choose are absolutely vital. Facebook, for instance, prides itself on its interest and behavior-based factors. However, it cannot hold pace with its more professional competitor when it comes to industry specific variables. In addition to standard demographic information, LinkedIn allows you to target your ads based on variables such as:

• Job title

• Job function

• Seniority

• Company name

• Company size

• Industry

• Skill

• Degree type and name

Thanks to these targeting opportunities, LinkedIn is an especially good fit for brands targeting business customers. However, even consumer-based products and services that focus on specific industries, degrees, and job titles can benefit from the opportunities provided by LinkedIn’s narrow targeting.

3) Take Advantage of Unique Advertising Types

If you are already advertising on social media, you will likely be familiar with the most commonly available ad types. Like its competitors, LinkedIn offers marketers the opportunity to leverage sponsored posts and sidebar ads in order to generate exposure, clicks, and conversions. However, the possibilities don’t end there.

For instance, the network also offers Sponsored InMail, which integrates into its internal messaging platform. These email-like messages have proven to be highly successful, with open and click-through rates above those of regular emails. Another relatively new opportunity is lead ads, which allow you to generate conversions without having to guide your audience to your website first.

4) Leverage Lead-Nurturing Possibilities

Most social media advertising tends to focus on generating awareness and leads. But what happens once your leads actually enter your database? Without thorough nurturing, you might not be able to convince them that becoming customers or clients is actually in their best interest. Traditionally, lead-nurturing tends to be limited to email messages. With LinkedIn, it can be more.

The key to success here is the network’s Lead Accelerator feature. It allows you to track your most high-value prospects and offer more targeted ads directed specifically towards them. Through remarketing to recent web visitors and list-based advertising, it helps you better nurture your leads on their way to becoming customers.

5) Increase Your Conversion Rates

Finally, a straightforward benefit of LinkedIn advertising: use it the right way, and you can increase your conversion rates. Some of the advantages discussed above already hint at this benefit; lead ads, for instance, remove some of the steps your audience needs to take to become a customer.

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. A year-long study by HubSpot found that on average, LinkedIn ads convert users to leads at a 6.1 per cent conversion rate. For reference, that compares to 2.58 per cent for Google search ads. Use LinkedIn the right way, and your advertising efforts have the potential for significant success.