Let’s be honest: B2B buying isn’t a one-person job. You’re not selling socks on a sunny Saturday. You’re marketing complex products that require Jas from Data, Ben from IT, and three senior stakeholders to all agree it’s a good idea. And maybe, just maybe, the VP who replies at 11pm will give it the final nod.
So why are we still building campaigns around one job title?
LinkedIn finally agrees and has introduced “Buyer Groups”, AI-powered audiences that reflect how buying decisions actually happen. Let’s break it down.
What is a LinkedIn Buyer Group?
Think of it as a professionally curated group of decision makers, key influencers, and low-key power players inside a company.
LinkedIn uses its mix of data (job history, professional relationships, content engagement) to group together the people who are likely to be involved in buying a specific type of product from marketing tools to cybersecurity platforms.
In LinkedIn’s words:
- Decision Makers – An individual or group of individuals that have the authority to make a strategic business decision that impacts the outcome of a specific situation for their company.
- Key Stakeholders – An individual or group of individuals that have significant influence on a decision due to their potential impact on the outcome of a specific situation for their company.
In plain English: it’s everyone you should be targeting, all in one go.
How does LinkedIn know who’s in the group?
Their AI looks at:
- Professional backgrounds – job titles, industries, experience
- Behavioural signals – how similar audiences engage with sales/marketing
- Network influence – who they’re connected to and who holds sway
It is not that complex, just insights from public LinkedIn profiles and engagement data.
Why Buyer Groups are kind of a big deal
Here’s why we’re excited (and why you probably will be too):
More reach, less guesswork
Go beyond just your known leads. Reach new people showing intent, even if they haven’t touched your brand yet.
Target like it’s 2025
Buyer Groups are built around behaviour and influence, not just job titles. That means smarter targeting, more relevance, and fewer wasted impressions.
Better results
By talking to the whole group, your campaigns have a much better shot at cutting through the noise.
Who can use Buyer Groups?
They’re currently being tested, but if you’ve got access, you’ll see them in Campaign Manager when building a campaign.
- Available for most campaign objectives
- Not available for Brand Awareness or Video Views
- Not yet supported on iOS via the LinkedIn Audience Network
- Not in partner APIs (yet)
TL;DR: It’s rolling out, and it’s worth checking your account to see if you’re in.
Quick tips before you dive in
Here’s how to set yourself up for success:
Choose the right product category
There are 50+ to pick from, don’t overcomplicate it. One or two clear categories > trying to be everything to everyone.
Save your audience + check the insights
Use LinkedIn’s Audience Insights to confirm your Buyer Group matches your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). You might find some surprise influencers in there
Use Exclusions to fine-tune
If the audience insights don’t feel right and you want more control, you can exclude some targeting criteria to ensure you are reaching the right people.
Test smart
Start with 1–2 focused campaigns. Keep your creative + messaging consistent so you can actually measure what’s working.
Use it with your ABM strategy
Combine your target account list with a Buyer Group to get full coverage across decision makers inside your priority companies.
Our takeaway?
You’re not selling to one person. You’re selling to a group of people who make decisions together, often slowly, with a lot of networking and pitching.
Buyer Groups are LinkedIn’s way of helping you reach all of them, not just the person who clicked your ad last week.
Smarter targeting. Better reach. Less guesswork.
✨ That’s a Buyer Group.
If you’d like to see examples and comparisons from our last 6 months of testing Buyer Groups, reach out to our team, we’d be happy to share and discuss the results.
