5 Things You Need to Know About Advertising on LinkedIn for Business and Talent Attraction

When it comes to reaching corporate decision-makers and skilled professionals, LinkedIn is a must-use platform for economic development organizations. Whether your goal is to attract expanding businesses or woo talent ready to relocate, LinkedIn stands out as the most powerful social platform to support your objectives.  

According to Winning Strategies in Economic Development Marketing, LinkedIn is the top social media channel used by corporate executives when learning about communities for potential expansion or relocation. Our Talent Wars report reinforces this, showing that 36% of talent surveyed use LinkedIn when researching new employment opportunities, ranking it as the fourth most popular platform for job exploration. 

So how can EDOs make the most of LinkedIn advertising? Here are five key insights: 

1. How to Target Executives and Talent 

LinkedIn’s user base is uniquely positioned for economic development outreach. It’s filled with business executives, entrepreneurs and highly skilled professionals. What sets LinkedIn apart is its unmatched targeting capabilities. You can build hyper-targeted campaigns using parameters like: 

• Job title 
• Industry 
• Company size 
• Seniority level 
• Skills 
• Interests 
• LinkedIn Groups 
• Location targeting down to the metro or city level 

This precision makes LinkedIn especially effective for both business recruitment and talent attraction campaigns. 

2. The Best LinkedIn Ad Formats 

Choosing the right ad format depends on your campaign goals. Here’s a quick breakdown: 

• Static Ads: Ideal for promoting value propositions, business incentives or success stories. 
• Boosted Posts: Great for sharing thought leadership, testimonials or regional lifestyle highlights. 
• Video Ads: Highly engaging and perfect for showcasing quality of life, office environments or talent success stories. According to a recent Metricool report, time watch of LinkedIn videos is up by over 145% in 2025 compared to 2024.  

For business attraction, focus on demonstrating ROI, such as competitive operating costs, workforce availability and infrastructure advantages, as well as strong community support from public and private stakeholders. For talent attraction, prioritize showcasing your region’s culture, lifestyle benefits and career opportunities, helping prospective residents picture themselves building a fulfilling life in your community. 

3. Budgeting & Cost Considerations 

LinkedIn advertising typically operates on a CPC (cost per click) or CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions) basis. While costs may be higher than other platforms like Facebook or Google, the quality of leads can justify the investment, especially when reaching C-suite executives or specialized talent. 

It’s important to note that LinkedIn requires a minimum daily spend of $10 per campaign, though most economic development organizations see better performance with budgets closer to $100/day or more, especially when targeting niche audiences. 

While costs can vary depending on your audience size, competition and ad quality, a well-structured budget aligned with your campaign goals, whether that’s brand awareness, lead generation or event promotion, can deliver significant returns.  

4. Content Strategy 

A successful campaign doesn’t stop at targeting. It requires compelling content that actually resonates with your audience. Some of the most effective ad content includes: 

• Case studies of business expansions in your region 
• Testimonials from professionals who have relocated successfully 
• Information on incentives, cost of living and quality of life 

Ad visuals and copy should align with the audience’s goals, so it’s imperative to have a solid understanding of what those are. Innovation, lifestyle advancement and profitability are a few of the most common and brief, benefit-driven messaging tends to perform best. 

5. How to Measure Success 

To maximize ROI on LinkedIn, it’s essential to monitor performance and continuously refine your campaign strategy. Fortunately, LinkedIn’s native analytics tools provide robust insights to help you track progress and make informed decisions. 

Start by watching these key metrics: 

• Impressions – Track how many times your ad is shown to users. High impressions indicate strong visibility, which is important for raising awareness among your target audience. 
• Clicks & Click-Through Rates (CTR) – Measure how often people are clicking on your ads. A strong CTR suggests your messaging is resonating and prompting action. 
• Engagement Rates – Understand how your audience is interacting with your content beyond clicks, including likes, comments and shares. 

Regular A/B testing, where you compare different versions of your ads by changing elements like headlines, images, ad copy or calls to action, can help you identify what resonates most with your audience. Over time, these insights allow you to fine-tune your visuals and messaging, leading to higher engagement rates, better performance and a stronger return on investment. 

Advertising on LinkedIn isn’t just another tactic—it’s a strategic tool for reaching the audiences that matter most to your community’s growth. With the right mix of targeting, content and measurement, EDOs can create high-impact campaigns that move the needle for both business and talent attraction. 

Interested in developing a LinkedIn campaign for your community? Reach out to Senior Director of SEM & Media Carly Steele Johnson at Carly.Steelejohnson@aboutdci.com.