Yes, it is possible to target job postings on LinkedIn using various targeting options available on the platform. LinkedIn offers several targeting features like job title, company, industry, seniority level, job function, skills, location, and more that can be leveraged to reach relevant candidates for your job openings. The key is to use the right combination of targeting options to maximize visibility and engagement for your job posts.
Why Target Job Postings on LinkedIn?
Here are some of the key reasons why targeting job postings on LinkedIn can be highly beneficial for recruiters and hiring managers:
- Reach passive candidates – Over 90% of LinkedIn’s 750+ million members are open to new job opportunities.
- Improved candidate quality – Targeting ensures your job posts reach qualified, relevant candidates.
- Higher application rates – Targeted outreach leads to higher application rates vs untargeted outreach.
- Brand awareness – Well-targeted campaigns can boost your employer brand presence.
- Cost savings – Targeting helps reduce cost per hire by focusing spend on viable candidates.
In summary, targeted campaigns allow you to strategically promote open positions to interested and qualified candidates, resulting in better candidate engagement, higher quality applicants, and optimized recruitment spending.
How to Target Job Postings on LinkedIn
Here are the top ways to target your job postings on LinkedIn for maximum results:
1. Leverage LinkedIn Recruiter
LinkedIn Recruiter allows creating targeted campaigns to promote your jobs to relevant candidates on LinkedIn. Some key targeting options include:
- Job Title
- Seniority Level
- Industry
- Company
- Location
- School
- Skills
- Groups
You can use any combination of targeting criteria to narrow down your audience and ensure your jobs are seen by qualified candidates.
2. Use Matched Audiences
Matched Audiences lets you retarget people who have already engaged with your business in some way, such as visiting your website or viewing your LinkedIn page. This allows you to focus your job posts on high intent candidates who are already familiar with and interested in your company.
3. Tailor Targeting for Each Job Post
A best practice is to customize targeting for each role you are hiring for rather than using a blanket targeting approach. The targeting should be tailored to the specific requirements of each job post. This helps attract extremely relevant candidates.
4. Experiment with Niche Targeting
Beyond the common targeting options, you can also try targeting more niche audiences like:
- Groups – Target LinkedIn Groups related to the job function
- Skills – Target professionals with specialized skills
- Job Seeker Subtypes – Target passive job seekers, unemployed, etc.
- Interest Targeting – Target members based on their LinkedIn interests
Niche targeting can help you zone in on highly qualified, engaged candidates for specialized roles.
5. Optimize Targeting Over Time
Continuously refine your targeting criteria based on performance data to identify the best audience for your jobs. Eliminate targeting options that are not generating relevant candidates and try out new targeting combinations. Stay on top of changing hiring needs and trends.
Top Targeting Tips
Here are some additional tips to improve your LinkedIn job targeting:
- Prioritize quality over reach when targeting.
- Layer multiple targeting criteria for optimal relevance.
- Target both active and passive candidates.
- Target by job title but also consider transferable skills.
- Test broad location targeting as well as targeting by city.
- Target members who follow your LinkedIn Company page.
- Target groups related to diversity hiring if relevant.
Pitfalls to Avoid
Here are some key mistakes to avoid with LinkedIn job targeting:
- Using overly broad targeting that attracts irrelevant candidates
- Forgetting to continuously optimize your targeting approach
- Using “spray and pray” tactics instead of targeted outreach
- Focusing too much on job titles and not enough on skills
- Not tailoring targeting for each individual job post
- Overlooking niche targeting options beyond the basics
Avoiding these pitfalls will ensure your targeting strategy is thoughtful, nuanced and optimized for results.
Measuring Results
It’s crucial to track metrics to assess the performance of your LinkedIn job targeting. Some key metrics to monitor include:
- Impressions
- Reach
- Engagement Rate
- Click Through Rate
- Cost Per Click
- InMail Response Rate
- InMail Acceptance Rate
- Applicants Per Post
- Quality of Hire
Continuously monitor campaign analytics and optimize targeting to hit your desired benchmarks.
Use Tools for Easier Targeting
Sophisticated tools can make the targeting process much easier and more effective. Here are some top tools with robust LinkedIn targeting capabilities:
1. Recruitment Advertising Tools
- LinkedIn Recruiter
- Entelo
- iCIMS Talent Cloud
- Smashfly
- JazzHR
These tools simplify targeted ad campaigns on LinkedIn.
2. Referral Tools
- EmployeeReferrals.com
- RolePoint
- TapRecruit
- Teamable
Drive targeted referrals by empowering your employees.
3. Chrome Extensions
- LinkedHelper
- Albert
- Dux-Soup
- Hunter.io
- Lusha
These provide easy access to targeting options while browsing LinkedIn.
Leverage these types of tools to take the complexity out of targeting, saving time while optimizing results.
Conclusion
In summary, LinkedIn offers a wealth of targeting options to ensure your job posts reach the most qualified candidates. Take advantage of targeting features like job title, company, location, skills, and more to achieve targeted outreach at scale on LinkedIn. Tailor your targeting strategy to each job post, continuously refine based on data, and leverage tools to simplify the process. With the right targeting approach, you can boost engagement, quality of hire and ROI on your LinkedIn recruitment advertising and outreach.
