LinkedIn continues to cement its position as the most important social platform for B2B marketers, with new data revealing significant growth in users, content engagement, and advertising performance.
The platform now boasts 1.2 billion members globally and sees nearly 1.8 billion monthly visits, making it the world’s largest professional network. It remains especially popular among younger professionals, with those aged 25 to 34 accounting for nearly half of all users. Men make up 57% of the platform’s user base, and over half of LinkedIn users come from households earning more than £80,000 annually.
This reach translates into serious marketing potential. LinkedIn is the number one platform for B2B lead generation, used by 89% of marketers for that purpose. It is also the most relied-upon platform for driving high-quality leads, with 62% of marketers saying it delivers results. In fact, LinkedIn’s cost per lead is 28% lower than Google Ads, while its advertising campaigns generate a 33% lift in purchase intent and conversion rates up to twice as high as other platforms.
Content marketing on LinkedIn is evolving too. Despite the wider social trend favouring visuals, LinkedIn users prefer written posts – text-based updates outperform images and video in terms of direct engagement. However, short-form video still plays a key role, especially when optimised for sharing. Videos under 15 seconds receive the most engagement and are the most shared content type on the platform.
Timing also matters. Posts published midweek – particularly Tuesday to Thursday mornings – see the highest engagement, though LinkedIn’s algorithm still prioritises relevance and activity when ranking content in feeds.
User behaviour supports this shift towards richer engagement. One in four users interacts with branded content daily, and the majority of users are seeking more than promotional posts. The most requested content from brands is educational – users want insights into industry trends, product use, and business developments. They also value community-building and customer support as part of the brand experience.
Marketers are responding. Over half plan to increase their organic investment in LinkedIn this year, building on the platform’s strength as a direct line to business decision-makers – four in five LinkedIn members influence buying decisions.
Meanwhile, LinkedIn’s job and recruitment features continue to play a central role in user behaviour. More than 11,000 members apply for jobs every minute, and hiring trends on the platform are stabilising following several years of economic disruption. A notable shift is the growing number of job postings that no longer require a degree, with 26% of paid listings in 2023 opting for skills-based recruitment – a 16% increase since 2020.
As LinkedIn continues to expand its global presence (it now operates in 38 cities and 36 languages), premium features are also on the rise. Subscriptions have grown by 50% over the past two years, with Premium now generating more than £1.6bn in annual revenue.
For B2B marketers, the takeaway is clear: LinkedIn remains the most effective platform for reaching professional audiences – especially when campaigns prioritise insight over promotion, engage with short and relevant content formats, and time their outreach to align with platform behaviour.
Whether you want to learn how to use LinkedIn, X or Facebook for marketing, or need to brush up on business skills like leadership, presentation skills or managing meetings, you will find something to enhance your professional skills with these on-demand courses.