Professional content consumption is “dramatically rising” on LinkedIn, declares the social platform in a new study [download page]. Based on a survey of 2,701 LinkedIn members in the US who actively share and consume content, the report reveals that these “content revolutionaries” primarily share professional content on the platform in order to increase their visibility and enhance their reputations. LinkedIn counts as their top source for professional content, and they ascribe numerous benefits to their content consumption.
According to the study, a leading 78% consume content in order to keep up with industry news, while 73% do so to discover new ideas within the industry. Beyond building up their own knowledge base, content consumers also see benefits such as building relationships with colleagues and clients (62%), building their professional reputation (55%), and sparking conversations (51%).
The report also outlines the content types that are most popular among professionals for gaining industry knowledge and helping decision-making. When it comes to industry knowledge, the survey finds that new research, breaking industry news and case studies count as the most popular content types for clicks and shares, in that order. For decision-making assistance, career advice is most likely to earn a click from a “content revolutionary,” although brief, concise content and content produced by business leaders are most apt to be shared.
The most common form of sharing is using the “Like” button, per the study, with a slight majority of respondents indicating this to be their primary or secondary preferred method. Respondents are as likely to share with commentary as they are to do so without; slightly fewer copy to email.
Overall, “content revolutionaries” report spending about 8 hours per week consuming content on LinkedIn, and 65% have increased the amount of time they’ve spent consuming professionally relevant content over the past year. Among those, 61% find it necessary for professional success and 56% are finding it easier to access relevant content. Content should be mobile-friendly, says LinkedIn, as an average 43% of unique visiting members came through mobile in Q1 2014.
LinkedIn is certainly a popular choice for B2B buyers and decision-makers in the US, according to a MarketingCharts Debrief: “Reaching and Influencing B2B Buyers and Decision-Makers” [download page]. Buyers over-index the general population in their use of LinkedIn across various platforms, per data obtained for the Debrief. Although it is not their most popular major social network, is tends to be the one that they use most for professional activities.
