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Effective LinkedIn Ads: Why Audience Matching Matters

Updated: Feb 20

LinkedIn Ads are the go-to tool for reaching your precisely targeted accounts in ABM—yet one of the most common mistakes that I see is marketers misunderstanding how to upload and match their Target Account Lists (TALs) correctly. Let’s fix that.



Not all audience matches are created equal. At its core, ABM’s success lies in identifying and engaging the right target accounts. What happens when you take your carefully curated TAL and feed it to LinkedIn without proper formatting? You waste a lot of money and effort—and create a big handicap to the success of your campaign overall.


I learned this the hard way. For a client in the commercial refrigeration industry, we uploaded a TAL using company names and domains, rather than company page URLs, and let LinkedIn’s algorithm do the matching. Unfortunately, one of the company names was “Green Apple“, which LinkedIn matched with “Apple“, the tech giant. As a result, our ads reached the wrong audience, and we wasted valuable ad spend. 


It’s an easy mistake to make, but it’s just as easy to avoid.


Why LinkedIn Company Page URLs Get You the Best Match

Company page URLs are the gold standard for LinkedIn audience matching. Here’s why:


  1. No Errors in Naming Conventions: As I experienced firsthand, company names can vary widely in formatting and spelling. Unsurprisingly, room for interpretation is not something you want in the realm of precise targeting. 

  2. Speaking LinkedIn’s Language: LinkedIn uses URLs to identify and track companies—not names, not domains. Using LinkedIn’s “language“ from the get-go means getting the best possible match-rate and removes any possible ambiguity about who you’re looking to display your ads to.


What to Do When URLs Aren’t Available

Sometimes, company page URLs are not available. When this happens, company domains are the next-best option. While they don’t match as seamlessly with LinkedIn’s system as URLs, they are still far more precise to work with than relying on company names.


Pro Tip: To avoid confusing the LinkedIn algorithm, only upload one identifier per TAL. Prioritize company page URLs—and if you don’t have (or can’t enrich) those, upload domains. I recommend never uploading URLs and domains in the same file or combining them with company names.


But Wait, There’s More

To really maximize the effectiveness of your LinkedIn ABM campaigns, I suggest you follow these best practices:


  • Prioritize Data Enrichment: Invest in tools to enrich your TALs with LinkedIn company page URLs or domains. 

  • Validate Your Data: Double-check your TALs for accuracy and completeness before uploading. 

  • Use Matched Audiences: Upload your TALs as matched audiences to leverage LinkedIn’s advanced targeting capabilities.


Building Long-Term Trust Through Better Targeting

When your LinkedIn Ads consistently reach the right accounts and people, they do more than just drive clicks—they build awareness, foster trust, and nurture relationships with the key decision-makers of your audience. This long-term approach is central to ABM, where the goal isn’t just generating leads, but tangibly influencing deals and bringing marketing and sales to the same page.


Getting the basics right, like audience matching, isn’t just a technical detail—though it does save you costly mistakes. At the end of the day, it’s the foundation for effective B2B marketing that truly resonates with your audience.


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