New to LinkedIn advertising? Start with our introduction to making LinkedIn part of your PR strategy.
LinkedIn offers ways to connect with potential business customers through advertising and Lead Gen Forms. These forms let people share information without leaving the platform. The following four principles can help you plan a campaign.
1. Move from A/B testing to a stronger campaign
If you have not previously advertised to a particular audience or used a particular content format, it can be difficult to predict what will work. Establish a starting point by gathering information already available within your organisation.
Is your audience on LinkedIn? Which industries and professional roles are relevant? What content works elsewhere, and can it be adapted? A printed brochure, for example, might become a video or infographic.
Use A/B testing to compare approaches. Split a suitable audience between two versions, changing one variable at a time so you can interpret the result. You might compare headlines, images or offers. Assess which version produces the result that matters, such as qualified leads, rather than relying only on clicks.
Use the findings to develop a stronger next version of the campaign. Continue testing rather than assuming the first winner will always perform best.
2. Target carefully and refine regularly
Define the professional audience your message needs to reach. Avoid narrowing it so much at the outset that you cannot learn from the results. Review performance and refine the audience as evidence develops.
When targeting the Netherlands, consider both the language people use on their profiles and the language of your content. Check the available settings in Campaign Manager instead of assuming every Dutch professional uses a Dutch-language profile. Where appropriate, test Dutch and English creative separately.
3. Manage bidding and budget
Advertising involves competition for the audience’s attention. The appropriate bid and budget depend on the campaign objective, available bidding options and the results you are achieving.
Review costs and performance regularly. The original article recommended monitoring suggested bids closely; the broader lesson is to make evidence-based adjustments. Do not automatically raise bids simply because a suggested figure appears. Consider the cost and quality of the leads, and remain within the agreed budget.
4. Handle lead data carefully
Be clear about what happens to the personal data you collect. LinkedIn requires a privacy policy URL for Lead Gen Forms.
The GDPR has applied since 25 May 2018; it is not an upcoming change, as an older passage in the Dutch article suggested. Ensure that your forms and follow-up process are reviewed for the data-protection requirements that apply to your campaign.
Want to discuss lead generation or content marketing? Contact us and join us for a coffee at our PR agency in Amsterdam or Antwerp.
Kinyi
English adaptation checked in September 2026. Outdated timing references and blanket bidding recommendations have been updated.
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