LinkedIn has rapidly become one of the most popular social media platforms for business networking and sharing content. Whether you are a small business owner, solopreneur, or working for a large corporation, LinkedIn is a powerful tool that can help you achieve your professional goals.

With over 740 million users and counting, LinkedIn is the world's largest professional networking platform. And it's only going to get bigger and better in the years to come.

In order to make the most of LinkedIn, it is important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends. With that in mind, here are the top LinkedIn trends that you should be aware of in 2022:

Greater Focus on Candidate Experience 

Another big trend we're seeing is an increased focus on candidate experience. In today's competitive job market, candidates have a lot of options. As a result, recruiters need to go above and beyond to stand out from the crowd. This means providing a positive, seamless experience from start to finish. 

Growth of Virtual Networking Events 

Due to the pandemic, in-person networking events have come to a halt. However, this doesn't mean that networking has come to a stop altogether. Instead, we're seeing growth in virtual networking events. These events allow recruiters to connect with candidates from all over the world without ever having to leave their home office. 

More Paid Advertising Opportunities

As LinkedIn continues to grow in popularity, businesses are going to want to take advantage of its reach by advertising on the platform. In fact, LinkedIn has already begun testing paid advertising opportunities with a select group of companies. It's likely that this will become a more widespread feature in the coming year, giving businesses yet another way to reach their target audience through LinkedIn.

Greater Interaction with AI-Enabled Features

LinkedIn has been rolling out more and more features that make use of artificial intelligence (AI). For example, the “Who Viewed Your Profile” feature uses AI to identify which profile visits are most likely to lead to valuable interactions such as job offers, business deals, or professional connections. In the coming year, we can expect to see even more AI-enabled features on LinkedIn that will help users make better use of the platform.

Continued Focus on Video Content

Video content has been on the rise for years now, and that trend is only going to continue in 2021. LinkedIn has already made moves to accommodate this trend by introducing features such as live-streaming and native video uploading. We can expect to see even more video content on LinkedIn in the coming year as users take advantage of these new features. 

More live streaming content

In recent years, we've seen a surge in the popularity of live streaming content across all social media platforms. And LinkedIn is no exception. In fact, according to a recent study, 57% of LinkedIn users say they would like to see more live video content from brands and businesses on the platform. This trend is only going to continue in 2022, so start thinking about how you can incorporate live streaming into your content strategy. 

Increased focus on personal branding

In a world where we're increasingly connected online, personal branding has never been more important. And LinkedIn is the perfect platform for building and showcasing your personal brand. In fact, nearly 60% of LinkedIn users say they're more likely to buy from a company whose employees have strong personal brands. So if you haven't already started working on your personal brand, now is the time to do so. 

Greater diversity and inclusion

Diversity and inclusion have been hot topics in recent years, and LinkedIn has been at the forefront of promoting these values on its platform. In fact, LinkedIn has made a commitment to increasing the percentage of women in leadership positions across the company by 2030. This trend is only going to continue in 2022, so make sure you're taking steps to diversify your own network and showcase diverse thought leaders in your own content. 

A bigger emphasis on professional development

Professional development is always important, but it feels especially relevant during times of uncertainty like we're currently experiencing with the pandemic. And LinkedIn is one of the best places to turn for professional development resources. In fact, LinkedIn Learning was launched back in 2016 with the goal of helping professionals upskill and reskill for the future of work. We can expect this trend to continue in 2022, so make sure you're taking advantage of all the professional development resources LinkedIn has to offer. 

Personalized Messaging

One of the biggest trends we're seeing on LinkedIn is the move toward personalized messaging. People want to connect with other people, not businesses. As a result, businesses are starting to see the value in sending personalized messages to their main audience. This trend is only going to continue in 2022, so start thinking about how you can personalize your messages now.

Increased Focus on Long-Form Content

LinkedIn users are consuming more long-form content than ever before. In fact, articles with over 1,000 words get significantly more engagement than shorter articles. This trend is likely to continue in 2022, so it's important to start creating long-form content that provides value to your target audience. Not sure where to start? Try creating an in-depth guide or series of blog posts on a certain topic.

Greater Use of LinkedIn Ads

LinkedIn Ads are a great way to reach your target audience with laser precision. Thanks to the platform's massive database of professionals, you can target your ads with criteria like job title, company size, or location. LinkedIn Ads are also relatively affordable, so they're a great option for businesses of all sizes. If you're not already using LinkedIn Ads, be sure to add them to your strategy in 2022.

Increased Use of Influencers

As LinkedIn continues to grow in popularity, more businesses are turning to influencers to promote their products and services. Influencer marketing helps to reach a larger audience and build trust with potential customers. When choosing an influencer for your business, be sure to choose someone who aligns with your brand values and has a large following of engaged users. 

Sponsored InMail is Effective 

Sponsored InMail is a paid form of communication on LinkedIn that allows you to send personalized messages directly to your target audience. Because these messages come from a trusted source (i.e., LinkedIn), they have a high open rate and can be an effective way to generate leads. When crafting your message, make sure it’s relevant and valuable to your target audience so they don’t feel like they’re being sold to.

Social Selling is a Must 

Social selling is the process of using social media platforms (like LinkedIn) to connect with potential customers and build relationships that eventually lead to sales. If you want to generate leads on LinkedIn, you need to be doing social selling. This means being active on the platform, engaging with others in your industry, and providing value-added content that can help your target audience solve their problems.

Personal Branding

With over 610 million members, LinkedIn is the perfect place to start building your personal brand. Your personal brand is what makes you unique and sets you apart from other job seekers. It's what makes you an attractive job candidate. And it's something that you can control. 

Creating a personal brand on LinkedIn starts with your profile photo. Make sure your photo is professional and conveys the image you want to project. Next, take a look at your headline. Your headline should be more than just your current job title—it should give recruiters a taste of who you are and what you're all about. Finally, fill out your summary with keyword-rich content that tells your story and highlights your unique skills and qualifications. 

Content marketing 

Content marketing is all about creating and sharing valuable content that attracts and engages your target audience. And there's no better place to do that than on LinkedIn. With over 2 million active publishers, LinkedIn has become a go-to platform for content marketers around the world. 

When it comes to creating content for LinkedIn, it's important to keep in mind the interests of your target audience—in this case, recruiters and hiring managers. Share articles, infographics, videos, and other types of content that will add value to their lives and help them reach their goals. As you share valuable content, you'll build trust and credibility with potential employers, making them more likely to consider you for open positions. 

Connection request strategy  

One of the most common mistakes job seekers make on LinkedIn is randomly sending connection requests to anyone and everyone they come across without any real strategy behind it. If you want to build meaningful connections that will actually help you in your job search, take a more targeted approach by sending personalized connection requests to people who have something in common with you or who work in companies where you'd like to work yourself. 

Use Keywords in Your Profile

Just like with any other type of content, keywords are important on LinkedIn. When potential employers or recruiters search for candidates on LinkedIn, the site uses an algorithm to surface profiles that contain those keywords. So, if you want your profile to be seen by people who are searching for candidates with your skills and experience, be sure to include relevant keywords throughout your profile. 

Optimize Your Headline

Your headline is one of the first things that people will see when they view your profile, so it's important to make a good impression. By default, LinkedIn will populate your headline with your current job title and company name. However, you can edit your headline to include additional information about your skills and experience. For example, instead of simply listing your job title, you could include keywords like “Marketing Professional” or “Social Media Expert.” 

Personalize Your URL

When you create a profile on LinkedIn, the site automatically assigns you a URL that includes a string of random numbers and letters. However, you can change this URL to something more personalized and professional-sounding by going to “Edit Public Profile & URL” in the settings menu. Once you've changed your URL, be sure to update any other online profiles (such as your website or blog) with the new URL so that people can easily find your LinkedIn profile. 

Get Endorsements and Recommendations 

Endorsements and recommendations from colleagues, supervisors and other professionals can help bolster your credibility and make you more attractive to potential employers. If you haven't already done so, reach out to some of your contacts and ask them to write a brief endorsement or recommendation for you. You can also return the favor by writing endorsements and recommendations for others in your network who deserve them. 

Build Your Network 

It's been said that it's not what you know but who you know that matters most. This is especially true when it comes to finding a job. The larger and more diverse your professional network is, the better your chances of hearing about job openings before they're publicly posted. So get out there and start connecting! Attend industry events, join professional organizations, or simply reach out to people you know (or would like to know) and invite them to connect on LinkedIn. 

Conclusion

These are just a few of the many trends that we are seeing on LinkedIn in 2022. As this platform continues to grow in popularity, it is becoming an increasingly important tool for business networking and lead generation. If you have not already done so, now is the time to create a profile or page on LinkedIn and start taking advantage of all that this platform has to offer!