Glossary

How To Use LinkedIn Retargeting To Boost Engagement And Conversions

LinkedIn retargeting lets you reconnect with professionals who’ve already engaged with your brand, turning awareness into action by serving tailored ads that increase engagement and drive conversions. By leveraging profile-based targeting, website and event retargeting, and customized ad creatives, you can sharpen your campaign relevance, shorten conversion paths, and maximize return on ad spend—making every impression work harder for measurable results.

LinkedIn Retargeting

LinkedIn retargeting is a paid advertising strategy that serves tailored ads on LinkedIn to users who have previously engaged with your brand (visited your website, opened emails, viewed LinkedIn content, or interacted with your LinkedIn Page or ads), using matched audiences and tracking pixels to increase conversion, nurture leads, and reinforce brand recall.

What is LinkedIn Retargeting?

Overview


LinkedIn retargeting is a form of paid digital advertising that targets LinkedIn members who have already interacted with your brand—such as visiting your website, viewing content, opening emails, engaging with your LinkedIn Page or ads, or attending events. It uses LinkedIn’s Matched Audiences and the LinkedIn Insight Tag (or event and engagement data) to create audience segments and serve tailored ads to those professionals as they browse LinkedIn.



How it works



  • Place the Insight Tag on your site or upload lists and engagement data to Matched Audiences.

  • Define audience windows and rules (site visitors, content viewers, lead form openers, event attendees, account-based lists).

  • Create custom ad creatives and messaging for each segment.

  • Bid and optimize campaigns to re-engage users and move them down the funnel.



Key uses and benefits



  • Re-engage warm prospects and shorten conversion paths.

  • Nurture leads with targeted messaging.

  • Support account-based marketing by isolating high-value accounts.

  • Improve ad relevance and click-through rates.

  • Boost return on ad spend by focusing impressions on users already familiar with your brand.



Common retargeting segments



  • Recent site visitors.

  • Product page viewers.

  • Cart abandoners (B2B trial or signup flows).

  • Content engagers (whitepaper or video viewers).

  • Custom account lists.

How Does LinkedIn Retargeting Work?

LinkedIn retargeting identifies and re-engages people who have already interacted with your brand, then serves them tailored ads to move them further down the funnel.



Key components and workflow



Tracking and data collection



  • LinkedIn Insight Tag: A JavaScript pixel installed on your site that records page visits, events, and conversions tied to LinkedIn profiles.

  • LinkedIn engagement signals: Captures interactions with your Page, Sponsored Content, Lead Gen Forms, videos, and job posts.

  • Contact and account lists: Upload email lists or target specific accounts/companies for matched-audience retargeting.



Audience creation and segmentation



  • Build Matched Audiences from website visitors, specific pages, event attendees, form completions, and ad engagers.

  • Segment by behavior, recency, and intent: pages visited, time on site, content consumed; lookback window; cart abandoners and demo requests.

  • Use exclusions to avoid overserving converters or conflicting campaign targets.



Campaign setup and creative



  • Select the retargeting audience as the campaign target.

  • Choose ad format: Sponsored Content, Message Ads, Dynamic Ads, Carousel Ads, or Video Ads, and craft messaging by funnel stage.

  • Control delivery and cost: apply frequency caps, choose a bidding strategy (CPC, CPM, or automated), and set budget.



Measurement and conversion tracking



  • Configure conversion actions in Campaign Manager and map them to Insight Tag events.

  • Monitor metrics: reach, impressions, CTR, conversion rate, CPL, ROAS, and CPM by audience segment.

  • Run A/B tests for creative, offers, CTAs, and lookback windows.



Optimization loop



  • Refresh creative and offers for fatigued audiences; tighten or expand lookback windows based on performance.

  • Layer profile-based filters (job title, company size, industry) to increase relevance and efficiency.

  • Retarget sequentially: move users from awareness ads to consideration offers (case studies and webinars) to bottom-funnel conversion ads.



Result: LinkedIn ties behavior and engagement signals to professional profiles, enabling precise audience creation, tailored ad delivery, and measurable conversion lift across the buyer journey.

How To Use LinkedIn Retargeting To Boost Engagement And Conversions

LinkedIn retargeting lets you reconnect with professionals who’ve already engaged with your brand, turning awareness into action by serving tailored ads that increase engagement and drive conversions. By leveraging profile-based targeting, website and event retargeting, and customized ad creatives, you can sharpen your campaign relevance, shorten conversion paths, and maximize return on ad spend—making every impression work harder for measurable results.

Types of LinkedIn Retargeting



  1. Site Visitor Retargeting



    • Targets people who visited specific pages (pricing pages, blog posts, product pages).

    • Best for re-engaging warm prospects who showed intent but did not convert.

    • Ad ideas: carousel demos, discounts or offers, case study download.




  2. Video Retargeting



    • Targets users who watched your LinkedIn videos (by watch percentage).

    • Use to move viewers down the funnel with follow-up content or demo invites.

    • Ad ideas: short testimonial clips, webinar replay, product walkthrough.




  3. Lead Gen Form Retargeting



    • Targets users who opened or partially completed your LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms.

    • Useful for recovering near-conversions with simplified CTAs or added value.

    • Ad ideas: “Complete your request” offers, limited-time incentives.




  4. Account-Based Retargeting (ABM Retargeting)



    • Targets decision-makers at specific companies via Matched Audiences and account lists.

    • Ideal for high-value B2B deals and personalized outreach.

    • Ad ideas: executive brief, industry-specific case study, invitation to an exclusive webinar.




  5. Engagement Retargeting



    • Targets users who engaged with your organic posts, company page, or ads (likes, comments, shares).

    • Good for converting social engagers into leads using relevant next-step content.

    • Ad ideas: gated content, event signup, product comparison.




  6. Email List Retargeting (Matched Audiences)



    • Upload customer or prospect emails to retarget on LinkedIn.

    • Use to nurture existing leads or cross-sell to customers.

    • Ad ideas: renewal reminders, upgrade offers, customer success stories.




  7. CRM/Pixel Retargeting



    • Sync CRM segments or use the LinkedIn Insight Tag to retarget visitors based on on-site behavior.

    • Enables precise funnel-stage messaging and sequential creative.

    • Ad ideas: cart-abandon reminders, feature-focused ads, testimonial ads.




  8. Lookalike/Similar Audience Retargeting



    • Expands reach by targeting audiences similar to your high-value retargeted users.

    • Use after initial retargeting sets perform to scale conversions.

    • Ad ideas: introductory offers, educational content, product demos.




  9. Dynamic Retargeting



    • Serves customized creatives based on the exact product or content viewed.

    • Best for e-commerce or SaaS with multiple SKUs or features.

    • Ad ideas: product carousel with viewed items, feature-specific CTAs.




  10. Sequential/Storyline Retargeting



    • Serves a sequence of ads mapped to the buyer journey (awareness → consideration → decision).

    • Keeps messaging consistent and advances prospects toward conversion.

    • Ad ideas by stage: awareness — thought leadership; consideration — comparison guide; decision — demo or free trial.




  11. Quick Best Practices



    • Segment by intent signals (page visited, video watch, form activity).

    • Tailor creative and CTA to the funnel stage.

    • Use frequency caps and a capping window to avoid ad fatigue.

    • Test creative, audience windows (7/14/30/90 days), and bid strategies.