Have you noticed the gradual rise of non-business related posts on LinkedIn over the past few years?
Some people share updates about their family life, some share memes, others share jokes or more light-hearted content not specifically related to their business interests.
As you can see, some of these posts see strong engagement – but are they what people should be sharing on LinkedIn?
Some would argue (and indeed have), that people should be looking to share a range of content types on the platform to maximize engagement. But there is a line, there are some updates which clearly don’t fit on LinkedIn. And LinkedIn’s latest promo campaign takes not-to subtle aim at those random, non-LinkedIn type updates.
The campaign aims to highlight the value of reaching people in a business mindset on the platform, as opposed to using the same meme-style tactics that you might on other platforms.
As per LinkedIn:
“Sure, your buyers enjoy watching a skateboarder roll down a hill while lip-synching to Fleetwood Mac and drinking Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice. LinkedIn is different, though, and it’s different by design. It’s a place where professionals nurture relationships and grow their careers. If your business message is sandwiched between the skateboarder and your best friend’s vacation photos, it’ll feel out of place.”
On LinkedIn, the company says, videos of pugs in bunny costumes look out of place “because your target audience is thinking business thoughts, not “pugs in costumes” thoughts”.
LinkedIn instead advises brands to “Do business where business is done”, and share content with professional value on the platform.
As noted, not all will agree, but there has been a rise in off-topic content on the platform. And LinkedIn’s still relatively new CEO Ryan Roslansky has long voiced his concerns about such.
Last February, when Roslansky was announced as the new CEO of the platform, he noted that he had seen some concerning content trends on the platform that he may look to address.
In this instance, Roslansky took specific aim at ‘broetry’ – those LinkedIn posts with double-spaced text, which are designed to lure clicks because the user has to tap on the post to see the full message.
Roslansky said that he didn’t like this approach, then in May, LinkedIn updated its algorithm to put more focus on dwell time, which essentially penalizes broetry posts because it puts more value into time spent with each update, as opposed to clicks.
Maybe that was the first sign of LinkedIn looking to address content concerns – but then again, the platform has seen consistent growth in engagement over the past few years, with active sessions up 30% in the last three months of 2020.
Maybe, then, there is platform value in such content – but either way, the message of LinkedIn’s campaign is that businesses should focus on connecting with business-minded people on the platform, as opposed to memes and off-topic updates.
It’s a relevant note for your LinkedIn approach, and may lead to better results.
You can read some of LinkedIn’s content tips here.
