A LinkedIn lead generation campaign is a form of digital marketing that focuses on generating new sales leads from LinkedIn users. The goal is to drive high-quality leads for your business by targeting LinkedIn members who are likely to be interested in your products or services.
How does LinkedIn lead generation work?
LinkedIn lead generation campaigns allow you to display targeted ads to LinkedIn members that contain a call-to-action button, like “Request a Demo” or “Download eBook”. When viewers click on your ad, they are taken to a dedicated lead capture form where they can submit their contact information and request more information from your company.
This contact information is then stored in your LinkedIn Campaign Manager account as a new lead. You can export these leads toExcel or integrate with your CRM platform. This allows your sales team to follow up and nurture these prospects through the rest of the sales funnel.
Benefits of LinkedIn lead generation
Here are some of the key benefits of running LinkedIn lead generation campaigns:
- Targeting – You can target ads by job title, industry, company, skills, interests, and more to reach your ideal customers.
- High-quality leads – LinkedIn members provide real professional information, leading to high-quality, sales-ready leads.
- Lead nurturing – Continue engaging leads through follow-ups after they fill out your form to move them down the funnel.
- Cost-effective – LinkedIn lead generation is pay-per-lead pricing, so you only pay for leads that convert.
- Easy measurement – Track lead quality, conversion rates, ROI and other metrics to optimize your campaigns.
How to create a LinkedIn lead generation campaign
Here are the key steps to creating and optimizing a LinkedIn lead generation campaign:
1. Identify your target audience
Conduct buyer persona research to understand who your ideal customers are on LinkedIn. Identify common job titles, skills, interests, and demographics.
2. Create lead gen ads and forms
Design compelling ad creative and build conversion-optimized lead capture forms to collect prospect information.
3. Set up conversion tracking
Install LinkedIn’s Insight Tag on your website to accurately track lead conversions and ROI from your campaigns.
4. Target your ads
Use LinkedIn’s powerful ad targeting to serve your ads to the audiences most likely to convert. Target by job role, company, industry, interests, and more.
5. Optimize and nurture leads
Analyze performance data to optimize your targeting, creative, and landing pages. Nurture new leads through your sales funnel to convert more prospects into customers.
LinkedIn lead gen campaign targeting options
One of LinkedIn’s biggest advantages is the wealth of targeting options available to serve your ads to highly specific audiences. Here are some of the main ways to target your LinkedIn lead gen ads:
Targeting Option | Description |
---|---|
Job title | Target people with specific job titles like “Marketing Manager” or “Sales Director” |
Company | Target employees who work at specific companies you want to reach |
Industry | Reach people who work in relevant industries like “Computer Software” or “Healthcare” |
Skills and experience | Target members with skills listed on their profile like “Brand Marketing” or “Lead Generation” |
Interests | Reach audiences based on their LinkedIn interests like “Software Development” or “Online Marketing” |
Location | Target people located in specific cities, regions, or countries |
Demographic | Refine targeting by criteria like age, gender, education level, and more |
LinkedIn Lead Gen ad examples
Here are a few examples of effective LinkedIn Lead Gen ad creative:
Video ad
A short, engaging video that demonstrates your product value and ends with a strong CTA to download a guide or contact sales.
Case study ad
Highlight a customer success story that your target audience can relate to and have them fill out a form to learn more.
Free trial/demo ad
Offer a free trial or demo of your software, tools, or services to capture leads ready to actively evaluate your product.
Educational content ad
Promote an informative guide, ebook, or whitepaper that provides value and establishes your expertise.
Webinar/event ad
Advertise an upcoming webinar or virtual event that requires registration, capturing leads for your sales team.
Best practices for optimizing LinkedIn lead generation campaigns
Follow these best practices to get the most out of your LinkedIn lead generation efforts:
- A/B test different creative images, headlines, and copy
- Personalize ad copy with the member’s first name and company to boost engagement
- Keep your ad text succinct – experiment with 100 characters vs. 75 characters
- Use lead gen forms with minimal required fields to maximize conversions
- Send new leads welcome emails and nurture them over time to improve quality
- Analyze conversion rates and CPL closely to find top performing campaigns
- Build specific audiences and tailor messaging to each segment
- Retarget people who engaged with your ads but did not convert initially
Measuring LinkedIn lead generation success
Track these key metrics to determine the success and ROI of your LinkedIn lead generation campaigns:
- Cost per lead (CPL) – The average amount you pay for each lead that converts
- Lead quality – Conversion rate, sales-readiness, and quality scoring of the leads generated
- Lead to customer conversion – Percentage of leads that ultimately become paying customers
- Conversion rate – The percentage of LinkedIn members who click on your ad and fill out a lead gen form
- Click-through rate (CTR) – Clicks on your ads divided by impressions, a measure of ad relevance
- ROI – Return on ad spend calculated by revenue generated from converted leads
Conclusion
LinkedIn lead generation is a highly effective form of digital advertising for B2B companies looking to drive qualified leads from the LinkedIn audience. With precise targeting options, optimized lead capture forms, and actionable performance analytics, LinkedIn makes it easy to identify, connect with, and nurture prospects that are primed to buy your product or service. By following LinkedIn’s best practices for lead gen campaigns, you can generate a steady flow of sales-ready, high-converting leads.