B2C marketers are increasingly eyeing LinkedIn

LinkedIn’s not just for B2B marketers. B2C brands in sectors like automotive, hospitality, music, sports, and travel are investing in the platform. “LinkedIn is definitely heading into a direction where more direct B2C marketing is going to become prevalent,” said Jordan Schultz, vice president and head of social and digital creative at marketing agency Known.

B2C marketers are tailoring their messaging to the platform. For instance, a hotel chain may run ads encouraging employees to book its rooms for corporate travel, or a sports league selling suites may target executives in a particular city.

Marketers view it as brand-safe. That could work in its favor in what’s sure to be a contentious election year. The platform hasn’t dealt with election-related concerns—like the spread of misinformation—to the same degree that companies like Meta and TikTok have. LinkedIn also doesn’t allow political advertising and lets US users choose if they want to see political content in their feed. “As we enter a difficult election cycle yet again, it might be an opportunistic place for brands to try B2C marketing in a brand-safe way,” Schultz said.

For the most part, its users remain professional. Since a person’s LinkedIn is tied to their livelihood, they’re less likely to post inflammatory or inappropriate content. That’s not to say LinkedIn has been spared from issues related to user behavior; some women have received unwanted sexual messages or comments on the platform. Other users think people have taken to oversharing on LinkedIn, disregarding professional boundaries.

Many brands are attracted to the demographics of its user base. This year, we expect millennials to make up the largest portion of LinkedIn’s user base (35.8%); by comparison, Gen Z takes the No. 1 spot across Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube. According to a September 2023 Pew Research Center survey, US adults who have “higher levels of formal education are especially likely to use LinkedIn.” And more than half (53%) earned $100,000 or more—giving brands access to an audience they might not find as easily on some other platforms.

And marketers think the platform is effective. The majority (70%) of marketers think LinkedIn delivers a positive ROI for their organization, per an August 2023 Hootsuite survey. That puts LinkedIn in the top spot, ahead of larger rivals like Instagram (68%) and YouTube (52%).

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