What More Content on LinkedIn Means for Brands

LinkedIn used to be considered as “just” the online resume of social networks.

But things are changing.

LinkedIn had long been viewed as the social media platform that did not need to be visited regularly. Now, with frequently updated, high-quality content, members have a reason to visit the site with more regularity and this gives brands a reason to put more eggs in the LinkedIn basket.

Just last year, the network added a “follow” feature that allows members to follow influencer’s newsfeeds without having to officially connect. They also rolled out a long-form publishing tool (think “blog”) so that these influencers can post lengthier, media-rich updates to their profiles.

Those changes meant unique content, hosted on the network, which these influencers would then drive their connections, followers, and fans to.

For LinkedIn, it meant more traffic to the site.

When users visit their LinkedIn account, they see LinkedIn Today, which represents a huge opportunity for brands. LinkedIn Today is a content marketing platform that aggregates news based on which links are shared within a user’s network of contacts. It also offers brands the ability to sponsor content.

Here’s a short comment from Scott Devitt, Internet analyst at Morgan Stanley, on what LinkedIn CEO, Jeff Weiner had to say:

New opportunities in Marketing Solutions from original content: Jeff Weiner mentioned that Marketing Solutions was one of the opportunities he is most excited about as the company moves forward. In addition to robust opportunities in traditional B2C and B2B advertising, LinkedIn is in the early stages of establishing itself as valuable content marketing platform. Insights from thought leaders and companies sharing white papers / other valuable professional insights create incremental monetization opportunities through sponsored posts on the LinkedIn homepage.

LinkedIn is now reportedly in talks to buy Pulse, a news aggregator that 20 million people use to read stories on mobile devices. This acquisition would let LinkedIn users spend more time on LinkedIn by creating their own newsfeeds.

The idea behind features like LinkedIn Today, the LinkedIn blog section, and the possible acquisition of Pulse is that users will be spending more time on LinkedIn which gives brands more of a reason to take advantage of the digital space LinkedIn provides.

But none of this means that every brand should be on LinkedIn. Certain brands simply cannot benefit enough from what LinkedIn has to offer to justify spending the time (and money) on the site. Other brands however, lose great opportunities by not being on LinkedIn.

Determining whether a brand should be on LinkedIn is a case-by-case determination. But if you know your brand can benefit, remember: If a user’s eyes are on LinkedIn, then a brand’s content should be there to be seen.