IN THE FIRST MAJOR REVAMP OF LINKEDIN’S APP IN ALMOST TWO YEARS, SPONSORED CONTENT MAKES ITS FIRST APPEARANCE
LinkedIn launched revamped iOS and Android mobile app on Wednesday that, in addition to creating a more engaging mobile experience, introduces advertising on the company's smartphone apps for the first time.
As with most recently launched LinkedIn features:
The new LinkedIn app features are designed to make LinkedIn a more appealing network to visit daily, rather than only when they are looking for a job.
Left: LinkedIn's previous design, Right: LinkedIn's updated app (Click Image To Enlarge
While previous versions of LinkedIn apps buried engagement-boosting actions such as liking and commenting on status updates, the new features allows users to interact with content directly from the home feed. Linkedin Head of Mobile Joff Redfem tells Fast Company.
"We were putting too much information two or three taps away from the user. The stream is now pulling a lot of that information front and center for the user.”
The new LinkedIn app also has larger photos and a more intuitive navigation tray that can be customized to make jobs, specific groups, people you may know, or other LinkedIn features easy to access.
New LinkedIn mobile app for iOS and Android users (Click Image To Enlarge)
In addition to these interface improvements, LinkedIn is bringing a pilot program for sponsored content to its smartphone app.
Earlier this year, the company launched a similar sponsored content pilot for its desktop and tablet apps. Participating brands can promote their status updates so they appear in feeds of users who aren’t following them, much like a promoted post works on Facebook.
New LinkedIn mobile app for iOS and Android users (Click Images To Enlarge)
LinkedIn's 200 million users (now 220 million) are increasingly logging in through their mobile devices. Whereas on average 15% of unique visitors used mobile devices to log in one year ago, on average 27% of them are doing so today. Meanwhile, mobile pageviews on LinkedIn have jumped 250% since the same time last year. Sponsored content has particular promise on LinkedIn's growing smartphone presence, says LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner.
Weiner said in a call with investors in February.
“The tablet environment’s a lot more conducive to leveraging the same kinds of ads--display ads that are currently running on the desktop. But where there’s potentially an even larger opportunity is with regard to smartphone by virtue of the inventory being generated there. And given the more limited real estate, we’ve always wanted to be very thoughtful in terms of how we’re integrating ads into that experience. “
New LinkedIn mobile app for iOS and Android users (Click Images To Enlarge)
Marketing Solutions, the name LinkedIn gives its group of advertising products, accounts for less than a third of the company's revenue. Recruiting products make most of the money--almost twice as much as ads. But, as Weiner noted in February:
“Sponsored content in our network update stream for both the desktop and through our mobile channels represents a very large opportunity for us.”
COMMENTARY: It's about time that LinkedIn updated its mobile apps. The last one they had was a pile of junk and nearly worthless, so I deleted off my phone. Call me old-fashioned if you want, but I much prefer to access my LinkedIn account using my laptop. Having said this, I do like the new app, but I am not ready to download it just yet.
It's about time that LinkedIn began monetizing mobile users, and the new LinkedIn mobile app for iOS and Android devices will be a huge step in that direction. If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend that you read my blog post dated May 4, 2013 about LinkedIn's Q1 2013 earnings report.
Courtesy of an article dated April 17, 2013 appearing in Fast Company and an article dated April 18, 2013 appearing in The Verge
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