Blogs, Insights
Three interesting new ways LinkedIn is being used
By Callum Watts, Senior Account Executive
Using LinkedIn can be a powerful way to build a professional network, drive business development, look for work, or access a massive pool of talent without paying recruitment fees. And everyone who uses LinkedIn has seen countless ‘best boasts’ and thought leadership articles from business owners using the platform as their virtual shop window.
But beyond these functional – albeit important – use cases for LinkedIn, we’re also increasingly seeing some interesting uses of the platform that we thought were worth taking a closer look at:
- LinkedIn as a video platform
Businesses are increasingly alive to the power of the video format to speak to their customers, clients and network. Publications from the ‘traditional’ world of print newspapers illustrate this point perfectly, with both The Telegraph and The Times recently revamping their video podcast series with high profile guests ranging from political heavyweights like Nigel Farage to cultural figures ranging from comedians and authors to socialites and historians.
City AM also makes excellent use of their LinkedIn to post shortform news items and explainer videos – something we’re sure is only set to improve now they’ve hired former longtime Sky News producer Martin Kimber as their new Head of Video, Audio & Social
- Personality on LinkedIn
Business professionals are entering the sphere of ‘influencing’ with a growing number of executives sharing increasingly strong opinions to their LinkedIn networks.
While often the goal of this influencer activity on LinkedIn is to push business development goals – as opposed to being a business in and of itself, as is the case for many on platforms like Instagram and YouTube – personality is increasingly becoming part of the draw.
For many, that means humour. Businesses have been participating in this for years now on other platforms, Twitter/X humorously having become a battleground for brands fighting over the shape of their cakes, for example. This sort of content is now emerging on LinkedIn too.
Often, this humour works most effectively when satirising LinkedIn norms. In the PR world, for instance, “here’s what it taught me about b2b marketing” has become a tongue in cheek reference to the pivots LinkedIn users utilise to turn everyday stories into a lesson for their professional life.
These touches of humour, when deployed correctly (and carefully!) can help build personality and, in turn, corporate or personal brand.
- LinkedIn as meta marketing tool
Last but certainly not least – and quite a lot further outside the box – the team behind Yórgos Lánthimos’s new film ‘Bugonia’ are using LinkedIn in a fascinatingly meta way. They’ve setup a LinkedIn page for the film’s fictional business ‘Auxolith’ and posted regular content in the run-up to the film’s release as though from a real corporate LinkedIn account.
While not directly applicable to most businesses, it does reflect the innovative ways that marketing teams are using LinkedIn to help drive ‘viral’ moments, even outside the corporate world. The use of the site by the film to ‘tease’ to prospective viewers the corporate power the protagonist yields also reinforces the place LinkedIn holds in the popular imagination as the platform for business development and networking.
This just goes to show how important it is to make LinkedIn work for you. If you or your business are in need of creative content support for social media that thinks outside the box while supporting your business development goals and your brand, get in touch at info@farrerkane.com.
