LinkedIn is one of the most popular social sites in the world. It was officially launched in 2003 and has grown steadily over the years. It is the largest professional website in the world; it has a more formal and professional image. It was created for career and business people to connect with each other.
Over 660 million professionals use this social site platform to build strategic relationships and grow their careers and businesses. While other social sites rush people to get the highest number of followers or friends, LinkedIn is all about making the right connections. That's why the maximum number of connections displayed on a person's profile is 500+. It's not about quantity, but about the quality of your connections.
In this article we discuss a number of entertaining facts about LinkedIn that will give you a different perspective on LinkedIn.
1. 660+ million users
LinkedIn was officially launched in 2003 and is currently available in more than 200 countries around the world. It has a user base of more than 600 million users. Compared to other social networking sites that have grown exponentially in a short period of time, LinkedIn has grown steadily over the years.
It experienced a growth spurt in 2011 following its IPO. Within five years, the number of users tripled to 400 million and in 2017 the 500 million mark was reached and exceeded. To put this growth into perspective: Every second LinkedIn registers more than 2 new users and more than 172,800 users in one day! It is important to note that there are more than 330 million active users every month, 40% of which access the site daily!
2. 70% of LinkedIn users are not in the USA
LinkedIn users in America account for 27% of all LinkedIn users worldwide. This is an enormous number and shows the popularity of LinkedIn among Americans. Europe, the Middle East and Africa together have over 185 million users. Asia Pacific has 158 million users and the remaining 145 million users are located in Southeast Asia, Latin America and 22 countries in the MENA region.
The five countries that use LinkedIn the most are America with 165 million users, followed by India with 62 million users. It should be noted that India is catching up on the LinkedIn bug and is becoming an active population to watch. This is after a decline of the IT industry in the country and they are adapting to new areas. Then China follows in third place with 48 million users. Brazil and the United Kingdom follow in fourth and fifth place with 33 million and 25 million users respectively.
3. Linked in age and gender demography
The worldwide members of LinkedIn have the majority of users between the ages of 25-34. They represent 38%. 35% are 35-54 years old and 24% belong to the 18-24 age group. LinkedIn's popularity is growing significantly among 18-24 year olds, as they represent the best advertising audience.
In terms of gender usage, it is interesting to note that LinkedIn is more popular with men than women. 57% of Linked users are male and 43% are female. They also have different engagement behaviour on the platform. Women typically apply for 20% fewer jobs than men and will be very selective in applying for jobs that meet 100% of the required requirements. While men apply for more jobs if they meet 60% of the requirements.
4. 87 million Millennium using LinkedIn
There are 2 billion millennia worldwide. And those who use LinkedIn are 87 million. This group represents a significant number that cannot be ignored. They are the current decision-makers in shaping the future of social sites, especially LinkedIn.
With 11 million millennials in the ranking of decision-makers, it is very easy to find your way around the group, especially since they have the purchasing power. For B2B marketers, this is the group you should strategically plan to move forward.
5. 57% of LinkedIn traffic comes from mobile devices
The use of mobile devices has grown exponentially over the years. This has directly increased mobile web traffic. As if this were not enough, growth is expected to be five times higher between 2021 and 2024. In America, for example, the average smartphone user consumes 8.6 GB of data, and this consumption is expected to rise to 50 GB by 2024.
57% of LinkedIn traffic comes from mobile devices Compared to Facebook mobile traffic, which is 88% and YouTube 70%, LinkedIn mobile traffic is encouraging. And given the expected growth, digital marketers should consider a mobile commerce strategy and enter this market.
6. 33% Millionaires use LinkedIn
Of all LinkedIn users there are no less than 42 million million millionaires! This is an interesting addition to the LinkedIn user demographics. It is a platform where they can connect with other millionaires and business companies. They also contribute to many decision making processes between different groups.
While Facebook is in the lead with 55% of the millionaires using the platform, LinkedIn is in second place with 33%, YouTube with 29% and Twitter with 12%. This is an ideal platform to connect with them and even follow them and learn a thing or two from them.
7. 92% of Fortune 500 companies use LinkedIn
Unlike other social sites, LinkedIn is primarily aimed at businesses and professionals. It's no surprise that 92% of all Fortune 500 companies use LinkedIn. It shares with Facebook the leading position as the preferred social platform for the Fortune 500 companies. In third place was Twitter with 79%, while YouTube was the least preferred platform.
A look at the above statistics proves that LinkedIn is the right place for you if you are looking for a platform that is ideal for B2B. It will also be an ideal social platform to reach your customers and establish a range of business relationships.
8. Over half a billion professionals on LinkedIn
Remember, LinkedIn is not like other social sites that connect you to your friends and family. It's a site for professionals, businesses and people who want to advance their careers. That's why your connections revolve around your employees, employers and colleagues, or people you've studied with.
One third of LinkedIn users are people in senior management positions. The influencers at senior levels are 90 million, 63 million are decision makers, and 6 million make decisions in the IT sector. These are more than 40 million wealthy people, 10 million C-level executives and 17 million opinion leaders among other professionals. From a B2B perspective, if you redouble your efforts on this platform, it will be very easy to reach the right people on the platform where they enjoy spending their time.
9. 30 million businesses
The companies have found a good home in LinkedIn. Over 30 million companies are registered on this social platform. However, this number is automatically listed on LinkedIn when an individual adds an experience from a company that is not listed. This has had a positive impact and demonstrates LinkedIn's dominance in the professional sector, with 20 million job openings at these listed companies.
In one month there are over 100 million job applications submitted via the platform. LinkedIn has not yet reached its target of 70 million listed companies. But it is a celebration and they are working hard to achieve it.
10. 94% of B2B marketers distribute content via LinkedIn
When it comes to social channels that give you high impressions, LinkedIn. It's the reason why B2B marketers prefer this channel to distribute their content. Compared to other social sites, Twitter comes second with 89%, then Facebook and YouTube are preferred by 77%. With these statistics, LinkedIn ranks first and best for content distribution.
This content distribution was preferred, since high-quality content is also available. It is therefore important that you make sure that your content is reliable when you create it. Remember that this content should be read and used by professionals, business people and decision makers.
11. 92% B2B's digital marketing mix includes LinkedIn
92% of B2B digital marketers create content that includes LinkedIn as one of their channels in their marketing mix. Start by checking out Linked to see what B2B experts are doing. Other social sites listed as channels include Twitter at 87%, YouTube at 67% and Instagram at 15%. The potential of LinkedIn is huge, and as a marketer you should take advantage of it.
Apart from the listing, 50% of all social traffic to B2B websites and blogs comes from LinkedIn. Although Facebook and Twitter have a fairly high number of monthly active users, LinkedIn is the social platform you can use for your B2B content distribution.
12. 35,000 skills listed on LinkedIn
We have listed 35000 skills on LinkedIn. As an individual you can list a maximum of 5o skills, which you can delete and update as you acquire additional skills. This is the largest professional website with over 20 million job offers and over 100 million applications available on the platform.
Companies have preferred skills to which they pay attention. The most important soft skills needed are creativity and persuasion, while cloud computing and block chain are the most important hard skills they look for. Apart from that, statistical analysis and data mining skills are also attractive to employers. As a job seeker and member of LinkedIn, this information will help you match your skills.
13. Three persons in connection with the highest trailers
Although the LinkedIn algorithm uses the 6 rule of connections, where you connect with people you know on a personal level, it allows you to have an unlimited number of followers. As a LinkedIn member, by following people and brands, you can view and interact with the content they share.
On LinkedIn, the three people with the most followers are Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, with 20,033,291, and second is Richard Branson of the Virgin Group with 15 million followers. Branson was the first with one million followers. In third place on the list is the CEO of Jeff Weiner LinkedIn with 9.4 million followers.
14. 65% of the B2B company has acquired a customer via LinkedIn
Linked has the highest visitor-to-lead conversion rate. This means that more leads are coming to your website via LinkedIn. And the buying potential or willingness to do business with you is very high. LinkedIn has 3 times the conversion rate compared to Twitter and Facebook. In perspective, LinkedIn has a conversion rate of 2.74%, while Facebook and Twitter have 0.77% and 0.69% respectively.
With a high conversion rate, this means a high chance of winning a customer. It is therefore not surprising that 65% of B2B customer acquisition takes place via this platform. LinkedIn users are more likely to do business with someone they have met on the platform. If you are a B2B company planning to generate leads and build your customer base, look no further because LinkedIn is the place for you!
15. 52% of buyers are influenced by LinkedIn
Social networks nowadays have a great influence on the buying decision of a buyer. Seven out of ten people planning to buy a product or service seek ratings and other better deals on social media. So LinkedIn is no different when it comes to influencing these buying decisions.
When you compare how LinkedIn influences these decisions, 52% of these buyers show that LinkedIn is the most influential channel. Blogs influence the other 42% of purchase decisions of people who want to make a purchase online. Apart from finding recommendations, they also use LinkedIn to connect with sellers.
Wrap up
LinkedIn is the largest professional network with more than 660 million users worldwide. It is a popular social platform for professionals and businesses. Job seekers are also an active group on this platform, as it contains more than 20 million job ads. It is important to mention that the platform has a highly educated and above average income audience. In the recent past, the platform has become very popular with B2B marketers. This is because LinkedIn is the place to find reliable and high quality content. By integrating your marketing mix and including LinkedIn as one of your channels, over 50% of LinkedIn traffic is directed to your website and blogs. This contributes to the high potential to convert leads to customers, and that a statistic of 65% is such a great achievement. We hope that these and the other facts discussed will change your opinion of LinkedIn.
