In a significant move, LinkedIn has recently announced the discontinuation of Lookalike Audiences as an ad targeting option. This impending change, set to take effect on February 29, 2024, is poised to reshape the landscape of advertising on the professional networking platform. If you’ve been leveraging LinkedIn’s Lookalike Audiences for targeted marketing, it’s time to explore the alternatives recommended by the platform to ensure your campaigns continue to thrive.
The Farewell to Lookalike Audiences: As of the specified date, LinkedIn’s Lookalike Audiences will no longer be available for creation or editing. Existing lookalike audiences will become static, with no data refresh. Any active campaigns utilising these audiences will persist, delivering content to the now static audience. This marks a notable shift, urging advertisers to rethink their strategies and explore alternative targeting options provided by LinkedIn.
Understanding Lookalike Audiences: LinkedIn’s Lookalike Audience feature has been a staple for advertisers, allowing them to input customer information from their databases. The system then scans for various traits, matching them with potential users who share similar characteristics, enabling advertisers to extend their reach to a broader yet relevant audience.
Recommended Alternatives: Predictive Audiences and Audience Expansion: LinkedIn, understanding the pivotal role played by Lookalike Audiences, has recommended two primary alternatives:
Predictive Audiences:
- Utilises Lead Gen Forms, conversions (Insight Tag or Conversions API), or contact lists as the audience data source.
- Leverages LinkedIn’s AI to generate a custom audience with similar characteristics, increasing the likelihood of conversions.
- Ideal for campaigns where high-intent reach is crucial.
- Recommended for Lead Gen Form users, those with ready contact lists, or campaigns relying on conversions data.
Audience Expansion:
- Primarily relies on professional demographics, combined with Matched Audience segments, as the data source.
- Reaches audiences with attributes similar to the target audience, offering broader reach for campaigns.
- Perfect for advertisers aiming to grow their target audience and discover new quality prospects.
- Particularly effective in automatically driving prospects into the marketing funnel.
Adapting to Change: As LinkedIn bids farewell to Lookalike Audiences, advertisers are encouraged to explore and integrate the recommended alternatives into their strategies. Whether seeking high-intent reach or broader audience expansion, these options promise to provide advertisers with the tools needed to adapt to the evolving landscape of LinkedIn advertising.
The removal of Lookalike Audiences from LinkedIn signals a pivotal moment for advertisers. While change can be challenging, it also opens doors to explore new and potentially more effective targeting options. By embracing predictive audiences and audience expansion, advertisers can continue to harness the power of LinkedIn to connect with their target audience and drive successful campaigns in this ever-evolving digital marketing landscape.