Shocking Facts About LinkedIn that Caribbean Users Should Know

LinkedIn is a full-time relationship and everyone values it differently. For LinkedIn users, their online behaviour is unique to the platform and this is important if marketers, advertisers, influencers and businesses wish to reach this audience.

To optimize one’s engagement, you will need to get into the mind of the social media user to know when, where, why, what and how they use LinkedIn.

The Good News…

There is good news. People are spending more time on social media. Facebook, which has the largest number of users globally attracts their audience for about 58 minutes per day.

The Bad News…

LinkedIn users are only spending 17 minutes a month on the platform! This may look bad but there is light at the end of the tunnel. In the top 10 reasons people use social media, networking reported a score of 34 percent and was listed in the top 5 and this is one of the main reasons people use LinkedIn platform.

We Also Can’t Deny The Numbers…

The facts are clear. LinkedIn has power but its members need to apply it differently. There are 675 million users in over 200 countries using this social media platform. Also, the professional network site is making money. In 2019, it earned $6.8 billion in revenue.

LinkedIn users are networking and making connections; with a median number of 500 to 999 connections. There are also 30 million companies on LinkedIn. So what is the problem? What is Facebook, Youtube and Instagram doing that LinkedIn is not? The short answer is video.

Social media is all about the visual; photos and videos with the latter in 95 percent of all users’ newsfeeds. The prediction is that video will be responsible for most of consumer internet traffic in the next two years. Anyone can make a compelling video but what is it that audiences specifically LinkedIn members want? The best way to find out is to look at who is on LinkedIn.

These are five shocking facts companies and personal brands should know about LinkedIn users.

1. Millennials Love LinkedIn

Trinidadian Author and Millennial, Daniel Francis is using LinkedIn to market his new book and has built a large following on the professional platform.

Yes. LinkedIn is a professional website and though it does not have the entertainment feel to it, millennials see its worth. There are 87 million millennials on the platform with an eighth of them making major business decisions. A portion of this is in the Caribbean and it is important to reach out to this influential demographic.

The best way to capture the interest of Millennials on LinkedIn

• Be Visual - Use bold photos and crisp and professional videos with an appealing story

• Keep Your Audience In The Know-Social Media has replaced traditional media due to its immediacy and ability to maintain the momentum of trending topics e.g. Black Lives Matter, #MeToo Movement. Find ways to attract your audience through trending news

• Trust the Voice of Your Loyal Customers and Fans - known as user-generated content, nothing can build loyalty and consumer confidence more than positive word-of-mouth.

• Don’t Be Long-Winded with Posts - Human beings are mostly visual creatures. The more concise your post, the more captivating it will be. Use strong, active words and short sentences along with a video or a photo. But take note, long-form content can get more shares.

• Have A Cause - People care about people and the things they care about. Is it pets and providing shelter, children with special needs, cleaning up the environment, helping communities grow their own food? Millennials will appreciate brands that make an effort to show that they care.

2. LinkedIn Users Are Most Engaged Between Tuesday and Thursday

Each social media platform has its peak times of engagement for their users and it appears that LinkedIn is no different. If you want to capture the attention of this special group make sure you post between 9 am and 3 pm in the middle weekdays.

3. On LinkedIn, Human Resources Professionals Are The Most Connected Members

Several business sectors thrive on LinkedIn but the Human Resources sector has the most connections. HR professionals have on average over 400 connections followed by product management, business development, marketing and consulting.

4. LinkedIn Users with completed profiles get more views

This fact may seem elementary but a lot of LinkedIn users are not completing their profiles and it is at their detriment. The users who complete their profiles get 30 per cent more views.

5. Employees are Loyal on LinkedIn and Will Share Company Content

There is nothing more reassuring than knowing that employees believe in the companies they work for. On LinkedIn, it is no different as employees are 14 times more likely to share content from their employers on the platform.

Advice for Caribbean LinkedIn Users and Companies

The year 2020 is a difficult one and businesses have to make tough decisions. Some businesses will have to close their doors for good while others will explore their option of operating virtually. With over 1 million users and access to millions more globally, it would be a missed opportunity to not create a digital marketing strategy to reach this key audience. With virtual meeting software, LinkedIn Live and other features, employers, personal brands, advertisers and marketers have more than enough tools and resources to grow their networks and help their business to thrive.

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