5 Stats You Need to Know About Linkedin in 2022 | #SterileProcessing

Originally, LinkedIn was nothing more than a job board and a space to host your resume. You would bribe your friends, colleagues, and college professors to leave notes of recommendation on your page.

But since its founding and launch in 2003 it has changed drastically. It is now one of the biggest social networks in the world. More and more industry professionals are heading to LinkedIn to build a network of like-minded individuals who are posting and sharing content about their industries and their companies.

But don’t let the fact that LinkedIn isn’t as big as other social networks like Facebook and Instagram stop you from investing in this platform. LinkedIn statistics look a little different than they do for some of the other social networks. It’s not the biggest social network, or the one with the largest reach. Some of the numbers are smaller and at first glance, they may not seem as impressive for content creators looking to make a big impression in their industry.

But when you understand the ways both LinkedIn members and other brands use the network, you’ll gain insights into how you can better incorporate LinkedIn into your social marketing plan for 2022 and beyond.

Check out these 5 LinkedIn facts that should get your gears turning when it comes to content and content marketing on LinkedIn.

1.??59.9% of LinkedIn’s users are?between 25 and 34 years old .

It’s not a surprise that more than half of LinkedIn users are in the age group that is starting and growing their careers. It’s a professional network, after all.

There are now different social media platforms that serve different purposes. Anyone in the content game needs to know this. Anyone with a business needs to know this. Tik Tok is not Facebook. Facebook is not LinkedIn. People go to Facebook now for local news, local purchasing, local help. People go to TikTok for entertainment. People come to LinkedIn for business and networking. It’s just the way it is.

I’m not saying you can’t network on Facebook, but LinkedIn is the social space where people want to network. The next generation of workers are being influenced directly on LinkedIn. Because of the trends on LinkedIn, the information and the conversations, the workplace is being changed by companies and individuals that communicate in this space.

If you want to see change in #SterileProcessing, you must change the minds of the next generation in this industry. If you want to change the minds of the young professionals entering the industry, LinkedIn is the number 1 place to influence them.

2.??LinkedIn saw a?55% increase in conversations ?among connections in 2021

This is a huge fallout of the pandemic - but it is a good fall out. With people unable to meet in person, more and more connections we’re using LinkedIn to communicate. With the great job relocation happening in this country, many more individuals began conversations about changing industries. Which means people are talking and communicating in this space. It’s not just a job board anymore. It’s a network.

If someone added you on Facebook and you didn’t know them, and they instantly messaged you to partner with them on some business venture, your initial thoughts are, “No thanks, I already tried a pyramid scheme.”

But if they do it on LinkedIn, it’s another story. It’s more legitimate (with the exception of the occasional spammers). The connections are more professional. You’re more likely to engage or at least listen to the opportunity.

Conversations comes with connections -- the more conversations we have, the more change we’ll see. So, if you want to see change in #SterileProcessing, get on LinkedIn and start networking.

3.??LinkedIn has?15x more content impressions ?than job postings

?9 billion content impressions, actually. 9 BILLION!

LinkedIn has transitioned from being “just” a recruitment platform to being a professional network where people educate and inform themselves and learn about other companies in their industry.

If you think LinkedIn is just a job board or a place to put your resume, you’re missing out. More and more people, in every industry, are coming to LinkedIn to communicate, network, grow businesses, educate themselves, and cause change in their industry.

4.??LinkedIn has?722 million members .

“To put that number in context, Instagram currently has?1 billion users , and Facebook has?2.74 billion . It’s not the largest of the social networks, but with a specific business focus, it’s an audience worth noticing.”

And more importantly, those 722 million are coming to LinkedIn to see content related to their work. Not cat videos, they have TikTok for that. They come to see who is doing what in their industry, every day, and they want to see that kind of content.

And your company or brand can make that kind of content for them. People want to hear from new perspectives, particularly if they have a particular insight and expertise to share that the average technician on the street may not know. The #SterileProcessing industry would greatly benefit from more individuals & brands creating content on LinkedIn.

5.???LinkedIn posts with images get?2x higher engagement

That’s right, well planned graphics will get you more traction -- it's as simple as that.

Considering LinkedIn is a space where people are coming to see content, good content is best. People want to and do support good content. LinkedIn is the space where everyday workers and industry individuals can create content for their communities and have that content change things by starting discussions. And content that catches the eye is going to begin more conversations than content that doesn’t. In other words, if you don't stop the scroll, your golden content never really "existed" for that particular user.

Imagine this was 50 years ago and I was selling billboards. I sell you a billboard on a highway that has 722 million sets of eyeballs driving up and down every day. Are the people driving going to read a billboard if it isn’t made well, if it isn’t eye catching, if it isn’t engaging? No.

Every post you make on LinkedIn, or anywhere for that matter, is a billboard on a highway. Content is king, but good content reigns supreme.

So, what are you waiting for #CleanFreaks? Along with #FightingDirty in your day job, don't forget to use your passion, perspective, and keyboard to share what's working with the rest of us!

What say you?

Hank Balch ? 2022

Hank Balch is the Founder and President of?Beyond Clean . You can follow him on Instagram?@WeFightDirty , and find his?Fighting Dirty ?video series on YouTube. He is an international thought leader and has written?over 150 other Sterile Processing articles and commentary, along with published articles in?Becker's Hospital Review ,?Infection Con trol Today ,?AAMI News ,?AAMI BI&T Journal ,?Outpatient Surgery Magazine , and contributions to?Healthcare Purchasing News . Hank's CS/SPD team in Louisville, KY was named the "2016 CS/SPD Department of the Year " by HPN. He has also served as the founding?President of the South Texas Association of Sterile Processing Services ?and President of the Kentuckiana IAHCSMM Chapter, in additional to being nominated for the?2017 President-Elect ?&?2018 President-Elect ?of the International Association of Healthcare Central Service Materiel Management.