LinkedIn may still carry a resume-site reputation, but its marketing stack has quietly become one of the deepest in B2B. A refreshed MarTech guide walks through the platform’s tools, formats and metrics that matter most right now.
Why LinkedIn keeps earning B2B attention
LinkedIn reports more than 830 million users worldwide, with roughly 310 million monthly active users and 40% of them visiting daily. The US remains its largest single market at over 180 million members, followed by India, China and Brazil. More than 60% of users are between 25 and 34, and 52% hold a college degree.
Those self-reported figures power a serious ad business: LinkedIn’s 2022 ad revenue was $5.91 billion, and it is projected to reach $10.35 billion by 2027.
The tools that carry the marketing load
Company Pages remain the digital storefront. The guide stresses that this is not a press-release channel; content should serve audience interests through useful posts, industry news and thought leadership. Community building is simple but often skipped: respond to comments, follow relevant people and comment on their posts.
LinkedIn Ads now span Sponsored Content, Text Ads, InMail Ads, Dynamic Ads, Thought Leader Ads and Live Event Ads. Thought Leader Ads, which mark an employee or expert post as promoted by a company, deliver 2.3x higher click-through rates than single-image ads, LinkedIn says.
Beyond ads, Sales Navigator supports lead identification and team collaboration, while Analytics covers audience insights, content performance, campaign tracking and benchmarking. Showcase Pages give brands a separate home for a product, service or initiative.
What’s changing: video, measurement and lead capture
LinkedIn is leaning hard into vertical video. It has brought full-screen vertical video to desktop, is testing a larger mobile display and surfacing more videos in search through a swipeable carousel. New video analytics now report average watch time, and watch time is up 36% year-over-year, with uploads up 34%.
For performance marketers, two measurement updates matter. The Conversions API connects first-party online and offline data to capture conversions across touchpoints; LinkedIn says marketers using it see a 31% lift in attributed conversions, a 20% lower cost per action and a 39% lower cost per qualified lead. The Revenue Attribution Report now lets advertisers review CRM data over 365 days to connect campaigns to revenue influence, return on ad spend and pipeline.
Lead capture also got easier: users can now select lead generation as an objective when boosting a post, attach a lead form template, and turn organic content into a targeted lead ad. The guide notes that this lightweight boost is useful for reach and data gathering, but Campaign Manager remains the place for granular targeting.
Where brands can win
Short video is the clearest lever. LinkedIn reports that 63% of B2B buyers say short social videos help them make purchasing decisions. For influencer-led content, 53% of buyers say subject expertise matters most, and credibility is a top goal for both B2B and B2C influencer programs.
Employee advocacy is another force multiplier. Train employees on best practices, use a content calendar, and recognise contributors; authentic employee comments can build trust with buyers. Polls are a low-effort engagement tool, and LinkedIn Groups remain a steady way to network and share expertise.
Influencer marketing is still underused: only 12% of brands say LinkedIn is their preferred influencer channel, even as 69% of US marketers plan to increase influencer investment in 2025 and 92% say sponsored influencer content outperforms organic reach.
- Use Thought Leader Ads for near-organic reach with stronger CTR.
- Connect CRM data through CAPI and RAR to prove pipeline impact.
- Test vertical video and review average watch time, not just views.
- Enable lead-generation objectives on boosted posts to build contact lists.
Hashtags still help visibility, but don’t overload posts; MarTech Editorial Director Mike Pastore suggests not putting too much faith in them as their popularity appears to be fading.
Source: MarTech
