How to Leverage Account-Based Marketing on LinkedIn for Success

If you’re still treating LinkedIn as just another social media platform, you’re missing out on one of the most powerful tools for account-based marketing success. Imagine cutting through the noise and getting your message directly in front of decision-makers at your top target accounts.

With LinkedIn, that’s not just possible—it’s essential for driving B2B growth. In this guide, you’ll learn step-by-step how to leverage LinkedIn’s advanced targeting, personalised ad campaigns, and Sales Navigator to build a results-driven ABM strategy that directly engages your most valuable prospects. Let’s dive into how you can transform LinkedIn into a lead generation powerhouse for your business.

 

• Key Takeaways
  Define specific, measurable goals: For your LinkedIn ABM strategy to track performance and refine your tactics effectively.
  Prioritise building a high-quality network: Over sheer volume by targeting professionals aligned with your business objectives.
  Develop a content strategy: Tailored to your audience’s needs, ensuring relevance and engagement with every post.
  Leverage LinkedIn’s paid ad campaigns: To reach qualified leads faster and enhance your ABM results.
  Use Sales Navigator: To track leads, engage with decision-makers, and align your ABM strategy with your pipeline for greater impact.
  Craft bespoke ads: For target companies that speak directly to their needs, using their logos and names in your creative.
  Direct prospects to personalised landing pages: To maintain a seamless, high-conversion ABM experience.
  Ensure your sales and marketing teams are aligned: To avoid fragmented messaging and maximise the impact of your LinkedIn ABM efforts.
  Continuously refine your LinkedIn audience targeting: To focus on the most relevant decision-makers and influencers at each company.

 

 What is LinkedIn Marketing?

 

For millions, LinkedIn serves as a dual-purpose platform—supporting personal career growth and professional networking. Yet, beyond individual advancement, LinkedIn stands as a robust tool for scaling your business. By engaging on LinkedIn, both you and your organisation gain exposure to a vast network, enabling the formation of meaningful relationships with potential clients, partners, and industry peers. This, in turn, can elevate your brand presence and foster substantial business growth.

At its essence, LinkedIn is the premier social network for professionals, built around career progression, fostering industry connections, and driving valuable discussions. Whether you are seeking new customers, scouting for talent, or exploring partnership opportunities, LinkedIn facilitates connections that align with your business objectives.

 

LinkedIn Marketing Best Practices

LinkedIn presents numerous advantages for B2B marketers, offering a platform to showcase products, demonstrate expertise, and ultimately grow your business. While building a comprehensive LinkedIn marketing strategy from the ground up is possible, starting with established tactics ensures faster, more predictable results. Below are essential steps for crafting a successful LinkedIn ABM marketing strategy:

1. Define Clear Marketing Goals for LinkedIn Establishing defined objectives is crucial for any marketing campaign, and LinkedIn is no different. Before you share content or engage with potential leads, determine what you hope to achieve with your LinkedIn ABM efforts. Your goals should be SMART—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely—to enable precise tracking and measurement of your LinkedIn ABM strategy’s effectiveness.
2. Build the Right Network In LinkedIn marketing, connection quality trumps quantity. Targeting the right network is integral to maximising conversions and engagement. If you simply broadcast to a broad, unfocused audience, your LinkedIn ABM campaign may fall short. Concentrate on connecting with professionals aligned with your business goals, utilising LinkedIn’s targeted advertising, such as sponsored posts, to reach these key segments effectively.
3. Develop a Targeted Content Strategy A well-crafted content strategy is the foundation of any effective LinkedIn account-based marketing strategy. Tailor your content to resonate with your specific audience, ensuring relevance and engagement. Craft posts, articles, and updates that spark interest, generate conversations, and encourage feedback. This approach allows you to capture attention, fostering stronger connections and paving the way for meaningful business interactions.
4. Stay Ahead with Industry Trends Ignoring industry trends is a missed opportunity for LinkedIn ABM tactics. By staying informed, you can integrate trending topics into your content, increasing its appeal and reach. Incorporating rich media and timely updates also ensures that your posts remain engaging, helping you stand out in a competitive landscape. Leveraging trending topics and formats will elevate your LinkedIn account-based marketing strategy’s effectiveness.
5. Leverage Ad Campaigns for Enhanced Reach While organic growth is valuable, incorporating paid ad campaigns can accelerate results. LinkedIn’s sophisticated targeting options make it a potent platform for reaching qualified leads quickly, a key component of any LinkedIn ABM tactics. Through paid advertising, you can capture the attention of specific audiences, speeding up lead conversion and enhancing your overall LinkedIn marketing performance.
6. Promote Your LinkedIn Company Page Maximising your LinkedIn presence requires consistent promotion of your company page. By increasing visibility through strategic cross-promotion on your website and other social channels, you expand your audience reach. Encouraging followers not only enhances engagement but also boosts the potential impact of your LinkedIn ABM efforts.
7. Monitor and Track Leads Lead tracking is fundamental to understanding your LinkedIn account-based marketing strategy’s impact. Utilising CRM tools to monitor both inbound and outbound leads enables you to gauge success and refine your tactics as needed. This systematic approach supports long-term relationship-building and business growth.
8. Attract Top Talent through LinkedIn LinkedIn’s role as a leading job platform makes it ideal for recruiting. With over 90% of professionals using LinkedIn for job searches, hiring through the platform bolsters your employer brand while expanding your professional network. Integrating recruitment into your LinkedIn ABM strategy ensures a holistic approach to brand growth and business development.
9. Foster Industry Discussions By initiating or participating in LinkedIn discussions, you can bolster your brand’s credibility and expertise. Industry-specific conversations offer a platform to share insights, demonstrate authority, and network with other professionals. This proactive approach aligns seamlessly with LinkedIn ABM tactics, strengthening your brand’s presence and fostering valuable connections.
10. Connect with Key Industry Influencers Partnering with industry influencers can significantly amplify your reach. By engaging with leaders and influencers relevant to your niche, you can leverage their networks and gain insights into advanced LinkedIn ABM tactics. This strategy not only enhances brand visibility but also provides opportunities to attract high-value connections that align with your business objectives.

 

 

LinkedIn Sales Navigator: The Powerhouse for B2B Sales Success

 

LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator is a robust sales solution designed to help sales professionals harness the platform’s extensive network. With both free and paid versions available, LinkedIn offers various licences tailored for different users—including job seekers, recruiters, and now, sales representatives. The Sales Navigator tool enables sales teams to engage with high-value prospects and maximise the effectiveness of their outreach, ultimately helping them secure more qualified leads and drive better deals.

With its range of features, LinkedIn Sales Navigator enhances account based marketing on LinkedIn by offering sales teams targeted insights and personalised tools to connect with key decision-makers. Whether you’re building your pipeline or engaging with high-priority accounts, Sales Navigator can be an invaluable component of your LinkedIn ABM tactics.

 

Key Features of LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Sales Navigator is available at three subscription levels, each offering a unique set of features tailored to different business needs. Here’s a closer look at what each plan offers:

Core Subscription

The Core plan is ideal for individual sales reps, providing essential tools for lead generation and relationship-building. Key features include:

• 50 InMail Messages per Month: Reach out to prospects beyond your immediate network, a critical feature for any LinkedIn account based marketing strategy.
• 10,000 Saved Leads: Track and manage a substantial number of leads within your sales pipeline.
• Advanced Lead and Company Search: Conduct highly targeted searches using advanced filters to find ideal prospects for your LinkedIn ABM campaigns.
• Custom Lists and Lead Alerts: Stay organised with custom lists, and receive real-time alerts on updates for saved leads and accounts.
• Notes and Tags: Document specific insights on each lead and categorise them effectively, aiding in streamlined pipeline management.

These features empower sales professionals to personalise their approach, enabling more meaningful engagements and ensuring that no lead slips through the cracks. With advanced lead search capabilities, this plan sets a strong foundation for executing an effective LinkedIn ABM strategy.

Advanced Subscription

The Advanced plan expands on the Core subscription with added features aimed at team collaboration and deeper engagement. Key highlights include:

• TeamLink and TeamLink Extend: Utilise your team’s collective network to uncover hidden connections, increasing the chances of warm introductions—a fundamental tactic in LinkedIn ABM strategies.
• Integrated Profile Viewing and Smart Links: Facilitate smoother team workflows with embedded profile views and Smart Links, which track engagement with shared content.
• Collaborative Tools: Share lead lists and search criteria with team members, allowing for synchronised efforts across your sales team.

These tools enable sales teams to leverage their combined networks more effectively, building on LinkedIn ABM tactics that rely on trusted, peer-driven connections. By expanding the range of contacts through TeamLink, the Advanced plan provides a critical edge in reaching high-value prospects.

Advanced Plus Subscription

The Advanced Plus plan is designed for larger teams, typically ten or more users, who need comprehensive CRM integration and advanced analytics capabilities:

• CRM Integrations and Data Validation: Seamlessly connect Sales Navigator with your CRM system, keeping your data accurate and enhancing your LinkedIn account based marketing strategy with real-time insights.
• ROI Reporting: Access data-driven reports to measure the impact of your LinkedIn ABM efforts on revenue, helping to refine strategies and allocate resources effectively.

Advanced Plus is particularly powerful for teams focused on scaling their account based marketing on LinkedIn by integrating sophisticated data validation tools that ensure pipeline accuracy and provide a clearer picture of return on investment.

 

Why LinkedIn Sales Navigator is Essential for ABM

Incorporating Sales Navigator into your LinkedIn ABM tactics can dramatically enhance your sales results. The ability to leverage LinkedIn’s vast professional network, coupled with features designed to support personalised outreach, makes it an essential tool for any LinkedIn account based marketing strategy. By enabling advanced prospecting, real-time data integration, and team-based collaboration, Sales Navigator aligns seamlessly with the complex demands of B2B sales, providing a competitive advantage in reaching and converting high-value accounts.

 

Launching an ABM Campaign on LinkedIn: Step-by-Step Guide

 

Step 1: Create a LinkedIn Audience by Company Name

When crafting a 1:1 account based marketing on LinkedIn campaign, you need to employ LinkedIn’s Company Name targeting. This allows you to tailor a unique audience for each company you’re pursuing, enabling a personalised and highly specific approach that aligns seamlessly with your LinkedIn ABM strategy.

To set this up, navigate through LinkedIn’s Ads Manager:

1. Go to Create → Campaign → Audience Attributes → Company → Company Names.
2. Alternatively, through Metadata, select Audiences → Add New Audience → Firmographic LinkedIn Native → Company Name.

It’s essential to dedicate one distinct audience for each target company. This specificity ensures that when you proceed to later steps, your campaigns can deliver highly personalised ads. While this approach requires meticulous planning and a clear focus on targeted companies, it sets a strong foundation for effective LinkedIn ABM tactics. Once you’ve established these audiences, proceed to Step 2.

 

Step 2: Craft Bespoke Ads for Your Target Accounts

With your tailored audiences in place, the next step is to design ads that feel personally crafted for each target account. These ads should make your target company’s employees feel as if the content speaks directly to them—an essential element in LinkedIn ABM tactics.

Here are some best practices to follow:

• Incorporate the Target Company’s Logo: This immediately signals to the viewer that the ad is relevant to them.
• Mention the Company by Name in the Ad Copy: This personal touch increases engagement and reinforces the bespoke nature of your LinkedIn ABM strategy.
• Emphasise Your Unique Value Proposition: Clearly communicate how your offer solves specific pain points for the target company.

By doing this, you create a LinkedIn account based marketing strategy that resonates deeply with the individuals in your target companies. Creating a template with your design team can facilitate quick ad customisation, allowing you to maintain consistency while still being specific to each company.

 

Step 3: Direct Prospects to a Targeted Landing Page

Once employees of your target accounts click on your ads, it’s critical to direct them to an optimised landing page that continues the personalised experience. A bespoke landing page reinforces the message from your ads, driving home your LinkedIn ABM tactics by providing a seamless and coherent user journey.

To ensure effectiveness:

• Customise the Landing Page for the Target Account: If feasible, personalising the landing page based on company specifics can enhance the relevance of your LinkedIn ABM campaign.
• Utilise Clear Calls to Action (CTAs): Make sure there is a singular, compelling CTA that guides users on their next steps.
• Maximise Content Above the Fold: Keep essential information readily accessible to increase engagement and conversions.

With these elements in place, you are ready to launch each campaign, aligning ads, offers, and landing pages for every company-specific audience. This structured approach creates a seamless flow that strengthens your LinkedIn account based marketing strategy.

 

 

Leveraging LinkedIn Ads for Account-Based Marketing Success

Using LinkedIn Ads within an account-based marketing strategy can significantly enhance your B2B lead generation efforts when executed correctly. For instance, one of our campaigns generated over 100 sales-qualified leads for a SaaS company within just two months—a testament to the power of LinkedIn ABM tactics.

If you’re exploring why LinkedIn is so effective for account based marketing on LinkedIn, here’s a deeper look:

• Advanced Targeting Precision: Unlike other social media platforms that primarily rely on generic demographic data like age or location, LinkedIn offers more granular targeting capabilities tailored for business networking. With filters that include job titles, skills, industry, functions, and even specific companies, LinkedIn provides a precision tool for account-based marketing.
• Campaign Flexibility: LinkedIn supports multiple campaigns simultaneously, allowing you to diversify your approach and refine your LinkedIn ABM strategy. This flexibility, combined with LinkedIn’s tailored campaign types, maximises your potential to engage high-value accounts effectively.
• Robust Performance Insights: Key performance indicators (KPIs) within LinkedIn Ads offer real-time insights, enabling continuous optimisation. Live performance updates help you identify what resonates with your audience, making LinkedIn ABM tactics more dynamic and responsive.

 

Best Practices for Effective LinkedIn ABM Tactics

Successful account based marketing on LinkedIn demands strong collaboration between sales and marketing. Aligning these teams ensures a cohesive strategy, essential for engaging key accounts effectively. Misalignment can lead to fragmented messaging, which can be off-putting to potential clients. Here’s how to keep your teams aligned and ready for action:

Communication is Key: Establishing a clear communication framework is essential. This ensures each team member knows their role within the LinkedIn ABM strategy, from targeting to follow-up. Seamless communication fosters unity, creating a solid foundation for engaging target accounts.

With your teams in sync, it’s time to implement a structured LinkedIn account based marketing strategy. Below are the critical steps for ensuring success:

1 – Set and Clarify Objectives

Start by defining clear and specific objectives. LinkedIn ABM typically involves multiple goals, so it’s crucial to prioritise and be selective. Identify the most pressing objectives, such as increasing customer loyalty or accelerating sales cycles. Prioritising goals ensures a focused approach, tailored to each account’s needs.

Avoid vague goals like “increasing revenue”—everyone aims for that. Instead, focus on actionable objectives that directly align with your LinkedIn ABM strategy. Consider objectives like increasing engagement with key decision-makers or expanding account influence, and ensure both teams are aligned on these priorities.

2 – Define and Narrow Down Your Target Audience

One of LinkedIn’s strengths in ABM is its ability to target specific audience attributes, but this requires thoughtful refinement. LinkedIn can locate users across various companies, but narrowing your search by factors such as location, job title, seniority, and interests is essential for your LinkedIn ABM tactics.

Being precise with audience attributes not only saves time but ensures you’re reaching the right contacts. LinkedIn’s targeting options make it easier to filter down to the most relevant individuals within your target accounts, enhancing the effectiveness of your account based marketing on LinkedIn.

3 – Tailor Account Targeting for Corporate Audiences

For larger corporate targets, defined as those with over 1,000 employees, LinkedIn ABM tactics shine by enabling you to connect with decision-makers who influence significant purchasing decisions.

Start by building an audience using LinkedIn’s ‘Consideration’ campaign objectives, such as website visits or engagement. You can incorporate up to 250 companies per audience and refine it with criteria like demographics, job experience, and specific interests. This detailed segmentation allows you to craft a LinkedIn account based marketing strategy that is highly relevant and impactful.

If your audience is too broad, consider narrowing it by combining job function and seniority with specific skills. Conversely, if it’s too narrow, relax one or two criteria to increase reach. This balance is key to ensuring your LinkedIn ABM efforts remain precise yet broad enough to achieve measurable impact.