The Demographics of LinkedIn

LinkedIn is undoubtedly the best social media platform if you are looking to connect with business professionals. If you are looking to connect, generate leads, share content or even advertise, LinkedIn has it all. For business people and owners alike LinkedIn is the one stop shop for business connections. With more and more companies looking to build a presence these are the demographics of LinkedIn you should know to help with making informed decisions.

General Demographics 

LinkedIn launched in 2002 and has been growing ever since. With its niche business network, it is one of the only social media platforms that is specific for business professionals. LinkedIn is used for a variety of reasons from sharing content, to recruiting the latest talent to help drive your business forward. 

As a platform LinkedIn really has grown, and with over 675+ millions members active worldwide it really does have that global reach. Alongside its large active following, many businesses have their own page as a destination for searchers to navigate to. 30+ million companies are on the platform, and this number is growing on a daily basis. 

As mentioned, recruitment is a large part of LinkedIn. Recruiters do heavily dominate the platform. However many businesses also find that advertising on there is the best way to generate interest in their business. To be precise there are around 20 million open jobs at any one time.

Age Demographics 

Knowing the age demographic of the platform you are advertising or marketing on is very important. This is mainly down to the fact you need to know if your target audience will have any exposure to your business. If they don’t, then it is a pointless exercise. Due to LinkedIn being more professional it does have a very diverse range of ages. 

The platform itself is heavily dominated from 21 year olds to 45 year olds. This is due to having many students who are looking for their first role. A large percentage of professionals either owning, recruiting or in senior positions to finish off the age ranges.

A consideration to have before marketing on LinkedIn is are the products and services you are looking to sell matched to that age demographic? If they are then great, go for it! If not, then maybe check out some of the other social media platforms available.

Gender Demographics

The gender conversation continues, and is very much prevalent on LinkedIn due its business audience. The platform is trying to become more of an even split across men and women, however more than 57% of users are men still. This could be reflective of how many men seem to work in the professional field. 

From an advertising and marketing perspective if you are actively targeting a male audience then you have a larger spread to look at. However as mentioned, more and more changes are occurring to the platform which is aimed at a more neutral gender split. 

If you want to see how the splits of men and women appear on LinkedIn then take a look at this article. Global LinkedIn user distribution by gender 2020.

Location Demographics 

Location demographics on LinkedIn show they have users in over 200 countries around the world. With 70% of those are outside of the United States. This therefore offers a business global appeal, and a platform to market their products and services. B2B or B2C companies have been taking advantage of this, and are able to generate revenue in new territories around the world. 

Having a LinkedIn presence does take time to build, and looking at other territories may take longer. You will need to consider what attracts people from that country, and also which of your products is going to be the most successful. From this you can generate prospects which are considered as low level leads.

Education Demographics 

Education demographics on LinkedIn show more and more students are now building their network a lot sooner. The term it’s who you know not what you know is now more prevalent than ever. So for students looking to break into industry LinkedIn has now become their go to space.

The highest percentage of students who are on LinkedIn are within their final year of university. This is because they are then looking for their first role in industry. With the introduction of LinkedIn groups, this has allowed prospective people to connect with those relevant in their sector. 

This is beneficial from a business perspective especially if you are looking to grow. You will be able to find someone who is new and you are able to train. Also if you are a business with an audience of students then also promoting your products could also generate valuable leads. 

To Conclude

The demographics of LinkedIn provides a really insightful look at the types of people who are on the platform. With this information you are able to determine if advertising or promoting your products and services are going to be beneficial. However, do not ignore LinkedIn. It can be a great way to get recommended by others, generate leads and also make yourself known.