The LinkedIn Shift: From Professional to Personal

The LinkedIn Shift: From Professional to Personal

LinkedIn was a very early social network, launching in 2002 and preceding Facebook’s launch by two years. LinkedIn differed from other social networks that popped up around the same time, like Friendster and MySpace, because it focused on business networking and high-level lead generation for professionals.

For several decades, LinkedIn has remained the largest business-focused social networking site. The company claims over a billion members worldwide, and it is one of the few social networks that has been able to sustain a paid membership model over the years.

Content and ads on the network have predominantly covered topics like company news, jobs and careers, and information about industries from banking to manufacturing, retail to ecommerce, and everything in between. More recently, however, the content and tone of LinkedIn posts and conversations began to shift.

A 2023 study published by research group Refine Labs noted that posts on LinkedIn personal profiles were outperforming posts on LinkedIn Company Pages, driving 2.75 times more impressions and 5 times more engagement. A more anecdotal shift that marketing experts are noting is that the posts from LinkedIn members have been getting more personal and less tailored toward building a professional brand image, marketing products or services, or generating sales.

One reason for this shift could be the blurring of lines between people’s personal and professional lives during the pandemic, when many people were forced to work remotely from home. During that time, emotions were heightened, and the need for human connection was amplified as people were more isolated than ever before.

What does this shift mean for your business?

Finding the balance between professional and personal posting online has been an ongoing challenge for anyone working at a company or owning one and using social media. Maintaining a professional demeanor used to mean never talking about family or home life in a business setting. Some people went as far as setting up two accounts on a social network - one for business and one for their personal life and connections.

These days, it isn’t unusual to see people announce the birth of a baby on LinkedIn as often as announcing a new job or revealing a challenging health issue in addition to sharing a challenging business dilemma they’ve overcome. Those personal, and often intimate, posts can receive more attention and engagement than standard business news.

How do you leverage this greater focus on personal content and the power of LinkedIn personal profiles? Here are a few things to consider:

1. Don’t give up your LinkedIn Company Page. Or if you don’t have one, set one up to enhance your business presence on LinkedIn. Think of a Company Page as a free listing on a robust social network where you can still amass a following and promote your business.

2. Post more employee-focused content on your company page. Get more personal and show the human side of your business, even on your LinkedIn Company Page. This could be regularly announcing new hires, celebrating individual employee wins, and documenting your team out in the community doing good work. Include photos featuring your team.

3. Get trained on how to effectively use your personal LinkedIn profile. Chances are you have a LinkedIn personal profile that sits static, and is nothing more than an online resume. If you are not posting regularly to your LinkedIn personal profile, you’re missing out on branding and networking opportunities.

4. Train and empower your employees to post on LinkedIn. Your team can be your company’s greatest natural marketers by showcasing their expertise and sharing positive news about their job and your company. How and what they should and should not post online should be outlined in your company’s employee handbook.

The bottom line with social media, even a professional platform like LinkedIn, is that people want to connect with people more than brands. For this reason, humanizing your brand and pulling back the curtain to show you and your team in action is often more compelling than simply publishing marketing and sales messages. Getting a little more personal, in a way that is appropriate and authentic to your brand, can help you stand out and gain more attention for your posts.