LinkedIn Adds Content Marketing (Erica Johnson)

LinkedIn is a popular professional networking website founded in the early 2000’s (LinkedIn about us, 2014).  With over 250 million users around the globe (LinkedIn about us, 2014), organizations and employees alike have flocked to this website.  While I am familiar with the website and have even used it in the past, I never realized that they offer more than the ordinary social media platform.  This year, LinkedIn launched a marketing content insight product that scores the impact of the advertising on their website (Delo, 2014).  The score will be calculated simply using the number of members that have interacted with the brand and been active recently.  Taking their platform and expanding it, LinkedIn plans to use the content marketing score to give advice on what their members want to learn and hear about—what interests them.  Then the brand can deliver content specifically geared towards their target audience of LinkedIn members.

While this is a new product for LinkedIn, Forbes magazine indicates that this marketing concept is one of the most important methods of 2014 (DeMers, 2013).  This will allow LinkedIn to be part of the movement and attract more and more advertisers.  This is a great opportunity for LinkedIn.  Establishing itself as the premier online environment for potential employees to meet potential employers and the place to introduce professionals that may be looking for partnerships or advice, LinkedIn is expanding their scope.  Now, this organization is also going to link specific content with their members.  This could be the start of professional job postings exiting company websites and using LinkedIn exclusively.  It could be the place an employer can find a Temp Agency, learn what an appropriate salary to offer a potential employee and solicit business as well. There are also plenty of benefits for the member.

As a potential employee, a person could learn information about relocation, potential job opportunities and industries they may have never considered in the past.  All in all, LinkedIn may have just opened another exclusive door for their type of organization.

References

Delo, C. (2014). LinkedIn launches insights tool to help brands become better publishers. Advertising Age, , March 2014.

DeMers, J. (2013). The top 7 content marketing trends that will dominate 2014. Forbes, , March 2014.