This year’s LinkedIn statistics paint a rosy picture, and we’re not surprised.
While people keep their eyes on the big-name platforms for signs of saturation, user alienation, and stagnation, LinkedIn continues to own and grow its valuable niche. (Microsoft reported that LinkedIn’s revenue grew 24% in Q2 2020.)
If you’re in B2B marketing, we have no doubt your LinkedIn business strategy is already in full swing. Read on to get a handle on the hard facts, high-level trajectory, and new trends that we’re seeing for 2020.
If you’re new to the platform for work or personal use, these stats will help you decide if this platform is a no-brainer or a no-go for your brand.
LinkedIn user statistics
1. LinkedIn has 675 million monthly users
To put that number in context, Instagram currently has 1 billion users, and Facebook has 2.5 billion. Twitter reports around 330 million.
That’s a 14% increase since the end of 2018, when LinkedIn reported 590 million users.
2. 57% of LinkedIn users are men, and 43% are women
According to We Are Social’s extrapolations from LinkedIn’s registered users, the average LinkedIn user is a little more likely to identify as a man.
Likewise, according to Pew Research, 29% of American men are on LinkedIn, while only 24% of American women are.
3. 27% of Americans use LinkedIn
According to the latest data, that number is up 2% since 2018, when only 25% of Americans used LinkedIn.
That makes LinkedIn the 5th most popular social media platform for Americans (more popular than Snapchat, Twitter, or Whatsapp.)
4. 51% of Americans with a college education use LinkedIn
Among college-educated Americans, LinkedIn overtakes Instagram and Pinterest to be the #3 platform. Same for Americans who make over $75,000 per year.
This is not news for B2B brands, but B2C brands might take note, too.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of LinkedIn’s American demographics, compared to the other major social platforms.
5. 70% of LinkedIn’s users are outside the U.S.
While the U.S. is LinkedIn’s biggest market at 167M users, it has gained traction around the world.
This includes 211 million users in Europe, and 179 million in Asia Pacific. The platform operates in 24 languages.
6. 61% of LinkedIn’s users are between 25 and 34 years old
Globally, the biggest chunk of LinkedIn’s users are 25-34.
It’s not a surprise that LinkedIn is less popular with the youngest and oldest age categories. It’s a professional network, after all. Retirees and students, on the whole, are generally not the target market.
But marketers might be interested to note that nearly half (44%) of Americans aged 25-29 are on LinkedIn, according to Pew Research.
This bodes well for the platform’s growth in the coming years. Gen Zs taking their first steps into the workforce may well consider it non-negotiable to be onside, even more so than millennials.
LinkedIn usage statistics
7. 57% of LinkedIn’s traffic is mobile
This percentage hasn’t changed since 2018, so take it with a grain of salt. It’s also a little low, when compared to Facebook’s 98% mobile.
While it’s possible that many LinkedIn users are scrolling content from their desktops in their modular cubicles in corporate office parks, we’d err on the side of optimizing your content for mobile—especially your LinkedIn video.
8. LinkedIn has 15x more content impressions than job postings
LinkedIn has transitioned from being “just” a recruitment platform to also being a professional network where people go to educate and inform themselves.
That means LinkedIn is a valuable platform for content marketers, especially in B2B. (See also point #14, below.)
9. Engagement has increased 50%, year over year
Reuters might have called the platform “an office party without the alcohol,” back in 2018, but this number tells a different story. (Pass the kombucha, please.)
LinkedIn’s algorithm has been updated to rank personal connections over “superstar echo chamber” effects, to make sure the feed stays relevant to users.
This is good news for brands just starting to work out their thought leadership content strategy. Unlike the social algorithms actively downranking brands, it seems LinkedIn actually wants you to succeed.
10. Users are 60% more likely to engage with a coworker than another connection
Engaging includes liking, commenting, sharing, and messaging. In 2019, LinkedIn launched a Teammates tool to allow users to identify and keep up with their current colleagues.
This is part of the greater trend in social media towards increased private connection with the people that matter, and a disenchantment with public social. Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes named this one of his top trends for 2020, and you can read the rest here.
11. 30% of a company’s engagement on LinkedIn comes from employees
This makes a lot of sense: your company’s employees are the people who care most about seeing your brand succeed.
Boosting brand reputation via employee advocacy is a winning strategy for companies that install a comprehensive program.
12. Employees are 14x more likely to share content from their employers than other types of content on LinkedIn
Statistically, a company’s employees average 10x more reach across all social media platforms, compared to your company’s official profiles. And it seems they want to share news about work they’re proud of.
Another bonus statistic: people perceive information that comes from a regular employee as more trustworthy (53%) than information that comes from the CEO (47%).
If you’re not sure where to get started on employee advocacy, check out Hootsuite Amplify.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries
LinkedIn for business statistics
13. 4 out of 5 people on LinkedIn “drive business decisions”
The platform’s chief selling point for marketers is its ability to target an audience by their job, not just their demographics.
And LinkedIn is not shy about bragging about their users’ titles and professional clout.
(Side note: Please someone tell me where I apply to become a “mass affluent.”)
14. An ad on LinkedIn can reach 12% of the world’s population
That is, 12% of people over the age of thirteen. While this isn’t the highest percentage in the deck, LinkedIn has the advantage of a self-selected user-base that cares about their work. Quality over quantity, am I right?
15. 30 million companies are on LinkedIn
Arguably the company LinkedIn page may have started as a tool for your recruiting team, but increasingly it has become the domain of your sales and marketing folks.
Meanwhile, if you’ve just joined the platform, check out our guide to optimizing your company LinkedIn profile
16. 94% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for content marketing
This is an impressive number, but not a surprising one, given that people say LinkedIn is 3x as trustworthy for delivering worthwhile content, compared to other social platforms. It’s the go-to platform for getting more eyeballs on the video and text content that informs and helps your target audience.
Relatedly, 43% of the world’s internet users use social media—not just LinkedIn—for work purposes. And while the other platforms have their own advantages—as described in our complete list of social media statistics—LinkedIn is a context where people expect and seek out work-related content.
That means your product launch isn’t competing with vacation photos, and the comments won’t are less likely to spiral into a vicious argument about the election.
17. 89% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for lead generation
Again, not a surprise. But here’s a bonus stat: 62% of B2B marketers say LinkedIn successfully generates leads—that’s twice as many as the next social platform.
18. 59% of sales professionals count on social platforms to sell
Despite their difference, LinkedIn is one more thing marketing and sales folks have in common. In fact, top sellers—those who close 51% more deals than their peers—say networking platforms are “very important” to their success.
Sales people also rank LinkedIn slightly higher (70% say they’re most active on LinkedIn), than Facebook (64%).
19. Sponsored InMail has a 52% open rate, on average
That’s more than double the average open rate for email campaigns, which is 21.3% according to MailChimp’s data.
LinkedIn has plenty of different ad formats, but if your budget aims to target time-strapped decision-makers in specific companies, InMail could be interesting. Craft a concise message that outlines how you can help them get their job done, and LinkedIn will deliver it when they’re active on the platform.
20. Cost per lead on LinkedIn is 28% lower than on Google AdWords
If this number makes your heart beat faster, check out our complete guide to LinkedIn ads.
Easily manage your LinkedIn Page alongside your other social channels using Hootsuite. From a single platform you can schedule and share content—including video—and engage your network. Try it today.
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