LinkedIn Updates: Ads Tools, Video Features, Benchmarks, and More

Summary

Social Media Marketing Talk Show: LinkedIn Updates — Ads Tools, Video Features, Benchmarks, and More

Release Date: December 2, 2024

In the latest episode of the Social Media Marketing Talk Show, hosted by Jerry Potter of Social Media Examiner, listeners are treated to an in-depth exploration of the most recent updates on LinkedIn. Joining Jerry is Mikayla Alexis, a seasoned LinkedIn marketing strategist, who delves into the platform's new features, advertising tools, video enhancements, and insights from a recent benchmark report. This comprehensive discussion provides marketers with actionable insights to refine their LinkedIn strategies for 2025 and beyond.

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1. LinkedIn's New Content Recommendations

Timestamp: [02:08]
Mikayla Alexis opens the conversation by highlighting LinkedIn's proactive approach in refining content standards. LinkedIn has recently published guidelines delineating the types of content that should be avoided to enhance user experience and content relevance. The categories include:

• Promotional and Off-Topic Content: Overly promotional posts that do not add value.
• Engagement Bait: Posts explicitly asking for likes, shares, or comments, which LinkedIn is discouraging to prevent manipulative engagement tactics.
• Unoriginal Content: Repetitive or reused content lacking originality.
• Negative Content: Posts that incite negativity or controversy, especially in light of current global political climates.
• Adult and Sensitive Content: Inappropriate content that doesn't align with LinkedIn’s professional environment.

Mikayla emphasizes, “LinkedIn is really trying to maintain its focus on professional and valuable content, steering away from spammy or irrelevant posts” ([02:21]).

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2. Navigating Engagement Bait

Timestamp: [03:03]
A significant portion of the discussion centers around engagement bait, a tactic previously commonplace on LinkedIn. Mikayla expresses her concern: “It's interesting that they are saying post explicitly asking for shares or tags might seem like a quick win, but can actually hurt your reach” ([03:06]). This shift requires marketers to adopt more subtle and value-driven calls to action instead of overtly requesting engagement, fostering a more organic interaction with the audience.

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3. Enhanced Video Features and Composer Updates

Timestamp: [06:42]
LinkedIn continues to prioritize video content into 2025. Mikayla explores the platform’s latest updates aimed at facilitating video creation and engagement:

• New Video Button in Composer: Simplifies the process of adding videos by providing a dedicated button, encouraging creators to focus on video content rather than generic media uploads.

  “It's so that people specifically add videos versus photos. Photos tend to just kind of reign supreme on LinkedIn in general” ([07:42]).

• Prominent Follow Button on Videos: Enhances the ability to convert viewers into followers seamlessly.

  “It's a really nice way to create videos and know that you might be converting viewers into new followers on LinkedIn” ([09:07]).

• New Engagement Icons: Replacement of the mute button with a save post button, allowing users to save valuable content for later reference.

  “It makes it easier for people to save your video content and revisit it later” ([09:59]).

While these updates offer new opportunities, Mikayla notes the cultural differences in how features are adopted on LinkedIn compared to other platforms like YouTube or TikTok. She suggests maintaining a balance by possibly retaining both mute and save buttons to cater to professional settings where silent content consumption is preferred ([10:07]).

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4. Revamped Sharing Mechanisms

Timestamp: [12:07]
LinkedIn has introduced an enhanced sharing feature that includes a send as message option. This allows users to share posts directly with individuals or specific groups, streamlining targeted content dissemination. Mikayla praises this addition: “There are so many times where I see a post and I do want to share it directly with the person” ([12:21]).

Jerry adds a psychological perspective, referencing a New York Times study that identifies identity as a primary driver for content sharing. This insight underscores the importance of creating authentic and personally resonant content to foster genuine engagement without resorting to engagement bait tactics ([13:37]).

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5. Feed Optimization and Algorithm Adjustments

Timestamp: [14:54]
Optimizing one's LinkedIn profile is crucial for ensuring that the content feed aligns with personal and professional interests. Mikayla advises:

• Profile Optimization: Ensures that LinkedIn accurately curates content based on updated professional goals and interests.
• Intentional Networking: Focusing on meaningful connections rather than amassing large numbers of connections for a more relevant and engaging feed.
• Active Engagement: Regularly liking, commenting, and interacting with content to signal activity to LinkedIn’s algorithm, thereby improving content visibility.

She emphasizes, “It's just such a great time of year to tie up those loose ends, right, like the profile and then go into 2025 with a fresh new feed” ([16:37]).

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6. Changes to LinkedIn Events

Timestamp: [17:35]
LinkedIn is phasing out audio-only events, previously similar to Clubhouse, in favor of integrating events into LinkedIn Live using third-party streaming tools. Mikayla expresses her disappointment: “There is always going to be that technology barrier for a lot of people” ([17:49]). This change may pose challenges for users accustomed to native audio events, potentially limiting accessibility for some.

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7. Innovative Advertising Tools: Boosted Posts and AI Enhancements

Timestamp: [20:55]
LinkedIn is simplifying paid lead generation by allowing users to boost posts directly from their LinkedIn page. This feature leverages first-party data to target high-quality leads without navigating complex ad tools. Mikayla explains, “You don't need to go in and use any of their ad tools. You can just use your LinkedIn page” ([20:55]).

Additionally, LinkedIn has introduced AI-powered features in Sales Navigator:

• Lead IQ: Provides detailed overviews of leads, including their activities, interests, and achievements, enabling personalized outreach.

  “They have Lead IQ... it will tell me their personality traits. It will tell me how to reach out to them” ([22:11]).

• Enhanced Account IQ: Offers tailored insights into target accounts and demonstrates how specific solutions can meet their needs.

These AI tools aim to reduce the manual effort involved in lead research, allowing marketers to engage more effectively with potential clients.

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8. Insights from the LinkedIn and HubSpot Benchmark Report

Timestamp: [25:02]
The episode also covers highlights from a benchmark report conducted by LinkedIn and HubSpot, surveying 250 marketing leaders. Key findings include:

• Marketing Budget Allocation: Companies are investing 20-30% of their annual revenue into marketing, emphasizing the importance of strategic planning.

  “Companies are spending 20 to 30% of their annual revenue on marketing” ([25:20]).

• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Marketing-source pipeline and revenue remain the top KPIs, underscoring the critical role of marketing-sales alignment.

• Extended Buyer Cycles: Decision-makers are taking longer to make purchases due to increased pressure to avoid mistakes, leading to more extended buyer journeys.

  “Buyer cycles are getting longer as decision makers face greater pressure to avoid mistakes” ([25:20]).

Mikayla links these insights to the necessity for marketers to create more touchpoints and deliver value-driven content to stay top-of-mind amidst a crowded marketplace.

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9. Conclusion and Takeaways

In wrapping up, Jerry and Mikayla reiterate the importance of adapting to LinkedIn's evolving landscape by embracing new features, optimizing profiles, and leveraging AI tools for enhanced lead generation and sales strategies. They also highlight the significance of attending events like Social Media Marketing World for staying updated with the latest marketing trends and networking with industry professionals.

Mikayla shares her availability for further engagement, directing listeners to her LinkedIn profile and upcoming talks on magnetic marketing at Social Media Marketing World 2025.

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Notable Quotes:

• "It's interesting that they are saying post explicitly asking for shares or tags might seem like a quick win, but can actually hurt your reach." — Mikayla Alexis ([03:06])

• "LinkedIn is really trying to maintain its focus on professional and valuable content, steering away from spammy or irrelevant posts." — Mikayla Alexis ([02:21])

• "LinkedIn has always been really protective of maintaining their work career prospective content." — Mikayla Alexis ([05:09])

• "Marketing-source pipeline and revenue remain top KPI, signaling the value of a strong marketing to sales connection." — Mikayla Alexis ([25:20])

This episode offers a treasure trove of insights for marketers aiming to harness LinkedIn’s latest tools and updates effectively. By understanding and implementing these changes, professionals can enhance their social media strategies, ensuring their content remains relevant, engaging, and impactful in the competitive landscape of 2025.

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For more detailed insights and to stay updated with the latest in social media marketing, visit SocialMediaExaminer.com/liveshow.

Transcript

[Regina Kowitz]

Are you thinking of attending Social Media Marketing World but you're concerned that you're not going to learn anything new? Listen to what fellow marketers have to say. Regina Kowitz says, I've been wanting to attend this conference for years and finally got to go. It was phenomenal and packs a punch with incredibly valuable and actionable information. Katie Brinkley says, just four years ago I made a decision that would pivot my entire entrepreneurial journey. I attended Social Media Marketing World. The rewards promised to be nothing short of extraordinary. Rebecca Good says, I absolutely loved every single presentation and wish I could turn back the clock like Hermione from Harry Potter and get to experience every single session. I learned so much and would absolutely love the opportunity to go back again. Come see what you're missing. Visit social media marketing world.info and grab your tickets today.

[Jerry Potter]

Welcome to the Social Media Marketing Talk.

[Mikayla Alexis]

Show, your guide to the ever changing.

[Jerry Potter]

World of social media. On today's show we're going to explore the most important LinkedIn updates that we need to be aware of, including LinkedIn published a breakdown of what content to avoid posting, which is really good to be aware of so we can make sure that our posts are getting seen. It's always nice to hear from LinkedIn themselves to make sure we're not accidentally doing something that's hurting our strategy. More updates that signal video is going to continue to be a big priority for LinkedIn in 2025. New helpful info from them about how things are ranked in the feed and we're seeing some subtle changes there that are going to be aware of and a brand new benchmark report so you can compare what you're doing to other companies including the percentage of their revenue they spend on marketing. And there's this shift that seems to be going on in the length of the buyer cycle. My name is Jerry Potter, host of the Social Media Marketing Talk Show, a Social Media examiner production where we break down all the latest social media news and what it means for marketers like you. Today I'm joined by Mikayla Alexis. Mikayla is a LinkedIn marketing strategist who trains businesses on leveraging the power of LinkedIn. Her course is called Copywriting for Social Media. Mikayla, welcome to the show.

[Mikayla Alexis]

I'm so excited. There's a lot today.

[Jerry Potter]

There is a lot. And it's good stuff too, you know, sometimes it's exciting. So let's jump in first about their content recommendations that LinkedIn shared and what your thoughts are on these because I think there's some really good Stuff in here.

[Mikayla Alexis]

Yeah. So this was interesting to me because I've never seen them actually release something where they explicitly say, don't post this stuff. Obviously they've had conversations with lots of people on LinkedIn and have been trying to battle this behind the scenes for many years. But basically it comes down to kind of what you would expect. Promotional and off topic content, what they call engagement bait, which I want to get into with you. Unoriginal content, which is something that they've been battling for years. Negative content, which I think with, you know, the recent politics in the world, they're definitely trying to combat a little bit more, more on the platform. And then of course, adult and sensitive content, which doesn't really have a place on LinkedIn or probably elsewhere on the Internet. But they talked about that as well.

[Jerry Potter]

Yeah. So talk to me about the engagement bait.

[Mikayla Alexis]

I think this is really interesting because I have for a long time part of my strategy has been, you know, like, if you agree, that's been part of the LinkedIn culture. So it's interesting that they are saying post explicitly asking for like shares or tags might seem like a quick win, but can actually hurt your reach because according to a lot of their previous content and their posts about this, they've, they've encouraged people to ask for shares or to share their opinion. So I'm curious to see if they are penalizing posts that ask for likes or to share or comment below and if so, how they want people to approach calls to action moving forward. I think this one is a little bit tricky for creators.

[Jerry Potter]

It is interesting too. Yeah. Because a big part of what people do on LinkedIn too is tagging other people.

[Mikayla Alexis]

Other people, exactly.

[Jerry Potter]

If you don't have a relationship with them, it's basically spam. Right. And we saw Facebook, it seems like, crack down on this a decade ago. I'm sure it was only seven or eight years, but it's been there for the longest time and it's like click, like if you agree, click. Love if you disagree. These fake polls and things like that. I have a bigger theory about what's going on with LinkedIn and I hopefully it doesn't sound like a conspiracy theory type of thing. Ooh, here's what I think's happening behind the scenes. LinkedIn, as we talked about a second ago, is going, yep, we're doing video, we're doing vertical video, we're doing, you know, short form video. And all the people who create short form video, myself included, are like, cool, now I'm gonna take all the Short form videos I've been creating elsewhere. I'm gonna put them on LinkedIn, why not? See what happens. We have all these tools that make it so easy to do that and I think they're probably getting an influx of content that they don't feel like it fits on LinkedIn. So when you talked about the sharing thing, sharing is one of the. If somebody shares it, obviously it's going to reach more people even if the algorithm squashes it. So it could be some of that. But also some of the things, like you said, you've never seen them say don't post this before.

[Mikayla Alexis]

Right.

[Jerry Potter]

I think that's part of the reason too because people are just taking their reels and their tiktoks and then bringing them on over.

[Mikayla Alexis]

Yeah. And LinkedIn has always been really protective of maintaining their work career prospective content. I think it's easy for people to take what they're doing on other platforms and try to repurpose it onto LinkedIn. And LinkedIn is kind of saying, nope, you gotta figure out a way to make this speak directly to people and make it relevant and all of those good things. So I think that the intentions are really good. I just am curious about that piece of how do you add calls to action without being penalized potentially by the algorithm if they are kind of shifting the focus? And also what qualifies as engagement? Is it things that are, you know, you've probably seen them on LinkedIn where it's like a viral video that's repurposed from another platform where it's like, like if you agree with it, you know, I understand that. But what about original content that is simply asking to comment below or to share. So that's my only take in all of that. In terms of promotional and off topic content, all of these things are, I think are great. It's going to really force people. Instead of just going on LinkedIn and saying buy my product or buy my service, it's retraining them to instead add value to share. This is how my product is helpful to you. Here's a tutorial, here's a quick win for you. So I think overall it's going to be more valuable for readers and listeners and watchers on LinkedIn. But I think that there's going to have to be a shift in how people have been creating content historically on LinkedIn.

[Jerry Potter]

I like what you're saying and I think some of the other stuff we're sharing today kind of backs this up too. So we'll get into that in just a second along with these updates around video, we do hear it all the time at Social Media Examiner. Marketers say they wish there was an easy way to learn the latest strategies. And fortunately there is a way by coming to Social Media Marketing World. Better than going back to school, avoiding boring lectures and course dreaded homework assignments. There's no homework. Instead, you'll spend three fun days discovering what's working while getting to know other marketers who are facing the same struggles that you are. Michaela is going to be there speaking about magnetic marketing. How to build a LinkedIn presence that attracts and converts. And it all takes place in beautiful San Diego. So if you're ready to learn, have fun and save, go to Social Media Marketing World. Get your tickets today again, Social Media Marketing World and we hope to see you there. So LinkedIn has been moving in this video direction all year and looks like it's continuing in 2025. And part of this is a slight tweak in the posting composer that we're starting to see. So what is this that's starting to show up that you've.

[Mikayla Alexis]

So a couple things. There's a new video button that's supposed to be in the composer. I immediately went to the mobile app because I wanted to see if it worked for me. It does not work for me. And I was wondering, well, how did I post videos before I looked at that update and I was like, don't I have that? And then I checked and it's actually just media. So you can choose either video or photo. But I think the idea of including a video button in the composer is so that people specifically add videos versus photos. Photos tend to just kind of reign supreme on LinkedIn in general. So I think that's why they're trying to do that. I know that it's not an official update. I think they're probably going to play around with it behind the scenes because they have a lot of updates and they have a lot of new features. And the biggest thing is to avoid overwhelm for people that you don't want to open up your composer and you see 50 different options, you know. So I think that's why we haven't heard about that yet. But I do think it's an interesting shift and I think it will help people create more videos because it's just, oh, I can include a video here. Some people might not even know that you can add a video just because the button says media. Yeah. Also a more prominent follow button on videos. I think this is fantastic. This is awesome. So when somebody watches your video, LinkedIn's making it easier for you to follow them. So that's a really nice way to create videos and know that you might be converting viewers into new followers on LinkedIn. I think that's fantastic for people that are creating video content. I'm actually after this show, I have a whole bunch of scripts and I'm going to be creating more video content on LinkedIn. So I think that's really interesting. And then there's also the new engagement icons. So instead of the mute button, you're going to see a save post button. So it makes it easier for people to save your video content and revisit it later. Now, my only thought about this is that LinkedIn, since the beginning of time, loves to copycat other platforms. And I know that this is big on on YouTube. I know that this is big on TikTok. The problem is, is that there's a culture that is different. It's special on LinkedIn. One of the reasons that I really like the mute button is because we're at work, right? And so a lot of people may want to be on that video stream watching videos without the sound for that reason. So I just wish that they would maybe have the save button and the mute button.

[Jerry Potter]

I, as a consumer, I 100% agree with you. As a marketer, I say, sorry, you're going to get busted using your phone in the bathroom at work. Because here's what I think. These are incredible opportunities. LinkedIn has already said, hey, make these short form vertical videos 2 minutes or less share value, and we're going to show them to people you're not connected with, right? Which is the same way that we use them on TikTok and Facebook and YouTube and all these other platforms. And so now that the more prominent follow button is there, again, much better chance to grow your amazing. And now that the save button is there on the other platforms like that is a massive indicator. If I look back on Instagram, the reels that have done the best, it's the type of content that somebody wanted to save for later. Now, this does take us back to the engagement bait question, because, right, for people who are listening to this later on the podcast, I wish you could see the look that Michaela just made on her face like, yeah, but the strategy is, right, we give value and then we say, by the way, you want more tips on that, hit follow because the button's there now. Or hey, if you want to be able to reference this later, hit save. Neither of those feel Engagement baity, to use a fake phrase.

[Mikayla Alexis]

Yes.

[Jerry Potter]

But I don't know. To me, I think it would be worth experimenting and trying with those. That's definitely something I want to do.

[Mikayla Alexis]

Yeah, I think the save button in general is absolutely necessary. I'm wondering, and I haven't actually experimented with my this myself. When you go to the video feed, is it automatically muted the videos or does it go full volume?

[Jerry Potter]

I don't know, because I watch a lot of video. I have the volume down on my phone.

[Mikayla Alexis]

So do I. So do I. Because for those exact reasons. So I do want to experiment with that. If you go to the video feed and it is automatically muted, then I could see why they would replace the mute button with the save button. Because it's already muted. Right.

[Jerry Potter]

Somebody's going to find out at work next week.

[Mikayla Alexis]

I'm going to try this after. Exactly.

[Jerry Potter]

Okay. All right. So speaking of engagement, they are tweaking the way that posts are shared, and I think there's a couple of nuances here that are really good to know for us as marketers. So what's the update that we're seeing around sharing?

[Mikayla Alexis]

Yeah, so when you want to share a post on LinkedIn, you, I think generally you had two options. You could repost, or at least I saw in my end, repost. So you share the post exactly as it is. This is like, great for, like, you just quickly want to amplify that message. You repost with your thoughts, which is what I teach my clients to do. Add your own perspective, personalize the post and give that person a quick win without them actually having to read that original post. But now they're including send a message. So you can share that post directly with individuals or groups, or you can even look for specific groups to send a message. I haven't seen this. I tried this on mine. So I don't see that update yet to send as a message. But I think that is such a great, easy update to add onto LinkedIn because there are so many times where I see a post and I do want to share it directly with the person. So I love that that's available and I love looking at the screenshot of it that it shows the people that you engage with most often. So if you're like, you know, constantly sending messages back and forth on LinkedIn with a coworker, let's say, and you want to share that post with them, the fact that their profile pops up right away, beautiful. Makes life so much easier. So I love that one.

[Jerry Potter]

It's interesting because I tested it too, and I have two buttons. I have a share button and a send button. And so when I click Share, I get repost or add commentary, which Lincoln has already said always add commentary, which I agree with. And then the send button is separate. And so, yeah, clearly a great potential tool. And I just wanted to add in. I'm a huge psychology geek and so in case it's helpful for anybody, the New York Times did this huge study about why people share social media content. And four of the top five reasons are all tied to our identity. So we share things. Yes, we share things that reflect who we are. We share things that will help us connect with other people that are like us, different things like that. And so I think, you know, if we can't say share anymore because they're cracking down an engagement bait, we can replace that just with subtle things where it's like this type of person knows this or this type of person gets this or who do you know that's like this, those little things. And I've tested them on the other platforms for years. Oh, I love.

[Mikayla Alexis]

That's great.

[Jerry Potter]

Shares.

[Mikayla Alexis]

Writing that one down. That's great.

[Jerry Potter]

It's. Yeah. All about identity. Yes. Save this post for later, Michaela and all right, so we do have some updates about the way the feed works too, and we're seeing some subtle changes is here as well. So walk us through these, this update.

[Mikayla Alexis]

Yeah, so I think most of it is fairly straightforward. Your profile allows LinkedIn to understand your interests, which is why, by the way, I do what I do because it's so important to optimize your profile to make sure that your feed matches what you're actually interested in, what you're trying to accomplish. Your network is going to influence the content that you see. So the more intentional your connections. Again, if you're going out and you want to just hit that 30,000 connection limit, your feed's not going to be super relevant to you. So the more intentional you are with connecting with people, the better your feed is going to be and then your actions. So liking commenting and hiding posts are going to shape your content preferences over time. I think generally this is pretty straightforward for most people, but it's a good reminder that a optimizing your LinkedIn profile, if you haven't done that already, so incredibly important. Take a look at your network. If you have gone to a new industry, started a new role, maybe started a new job altogether, make sure that your new network reflects your current interests. Because if you. I know I'm like that for myself, you know, I had connections when I just left university and their content may not be relevant to the Michaela in 2024. So making sure that especially now, this is a great time of year to go through your connection list review, who's on there? Who are those people that still align with what you're trying to achieve in 2025 and make some changes there and then also your actions so making that you are liking commenting, share the love on LinkedIn. This is good not only for your feed on LinkedIn, but it's also really good for the algorithm so that when you're posting the next time, the algorithm recognizes you as an active member of the community.

[Jerry Potter]

Oh, is that where I'm going wrong? I have to show up. LinkedIn is not one of my top priorities. So I'm well aware of the impact that has when we don't show up.

[Mikayla Alexis]

It's just such a great time of year to tie up those loose ends, right, like the profile and then go into 2025 with a fresh new feed. You know, the algorithm is loving that you're being so active on LinkedIn. I just think it's such a great time of year to do all that stuff.

[Jerry Potter]

Yes. And they've talked about how you're going to see fewer personal posts from people that you, you know, don't connect to, which they were kind of experimenting with for a while. And then the clickbait posts with little substance as they describe it.

[Mikayla Alexis]

So, yeah, all that, all of this ties back to the fact that they're really trying to get rid of spam scams have been prevalent on LinkedIn in 2024. That's why they started introducing the verification tools, all of that stuff. So I think all of it comes down to that. They want LinkedIn to be a safe, relevant platform for people that visit.

[Jerry Potter]

All right, we've got updates on LinkedIn events and that benchmark report to compare how what you're doing to other companies. But first, an update to LinkedIn events, which every time this comes up I'm like, oh yeah, LinkedIn event. So what's the latest around, around this, Mikayla?

[Mikayla Alexis]

Yeah, this one's a little bit sad. I know I used to do LinkedIn audio events. I know a few people that absolutely Love audio events LinkedIn had introduced. For those of you that haven't been to a LinkedIn audio event, basically like a Clubhouse type tool on the platform and they were great, really easy to create, to show up. It worked very similar to Clubhouse, where there would be certain people talking you could invite people up to speak. They've kind of twisted this a little bit to say they're going to be merged into a single entry point. And so from what I understand, you're no longer going to be able to host native audio only events directly on LinkedIn. Instead you're going to need to use LinkedIn Live and then a third party streaming tool. So real time interaction will still be possible through comments, but for live speaking, you're still going to be required speaker access through your streaming tool. Now this has kind of been touted as like a great thing. I think this is a little bit sad for a couple of reasons. Number one, I think that there is, you know, maybe not enough people are using the audio only feature. I would love if they would roll both of them into the same thing, but still have that native audio ability because there's always going to be that technology barrier for a lot of people. Right. A lot of people are not used to using tools outside of LinkedIn. So you're going to have a lot of people that were great with audio events, experts in their field that are going to have no idea how to use third party tools and create the.

[Jerry Potter]

Third party tools are sometimes easier, sometimes.

[Mikayla Alexis]

Easier, but there is kind of a barrier to entry there. So that's my only thing right there. The other thing that I'm kind of curious about is how that actually works. So if you are, let's say that you're creating an event in 2025 and you want to do an audio only event and you are going to use streamyard, is it possible to just do audio on streamyard or does it just make sense to do audio and video if you're already using it?

[Jerry Potter]

Yeah, I don't know that it is. I mean, obviously just put up a slide if you didn't want to be on camera, but.

[Mikayla Alexis]

So I'm curious to see how that will all work. I still think that there is room for audio and I know that there are people that are out there that love audio books, that love listening to podcasts. So I still think that there is room for an audio focused tool or feature on LinkedIn. And I'm curious to see what, what they come up with in 2025. I don't think this is it. I don't think that this is, this is the one, but I think that they, they're, they will come up with something that, that still caters to those people.

[Jerry Potter]

I would love to see them do a deeper podcast integration. That would be exactly, because I, I bet that LinkedIn audiences and podcasts have more overlap than maybe some of the.

[Mikayla Alexis]

Absolutely, absolutely. There's so much, there is so much room for possibility here.

[Jerry Potter]

All right, couple of updates in the ad space. First of all, easier to do paid lead generation than it has been in the past. What's the update around this? Michaela?

[Mikayla Alexis]

So now you can boost posts specifically for lead generation. This is really interesting. So now you can turn organic posts into ads directly from your LinkedIn page. You don't need to go in and use any of their ad tools. You can just use your LinkedIn page. It's going to have a button to say boost this post. And then those boosted posts are going to use first party data to target high quality leads, making it easier to capture attention and generate business. I'm curious about this one. We talked about this a little bit earlier. So basically the idea is that you can take a post that you've created on your LinkedIn page, boost it and it will incorporate a lead generation form. Now I'm just curious about the process of what that might look like. You know, if somebody clicks on the post, are they going to open a. I don't know how that's going to look.

[Jerry Potter]

Okay, well, because LinkedIn is the only platform where you can really target people based on their job titles and companies. Because everybody put their job on Facebook 10 years ago and hasn't updated it. You know, I like anytime they lower the barrier for this kind of thing because I think for certain types of businesses this is a really good opportunity. And then LinkedIn has also announced another AI powered feature for Sales Navigator for sales professionals. So what are they rolling out here that marketers will be able to take advantage of?

[Mikayla Alexis]

You know, very rarely do I get really excited about Sales Navigator updates today. You know, I'm generally organic. I like to be in more involved in the creation process. But I'm really excited about this. So they have Lead iq. So this is going to give you a quick overview of the leads, LinkedIn activity, their interests and achievements, which helps you to personalize your outreach. And then they also have enhanced account iq. So that's going to provide tailored insights into target accounts and also show how your solutions fit their needs. I think that this is such a perfect example of how we can use AI to its full advantage. LinkedIn has put out a million AI updates over the last few months. Especially some of them are okay, some of them are not good at all. This is awesome. I looked at the screenshots. I love. I actually use a tool right now. Called Crystal Knows. So when I am reaching out to prospects on LinkedIn, it's a Chrome extension, it will tell me their personality traits. It will tell me how to reach out to them.

[Jerry Potter]

Wow.

[Mikayla Alexis]

That is one of my favorite tools ever. And to me, lead IQ is like LinkedIn's version of that. And I love the fact that they are taking out the grunt work of, like, having to research, find all these things and just telling you, this is this person, this is what they like. Not just this is what's on their profile, but this is the type of content that they're engaging with, which I think is going to help people really relate to people on a different level. So I love this update.

[Jerry Potter]

I agree that this is the type of thing that is the best use of AI for marketers to wear. I mean, we think about, like, oh, we're going to be able to type in a text prompt and get a video.

[Mikayla Alexis]

Exactly.

[Jerry Potter]

Anytime that you can use it to give you information from a smaller data source. Right. Because anyone can go into ChatGPT or Gemini and basically use the entire Internet or the entire Internet up to two years ago or wherever they're at with that now. But when we can do it on a smaller piece of information like this. Yeah, that's the fascinating part. That's all you know, when you talked about that other tool, it'll tell you their personality traits. Obviously it would, depending on how they shared and all that kind of stuff. But that's.

[Mikayla Alexis]

Yeah, it's one of those things.

[Jerry Potter]

I'm gonna put that under creepy for humans. Great for marketers.

[Mikayla Alexis]

There's a few of those, isn't there?

[Jerry Potter]

Yes.

[Mikayla Alexis]

I also love the showing how your solutions fit their needs. I took a look at that and I think that is awesome. Even just for training your salespeople. Right. If you have salespeople that are really struggling to close business, being able to use this tool on LinkedIn where it actually shows you, okay, this is a company and this is how your tool or your service may help them. Amazing. For those salespeople.

[Jerry Potter]

Yeah, that's fantastic. All right, new benchmark report from LinkedIn and HubSpot where they surveyed marketing leaders and just a couple of interesting things here. This is a great time of year, obviously, to assess what you're doing, what you're going to do going into 2025. So what were just a few of the highlights from that that you think are worth sharing? Michaela?

[Mikayla Alexis]

Yeah, a few things. Companies are spending 20 to 30% of their annual revenue on marketing, which shows that you need to be strategic in your planning. Marketing source pipeline and revenue remain top KPI, signaling the value of a strong marketing to sales connection. And then buyer cycles are getting longer as decision makers face greater pressure to avoid mistakes. So people are more hesitant to buy right off the bat. Which I think goes back to all of these things that. All of these new features that we talked about today. The lead IQ, the account IQ, the content that you're creating on LinkedIn, all ties back to the fact that you're going to have to have a lot more touch points with people moving forward than you did maybe in the past.

[Jerry Potter]

And I think it's important to point out that this is only a survey of 250 marketing leaders. So this was not a huge sample. But I'm seeing the same stuff in other places. You know, for. For businesses that do launches, people are waiting, you know, till the last day to buy. And not just because it's the last day, you know, because even if there's juicy bonuses before, they still wait till the last day. And, you know, one of the other things they said, I thought was really interesting, is that fewer vendors are making it onto buyers shortlists. So maybe two years ago you had to be top five to be considered, and now you got to be top three or top two before they're really going to do any kind of a deep dive, which I think essentially means we got to step up and be top of mind even more than before to, you know, get in there.

[Mikayla Alexis]

Yeah, it sounds like there's more choice available in the marketplace, and that's creating a little bit of analysis paralysis. I know it certainly does for me. And, you know, my mom is the type of person, she walks into Subway and they ask what she wants on her sub and she freezes. And I have to help my mom. And, you know, I think that there's a lot of people, and that is true about marketing. Sometimes there are so many choices that it's really hard to move forward. And that's why it's going to be helpful to not just have those posts on LinkedIn, not just think about ads and getting in front of people, but also speaking directly to what are their values, what are their core values, what do they. What do they believe in? And shaking as many hands as possible rather than just focusing on trying to get that sale right away.

[Jerry Potter]

That one too many. Yeah, yeah. The more you can share it so that you don't become one of a bunch of choices, but you become the choice is always going to be better. And then you can usually charge more so all right, quick reminder. Learn about an all access or virtual ticket. To join us for Social Media Marketing World today, just go to Social Media Marketing World and Mikayla, where can we discover more about you?

[Mikayla Alexis]

Oh definitely on LinkedIn you can find me just my name is Mikayla Michael with an A Alexis A L E X I S. You can find me on my personal profile. My company company page is LinkedIn training for ambitious people, businesses and brands. Or you can find me at Social Media marketing world in 2025 where I am going to be talking about magnetic marketing and sharing all of the things that we talked about today and so much more.

[Jerry Potter]

Awesome. If you want another podcast to add to your listening lineup, couple for you to check out the Social Media Marketing Podcast as well as the AI Explored podcast. Find them wherever you are listening to this one and until next time, may you be wise with your marketing decisions. Thanks everyone. Bye.

[Mikayla Alexis]

The Social Media Marketing Talk show is a Social Media examiner production. For more social media insight, visit socialmediaexaminer.com.

[Regina Kowitz]

Make 2025 your best year ever. Grab your discount tickets to Social Media Marketing World right now by visiting social media marketing world.info.