It seems these days Facebook gets all the credit when it comes to online advertising. And for good reason! Facebook’s advertising platform is by far the most complex and diverse. But the other big channels (not owned by Facebook) have more than enough to offer. Both Twitter and LinkedIn have advertising platforms that continue to advance each day. And they have something Facebook doesn’t have – their own unique audience.
If you know your audience is active on LinkedIn and Twitter, you have plenty of reasons to explore their advertising options. But don’t just stick to what’s popular. Similar to Facebook, most advertisers stick to basic interest targeting to reach their audience. Also, like Facebook, both Twitter and LinkedIn offer targeting options outside of the traditional interest-based method.
With a professional network as vast as LinkedIn’s, it is understandable that many companies in the professional space are looking to tap into this database. LinkedIn offers a way to not only reach these professionals, but also reach the users you have already done business with. This is referred to on the platform as “Matched Targeting.” Matched Targeting allows you to target three main audiences: Website Retargeting, Account Targeting, and Contact Targeting. Website retargeting allows you to target anyone who has been to your website or landing page. Account Targeting involves uploading a list of company names. LinkedIn will then match you with the appropriate company page so you can target employees of the various companies. With Contact Targeting, you have the option of uploading a contact list of your own. This allows you to contact any potential leads or previous customers who also have LinkedIn accounts.
Twitter’s “Tailored Audiences” also expand outside of interest based targeting. With Tailored Audiences, you can create audiences from their categories of Lists, Web, or Mobile Apps. Like LinkedIn, with lists, you can upload your own personal contact list, which Twitter will match to create an audience of the appropriate Twitter account. You can upload lists of emails or twitter handles. In order to create a Web audience, you will need to install Twitter’s website tag on your site. From there you will be able to track website visits and retarget using Twitter ads. Finally, you can create an App audience based on who has taken action on your app including app downloads or sign-ups.
What is constraining you to just Facebook advertising? Get creative and test out the various LinkedIn and Twitter audience options to find what works best for you and your business. What works well for someone else’s business might not be right for you, so never get discouraged and continue to explore the best options for your business. At Katie Wagner Social Media we not only specialize in Facebook advertising, but LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google as well. For more information about our advertising services, visit our site here.