When you log into LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking platform, it may not look like much has changed since last month. However, LinkedIn has added four new features within this short timeframe. With options such as page translations and carousel advertisements, taking advantage of these updates will help any user stay ahead on this platform.

Amidst these changes, their number of users has grown by more than 95 million members since the third quarter of 2016, bringing the number of users on LinkedIn worldwide to 562 million.

With the release of a multitude of new features, this past month alone has been a game of catchup for novice users and marketers alike. Let’s dive into the biggest changes to the site and how marketers and users should be taking advantage of them to use the site to its full potential.

Kudos

According to LinkedIn, seven out of 10 employees who receive appreciation for their work give better remarks about their jobs. LinkedIn Kudos creates a fun and easy way to show appreciation for others in the professional community.

This feature is appropriate for large corporations or local agencies. Use one of the 10 Kudos categories to give a shout out to someone who made your day brighter or made your workload lighter. Tag the co-worker you are recognizing so they receive a notification and see it in their feed.

Photo courtesy of LinkedIn.

Native QR Codes

Shortly after the Kudos feature, LinkedIn introduced a simple way to find the profile of someone you meet and connect on-the-spot. In your LinkedIn app, click the 4-grid icon on the right of the search bar to access your code and to scan other codes. Scan the photo below to test this feature.

With this addition of native QR codes, gone are the days of requesting business cards or asking how to spell others’ names. While attending conferences or networking events, open the LinkedIn app and scan their QR code to stay in touch. Now any user can connect and build their professional community in and out of the office. To continue your offline conversations online, consider putting your personal or your company’s LinkedIn QR code on brochures, event materials, on your website, on lanyards or in your email signature.

Post Translations

LinkedIn has also presented a way to connect with people from all corners of the globe. Keep in touch and understand all the conversations happening in your LinkedIn feed with the new “See Translation” feature.

If you and your colleagues make a connection with clients who live in another country or people you meet at global industry events, speaking different languages will no longer be a barrier when trying to maintain meaningful professional relationships. It is important to have conversations on the topics you care about, and it shouldn’t matter where you are in the world.

Photo courtesy of LinkedIn.

Carousel Advertisements

Finally, LinkedIn has continued the evolution of their Sponsored Content. Native carousel ads help humanize B2B marketing efforts and generate a deeper connection with your audience. Carousel ads are an advertising option that allows up to 10 images that can be scrolled through horizontally. They allow businesses to tell a more in-depth story, showcase multiple offerings at once or share industry insights.

Carousel ads can be used to make fun and informative campaigns for businesses to tell stories, give life to products and services, explain their industry and more. With the ability to feature multiple visuals at a time, brands can tell a deeper story about their product or service than a single image or post could convey.

What’s Next For LinkedIn?

As LinkedIn continues to add these forward-thinking features to their platform, marketers should keep an eye on where their audience is spending their time. As the number of active users increases in its next quarterly report, it may be worthwhile to invest more resources in running campaigns and creating more content for the site.

Until more features are released, click around the platform and experiment with these additions. Don’t forget to check your engagement to see if your audience has spent more time with you on LinkedIn.

 

 

 

Amanda Wymore is the Social Media Coordinator
at Plaid Swan, working out of the Cedar Rapids
office. For inquiries about our services, including
social media, contact us today!

 

 

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