Fact 1: Birth of LinkedIn
Launched on May 5, 2003, by Reid Hoffman, Allen Blue, Konstantin Guericke, Eric Ly, and Jean-Luc Vaillant, LinkedIn started as a modest social networking platform targeted towards professionals. Since then, it has grown into a mammoth online platform with members from around the globe.
Fact 2: Prodigy Member Count
LinkedIn boasts of a huge member count of more than 700 million members across 200 countries and regions worldwide. This places LinkedIn among the top social networking sites worldwide.
Fact 3: Rapid User Acquisition
LinkedIn gained 4,500 members within the first month of its launch. This is a testament to the unique value proposition of the platform which allowed professionals to broadly network with others from different industries and locations.
Fact 4: Fortune 500 Presence
LinkedIn is the most used social network amongst Fortune 500 companies. This statistic makes sense considering LinkedIn's focus on business networking and professional interactions.
Fact 5: Surprising Mobile Penetration
More than 60% of LinkedIn's users access the site through mobile devices. This highlights that professional networking isn’t confined to office computers and has seamlessly integrated with mobile connectivity.
Fact 6: Impressive Daily Engagement
An estimated 40% of the users, which rounds to about 280 million people, use LinkedIn daily. This goes to show the immense daily engagement that LinkedIn sustains, making it a platform of choice for professionals and businesses.
Fact 7: External Reach
LinkedIn's network isn't confined to its website alone. The LinkedIn share button is present on more than 1 million websites, further extending its reach beyond the main site.
Fact 8: User Demographics
Did you know, there are more LinkedIn users over the age of 50 than there are under the age of 25? This showcases LinkedIn's appeal for the more mature, employed, and established professional demographic.
Fact 9: LinkedIn's Acquisition by Microsoft
In 2016, Microsoft acquired LinkedIn for $26.2 billion, which remains one of the most significant tech deals of all time. Despite the acquisition, LinkedIn still operates on principles close to its inception.
Fact 10: LinkedIn Becomes Multilingual
Starting in 2008, LinkedIn became multilingual, with the first international language, Spanish, added to its platform. Since then, it has added support for 24 languages, including most commonly used languages worldwide.
Fact 11: LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn launched the LinkedIn Learning platform in 2016 based on its acquisition of Lynda.com. The platform offers online courses across a range of professional skills, further solidifying LinkedIn as a resource for professional development.
Fact 12: LinkedIn's Publishing Power
LinkedIn empowers its users to publish original written content. It reports that users collectively publish more than 130,000 articles on LinkedIn every week. This demonstrates LinkedIn’s position as a platform for thought leaders across various industries.
Fact 13: Even speedier growth
LinkedIn's user base is growing at a rate of two new members per second, emphasizing its growing popularity amongst professionals worldwide.
Fact 14: LinkedIn’s Ad Reach
LinkedIn's ad reach extends to 12% of the world's population, making it a great platform for B2B advertising and branding.
Fact 15: Job Applications
Over 4 million people per week apply to jobs on LinkedIn, making it a primary platform for recruiters and job seekers.
Fact 16: High-Income Demographic
LinkedIn is favoured by the wealthier demographic, with 44% of its users earning more than $75,000 per year.
Fact 17: Blue is the Dominant Color
LinkedIn uses a blue color in its logo and platform since blue is the colour most associated with reliability and professionalism.
Fact 18: Strict ‘connections’ policy
LinkedIn implements a stricter ‘Connection’ policy than other networking sites. It does not suggest you connect with anyone you do not personally know. To connect with someone you aren't acquainted with, you'll need what’s called an introduction, where a mutual connection introduces you.
Fact 19: “In” Logo Concept
The 'In' logo in LinkedIn signifies the inner professional network that professionals can tap into — where they are 'in' together to support and help each other in their professional careers.
Fact 20: High User Activity during Midweek
LinkedIn reports the highest user activity and engagement during midweek, Tuesdays through Thursdays, especially between 10 AM to 2 PM. This timeframe is typically also when most professional updates are made.
In conclusion, LinkedIn has become an essential networking tool for professionals, providing opportunities from job search, networking, to learning and personal branding. The various facts about LinkedIn discussed above make it clear why this platform is rated among the world's top 1000 brands.