Your target audience can be found on many social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat and YouTube. Before you start social media marketing, it is important to consider the potential users and demographics of each platform.
LinkedIn is one the most widely used social media platforms in the world and calls itself “the largest professional network in the world”. A LinkedIn strategy can be very different from other social media sites due to its formal image.
Understanding how to optimize your LinkedIn marketing strategy is key. This includes understanding the various LinkedIn demographics.
This article will list 10 crucial LinkedIn statistics that you need to consider when creating your social media marketing strategy for your ecommerce business. Let’s get started!
1. LinkedIn Users
LinkedIn has over 740 million users in more that 200 countries and territories around the world (LinkedIn, 202).
LinkedIn was officially launched in 2003. Its rapid growth has been unstoppable. It has grown to 1.6 million members in just two years.
Even so, the initial growth rate of LinkedIn was slow compared with the rapid increase it experienced after becoming public in 2011. LinkedIn almost tripled its user base over the next five years, from 160 million to 400 millions in just five years. It reached half-a billion users in 2017 just a year later.
Nearly half (48.4%) of the users are from North America or Europe today. In particular, 194 million of its users are located in North America, and 166 millions in Europe.
Asia Pacific is home to more than 200 million LinkedIn users, making it the most populous region. Latin America has 110 million LinkedIn users, while the Middle East and Africa have 65 million.
2. Gender Demographics on LinkedIn
LinkedIn’s demographics and, more specifically, the gender divide show that the professional network is much more popular with males than it is with females.
According to Statista, 2019, 57 percent of LinkedIn users are men, and only 43 percent of them are females. The LinkedIn statistics show that there are very different engagement patterns between men and women on the platform.
Women tend to be more selective in their job applications. They feel they must meet all requirements before applying for a job (compared to 60 percent for men). It is interesting to note that women apply for 20 percent less jobs than men.
After the application process, however, things change. Women are 16 percent more likely to be hired than men after they apply.
3. LinkedIn Demographics Age
You should consider your LinkedIn age demographic when setting up an ad campaign. 37% of US adults (or more than one in three) are between the ages of 30 and 49. This is the largest age group US LinkedIn users belong to, with the 18-29 year olds making up 28 percent.
Globally, 38 percent of LinkedIn users are between 25-34 years old. The platform has 30 percent of its total users who are between 35 and 54 years old. Next, there are 24 percent of those aged 18 to 24 years.
This is also the group where LinkedIn is growing in popularity. The majority of LinkedIn’s advertising audience is between 18 and 24 years old.
4. LinkedIn Demographics
It is important to take into account other demographics when planning a LinkedIn ad campaign. For example, the academic backgrounds of your target audience.
It may interest you to know that half the US adults who have a college degree use LinkedIn (Pew Research Center 2018, 2018). Compared to this, only 42 percent, 39 per cent, and 32 per cent of college graduates in the US use Instagram and Pinterest respectively.
However, LinkedIn usage among college graduates in the US is much lower than YouTube and Facebook. 85 percent and 77% of college-educated Americans use YouTube and Facebook, respectively.
5. LinkedIn Demographics – Job Seniority
There are many interesting targeting options available for marketers who wish to advertise on LinkedIn. Understanding your target audience is only half of the equation. You also need to know what type of audience you have on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is the most popular social media platform for business. This means that your target audience is composed of professionals who use LinkedIn to communicate with their businesses. Statistics show that 4 out 5 LinkedIn users have the ability to influence business decisions.
LinkedIn makes it possible to target your audience based on seniority. It is therefore important for marketers that they understand the demographics and interests of the professionals who use the site.
LinkedIn claims that 180 million of its users are high-ranking influencers (LinkedIn 2021). This makes up almost 25% of the total users.
More than one eighth of LinkedIn users are decision-makers, with 63 million. About 10 million are C-level executives.
6. LinkedIn for Business
LinkedIn is a popular professional network that is used by job seekers and businesses. It has more than 55,000,000 companies (LinkedIn, 221).
This doesn’t mean all 55+ million business listing are created and managed solely by the companies. LinkedIn generates business listings automatically when users add experiences from organizations yet to be listed.
LinkedIn is still well on its way towards its goal to get all 70 million companies on its network.
These registered companies have millions of jobs listed on the platform. LinkedIn statistics show that every minute, three people are hired via their platform.
These LinkedIn statistics are a testament to the power of LinkedIn in the professional workplace. Every Fortune 500 company has at least one representative on the platform.
7. LinkedIn is a popular choice for B2B marketers
LinkedIn is second on the list of social media platforms, after Facebook (Social Media Examiner 2019, 2019).
LinkedIn is used by four out of five B2B marketing professionals, while Facebook is used by 91 percent. This puts it ahead Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, which are used respectively by 67 percent and 66 percent and 54 percent of B2B marketers.
Although LinkedIn is a popular B2B marketing platform, it doesn’t seem as popular for businesses as Facebook. Only 14 percent of marketers voted for LinkedIn as their most important platform, while 61% chose Facebook.
However, LinkedIn marketing activities may be increasing. B2B marketers plan to increase their organic activity on LinkedIn by 70% – something you should consider when developing your LinkedIn strategy.
8. Reach of LinkedIn Ads
This LinkedIn statistic shouldn’t surprise you, as LinkedIn is an ever-growing advertising treasure trove. This is particularly important for companies and brands that want to connect with professionals all over the world.
It is important to understand the potential reach of LinkedIn advertising. According to the latest LinkedIn statistics, 663.3 millions people can be targeted by LinkedIn ads as of January 2020 (DataReportal 2020). This represents an increase of 1.6 percent in LinkedIn’s reach quarterly.
The US has the largest number of LinkedIn advertising users, with 160 million users. LinkedIn users in the US are the most likely to reach potential customers via ads, with 2.5x the reach of second-placed India (62 million users) and third-placed China (50 million users).
9. LinkedIn’s role in the Buyer’s Journey
It shouldn’t surprise, given the increasing popularity of social media, that buyers today use social media to influence their purchase decisions.
It is believed that seven out of ten customers are influenced by social networks when purchasing a product or service.
LinkedIn appears to be the most popular social network. 52 percent of buyers cite LinkedIn as their most important channel in their research (Demandbase 2018, 2018). This is followed closely by 42 percent who identify blogs as the most influential channel in their research.
Buyers who use social media to make purchase decisions rely on it for advice, opinions, and connections with sellers.
10. LinkedIn’s Mobile Traffic
Mobile web traffic has increased with the increase in mobile device usage. In fact, the overall mobile traffic is forecast to grow fivefold between 2018-2024.
Further to put this in perspective, the average American smartphone user currently uses 8.6GB per month. This figure is expected to rise to 50GB by 2024.
The majority of internet use is currently mobile. LinkedIn is no exception: 57% of its traffic is from mobile devices (LinkedIn 2018, 2018).
This is still a low number compared to Facebook’s 88 percent and YouTube’s 70 percent, but it should be enough to motivate ecommerce store owners that they consider mobile commerce strategies – at the very least, for their LinkedIn marketing efforts.
Conclusion
These LinkedIn statistics will help you to better understand the platform’s users. This will allow you to maximize its potential and drive traffic to your site from LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is a great channel to use for marketing your ecommerce business.
If you aren’t already using LinkedIn statistics, it might be worth your while to do so.
Summary: LinkedIn Statistics
Here are the top LinkedIn statistics for 2021.
- LinkedIn has more than 740 million users in over 200 countries and territories around the world.
- LinkedIn users make up 57 percent and 43 percent, respectively.
- 37% of US adults who use LinkedIn between the ages of 30 and 49 are aged between these two ages.
- LinkedIn is used by half of the US adult population with a college degree.
- Nearly 25% of LinkedIn users are senior-level Influencers.
- LinkedIn has more than 55,000,000 companies.
- LinkedIn is second most popular social media platform for B2B marketers.
- With 160 million users, the US has the largest LinkedIn advertising audience.
- LinkedIn is the preferred platform for buyers to research products before buying them. 52 percent of them agree.
- Mobile makes up 57 percent of LinkedIn traffic.
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