Social media is all around us. For some people, it is very much apart of their daily life. In fact, worldwide there are currently 2.6 billion users on one or more networks. That’s over a third of our entire population. This number is expected to grow by 10% in 2020. At this moment majority of all users sit on Facebook. However there are other platforms that are on the rise. One that is beginning to stand out in LinkedIn. While the network may be growing due to its compelling service, us marketers know a bit more than meets the eye. Much like other platforms that we all know and love, there is a space for digital marketing on LinkedIn. One that at present is making a difference among the clutter, providing businesses with astonishing results that they deserve.
Here at Argonyx Marketing we offer LinkedIn services as part of our Social Media Marketing. As we look further into the history of the LinkedIn and its digital marketing opportunities hopefully you can find value in the network just as much as we do.
Essentially, LinkedIn is a social network for professionals. Users are able to have their own personalised profiles that almost act as online resumes. The connections that you make within the site will add to your network. The home page once you’ve logged in acts as a news feed. Featuring the latest and most popular posts from other professionals and companies that you connect with.
On the site there are countless job listings posted daily which can be found by individual users or recommended to them based on their profile. You can also direct message your connections regarding jobs or even just to have a chat.
People and businesses use LinkedIn to seek, connect and be heard. You can find a job, connect with admirable professionals and brands, participate in interest groups and share all that you know on the platform. There is even an option to upgrade to a premium account for those that want to utilise its features on another level. However all of this didn’t just suddenly appear. LinkedIn has come along way to title itself the world’s largest professional network.
Towards the end of 2002, Reid Hoffman rounds up a team of past colleagues from the likes of SocialNet and PayPal to create something of their own. After six months of hard work, their idea comes to life as LinkedIn launches. Initially, growth was slow as with any start up projections. That was until the site attracted an investment from Sequoia Capital, an American venture capital firm.
A year later, along with new features such as address book uploads, groups and a partnership with American Express the site began to grow faster. By 2006 with even more features such as job listings and recommendations the company achieves profitability. After four years of being CEO, Reid moves on and hands over the lead to Dan Nye. LinkedIn soon became a truly global company. The first international office opened in London along with Spanish and French language versions of the site. By 2009, the leadership had shifted again with a new CEO adding a new mission, values and priorities along with changes to the structure of the site. Soon after, the company grows more rapidly than ever with nearly 1,000 employees over 10 offices with over 90 million active users worldwide.
What really credits its growth story is that LinkedIn now has 13,000 full time employees with offices in more than 30 cities across the globe and 467 million users. With such a large market there’s no wonder why it has become a promising marketing tool.
See where LinkedIn sits within the history of social media marketing: Social Media Marketing: Then and Now
Whatever your marketing plan is, LinkedIn has you covered on a professional level. From methods of generating leads to raising brand awareness, the marketing suite available will surely have a way to achieve your business goals. What’s promising about LinkedIn ads is that you know they are going out to the people who matter most. In just minutes your ad can be up and running in one form or another.
The typical ad on LinkedIn is known as a Native or Feed Ad. They take form as a post that will appear both on your LinkedIn Page and in the news feed. These posts can include multimedia, carousels, hyperlinks, written text, a call to action or a combination of them all. If you plan to capture leads from your ads there is a call to action just for that!
Feed ads run organically which means that only professionals that follow your page will see them. However LinkedIn gives the option to promote this content to specific audiences – people who matter. This is called a Direct Feed Ad. This way you are able to personalise ads that cater to certain people. These posts will not show up on your LinkedIn Page however. Which can be a good thing as it would look spam like otherwise.
LinkedIn’s Campaign Manager system allows you to measure the performance of these ads . That way you can manage your spend and further understand your audience. There is also an add on, LinkedIn Insight Tag, which connects your ads to your website providing more data to work with.
Another form of marketing that LinkedIn almost does all by itself is Dynamic Ads. These appear different on every users screen. Based on the profile data that LinkedIn gathers they are able to personalise ads to users even more than usual. They are dynamic in a way that they are constantly changing based on user activity and interest. There are three different formats of dynamic ads. The first are Follower Ads. They aim to expand audiences and obtain more followers to one’s LinkedIn or showcase page. Another form is Spotlight Ads. These aim to drive traffic to your website or any landing page of your choice. They can be distinguished by their clear call to action. The final form of dynamic ads are Content Ads. This allows users to directly download content right from an ad. The purpose is to generate leads from this content exposure.
LinkedIn even allows ads to be sent directly to the inboxes of targeted users. Members will only receive them when they are active. That way it is almost a guarantee they will at least notice it. What’s more is these messages are rarely blocked apposed to other email or messaging ads that are blocked by spam.
No matter what device they are using, the format of message ads is always responsive and they look great on any screen. Businesses often use this type of ad to share invites, news or promotions in hope of driving conversions.
Text ads are LinkedIn’s most simple form of marketing. A headline and a short written description complemented by a 50×50 image of your choice – yes that’s all. These ads will appear on the side of any typical page of LinkedIn. While they seem basic they can be highly effective – because sometimes simple is best.
The final type of ad that available on LinkedIn is Programmatic Display Ads. These will appear on the side of the screen. Internet users can see this type of ad across many websites on the internet. What makes LinkedIn a promising space to market however is its quality, accuracy, high view-ability and safety. The network is made up of the most professional people there is. So you know click every click matters. You are also able to accurately target the ones that matter. This ensures you aren’t wasting your time sharing your business with uninterested people. These ads stand out from the general news feed with their size and notable differentiation. What’s more is on a professional site, ads can be trusted and not thought to be spam.
For such a professional network, you would expect to pay big dollars to use LinkedIn Marketing. However this isn’t the case at all. In fact the amount you wish to pay is up to you. LinkedIn allows businesses to set a specific budgets. This can be done on a monthly and daily basis. You can even set how much you want to pay for clicks, impressions and InMail. Unfortunately the less you offer the more you will fall behind competitors who want to reach the same audience. Say you aren’t doing so well. LinkedIn even allows you to turn off ads off so you can adjust them to excel in the future.
LinkedIn allows businesses and marketers to reach audiences like no other. The professional nature of the site provides useful data that businesses need to target the people who matter. What’s more is the range of easy and effective ads that are on offer to do so. Whatever the business goal, there is an ad type for it. In addition the flexibility of costs makes the service that more worthwhile. Whether you are a big or small organisation LinkedIn marketing is one of the best digital marketing methods to achieve specific business goals.
With the knowledge and expertise at Argonyx, we help build online communities and use paid advertising for our clients through social media marketing. While your business may have a presence on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, maybe even Snapchat – we highly recommend taking to LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network.
Written by Jack Davis
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