LinkedIn is looking to make it easier for brands to maximize the reach of their posts, with a new, Facebook-like ‘Boost’ option to turn organic Page updates into paid ads, while it’s also adding new tools to help maximize virtual events, and track their performance in the app.

First off, on the new ‘Boost’ option – as explained by LinkedIn, sometimes, when you post an organic update to your company page, you can see it get some early traction, and you may want to capitalize on that, without having to create a new ad.

Now, you’ll be able to do it:

“Starting today, you can easily “Boost” any high-performing organic post directly from your LinkedIn Page. With the click of a button and a few payment details, you can easily give your most engaging or time-sensitive content a little boost to quickly expand your audience reach. It’s as simple as it sounds, and the newest way to reach a broader audience without having to learn how to use any new marketing tools.”

As you can see here, you’ll soon see a new ‘Boost’ button on your company page posts, providing a quick, easy way to get more reach – so long as you’re willing to pay for it.

In the accompanying notes on Boosting, LinkedIn explains that users will be able to pick from four objectives when boosting:

• Brand Awareness
• Video Views
• Engagement 
• Website visits

You’ll then also be able to select your target audience:

• Profile based – Select target audience criteria from job seniorities, job functions, or company industries.
• Interests based – Select target audience criteria from member groups.
• LinkedIn Audience template – Select a LinkedIn Audience template with pre-set targeting options.

You can also select the location, add exclusions, and set your desired budget. Then you click on ‘Boost’ and your campaign begins. LinkedIn has also published a short guide to boosting for those looking for more tips and strategies.

It could be a helpful way to get more eyeballs on your content, while also providing a means of organic testing, in that you can boost posts that are already gaining traction.

The true value will come down to how good LinkedIn’s targeting system is at showing your content to the right audiences – and as with Facebook, it is slightly galling to have to pay to reach at least some people who likely already follow your company page. But either way, it could be another option to consider, at least for experiments, as you look to maximize your LinkedIn performance.

In addition to this, LinkedIn’s adding a new Event Ads option to help marketers boost awareness of their virtual events.

“By appearing right in the LinkedIn feed, the Event Ad feature helps you promote your event by highlighting key event details, like date, time, and how to join your event, to an entirely new audience, while also allowing members to learn if a mutual connection has expressed interest in attending.”

LinkedIn has been working to refine its virtual event options over the past year, in response to increased demand due to the pandemic. The platform made its Events option available for all company pages last April, then added live-streaming for events a month later, providing new ways to facilitate connection in the app, and host virtual events that are linked back to your company presence.

That enables businesses to use their LinkedIn presence to help promote their virtual meet-ups, which then helps brands connect with more of the business reps that they want to maintain engagement with, without having to get them to download a new app or sign-up via a separate website.

Now, brands will also be able to promote their virtual events to more prospective attendees as well – and while the expectation is that we’ll be able to return to in-person events at some stage in the near future, it does seem likely that at least some companies will be relying on virtual events for some time yet, both as a safety precaution and as a means to keep costs low, while still maintaining awareness.

In addition to this, LinkedIn has also added new analytics for Events ads, which will display insights into reach, engagement, and the ‘firmographic makeup’ of attendees.

That will provide more specific insight into the impact of your efforts, and enable you to better plan your LinkedIn video strategies, and maximize your in-app events.

LinkedIn’s also looking to provide more streaming options, with a new Custom Streaming process that will enable Company Pages to stream via a range of third-party video platforms, including Zoom, WebEx, OBS, and Microsoft Teams. LinkedIn notes that the usage of LinkedIn live streams has increased by more than 400% year-over-year  

And finally, LinkedIn’s also updating its Mobile Page Analytics offering, which will now provide the same insight into visitor counts, followers, and content engagement that you can currently access via the desktop version.

That will also include both organic and boosted metrics, giving you more ways to manage your LinkedIn presence on the go.

These are some handy additions – and while we don’t know how much people are going to be relying on virtual events into the future, it’s good to more options on this front available, particularly as a means to boost your LinkedIn presence.

And as noted, with events on LinkedIn, you’re also able to maximize your reach to the professional audience that you’ve established within the app, which gives you more ways to use your LinkedIn presence to help boost your overall marketing and awareness efforts.

You can read more about LinkedIn’s latest Boost and event promotion options here.