12 LinkedIn facts and statistics you need to know
With LinkedIn being one of the fastest growing networking sites in the world, here’s 12 LinkedIn facts and stats you should know.
Companies should be utilizing all that this network has to offer — B2B and B2C connections, prospecting, lead generation, digital marketing, and more. Posting content is also an excellent way for LinkedIn users to gain new visitors to a company website or blog, and help get a brand name out there for all to see.
But what is the best way to really use LinkedIn? Obviously, you or your company may already have a system in place, connecting with prospective clients or generating leads.
But learning a bit more about where the platform is at and where it’s headed can help you concentrate your efforts in all the right places. For example, should you be targeting boomers or millennials with your LinkedIn strategy? Backing off or powering ahead with B2B connections? Posting editorial or video content on your company pages?
Read on to find out some LinkedIn stats and useful LinkedIn facts that can lead you to best focus and grow your business using LinkedIn’s expansive network and offerings.
LinkedIn facts and statistics
1. LinkedIn turns 20 years old on May 3, 2023.
Happy 20th birthday, LinkedIn! So why is this birthday so significant, anyway? LinkedIn can’t vote, or buy booze. It’s because it’s the longest social network still in use today, according to Hootsuite. Yup, it’s about nine months older than Facebook. And, it’s still growing exponentially.
So, if you didn’t sign up for LinkedIn over the past 18 years, you should. It clearly has lasting power if it’s been around this long, so it’s high time you get an account (if you don’t already have one). And if you do, start to use it more often.
2. More than 740 million people are on LinkedIn
At the start of 2021, 740 million people had LinkedIn accounts, according to LinkedIn’s very own press room. This is up from 645 million at the beginning of last year, which we quoted in our article on LinkedIn statistics.
Considering the platform has been around for 18 years, it’s pretty impressive to see its user count continue to grow at such a swift rate. If you still haven’t signed you or your company up for a LinkedIn account, what are you waiting for?
3. LinkedIn is 227% more effective at lead generation than Facebook or Twitter
According to HubSpot, “Traffic from LinkedIn generated the highest visitor-to-lead conversion rate at 2.74%, almost three times higher (277%) than both Twitter (.69%) and Facebook (.77%).”
If you’re a B2B company, take advantage of the fact that LinkedIn is a social media platform geared towards businesses and businesspeople, and start moving your lead generation, contact messaging, and prospecting process there.
4. Three people are hired every minute for jobs on LinkedIn
If you’re a recruiter, or a job seeker yourself, make sure your LinkedIn profile is perfectly polished. Your chances for finding a new job or perfect candidate are high, too, as LinkedIn explains that three people are hired each minute, and remote jobs have grown since 2020 at a rate of 2.5.
5. 41% of millionaires use LinkedIn
LinkedIn facts #5: Using LinkedIn doesn’t mean you’ll become a millionaire. But you can certainly strive to be. And considering that 41% of millionaires use LinkedIn according to SourceOn, you may be able to interact with or gain some valuable knowledge from one. Or, maybe even snag a millionaire or Fortune 500 CEO as an investor for your startup.
6. Posting content on Wednesday mornings is ideal
According to Sprout Social, posting on Wednesdays between 9 am and 10 am ensures you’ll get the most eyes on your LinkedIn content. Noon on Wednesdays is also a good time to share content, as is Thursday post-lunch.
Take note and post accordingly, and don’t forget to account for time zones. If you’re in New York, but most of your contacts, connections, or prospects are in London, plan to time your posts accordingly to hit the right markets.
7. LinkedIn hasn’t always been a traditional video platform, but that’s changing
LinkedIn is the third-most-popular channel for video marketing, behind YouTube and Facebook, according to Wyzowl. If video isn’t already a part of your LinkedIn content marketing strategy, you may want to consider implementing it.
Internet users love video, so consider live video, live streams, or short video tutorials/explainers touting your product or business.
8. Titles with 40 to 49 characters perform best on LinkedIn
This is an easy way to make sure your posts go viral. Simply tweak your title and make sure it has between 40-49 characters, which is the optimal range, according to OkDork. Making easy changes like this one to ensure your quality content performs well doesn’t take much time at all, and the results are worth it.
9. 70% of B2B marketers are planning on increasing their organic activities on LinkedIn
One of the most interesting LinkedIn facts is that, more than ever, LinkedIn is the place to be for B2B marketing and sales professionals (and according to stat number three, more effective than Facebook or Twitter when it comes to lead generation). According to Oberlo, 70% of B2B marketers want to ramp up their efforts on LinkedIn when it comes to their professional networks.
This means more prospects, more clients, more B2B leads, and more opportunities for businesses to connect with one another in 2021. If your B2B company hasn’t boosted its LinkedIn strategy for 2021, now is the time.
10. When it comes to demographics, 38% of LinkedIn’s users are millennials
There are around two billion millennials in the world, and 87 million of them are on LinkedIn, according to AdWeek. While millennials often get a lot of flack, don’t discount this powerful age group. More than 11 million global millennial decision-makers are LinkedIn members, and this could have a significant impact on your brand or business if you play your cards right. The top millennial job on LinkedIn is a salesperson — there are more than 2.7 million of them.
LinkedIn facts #10: When creating a prospecting, hiring, marketing, or advertising strategy, don’t forget about millennials. In fact, given the aforementioned information, you may want to cater to them.
11. LinkedIn has 63 million mobile users each month
From social media apps to mobile commerce, mobile business is the future. Foundation Inc. reported that LinkedIn’s mobile user base accounted for 59% percent of all unique visiting members. This number is constantly growing, so make sure your LinkedIn content and profile are optimized for mobile devices, and that you and your team all have access to the LinkedIn app.
12. A company website with all data completed gains 30% more views per week
A fully completed company website not only allows you to get 30% more views per week but also is a key element of the company’s image.
This is the first aspect that the user visiting your LinkedIn Page pays attention to, which is why it is so important to take care of the aesthetics, correctness of communicated information, consistency, and visual attractiveness of this part. Only in the next step is it recommended to start communication on the company website based on a well-thought-out strategy.
Bottom line
It’s not enough just to have a LinkedIn account, or even use it frequently. You also need to understand where the future of LinkedIn is heading, and that’s why understanding key statistics and LinkedIn facts can help you make strategic business decisions for your business when it comes to the platform.
The main takeaway from many of these stats is that LinkedIn isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. It’s growing larger and larger, with more users — millennials, millionaires, salespeople, and beyond. So, if your company’s LinkedIn strategy hasn’t been properly curated in a while, it’s time for a refresh. Using information from this article, you can create a plan to help grow your LinkedIn prospects, lead generations, clients, content, and more in all the right ways.
The most relevant of these LinkedIn facts is that Surfe is a LinkedIn Chrome extension that was designed to make social selling on LinkedIn easier and more efficient by connecting LinkedIn with HubSpot, Salesforce, Copper, Pipedrive, and Salesloft. Feel free to sign up for Surfe (ex-Leadjet) and get your first 14 days free, or book a demo to see how it works.