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Now Is the Time to Make LinkedIn a Strategic Priority. Here’s Why.

Why B2B Marketers Build on LinkedIn, screenshot of top of infographic displayed

Editor’s note: Please enjoy this encore post, which was one of our reader’s favorites in 2023. Originally published on Jan. 17, 2023.

Last year, in the wake of a global pandemic’s staggeringly disruptive impact, we set a goal for ourselves and marketers at large: Return to Growth

We focused our platform and resources on helping resilient B2B marketers and businesses everywhere emerge from the storm and charge into the recovery period with momentum and resolve. Now, as we approach the third year of our post-COVID reality, we are thrilled by the progress we’ve seen across an industry that is rebounding, adapting, and thriving. 

At LinkedIn, we’re excited to keep playing a role in your growth. LinkedIn Marketing Solutions surpassed $5 billion in revenue for the first time in July of 2022, and eMarketer projects that by 2024, LinkedIn will capture nearly 50% of all display ad spending and 25% of all digital ad spending.

Here’s more on how we’re partnering with B2B brands to fuel growth.

Growth on LinkedIn, in a Nutshell

  • As of April 2022, 59 million companies have a LinkedIn Page.
  • 2.7 million of these Pages post at least weekly.
  • The LinkedIn Pages that post weekly have 5.6x more followers than Pages that post monthly, and their following grows 7x faster than Pages that post monthly. 
  • Over 11 million members have turned on LinkedIn creator mode since its launch in March of 2021.
  • LinkedIn members are viewing 22% more Feed Updates in 2022 YoY. (LinkedIn internal data)
  • LinkedIn members are having 25% more public conversations on LinkedIn YoY. (LinkedIn internal data)
  • Between June 2020 and June 2022, LinkedIn members shared 25% more public content YoY. (LinkedIn internal data)
  • LinkedIn members are scheduling 176% more LinkedIn Live events YoY. (LinkedIn internal data)
  • There is a 75% increase in the number of spontaneous LinkedIn Live events YoY. (LinkedIn internal data)
  • LinkedIn members created 150% more annual virtual events in 2021 than they did in 2020, and 231% more members attended these events. (LinkedIn internal data)

They say a rising tide lifts all boats, and that rings true as LinkedIn’s success is buoyed by that of our customers, who constantly inspire us with the ways they creatively use the platform’s marketing and advertising tools to connect and engage with members. 

If you haven’t yet caught the wave, there’s still time to hop aboard.

As your organization makes key decisions about where and how to invest confidently for maximum growth and ROI, here is an evidence-based case for why LinkedIn should be a strategic priority in your plans for 2022, 2023, and beyond.

Infographic: Why B2B Marketers Build on LinkedIn

Why B2B Companies Should Lean on LinkedIn Right Now

At a time when companies of all types need to invest where it counts most, the numbers make a strong case for LinkedIn: It works, it’s trusted, and it spans the breadth of B2B audience segments.

LinkedIn is where the business world connects—and it’s connecting like never before

  • LinkedIn is inhabited by 850+ million members in more than 200 countries and territories. (LinkedIn internal data)
  • Marketers can access up to 9x more monthly touchpoints for LinkedIn members who are more active on the LinkedIn Audience Network. (January 2022)
  • LinkedIn Conversation Ads drive 4x higher open rates and 4x higher engagement rates than traditional email and twice the engagement as Message Ads. (April 2022)
  • LinkedIn Sponsored Messaging drives twice as high open and engagement rates as traditional email. (April 2022)
  • After their ads were seen on LinkedIn, brands experienced an average of 10 to 15% lift in short-term ad performance. (LinkedIn Internal data)
  • 40% of LinkedIn visitors engage with a Page organically every week. (LinkedIn internal data) 
  • LinkedIn members interact with LinkedIn Pages more than 2 billion times per month. (LinkedIn internal data)
  • There are more than 36,000 newsletters actively published on LinkedIn, including newsletters from influencers like Melinda Gates, Ariana Huffington, and Richard Branson, as well as publishers like The Economist. As of April 2022, 29 million unique people were subscribed to at least one LinkedIn newsletter. (LinkedIn internal Data) 

As the world’s largest online professional network, LinkedIn is inherently B2B-centric. It’s where professional relationships are forged, careers are developed, and business is done. As a result, the platform is nearly ubiquitous as a content marketing channel for B2B marketers, and atop the social media chart.

Helping organizations achieve specific objectives is exactly what we aim to do, with our objective-based advertising experience designed to simplify that very thing. 

A trusted and professional brand environment

  • Brands were perceived to be “more professional” (92%), "more intelligent" (74%), “higher quality” (59%), and “more respectable” (59%) when their ad was seen on the LinkedIn platform. (Nielsen study)
  • There are more than 39,000 professional skills listed on LinkedIn member profiles. (LinkedIn internal data)
  • More than 40% of companies on LinkedIn now rely on skills filters to identify candidates, as job candidates and employers alike prioritize skills to more efficiently find and source work. (LinkedIn internal data)
  • LinkedIn Ads were more effective at driving Brand Lift than other top platforms for both B2B and B2C brands. (Nielsen study)
  • In the last 12 months, 96% of B2B marketers used LinkedIn to distribute content. (Content Marketing Institute, July 2020)
  • 80% of B2B marketers put paid behind their content on LinkedIn. (Content Marketing Institute, July 2020)

We’re living in a time where accurate and credible information has never been more valuable, nor harder to find. Trust is in peril, the business landscape is in flux, and the stakes are high. LinkedIn offers a setting where professionals and businesses alike can ground themselves and find reliable insight. 

Credible across verticals and industries

  • In technology, LinkedIn generated 2-5x higher Return On Ad Spend than other social media platforms (Analytic Partners Study)
  • In financial services, LinkedIn generated 7x more incremental customer sign-ups than display media (Analytic Partners Study)
  • In education, LinkedIn was 2-4x as effective as other display media (Analytic Partners Study)

The 850+ million members on LinkedIn span a vast array of professions, interests, functions, and career paths. Best of all, these details are readily available through profile information and content engagements, enabling marketers to understand who they should be trying to reach, and what matters to them.

The industry-specific stats above show that B2B marketers are tapping into this potential, driving fantastic results by zeroing in with the right members and resonating through on-point creative. 

You can do the same. Find your audience on LinkedIn, learn about them, and achieve your marketing objectives — whatever they might be. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

If you’re ready to get rolling, log into Campaign Manager and whip up something great.