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Understanding Audience Targeting for LinkedIn Campaigns

Audience targeting determines which LinkedIn users will see your advertisements. The CRM's Ad Manager provides detailed controls to define your audience, allowing you to combine multiple criteria to reach the right professionals. This article explains how to set up geographic targeting, select audience attributes, and use include/exclude rules with logical operators.

Setting Geographic Targeting

Every LinkedIn campaign requires at least one geographic location. This is a mandatory step before your campaign can run.

You can target or exclude countries, states, regions, or cities.
Use the search field to find locations and add them to your list.
For each location you add, use the dropdown menu next to it to toggle between Include and Exclude.

Tip: If your potential audience size is small, begin with broader geographic areas, such as an entire country. Only narrow down to specific cities or regions if you require greater precision.

Refining with Audience Attributes

Beyond location, you can refine your target audience using professional attributes pulled from LinkedIn profiles. These attributes are optional but powerful for precise targeting.

Available Attribute Categories

Company: Target by industry, company size, or specific growth lists.
Demographics: Filter by age or gender, where supported by LinkedIn.
Job Experience: Target based on job titles, seniority levels, or job functions.
Education: Reach users by their field of study, degrees earned, or schools attended.
Interests & Traits: Target users based on professional interests and behaviors.

Using Include and Exclude Rules

For each attribute, you can choose to Include (target people with this trait) or Exclude (prevent your ads from being shown to people with this trait).

Include Example: Target "Marketing Directors" within the "Technology" industry.
Exclude Example: Remove "Students" or "Interns" from your audience to focus on full-time professionals.

Attribute Groups and Logic

The system allows you to create up to three separate attribute groups to structure your targeting logic clearly.

Within a single group: Attributes use OR logic. A user needs to match at least one attribute in the group.
Between different groups: Groups use AND logic. A user must match the criteria in all active groups to be targeted.

This structure lets you layer complex rules. For example, you can target users who match (Job Title A OR Job Title B) AND (Industry X OR Industry Y).

Example: Building a Targeted Audience

Here is a practical example of how groups and logic work together:

Group 1 (Include): Job Title = "Software Engineer" OR "Developer"
Group 2 (Include): Industry = "Financial Services" AND Company Size = "201-500 employees"

Result: Your ads will reach people who are either Software Engineers or Developers, and who also work in the Financial Services industry at a mid-sized company.

Best Practices for Audience Targeting

Set location first: This is required for all campaigns.
Start broad, then refine: Begin with a larger audience and add attributes gradually. An audience that is too small may limit ad delivery.
Use Exclude sparingly: Overusing exclusion can unnecessarily shrink your eligible audience.
Leverage OR within groups: Combine similar job titles, industries, or skills in one group to cast a wider net for that specific criteria.
Use AND across groups for precision: Layer different types of criteria (like job title + industry + company size) across groups to hone in on your ideal audience.
Monitor audience size: Aim for an estimated audience of at least 50,000+ users for optimal campaign delivery on LinkedIn.

Configuring Audience Targeting for LinkedIn Campaigns