LinkedIn just announced that it has more than 575 million members across the globe. They also shared a breakdown of their members so that we can see where the professional network is most popular. The infographic is shown here. Similar to other platforms, LinkedIn is most popular in North America. But, it’s interesting to see that the channel is also making waves in China (42 million members) and India (50 million members).
Last April, LinkedIn reached the 500 million member mark, so it’s taken over 16 months for another 75 million to join. For comparison, Facebook has gained 146 million members in this time period, but Twitter only added 9 million. Growth, on its own, is good, but these numbers show that LinkedIn is probably doing better than average.
The Difference between Members and Active Users
One thing to point out is that “members” and “active users” are not the same thing. Members are simply accounts that are set up, where active users are people who are regularly engaging with the site. This is important to distinguish, as some accounts may offer nothing to the community.
For example, Twitter recently removed millions of accounts that were believed to be created by bots or following spammy practices. In Twitter’s case, the social network has around 1 billion accounts but only 335 million active users. Some numbers suggest that LinkedIn has around 144 million active users, or roughly 25% of its total members.
Why You Should Revisit Your LinkedIn Strategy
Knowing that LinkedIn continues to see above-average growth, it’s important to keep your LinkedIn marketing strategy alive. Below I share a few tips for remaining competitive on the professional network.
- Post updates regularly. It’s easier to reach people organically on LinkedIn compared to Facebook. Enjoy it! Post every couple of days for the most impact.
- Try LinkedIn ads. Like other social channels, LinkedIn has ads that can be used to promote your business. They’re pricey, but they’re worth it. You can target people by company, title, geography and others.
- Publish LinkedIn Pulse articles. Another way to advertise on LinkedIn is by publishing articles on Pulse, LinkedIn’s built-in blogging tool. Using this platform, you can publish blogs to build brand awareness and thought leadership.
How’s your LinkedIn marketing plan looking these days? If it needs a refresher, contact WSI Star Web Solutions and let’s chat! LinkedIn remains a powerful platform for B2B businesses and should not be overlooked.