LinkedIn has just rolled out Sponsored Updates, which allows brands to place posts into the news feed of users who aren't following them.

Sponsor says

LinkedIn announced the news in a blog post, explaining Sponsored Updates will let marketers to deliver custom content – including slideshows, articles, videos and whitepapers, to relevant professionals from LinkedIn's 225 million users. Updates can be segmented based on user profiles.

Sponsored Updates can be viewed on desktop and mobile devices and will be marked “sponsored”. LinkedIn users will have the option to “Follow” the sponsoring company as well as “Like,” “Comment” and “Share” posts with their network.

No pricing structure is currently available, however Sponsored Updates will be available on both a CPC and CPM basis, with real time analytics available. 

Connecting with content

LinkedIn cited a case study where Telstra used Sponsored Updates to reach and engage Australian LinkedIn users.

Through producing tailored content Telstra was able to accelerate the rate at which it attracted new followers by 12 per cent.

Bigger is better?

While LinkedIn has long offered advertising options, ads were relatively small and appeared on the right hand side bar.

Sponsored Updates will appear directly in the news feed and feature far more prominently. This will hopefully translate into higher click-through rates and engagement for brands, while LinkedIn will be able to charge more too.

Adding up

As LinkedIn continues to monetise, Sponsored Updates bring the platform into line with similar offerings from Facebook and Twitter.

Its challenge will be balancing Sponsored Updates with organic content so users click through instead of switching off.

To find out more visit marketing.linkedin.com/blog.

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