LinkedIn Engagement Remains High, Ad Revenue Increasing Amid Economic Recovery

According to parent company Microsoft, LinkedIn remains to see 'record levels' of engagement, with user sessions increasing 19 percent in the most recent quarter.

LinkedIn engagement surged again in Q1 2022, as shown in this graphic from Microsoft's earnings report, while ad income increased 42 percent year over year, "led by strong advertising demand and a strengthening employment market."

As the COVID vaccination roll-out proceeds, LinkedIn is well-positioned to profit from the uptick in business activity. With more people looking for work and businesses attempting to reshape their processes, many to accommodate new methods to hybrid involvement, the platform will play an important role in connecting B2B organizations to new opportunities.

LinkedIn has thrived since Microsoft purchased the platform in 2016 – however, it has recently faced a major setback, with the app basically being driven out of China due to increased government control in the country.

LinkedIn had 774 million overall members at the time of the previous count, but the loss of China will reduce that number by 54 million.

Of course, 'members' and 'active users,' as we've previously stated, are not the same thing, but the usage statistics does demonstrate that total LinkedIn engagement continues to climb, despite the lack of a concrete metric on how many individuals use the network each month.

LinkedIn has continued to offer new tools to assist advertisers take advantage of increased audience engagement, such as the ability to boost articles with paid reach, long form posting capabilities for company pages, and a new Learning Hub to help with professional development.

LinkedIn is also hoping to capitalize on the growing interest in digital events. While COVID limits are easing, LinkedIn still sees a lot of potential in holding virtual functions on its platform, allowing marketers to optimize reach and exposure through the app.

LinkedIn is also attempting to tap into the creative economy with its own creator tools and funding efforts, which are intended to give thought leaders greater motivation to enhance their LinkedIn presence.

Which may sound less tempting than similar initiatives on more creative platforms like TikTok or Instagram, but many business professionals are eager to develop their presence via LinkedIn, and the more good engaging content LinkedIn can add to its platform, the better.

Clearly, the data indicate that it's on the right track, though it's tough to say how much of it is due to LinkedIn posts and how much is due to larger workforce trends.

In any case, it's some more usage data to factor into your LinkedIn marketing strategy.