10 Eye-Opening LinkedIn Statistics On Why Your Company Needs a Comprehensive Strategy

Does your company have a LinkedIn strategy? I mean, a real, comprehensive strategy that is recognized and utilized throughout the organization? 

As I wrote in a previous blog, LinkedIn touches nearly every function within a company. Yet too often, organizations either make assumptions that everyone knows how to use LinkedIn since they have profiles, or they start on step 3 or 4 of a strategy before building the foundation. 

Over the past few months, I have been collecting statistics about LinkedIn and how companies are effectively and ineffectively using its features to get in front of the right clients, attract and retain talent, develop thought leadership, and simply elevate their brand messaging. 

I hope these important LinkedIn stats help to open your eyes to how powerful a tool LinkedIn is for your organization and why now is the time to invest in a comprehensive training program to reap the benefits this platform has to offer.

Let’s dig in!

LINKEDIN STATS ON THOUGHT LEADERSHIP:

#1. 81% of B2B buyers are more likely to engage with someone who has a strong personal brand

(Souce: LinkedIn Sales Solutions)

You have heard this a million times – you have to build the KNOW, LIKE & TRUST factor when it comes to establishing yourself with potential customers. One of the best tools you can use to make this happen is LinkedIn. When companies see the value of their leadership and employees developing a presence on LinkedIn, the results speak for themselves. 

A personal brand on LinkedIn marries the company’s value proposition with the unique and special way each individual positions themselves as a trusted voice in their industry. It is a powerful tool to build relationships that lead to business.

#2. 61% of decision-makers say that an organization’s thought leadership can be moderately or a lot more effective at demonstrating the potential value of its products/services compared to traditional product-oriented marketing.

(Source: 2022 Edelman Thought Leadership Impact Report)

There’s a reason why companies want to build thought leadership – it works to establish credibility. And this stat from the most recent Edelman report makes it very clear that decision-makers are paying attention to content when making buying decisions. 

Thought leadership combined with a strong personal brand on LinkedIn helps companies get in front of targets and decision makers more effectively than traditional ads.

#3. Thought leadership is one of the most effective tools an organization can use to demonstrate its value to customers during a tough economy– even more so than traditional advertising or product marketing, according to B2B buyers.

(Source: 2022 Edelman Thought Leadership Impact Report)

The average American is exposed to 4,000-10,000 ads per day. The ability to establish an effective thought leadership strategy can break through some of this noise by leading with value. Companies that use thought leadership strategies to articulate their target’s pain point can demonstrate that they have the solution vs sending targeted ads that may or may not convert.

LINKEDIN & TALENT ACQUISITION STATS

#4. 82% of employees will research a CEO’s online presence when considering joining the company

(Source: The Brunswick Group)

Candidates want to get a sense of who they may work for (and with) when considering joining a company. They want to understand the company culture and values to ensure they are a good fit.

What happens when a CEO’s or manager’s profile is out of date and incomplete in comparison to another who has a crystal clear profile and a dynamic presence? What would a candidate find at your organization? 

#5. When executives are active on social media, the company is 58% more likely to garner top talent

(Source: LinkedIn Executive Playbook)

Company leadership needs to think of themselves as recruiters on LinkedIn – brand ambassadors for potential employees. Just as customers are paying attention to thought leadership and activity on LinkedIn, so are candidates. 

When it comes to winning the “talent war,” you can’t underestimate the value of simply showing up to highlight company culture, value, and messaging. 

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EMPLOYEE ADVOCACY:

#6. Audiences that are exposed to brand messages on LinkedIn are 6X more likely to convert

(Source: LinkedIn Marketing Solutions)

Companies have an army of brand ambassadors at their disposal – their employees! But too often, they don’t encourage them to be active on LinkedIn. Perhaps this statistic will show the value of employee advocacy programs to amplify brand messages. When companies encourage their employees to build an authentic presence on LinkedIn, it can push their brand message to a wider audience.

#7. Employee advocacy can increase lead generation by up to 67%

(Source: Danielle Guzman)

And part two of that journey becomes even more important as increased visibility can lead to new business opportunities. As discussed above with thought leadership, it’s so important to create the Know-Like-Trust factor, and employee advocacy programs are an amazing tool for this.

#8. 76% of employee advocates keep up with industry trends, 50% attract & develop new business and 44% are recognized as a thought leader.

(Source: Danielle Guzman)

These numbers truly speak for themselves – investing in employee advocacy makes an impact across the board and is truly a win-win for both the company and individual employees. 

#9. Employee shared content is re-shared 24x more frequently than content shared by an organization

(Source: Everyone Social)

Try this – scroll your LinkedIn newsfeed and see how long it takes you to see a company page post that is not sponsored.  You’ll see that it’s very challenging to get organic reach on company pages. In comparison, the organic reach from individuals is unmatched on other social media platforms (perhaps with the exception of Tik Tok). 

Even a rough calculation shows that the cost of LinkedIn ads pale in comparison to the impact and efficiency of organic reach from individual employees. It’s time for companies to see the value of activating those all powerful “brand ambassadors” to unleash the organic power of this platform and amplify the brand message to a larger audience. 

HOW TO LEVERAGE THESE LINKEDIN STATISTICS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

#10. 81% of companies did NOT provide any LinkedIn training in 2022

(Source: The Daily Sales)

This stat just makes me sad and truly question why the number is so low.Companies are missing out on such incredible opportunities when they leave LinkedIn on the sidelines or just assume everyone knows what they are doing. 

LinkedIn touches every aspect within a company – Sales, Marketing, Talent Acquisition/ HR, Employee Advocacy/ Engagement, Events – why aren’t more companies investing in training their teams? Why isn’t this a priority in your organization?

Think of the potential revenue lost, candidates and employees who moved onto other companies, money spent on tools with low results. We often ask about the ROI but what about the cost of NOT acting? What is your company missing out on by leaving LinkedIn on the sidelines?

My goal is to to help companies to control their brand narrative on LinkedIn so they can attract the best talent, connect organically with ideal clients, and stand out as a leader in their category.