I love LinkedIn. What’s not to love, right? Thanks to LinkedIn, the World’s Largest Professional Network is only a click away at all times. Since networking, swapping business ideas, and developing partnerships are among my favorite activities, it is easy to understand why I am such a big fan of LinkedIn. Truth be told, even though I enjoy making connections on LinkedIn, and tapping into some of the powerful resources available via the LinkedIn platform, I have not even scratched the surface of the B2B marketing potential of LinkedIn.
In an effort to better understand and utilize the business development potential of LinkedIn, I went down the rabbit hole of research, and emerged with some clear takeaways. I am happy to present to you some of my favorite findings from my LinkedIn B2B marketing research. Because infographics are easy to skim, and make data simple to share with others, many of the research results are shared as an Ethos3 infographic below. In addition, below the infographic you can find an additional list of insights on the topic of B2B marketing on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn B2B Marketing Stats and Facts:
1. For the first time, the share of internet users with college educations using LinkedIn reached 50%. Note: The results in this report are based on American adults who use the internet. Source: Social Media Update 2014
2. And a whopping 80 percent of LinkedIn members want to connect with companies – because those connections provide them opportunities to enhance their professional decision making. Source: LinkedIn
3. Companies are finding that their LinkedIn Company Page is a powerful and effective way to nurture leads and increase sales. In fact, we’ve found that 50% of LinkedIn members are more likely to purchase from a company they engage with on LinkedIn. Source: LinkedIn
4. In a study of more than 5,000 businesses, HubSpot found that traffic from LinkedIn generated the highest visitor-to-lead conversion rate at 2.74%—277% higher than Twitter (.69%) and Facebook (.77%). Source: Master the LinkedIn Company Page
5. 93% of B2B marketers find LinkedIn the most effective social network for B2B lead generation, and 77% say they have acquired a customer through LinkedIn. Source: 106 More Amazing Social Media and Marketing Statistics for 2014 and 2015
6. 85% of B2B buyers believe companies should present information via social networks. Source: 104 Fascinating Social Media and Marketing Statistics for 2014 (and 2015)
7. According to numbers from LinkedIn , 6 out of every 10 LinkedIn users are interested in industry insights—the most-demanded type of content among LinkedIn members. Source: 7 Essential LinkedIn Marketing Stats
8. A LinkedIn study of company updates with at least 1,000 impressions showed that updates that included the words “top” and the numbers 3, 5, 10, 25, 30, 50, or 100 got almost 40 percent more amplification. Source: Master the LinkedIn Company Page
9. In a recent study 86% of buyers expressed some level of desire to access interactive/visual content on demand. Source: 17 Stats You Should Know About Visual Content Marketing in 2015
10. LinkedIn has found that 20 posts per month can help you reach 60 percent of your unique audience. Source: 7 Essential LinkedIn Marketing Stats
11. Business hours, in general, have the largest maximum reach, so you don’t have to be too particular about specific times. Source: 7 Essential LinkedIn Marketing Stats
12. …top sellers are nearly twice as active in LinkedIn groups than everyone else. Source: How to Get 58% of Your Revenue Via LinkedIn Groups
13. The top three social networks used by B2B marketers are LinkedIn (91%); Twitter (85%); and Facebook (81%). However, just 62% of marketers say that LinkedIn is effective, while 50% say the same for Twitter and only 30% of B2B marketers view Facebook as effective. Source: CMO Council Facts and Stats
Conclusion: There is no denying LinkedIn offers impressive marketing potential, especially for B2B marketing professionals. Based on my research and experience, I would advise all B2B marketers to focus their marketing initiatives on LinkedIn, as well as event marketing. Why? According to SocialFresh, 67% of B2B marketers think event marketing is the most effective marketing strategy. Secondly, LinkedIn marketing and event marketing are a match made in heaven. To put it simply: Attend conferences, seminars, and networking events. Be friendly and helpful. Connect with your new contacts on LinkedIn. Be helpful and friendly on LinkedIn. Then, watch your business grow. This strategy is easy, fun, and effective. I hope you value these research results as much as I do. See you on LinkedIn!
Want more LinkedIn and social media marketing tips? Check out:
33 LinkedIn Tips, in 140 characters or less
Why Your Business Needs Visual Content (Infographic)
