What are job functions in LinkedIn advertising?

LinkedIn advertising allows advertisers to target their ads to specific job functions. Job function targeting is an important feature as it allows advertisers to reach their ideal audience on LinkedIn efficiently. In this article, we will explore what job functions are, how they work in LinkedIn ads, and their benefits for advertisers.

What are job functions in LinkedIn ads?

Job functions refer to the roles and responsibilities that LinkedIn members have in their jobs. When members create their LinkedIn profiles, they can specify their job function from a predefined list of options that LinkedIn provides. For example, some common job functions on LinkedIn include Marketing, Sales, Engineering, Finance, and more.

Here are some key things to know about job functions in LinkedIn advertising:

• LinkedIn categorizes job functions into a hierarchical structure. There are around 15 top-level job functions such as Marketing, Sales, Engineering. These are further divided into more granular sub-functions.
• Members can only select one job function for their current position on their profile. This serves as an indicator of their main role.
• LinkedIn maps job function titles entered by members to its standardized list. This enables targeting by common job functions even when members use disparate titles.
• Job functions are based on member-entered data. Some members may not specify a job function or enter an inaccurate one. But overall, it provides useful targeting information.

Why job function targeting matters

Targeting by job function gives advertisers the ability to focus their ads on LinkedIn members who are more likely to be interested in and relevant to their offering. Here are some key benefits of using job function targeting for LinkedIn ads:

• Reach your ideal audiences – Job function targeting enables you to expose your ads exclusively to members with job functions relevant to you. For example, advertising an HR software only to HR managers and recruiters.
• Improve ad relevance – Targeting appropriate job functions increases the relevance of your ads to the audiences who see them. This can improve clickthrough rates.
• Enhance segmentation – You can combine job function targeting with other criteria like seniority, company size, location etc. This allows multi-level segmentation of your audience.
• Identify influencers– Reach decision makers in functions like IT, Marketing, Finance. Influencers in these roles can impact purchase decisions.

In summary, job function targeting allows for more laser-focused audience targeting on LinkedIn to improve campaign performance.

What job functions can you target in LinkedIn ads?

LinkedIn allows advertisers to target over 15 top-level job functions. Each of these has between 3 to 30+ sub-functions you can target. Here are some of the top job functions you can target:

This covers some of the major job functions, but LinkedIn has detailed targeting options for job functions across many industries and roles. Refer to LinkedIn’s ad targeting page to see the full list.

How to select job functions in LinkedIn ads

Targeting job functions in LinkedIn ads is easy to set up. Here are the steps:

1. When creating a LinkedIn ad campaign, go to the “Audience” section
2. Under “Job”, select “Job Functions”
3. Select one or multiple job functions you want to target from the list
4. For each job function, you can also choose to target by seniority levels and specific job titles within that function
5. Save your audience targeting settings

You can get very granular with job function targeting in LinkedIn ads. Make sure to research and test different job function targeting options for your campaigns.

Best practices for using job functions in LinkedIn ads

Here are some best practices to optimize your use of job function targeting:

• Align job function targeting to your product or service. Target roles that would logically have interest or influence.
• Leverage both broad and granular job functions. Test what works best.
• Use job functions to create segmented campaigns and ad variations.
• Combine job functions with other targeting like seniority, company size, Groups, etc.
• Analyze performance by job function in ad reports to identify trends.
• Adapt your ad messaging and creatives to resonate with different functions.
• Keep targeting narrow enough to minimize irrelevant impressions and clicks.

Limitations of job function targeting in LinkedIn

While job function targeting is very useful, it’s important to be aware of some limitations:

• Members may list inaccurate job functions or not list any.
• Members can only list one job function on their profile.
• Job functions rely on how LinkedIn classifies role titles into categories.
• Targeting by seniority and titles can miss some relevant members.
• Relevance varies between different job functions.

Despite these limitations, job function targeting remains one of the most effective ways to segment your LinkedIn audiences. But complement it with other targeting options as needed.

Conclusion

Job function targeting enables advertisers to hone in on the LinkedIn audiences most relevant to their goals. Aligning your ads with the interests and needs of specific functions allows for better engagement and results.

The key is researching which job functions matter for your business, creatively segmenting audiences, adapting messaging, and analyzing performance data. Used strategically, job function targeting on LinkedIn provides a powerful advantage for reaching your ideal customers.