The TLDR:
If you’re a B2B brand, you should be trying account-based marketing (ABM) on LinkedIn. Here’s what we’d recommend: 

- Develop personalized creatives and copies for each targeted company.

- Test various ad formats and messaging strategies to optimize engagement.

- Test Thought Leader ads to catch more attention and gain trust.

- Utilize Lead Gen Forms on LinkedIn to streamline lead generation.

- Ensure company lists are accurate to improve match rates with LinkedIn company profiles.

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Account-based marketing (ABM) is a targeted approach that puts your brand directly in front of the companies you want to woo. Instead of casting a wide net, ABM focuses on individual companies that are likely to be interested in your product or service, and you get to reach out to them directly with personalized advertising efforts. This is a particularly effective technique for B2B clients who want to capture the attention of potential clients so they can become more familiar with your brand before any direct sales outreach happens.

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LinkedIn is an ideal platform for ABM advertising as you can target companies by name and tailor your ads directly to the decision-makers and influencers within the organizations you're targeting. The advanced targeting options even let you refine your audience based on job titles, seniority levels, and job functions, so you can be sure that your message reaches the right people.

To run a successful ABM campaign on LinkedIn, here are our top tips: 

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1. Personalize your messaging. Work with the sales team to understand each company you’re targeting. Then in your ad copy and creative, address specific pain points and demonstrate how your product or service can provide solutions for their unique problems. You can also explicitly name the company you’re targeting to a more impactful message. 

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2. Use a structured testing approach. We recommend adopting a structured approach to creative testing, and testing a variety of creatives and copies to determine what resonates best with your target audience. Additionally, incorporating vertical ads can enhance engagement, particularly on mobile devices where vertical formats perform exceptionally well.

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3. Build a funnel. Especially if you have a high-value product or service with a long sales cycle, people need more touchpoints to become familiar with your brand before making a decision. Start by exposing your target companies to general information about your company through traditional ads or Thought Leader ads, which leverage the credibility and influence of individual employees. Then, retarget engaged audiences with lead generation ads to capture leads and drive conversions.

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4. Use Lead Gen Forms. While website landing pages offer more comprehensive information, Lead Gen Forms streamline the process by pre-filling information and simplifying the response mechanism. LinkedIn's validation feature for work email addresses helps ensure lead quality, providing added reassurance for advertisers.

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5. Test Conversation ads. These ads allow you to send sponsored messages directly to the audience members, enabling personalized communication tailored to each targeted company. By initiating a conversation in this manner, you can further engage with decision-makers and influencers, nurturing relationships and advancing prospects through the sales funnel.

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6. Double check your lists. To maximize match rates of the list you upload to LinkedIn, carefully curate your company lists and ensure that company names match those on LinkedIn as closely as possible. Uploading LinkedIn company profiles can further enhance match rates and targeting accuracy. 

Low match rates mean that LinkedIn hasn’t been able to find the companies or contacts you listed. In this case, you can add more information following the structure that LinkedIn supports.

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If you're looking to accelerate your sales cycle, get higher quality leads, and put ABM to the test, don’t hesitate to reach out. Our experts have extensive experience in B2B performance marketing, and companies like Autodesk trust us hundreds of thousands of dollars quarterly for this exact activity.

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