Visit similar audiences LinkedIn Ads ("lookalike audiences") are a powerful lever for B2B companies wishing to increase their reach while maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction. high targeting relevance. By building on the characteristics of your best existing audiences, this feature enables you to reach new professional profiles with comparable behaviors and attributes, without diluting the quality of your leads.
Understand how LinkedIn similar audiences work and their benefits
LinkedIn's algorithm provides in-depth analysis of source audience profiles (e.g. site visitors, customers, newsletter subscribers, leads collected) to extract common traits. This data includes :
- Function and job title
- Sector of activity
- Core competencies
- Company size and type
- Browsing behavior and interactions with your LinkedIn content
The tool will then automatically build a twin audienceby excluding members already present in your original audience. This method guarantees a wider reach without redundancy and with a lower cost of ownership. strong behavioural and professional proximity.
Key benefits :
- Expand prospect base with highly similar profiles
- Potential increase in ROI thanks to greater relevance
- Saves time: audience is generated automatically, without manual segmentation
- Compatible with all types of campaigns: awareness, consideration, conversion
A similar audience can be up to 15 times larger than the source audienceThis makes it possible to evolve a large-scale acquisition strategy while maintaining a high level of relevance.
Differences between similar audiences and other LinkedIn targeting options
It is essential to understand the place of similar audiences in the LinkedIn Ads audiences :
- Matched Audiences target your own lists of contacts (CRM, emails, website visitors)
- Targeting by attributes classic targeting by LinkedIn criteria (position, sector, seniority, etc.)
- Retargeting retargeting people who have interacted with your LinkedIn content or website
Similar audiences come in strategic fit of these methods: they allow you to move beyond your existing base, without losing targeting quality.
Creating a similar audience in Campaign Manager: steps and prerequisites
Technical requirements :
- Have a audience source valid (minimum 300 unique LinkedIn profiles)
- Having installed theInsight Tag whether the audience comes from interactions on your website
Step-by-step procedure :
- Open Campaign Manager, go to Account resources"
- Click on " Matched Audiences"
- Select an existing audience (emails, web visits, advertising interactions)
- Click on " Create a similar audience"
- Give a clear name and save
Creation takes up to 48 hours so that the audience can be exploited in your campaigns.
Installing and configuring Insight Tag: the key to behavioral data collection
LinkedIn Insight Tag is a JavaScript tag to be integrated on every page of your site. It allows you to :
- Track conversions (forms, clicks, downloads)
- Create audiences based on specific pages or actions
- Improve the accuracy of behavioral targeting
Installation modes :
- Directly in your site's source code (global footer)
- Via Google Tag Manager (GTAG)
Insight Tag is essential for creating similar audiences from visitors or actions on your website.
Which source audiences to use to build similar audiences?
Here are the recommended audience types:
- Email lists : segmented by behavior (customers, hot prospects, shopping cart abandonment)
- Visitors to your website strategic pages (prices, solutions, white paper)
- LinkedIn engagement : clicks on ads, video views, interactions with forms
- Company listings high value-added company names (recommended: 1,000+ companies)
The quality of the source audience determines the similar audience performance. The more targeted and qualified, the better the results.
Advanced strategies for making the most of similar audiences
- Audience extension in acquisition Start with your best customers and target their "twins".
- Targeting by persona Use different similar audiences for each type of buyer persona.
- Alignment with the purchasing cycle Create similar audiences for each stage: discovery, consideration, conversion.
- Indirect retargeting Target profiles similar to those who clicked on your ads, even if they didn't convert.
- Continuous improvement update your source audiences regularly to keep your "lookalikes" fresh.
Combined segmentation: precise targeting
Similar audiences can be cross-referenced with traditional LinkedIn criteria to refine relevance:
- Position held (IT Manager, HR Manager, CFO)
- Company size (SME, ETI, large groups)
- Geographical area (France, Europe, international)
- Technical skills (cybersecurity, Salesforce, project management)
This allows you to create advertising segments ultra-specific and customizedtailored to your objectives.
Integrating similar audiences into a multi-channel strategy
To maximize their impact, similar audiences must be integrated into a coherent customer path on several channels:
- Emailing nurture LinkedIn leads with targeted content
- Content marketing reinforce perceived expertise with articles, e-books, podcasts
- SEO/SEA : work on the organic visibility of identified themes
- Webinars capturing and qualifying audiences through interactive formats
The idea is to multiply contact points to move prospects through the funnel.
Optimization and performance analysis of similar audiences
To maximize conversions, adopt a test & learn approach:
- Create several similar audiences with different sources
- Test several visuals, messages and calls to action
- Analyze the performance of each segment
KPIs to track :
| Indicator | Objective |
|---|---|
| Click-through rate (CTR) | Measuring the attractiveness of your ads |
| Cost per lead (CPL) | Measuring the cost-effectiveness of your campaigns |
| Conversion rates | Measure the overall relevance of your targeting |
| Sales cycle time | Impact of audiences on conversion speed |
Budget and economic considerations
The average cost per click on LinkedIn Ads ranges from 5 and €10 depending on the sector. Using similar, more qualified audiences can :
- Reduce cost per acquisition thanks to a higher conversion rate
- Improving relevance scoreinfluencing diffusion
- Justify more aggressive bidding on high-value leads
Use the " Maximize conversions "This will automatically adjust bids according to expected performance.
Comparing with other targeting methods: drawing strategic lessons
Compare your results between :
- Similar audiences vs. pure demographic targeting
- Similar audiences vs. pure retargeting
- LinkedIn vs. Facebook/Google for similar audiences
This comparative approach will help you to refine your advertising strategyYou'll be able to allocate your budget intelligently, and identify the most profitable channels according to your sales objectives.
Conclusion: exploiting the full potential of similar audiences
LinkedIn's similar audiences offer high-potential strategic solution for B2B companies that want to grow without sacrificing accuracy. When combined with a relevant content strategy, well-targeted messages and rigorous analytic tracking, they become a customer acquisition gas pedal powerful and measurable. Their intelligent exploitation can transform the scope of your marketing while strengthening its overall performance.
If you want to maximize the impact of your LinkedIn campaigns and achieve concrete results, our agency Daware.io is here to support you. As LinkedIn advertising specialists, we help companies define their strategy, optimize their campaigns and improve their return on investment. Thanks to our in-depth expertise and advanced tools, we offer you a tailor-made approach to achieving your marketing objectives. Contact Us today and turn LinkedIn into a real growth lever for your company!
