In recent studies, there have been some surprising results in terms of LinkedIn and its presence in today's

social media marketing. Some have asked an important question for their marketing team or business: is LinkedIn worth my time? Social Media Examiner has posed three important things to consider:

#1) Long-Form Content Performs Best

It's important to note that visual content does perform best on social media altogether, regardless of what you're marketing. Although this is true, LinkedIn is said to be in its "own orbit," in terms of the content that performs best. In a BuzzSumo study, it was found that the most shared pieces of content were long-formed articles of 1,000 to 3,000 words. LinkedIn tends to be a place where this kind of content will prosper and circulate, rather than a site like Instagram, where visual content prospers. These long-form articles suit best for LinkedIn especially because they are often specialized and more personalized to your business as a whole. It's important to add in other professionals to create content and is definitely worth the extra time. LinkedIn is extremely different for this reason, and therefore very helpful and influential.

#2) The Focus is on Talent Solutions

Something important to note when it comes to LinkedIn is the fact that there are no specific "account types." Rather, it is a network of millions of individuals marketing themselves and trying to seek after whatever they personally need to get out of the site, whether it's looking for a job, recruiting someone, or simply expanding their network. Interestingly enough, a search for the terms “recruiter,” “recruiting,” “recruitment,” “sourcing,” “talent,” “executive search,” and “staffing” produced more than 9.9 million results, which is 2% of the total number of accounts. This is a large reason why LinkedIn boasts over 10 million job listings. About 7% of the online community have utilized those recruitment-related terms. "LinkedIn makes their money through talent solutions, marketing solutions, and premium subscriptions." It's smart to utilize this portion of the website because, consequently enough, this is where the site will most likely put their focus! Recruiting services are where LinkedIn gets their income and therefore will receive most of their attention. Utilize talent solutions, and utilize LinkedIn to do it!

#3) Marketers Are Set To Increase LinkedIn Activity

Though it may seem like LinkedIn has run its course, there is substantial evidence that the usage of LinkedIn is only becoming more prominent. For example, Nearly one-third of marketers have increased

their activity on LinkedIn over the last year, and are even posting as much as four times a day. Fifty-five percent of respondents say that they plan on increasing LinkedIn posting activities over the next 12 months. Also, sixty-eight percent of business to business marketers and forty-eight percent of business to consumer marketers plan on increasing how often they post. There is still interest! This is still a place for businesses to be and thrive on social media.All in all, LinkedIn is definitely worth your time. Not only is this a place for several different communities, but is a place for professional businesses and companies to expand their borders, search for potential employees/clients, and increase their online presence. Marketers are just getting started, and this is something you want to ride along for! Utilize this site to tell your story, and if you are looking for other ways to tell your story, let us help.Happy Socializing!