Blog post by Tina Sermanson, Senior Consultant at TE Communications.
Social media platforms such as LinkedIn have become an important and exciting complement to traditional PR for companies today. A well thought out content strategy is essential.
A critical question for any LinkedIn business strategy is: What interests my target audience, and how can I best reach them on LinkedIn in this fast-paced era of social media content, where it feels like every business trip, every event, every day of remote working and every political statement is posted?
If you are one of those rare people who have already paid tribute to the digital age with Xing and thought it was enough, here are some key facts about LinkedIn:
LinkedIn1 is a social network for maintaining professional contacts, founded in 2003 and owned by Microsoft since December 2016. Users can choose between a free basic account and a paid premium account, which offers additional features. Although the content sometimes feels similar to Facebook, LinkedIn is now considered the world’s leading professional network. As of early February 2025, the number of LinkedIn members in the DACH region exceeded 26 million.
LinkedIn’s biggest competitor in the DACH region is the career network Xing. In the second quarter of 2024, according to Statista2, Xing had 22.5 million members in the DACH region.
As of November 2024, the highest number of LinkedIn members was recorded in the United States, with over 230 million registered users. India and Brazil followed at a considerable distance, with more than 143 million and 81 million registered members, respectively. The number of LinkedIn members in the DACH region was estimated at 25 million.
Networking, Brand Building, and Headhunting
According to the DIGITAL8.AI Social Media Study, LinkedIn is the most important platform for asset managers. All analyzed German asset managers are present on LinkedIn.
What does the platform offer?
- Networking: LinkedIn enables financial services professionals to connect with potential clients, partners and industry experts. This is particularly important for asset managers, who often rely on personal relationships and referrals.
- Brand Building and Visibility: Many financial service providers and asset managers use LinkedIn to showcase their expertise by sharing industry articles, market analyses, and investment recommendations. This strengthens their brand and market positioning.
- Recruiting: LinkedIn is a key platform for recruiting qualified employees. Financial service providers and asset managers use it to attract talented financial professionals.
- Industry-Specific Groups: LinkedIn hosts a number of specialised groups where financial professionals can discuss topics, share insights and learn from each other.
Leading companies in the financial sector now have large followings on LinkedIn. The platform has long since become an essential sales and communication channel.
The followers are there, and hopefully, a clear social media strategy is too.
The Trend Towards Video Content
What do LinkedIn users prefer on corporate channels?
A survey3 of B2B decision-makers found that 85% of respondents prefer industry-related articles, followed by 74% who are interested in corporate news and 71% who appreciate product updates.
In terms of format, videos generate the highest engagement rates on LinkedIn. An analysis of over 41,000 LinkedIn posts4 from the DACH region revealed that video posts achieve the most interactions, despite accounting for only about 9.3% of published content. Photos come in a close second.
Experience shows that people enjoy seeing other people and engaging with moving images. Video content still has significant potential for corporate channels. However, step by step, a) continuous and b) informative-ideally also entertaining and innovative-content in text and image format is already being rewarded by LinkedIn’s algorithm. Professionally produced video content requires more time and budget (if aiming for quality) and is therefore always a valuable add-on.
A prime example of the successful use of LinkedIn in PR is the growing trend of executives using personal videos to present financial reports and corporate updates. Authentic and direct communication strengthens connections with investors and clients.
LinkedIn Campaigns for Greater Reach
A report5 on LinkedIn’s algorithm published last year indicates that the visibility of organic (non-sponsored) corporate content in the LinkedIn feed has dropped from 7% to 2% over the past two years.
One reason for this decline is certainly the increase in „personal updates of all kinds“ outside the professional context. These widely viewed posts are favored by the algorithm and, therefore, appear more frequently.
Speaking of the algorithm: Consistency pays off. The more regularly content is posted, the happier the algorithm is.
Depending on the budget, well-planned LinkedIn campaigns are an essential component for reaching the target audience. Companies increasingly use them to expand their reach.
Despite LinkedIn’s obvious significance, a 2024 study6 found that many mid-sized companies in Germany are still not fully leveraging the platform. Only around 25% of mid-sized companies actively use LinkedIn, and only one in ten mid-sized CEOs has an active content strategy.
Conclusion: LinkedIn offers enormous PR potential. Time to get started – the first like is sure to come!
1 https://de.statista.com/themen/700/linkedin/
2 https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/481399/umfrage/anzahl-der-xing-nutzer-in-der-dach-region/3 flutlicht.biz
5 Richard van der Blom und Just Connect
