After six quarters of record levels of engagement growth, LinkedIn — the professional social media platform with more than 830 million members — is on track to enhance user experience by updating its feed algorithm.
Improvements include changes to how content is ranked in users’ feeds and the ability to block categories of content, as well as choosing the type of content you want to see more, even if it’s from creators who aren’t part of your network.
This is not only good news for users, but also for brands, who will have the opportunity to take advantage of these changes as part of their Marketing and recruiting strategies.
So, what’s new about this optimization and how does one take advantage of that as a company? Let’s dig into that.
Users decide what they want to see
Now, more than ever, brands are focusing on providing relevant and tailored experiences for customers by learning about their preferences.
LinkedIn understands the importance of this, therefore it’s integrating new functions, with the aim that users have more control over feed content and decide what is relevant for them and what is not.
Now, an “I don’t want to see this” option is available on every post, allowing users to reduce the view of content from certain topics, authors, or creators. They will only have to click on the 3 dots that appear in the corner of the publication and choose the option mentioned. In this section, they can also report specific content that goes against the LinkedIn Professional Community Policies.
The company is also testing a function that allows users to reduce political content showing up on their feeds. This includes content related to political parties and candidates, election outcomes, and ballot initiatives. To activate this option, users can click on the More icon on the upper right of a post or in their feed preferences settings.
Once it’s activated, it will remove the specific post from their feed, and over time, it will show less of that content to the user.
This feature is only available in English and to members in the US at this time, but based on the feedback, they plan to expand these changes to other languages and regions.
For companies, brands, and people who work in political and advocacy roles, this could have a heavy impact, especially on their platform reach and performance. If enough people decide to switch it off, it’s best that creators be prepared.
Another novelty is that users will be able to choose if they want to see more content from certain authors, leaders, and industry experts, even if they aren’t part of their network.
Irrelevant news and poor quality content will be gone
Did you ever receive a notification, hoping for big news, only to find out a contact commented on another user’s post (you don’t even follow)? Well, that’s about to change.
With this update, LinkedIn’s feed will show:
- less irrelevant updates;
- less engagement-baiting posts,
- less irrelevant polls from people you are not connected with.
Instead, the feed will show more:
- targeted activity from a user’s network;
- posts that spark conversation and engage discussion (helpful for career growth and development);
- relevant content (like posts and videos) that is based on users’ interests;
- news and insights from people you want to hear from.
The social media network announced they will promote less poor quality content that asks for interactions as well as notifications about position changes and minor updates, and prioritize high-quality content.
But what’s considered “high-quality” and relevant content? Here I’ll give you some ideas:
- Blog posts that produce relevant conversations regarding interesting topics for your audience. Remember that long-form content performs better.
- Third-party content: engaging and reputable content from other publishers is always welcomed. Provide your contacts with material that is helpful for their career growth and development.
- Videos: you can create informational or educational material in the format of short interviews, animations, or quick recommendations and tips.
To create relevant content, the most important thing is to know your audience and what opportunities you can provide for them. What questions do they have? How can you help them find the answers? What do they want to hear about?
Also, remember there’s more than one format: you can create display articles, videos, job listings, and more to give your contacts what they are looking for, and most likely, the content they best engage with.
What are the opportunities for companies and recruiters?
One of the top priorities for social media platforms today is increasing engagement by designing personalized experiences for users based on their interests.
Make sure your posts spark conversations and discussions that users find helpful for their careers and professional development.
In light of LinkedIn’s algorithm change, companies need to move away from growth hacks based on expressly engaging with content via likes or reactions. Instead, start creating relevant and high-quality content to build a solid audience, interested in what they have to say! My advice? Focus on reliability, credibility, and authenticity.
Marketing and recruiting strategies need to grow with the algorithm and this is the perfect opportunity for brands to launch high-quality strategies that build awareness and drive revenue.
