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Microsoft’s purchase of LinkedIn sparked a range of product revisions and expansions – including some that PR and marketing may enjoy.
LinkedIn added Sponsored InMail to its self-serve products available through its Campaign Manager. Although effectiveness will vary depending on the brand, the messages can be an excellent promotional tactic if marketers write solid email pitches and understand their audiences, experts say. Brands can use LinkedIn’s advanced audience targeting tools to identify potential clients and customers.
The Sponsored InMail messages have no character count restrictions, are optimized for mobile, and are delivered only when members are active on the platform, according to a LinkedIn blog posted. The unsolicited messages appear at the top of the user’s LinkedIn inbox and usually include a call to action button.
To prevent spam, LinkedIn maintains strict limits on how often LinkedIn members can receive InMail. The messages can only be received by members once every 60 days, and as a user you can completely opt out of seeing any from a specific company or person, or seeing any of them at all.
A Quiet Pilot Program
Customers participating in a pilot program say the InMail messages allow them to quickly set up and launch campaigns and be flexible with their budget, according to LinkedIn. The company has been quietly piloting the feature since August with around 100 marketers, Sudeep Cherian, a group manager in LinkedIn’s Marketing Solutions group, told TechCrunch. Open rates were around 45% and clickthrough rates between about 4 to 7% on calls to action.
The product is part of a trend to sponsored messages within networks. Facebook recently introduced sponsored messages to its Messenger app. It’s also part of a larger trend of social media companies monetizing their products through targeted advertising options. Instead of advertising to a wide audience through television ads, billboards or website banner ads, brands can reach precisely defined audience segments.
Other LinkedIn Developments
The messages represent just one of the company’s many product enhancements and additions. LinkedIn overhauled its publishing platform and is working on revamping its user interface for company pages. LinkedIn recently created a platform to track and report salary data, improved its endorsements feature, created new learning products, and added a new way users can privately notify recruiters they’re seeking a new job.
It also launched a freelance marketplace, LinkedIn ProFinder, and is courting small businesses to try the platform. Its push shows that the company wants to encourage users to do more direct buying and selling on the platform, says John Nemo, who trains people on how to best use the network.
“All the more reason for you to create a client-facing profile, start reaching out directly to your ideal clients and customers and begin following a proven method to generate more sales leads, clients and revenue on LinkedIn,” Nemo writes for Social Media Today.
Bottom Line: While the introduction of sponsored direct messages may be the most noteworthy enhancement for marketers and PR pros, LinkedIn has introduced and updated other features that may benefit brands and its users. PR and marketing pros will keep a close eye on the network as it continues to evolve and improve features. More substantial changes may be in store (pun intended) shortly as the network strives to become an online marketplace for professional services.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
