An always-on content strategy, combined with
a powerful approach to targeting, has helped the
training and events business achieve rapid growth
through LinkedIn
Targeting always-on content at the most relevant
specialists for its events and courses has made
LinkedIn the key driver of leads and conversions for
Informa Middle East and North Africa. The business
has consistently achieved an average click-through
rate of 12% on opened InMails, with leads converting
into sales at a rate of 11% or more.
Informa Case Study
How real relevance built a bigger business for Informa
The Challenge:
 Generate high-quality leads for Informa’s programme of
specialist training courses and events
 Target specialist areas within sectors such as project
management, industrial administration, human resource
and finance
 Reach out to potential delegates, speakers and
exhibitors
Solution:
 Always-on content strategy, leveraging articles on
industry trends, case studies, and ‘big rock’ content
items such as eBooks
 Precision targeting to reach particular specialisms within
sectors
 Delivery of content via Sponsored Content
 Lead generation via Sponsored InMail
Why LinkedIn:
 Unique member profile data enables the in-depth
targeting required for events and training clients
 Powerful combination of content distribution and lead
generation platform
 Integration with LinkedIn Sales Navigator social selling
solution enables Informa to manage prospects all the
way through to conversion
Results:
 Sponsored Content delivered engagement rates of over
2% and Sponsored InMails delivered average open-rate
of 67%
 Conversion rates from Sponsored InMail and Sponsored
Content of between 19 and 23%
 Leads from LinkedIn convert into sales at a rate of 11.2%,
three times Informa’s benchmark for conversions
Combining always-on content with targeted
calls to action
Informa has been committed to building an always-on
content strategy on LinkedIn, managing a forward-looking
editorial calendar and using Infographics, SlideShare
presentations and industry-specific articles as the basis for
its Sponsored Content. The business has made effective
use of the eBooks that it produces for different sectors,
leveraging these ‘big rock’ content assets to create regular
streams of Sponsored Content, whilst also using them for
Sponsored InMail lead generation campaigns.
“With Sponsored Content, our main focus is on introducing
prospects to our expertise and what we do,” explains Digital
Marketing Manager Ali Khan. “We then use Sponsored
InMail as a lead generation tool to reach a dedicated target
audience with relevant calls to action.”
Copyright © 2015 LinkedIn Corporation. LinkedIn, the LinkedIn logo, and InMail, are registered trademarks of LinkedIn Corporation in
the United States and/or other countries. All other brands and names are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved. 10-LCS-231-G0115
Ali Khan
Digital Marketing Manager
Informa MENA
“When you are able to target exactly the right people with
always-on content, you end up generating the type of
specialist leads that it’s easy for sales people to sell to. That’s
exactly what’s happened for us on LinkedIn.”
Managing quality leads through to conversion
LinkedIn’s targeting capabilities have been the key to
ensuring real relevance with Informa reaches out to its
prospects. “There are a few different audiences that we
need to nurture for our business,” explains Ali. “We need
to reach out to delegates but also to potential exhibitors
and to thought-leaders whom we want to speak at events.
The most important challenge for us is that each industry
has very different specialist verticals within it. We need to
reach the particular target audience with interests and skills
to match the event or course that we are putting on. The
amazing thing about LinkedIn’s targeting parameters is
how they enable us to do that, through focusing on skills,
experience and seniority as well as industry.”
Relevant targeting is one driver of Informa’s extremely
strong engagement and conversion rates. Just as important
though, is the ability to nurture prospects using different
LinkedIn touchpoints, with Informa’s sales reps then using
LinkedIn’s social selling platform Sales Navigator to reach
out and convert leads. “That’s one of the reasons why
LinkedIn now represents so much of our marketing activity,”
says Ali, “and why we’ve delivered the results that we have.
We recently had a campaign achieving a conversion to
sales of over 11 per cent, which is almost four times our
benchmark for conversions.”

Informa_LinkedIn_Case Study

  • 1.
    An always-on contentstrategy, combined with a powerful approach to targeting, has helped the training and events business achieve rapid growth through LinkedIn Targeting always-on content at the most relevant specialists for its events and courses has made LinkedIn the key driver of leads and conversions for Informa Middle East and North Africa. The business has consistently achieved an average click-through rate of 12% on opened InMails, with leads converting into sales at a rate of 11% or more. Informa Case Study How real relevance built a bigger business for Informa The Challenge: Generate high-quality leads for Informa’s programme of specialist training courses and events Target specialist areas within sectors such as project management, industrial administration, human resource and finance Reach out to potential delegates, speakers and exhibitors Solution: Always-on content strategy, leveraging articles on industry trends, case studies, and ‘big rock’ content items such as eBooks Precision targeting to reach particular specialisms within sectors Delivery of content via Sponsored Content Lead generation via Sponsored InMail Why LinkedIn: Unique member profile data enables the in-depth targeting required for events and training clients Powerful combination of content distribution and lead generation platform Integration with LinkedIn Sales Navigator social selling solution enables Informa to manage prospects all the way through to conversion Results: Sponsored Content delivered engagement rates of over 2% and Sponsored InMails delivered average open-rate of 67% Conversion rates from Sponsored InMail and Sponsored Content of between 19 and 23% Leads from LinkedIn convert into sales at a rate of 11.2%, three times Informa’s benchmark for conversions
  • 2.
    Combining always-on contentwith targeted calls to action Informa has been committed to building an always-on content strategy on LinkedIn, managing a forward-looking editorial calendar and using Infographics, SlideShare presentations and industry-specific articles as the basis for its Sponsored Content. The business has made effective use of the eBooks that it produces for different sectors, leveraging these ‘big rock’ content assets to create regular streams of Sponsored Content, whilst also using them for Sponsored InMail lead generation campaigns. “With Sponsored Content, our main focus is on introducing prospects to our expertise and what we do,” explains Digital Marketing Manager Ali Khan. “We then use Sponsored InMail as a lead generation tool to reach a dedicated target audience with relevant calls to action.” Copyright © 2015 LinkedIn Corporation. LinkedIn, the LinkedIn logo, and InMail, are registered trademarks of LinkedIn Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other brands and names are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved. 10-LCS-231-G0115 Ali Khan Digital Marketing Manager Informa MENA “When you are able to target exactly the right people with always-on content, you end up generating the type of specialist leads that it’s easy for sales people to sell to. That’s exactly what’s happened for us on LinkedIn.” Managing quality leads through to conversion LinkedIn’s targeting capabilities have been the key to ensuring real relevance with Informa reaches out to its prospects. “There are a few different audiences that we need to nurture for our business,” explains Ali. “We need to reach out to delegates but also to potential exhibitors and to thought-leaders whom we want to speak at events. The most important challenge for us is that each industry has very different specialist verticals within it. We need to reach the particular target audience with interests and skills to match the event or course that we are putting on. The amazing thing about LinkedIn’s targeting parameters is how they enable us to do that, through focusing on skills, experience and seniority as well as industry.” Relevant targeting is one driver of Informa’s extremely strong engagement and conversion rates. Just as important though, is the ability to nurture prospects using different LinkedIn touchpoints, with Informa’s sales reps then using LinkedIn’s social selling platform Sales Navigator to reach out and convert leads. “That’s one of the reasons why LinkedIn now represents so much of our marketing activity,” says Ali, “and why we’ve delivered the results that we have. We recently had a campaign achieving a conversion to sales of over 11 per cent, which is almost four times our benchmark for conversions.”