Trends Shaping Content Marketing on LinkedIn in 2016

LinkedIn has become a publishing powerhouse with more than 130,000 long-form posts published each week and a significantly greater number of short posts from members and companies alike.

Many companies who were finding that their websites were graveyards for content are staggered by the number of people viewing and engaging with their content on LinkedIn.

Content Marketing is always evolving and here are some of the key trends that I foresee for content marketing on LinkedIn in 2016...

1. The rise and rise of video

Video has for some time had engagement supremacy on the web: people love to watch videos and when they do, the level of engagement with the content is generally far greater than other mediums.  Despite this, few companies are successfully using video on LinkedIn. Next time you run down through your LinkedIn feed, see how far you have to scroll between each video update.

In 2015, company posts on LinkedIn that included video got 100% greater engagement than posts that did not include video.  The video played right in the feed without the need to link off to Youtube, Vimeo, or Slideshare.

This is about to get a whole lot better. LinkedIn has been rolling out a change since the end of 2015 that is making this figure seem insignificant: videos now fill the full width of the feed and auto play. Video effectiveness on LinkedIn was good but the effectiveness has suddenly multiplied.

This is how a video looks in my feed:

Think you can't produce a great Employer Brand video on a budget? Download this ebook and watch the below short video to get some inspiration and know-how.

Not enough? Get further education from this six part video mentor series.

2. Real time content will increasingly be  part of the mix

When pioneering blogger Darren Rose found traffic declining at his Problogger site, one of the ways he turned it around was through jumping on the new live video platform Periscope.

Live or near-live has an immediacy that can draw you in. It appeals to FOMO (fear of missing out). There is something special about being part of an event that is going on right now.

Brisbane based digital recruitment agency Just Digital People have grown their digital authority largely on the back of solid stream of near-live updates. It feels very real. The energy emanates from their posts across social media and is infectious.

Lee Odden of Top Rank Online Marketing attributes much of his audience growth to being very active and involved on social media at live events like conferences. 

Near-live content requires a bold social media team and thus it's growth on LinkedIn will be gradual. Expect more companies to overcome their inhibitions as near live content makes up a larger share of the mix in 2016.

3. Companies will increasingly target their content

Many organisations on LinkedIn have built sizeable and valuable follower communities on LinkedIn. However, despite having great variety in their audiences, many organisations are still using a one size fits all approach to their content.  We have all seen posts from global companies talking about Spring in Europe when it is Autumn in the southern hemisphere.

The two unique opportunities for content on LinkedIn stem from the rich member data and the professional context. Content can and should be tailored for your different priority talent communities. Expect to see more companies taking advantage of this targeting opportunity in 2016.

How is this achieved?

When posting from your LinkedIn company page, you can elect to post to "All Followers" or to a "Targeted Audience".

You can choose to target by a number of factors, including industry, function, geography, and seniority.

4. More companies will focus on providing value to their audience

Content marketing is like a magnet, attracting people to come to you based on the value you have provided to them. Too many organisations get this wrong by continually pushing their own agenda: this is advertising. When LinkedIn members open their feed, they are in an aspirational mindset and trying to better themselves professionally. Excessive promotional content is a turn off.

Does this mean that you should not post any promotional content?

It is ok to post some promotional content, but do it in a subtle way such that you are still providing valuable content. Also, you must first earn the right. For companies just starting their content marketing journey on LinkedIn, I suggest the 4-1-1 ratio. This says that for every six posts made, stick to the following mix:

5. More companies will invest in producing "Big Rock" content

Many organisations think about their social media content exclusively as a series of distinct posts. Increasingly, many are waking up to the possibilities of investing in the creation of "big rock" content. Simply put, this is a meaty piece of content that can be leveraged again and again.

A classic example is the Hays Salary Guide. The company invests lavishly on producing an exhaustive and high quality guide each year. They then leverage the content throughout the year to various professions through blog posts, multi-media, PR, infographics, and various other content types.

Expect to see more companies creating substantial pieces of content that can be re-purposed into smaller pieces over a quarter or longer. 

Want some guidance? Read Jason Miller's excellent guides:

• Creating Your First Big Rock: A Step by Step Guide for Marquee Content
• Big Rock Power Chords

6. More companies will realise they need to create epic content

Many organisations have dived into the hype of content marketing and not had the success that others seem to be having (read more on this here).

Why is this so?

There is an ever growing mountain of content to compete with and people have a finite capacity to consume content...and yet, it works...when done well.

There are many factors that contribute to content marketing success, including relevance, amplification, trust built over time, etc. However, one factor that is foundational is producing epic content. You need to produce high quality content as the starting point. Epic content is required to stand out from the pack. 

Expect to see more epic content in 2016 as organisations realise that average content won't cut it.

Want to know more about producing epic content? Start with Joe Pulizzi's The 6 Principles of Epic Content Marketing.

What other developments do you think we will see with regards to content marketing on LinkedIn? Are there content approaches that you would like to see more of / less of? Join in the conversation by leaving a comment below.

I'm a "Talent Brand Consultant" with LinkedIn, based in Sydney, Australia.  I post articles about LinkedIn Strategies, Employer Branding, Content Marketing and Social Media. Follow me by clicking on the 'Follow' button at the top of this post if you would like to receive my articles right in your news feed as they are published.