Define your persona: who is your LinkedIn strategy targeting?

Understand your audience to boost engagement

LinkedIn has become a jungle. Here’s how to make yourself heard.

With over 1 billion users and millions of daily posts, LinkedIn is no longer optional—it’s a battlefield.

Your only weapon to survive? A hyper-specific persona.

In this article, I’ll show you:

➔ Why 73% of LinkedIn strategies fail without a persona (source: Social Media Today).

➔ A 3-step method to build yours.

➔ How to turn this profile into a lead-generating machine.

1. What is a persona, and why should it be your top priority?

A persona is the DNA of your ideal audience. Not a vague “marketing manager,” but:

“Marie, 34, B2B marketing manager at a tech SME, looking to automate prospecting without losing authenticity.”

3 reasons to create one now:

1️⃣ Save time: No more wasted content.

2️⃣ Avoid spam: Messages so personalized they feel like DMs between friends.

3️⃣ Become irresistible: Your content directly solves their problems.

The ultimate trap:

❌ “My product works for everyone!”

→ Translation: No one notices you.

2. The 3-step method to build your LinkedIn persona

Step 1: Spy on your existing audience

Your LinkedIn followers are a goldmine. Use platform analytics to uncover:

• Who follows you: Age, location, job title (e.g., 65% sales directors in Île-de-France).
• What they love: Top 3 post types (practical guides? Case studies?).

Pro tip: Spend 10 mins/day analyzing:

✓ Comments from top clients.

✓ Their hashtags.

✓ Influencers they follow.

Example: If clients share AI content, create a post like “How AI will revolutionize LinkedIn prospecting by 2025.”

Step 2: Investigate your clients like a detective

Your best clients share hidden patterns. Find them by:

1. Listing your 5 most profitable clients.
2. Identifying their commonalities:
   • Industry (tech, healthcare, etc.).
   • Recurring challenges (“no time to prospect”).
   • LinkedIn habits (active evenings? Video fans?).

Case study:

Client A: SME CEO, posts articles Sunday nights, follows automation experts.

→ Post on Sundays at 6 PM: “Automate prospecting in 1 hour flat.”

Step 3: Segment your audience strategically

Not all prospects are equal. Split them by decision-making power:

Segment	How to engage	Sample message
Decision maker (CEO)	Focus on ROI	“Double your pipeline in 3 months”
Influencer	Educate + social proof	“Ultimate XYZ tools comparison”
End user	Practical tutorials	“Our foolproof checklist”

Key takeaway: The pricier your offer, the higher you target.

3. Characteristics of a LinkedIn persona

Your LinkedIn persona is your strategy’s GPS 🧭. The more detailed, the less you shout into the void. Master these 3 pillars:

a. Demographic & professional data

Who are they? → Avoid “Hello madam” for a CEO.

• Age, gender, location: A 25-year-old Parisian sales rep ≠ a 55-year-old factory director in rural France.
• Role & industry: Tech HR ≠ construction HR.

Trap to avoid:

❌ Corporate jargon for startup founders.

✅ Example: For SMEs, use blunt stats like “How I doubled revenue in 3 months without hiring.”

b. Goals & professional challenges

What keeps them up at night? 🌙

• Goals: Hit quarterly quotas? Slash logistics costs?
• Challenges: Time-crunched? Cutthroat competition?

Case study:

Persona: E-commerce marketing lead.

Challenge: “I need to boost LinkedIn ad ROI with no extra budget.”

Winning content: “5 hacks to skyrocket conversions without spending +$1.”

c. Motivations & LinkedIn behavior

Why are they here? → The answer changes everything.

• Problem-solver: Needs quick fixes → Prioritize checklists/templates.
• Networker: Seeks influence → Engage on expert posts.
• Learner: Skill-building → Share case studies or 2025 trends.

Pro tip: Analyze their last 5 liked/commented posts. Discover their hidden obsessions 😉.

d. Market awareness & customer experience

1. Awareness of your market/solution:

• Beginner → Educational content (“Why use LinkedIn prospecting tools?”).
• Expert → Competitive edges (“5 criteria to choose a 2025 tool”).

2. Competitor knowledge:

• Familiar with rivals?
  • Price-driven → Highlight cost-value.
  • Feature-focused → Showcase differentiators (e.g., unique LinkedIn integration).

3. Product experience:

• Used similar tools?
  • Yes → Target frustrations (“Tired of tools overloading your team?”).
  • No → Sell simplicity (“Go from zero to hero in 1 day”).

4. How to use your persona to drive LinkedIn strategy

a. Create targeted content

• Example 1: For a marketing manager persona → Case study: “How [Client X] cut costs by 40%.”
• Example 2: For beginners → Carousel: “5 mistakes to avoid in your first LinkedIn campaigns.”

b. Engage personally

Scenario 1: In “B2B growth hacking” group → “Following up too fast = -50% replies. Fix: Wait 72 hours 🚀.”

Scenario 2: Reply to tech influencers with hard stats (“68% of sales teams underuse LinkedIn tags”).

c. Tailor prospecting campaigns

• Template for decision makers:

  “Hi [Name], Using [Competitor]? Our tool saves 3 hours/day → 15-min demo ⏱️.”

5. Revisiting your persona: an ongoing process

How to do it:

• Quarterly check-ins: Analyze clicked keywords, client feedback (“What’s your #1 challenge?”).
• 2023 vs. 2025 trends:
  • 2023: “Fast prospecting tools.”
  • 2025: “Ethical AI solutions.” → Adapt content.

⚠️ Risk of stagnation: An outdated persona = flat campaigns.

Conclusion: What 92% of people forget

Your LinkedIn persona = your lead machine.

By shifting from “I target marketers” to “I speak to Julie, 28…”, you’ll gain:

✅ More visibility: Content trending in “Top posts.”

✅ More meetings: Prospects asking “Let’s talk?”

But most importantly:

• A persona isn’t just an Excel sheet. It’s a human with:

  ✓ Fears (“What if automation backfires?”).

  ✓ Dreams (“Become a thought leader”).

  ✓ Habits (Scrolls LinkedIn with morning coffee at 7 AM).

Your mission: Embody them until you can predict:

➔ What they’ll like tomorrow.

➔ Objections during sales calls.

Take action now: Pick an ideal client. Analyze their last 5 LinkedIn posts. Note 3 insights.

“Winners on LinkedIn don’t talk to the crowd… they speak to one person, a thousand times over.”