Targeting Employees of Specific Companies with Social Media

You likely have several pictures in mind of your ideal customers (especially if you’ve been diligent with your buyer personas). But are you taking advantage of an easy way to target these ideal prospects with your Facebook or LinkedIn posts?

This feature can come in handy for your social media content marketing, especially when your posts are ultra-specific. This practice can even out-perform Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising on search engines, if done right. But let’s look into what you’ll need to know before utilizing this feature.

A B2B Advantage

Whether you’re marketing your services to a specific company or looking to broadcast to an entire industry, targeting certain types of employees can ensure your content is seen by the types of customers that already know they need something like it. Skip ahead to Step 1 to get started.

Proximity Targeting

Even if your marketing goals don’t aim to reach a entire business as a customer, this feature can still drive your message to the right potential patrons. Maybe you’re a new, small restaurant downtown that wants to offer lunch specials for busy professionals. These targeting capabilities allow you to market to the employees of neighboring businesses to let them know about your new quick, tasty meals that can help them refuel without having to travel far from their workplace.

Most brick and mortar businesses can find this tactic useful. Find out which businesses are within a 5-mile radius of your establishment, and research which types of employees might be interested in your product. It can be almost as direct as sending them a postcard advertisement, but without the perception of being directly “sold to.”

Pinpointing Ideal Customers at Their Workplace

Even if you are not a brick and mortar business, this targeting capability can still be a profitable opportunity. Of all people, you know what types of customers will benefit best from your brand. They key lies in applying your buyer personas to figure out what types of businesses or positions your ideal customers work within.

Do you offer software that helps small businesses with bookkeeping? You can target these types of business owners. Do you sell ergonomic office gadgets? You can target types of employees that are desk-bound for most of their days. Are your salespeople pursuing a huge deal with a specific client? The possibilities are limitless, as long as you remain in tune with the needs of your ideal customers.

Now let’s get into the nuts and bolts of targeted ads, starting with Facebook:

How to Target Employees via Facebook Ads:

  1. Open up Ads Manager, either directly or through Business Manager, and click Create Campaign.
  2. Choose your Marketing Objective.
    • Choose Your Marketing Objective on Facebook
  3. On the next page, you’ll want to find the option to target by workplace. This is in the Audience section in the middle of the page. 
    1. Under Detailed Targeting, click Browse to the right of the box and you will see a drop down menu.
    2. Click on Demographics then scroll down to find Work.
    3. Click on Work and select Employers.
    4. From there, you’ll see a search box where you can search for specific employers.
      • Selecting Employers to Target Facebook Ads

How to Target Employees via LinkedIn Ads:

  1. Click Sponsor update/now on a post you’ve already done OR hover over your profile and click Admin Tools then Sponsor Your Updates. (If you select Advertising or Sponsor Your Updates, you will be rerouted to the Campaign Manager where you may need to sign in or select from multiple accounts, depending on your set up.)
  2. Select Create Campaign.
  3. Name your Campaign and, if necessary, your Campaign Group.
    • Campaign-name-1
  4. Choose your Marketing Objective.
    • objective
  5. Select the location (city, state, or country) then select where you want to focus. Just below the location, you'll be able to target employees under the "Start building your audience...":
    • company-name-info
      • Click Audience attributes.
      • Select Company.
      • Click on Company Connections
      • From there, you'll see a search box where you can search for specific employers.
    • Note: You can also use the Search box (before selecting Audience attributes) but you need to make sure you select the company name with "Company Connections" next to it. This is the only way that will give you first connection company connections. (To learn more about LinkedIn's targeting options, click here.)
  6. Next you can select your Ad format, Placement, Budget, and Schedule. .
  7. All that remains is selecting and/or creating a new post! 

Just by knowing you can put the specifics of your message in front of the right people can be energizing. It’s marketing made simple, and it can make your campaign brainstorming sessions more focused and hopefully more enjoyable.

Happy targeting. May you always hit the bullseye! 

Still working on defining your ideal customer?

Many businesses still operate without developing specific buyer personas, or they are too busy working to fully devote time to characterizing their ideal customers. This unmet potential may weigh on them, but they’re overwhelmed as it is.

Sound familiar? Fortunately, if you’d like to target specific employees or types of employees but you’re not quite sure where to start, check out our free guide to buyer personas, which will help you document the specifics that make up your ideal customers. You can also contact us, free of charge, to find out more about employee targeting possibilities for your type of business.

                                           

 

*This post was updated on 3/27/2019.

Michelle Krein

Michelle spends most of her time discovering opportunities with Google Analytics and helping companies reach their customers via social media. Her attention to detail has also made her indispensable in her Quality Assurance role. In her spare time, Michelle likes to watch college football games, try new recipes, and scrapbook.

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