LinkedIn Study: Professionals Trust Their Networks Over AI & Search via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

LinkedIn reports that professionals are more likely to seek workplace advice from people they know than from AI tools or search engines.

A new LinkedIn study finds that 43% turn to their networks first, with nearly two-thirds saying colleagues help them decide faster and with more confidence.

Key Findings

LinkedIn’s research indicates that professional networks rank ahead of AI and search for advice at work, with 43% naming their network as the first stop.

Sixty-four percent say colleagues improve the quality and speed of decision-making. The study also notes an 82% rise in posts about feeling overwhelmed or navigating change, suggesting that people are looking for clarity from trusted human voices.

Pressure To Learn AI

Learning about AI is causing stress for many people. Over half (51%) say upskilling feels like a second job, 33% feel embarrassed about their knowledge, and 35% feel nervous discussing AI at work.

Additionally, 41% say the fast pace of AI changes affects their well-being. Younger workers, especially Gen Z, are more likely to exaggerate their AI skills compared to Gen X.

Among those aged 18 to 24, 75% believe AI cannot replace the intuition from trusted colleagues. This aligns with the finding that people prefer advice from known experts, especially when the stakes are high.

Implications For B2B Buying And Marketing

The study shows that 77% of B2B marketing leaders say audiences rely on both a company’s channels and their professional networks. Millennials and Gen Z now represent 71% of B2B buyers, leading marketers to invest in trusted individuals within those networks.

Eighty percent of marketers plan to increase spending on community-driven content featuring creators, employees, and experts. They believe that trusted creators are key to building credibility with younger buyers.

This highlights that social discovery and community participation matter as much as search rankings. Content that’s easy to share and linked to recognized experts may reach more people than generic brand messages.

Why This Matters

As professionals turn to their networks for advice, you may need to adjust how you build trust and generate demand.

You can do this by encouraging your employees to share messages, working with trusted creators, and creating expert-led content that’s easy to find on social media.

While traditional SEO and paid ads still matter, networks can affect how people find, discuss, and validate your content before they visit your website.

Looking Ahead

As more people use AI, professionals are learning to combine new tools with their own judgment. Marketers can gain lasting benefits by focusing on building real relationships, rather than just mastering AI tools.

Methodology

The findings are based on research commissioned by LinkedIn and conducted by Censuswide. The study included 19,268 professionals and 7,000 B2B marketers from 14 countries, conducted from July 3 to July 15, 2025.

The percentages and program details mentioned above are taken directly from LinkedIn’s pressroom post.

Featured Image: Nurulliaa/Shutterstock

LinkedIn Alerts You When Posts Drive Profile Views & Followers via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

LinkedIn notifications now alert you when posts drive profile views & followers. Learn how these real-time analytics can help.

• LinkedIn will notify you when posts generate profile views and new followers.
• Notifications arrive at intervals to track immediate impact and sustained reach.
• This allows you to monitor which posts drive follower growth.

B2B Marketing Is Starting to Look a Lot Like B2C (And It’s Working) via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

B2B marketers are taking a page from the B2C playbook and seeing real results.

According to LinkedIn’s B2B Marketing Benchmark Report, strategies once considered too informal for business audiences, like short-form video and influencer collabs, are now central to building trust and driving growth.

The study, based on responses from 1,500 senior marketers across six countries, found that 94% believe trust is the key to success in B2B.

But many brands are moving away from traditional lead-gen tactics and turning instead to emotionally resonant content and credible voices.

Lee Moskowitz, Growth Marketer and Podcast Host at Lee2B, is quoted in the report:

“We’re in an era of ‘AI slop,’ long sales cycles and growing buying committees. Brands need to build trust, prove their expertise and earn their place in the buying process.”

This shift toward more consumer-style tactics is evident in the adoption of video content across B2B teams.

B2B Video Marketing Hits a Tipping Point

Video is now foundational to B2B marketing, with 78% of marketers including it in their programs and over half planning to increase investments in the coming year.

Screenshot from: youtube.com/@LinkedInMktg, July 2025.

The most successful teams aren’t using video in isolation, they’re building multi-channel strategies that map to different funnel stages.

According to LinkedIn’s data, marketers with a video strategy are:

• 2.2x more likely to say their brand is well trusted
• 1.8x more likely to say their brand is well known

Popular formats include short-form social clips, brand storytelling, and customer testimonials. Content types long associated with B2C engagement are now proving effective in B2B.

Screenshot from: linkedin.com/business/marketing/blog/marketing-collective/2025-b2b-marketing-benchmar-the-video-influence-effect-starts-with-trust, July 2025.

AJ Wilcox, founder of B2Linked, states in the report:

“Capturing that major B2B deal requires trust, and nothing builds trust faster than personal video content. I feel more trusting of a brand after watching a 1-min clip of their founder talking than if I read five of their blog posts.”

B2B Influencer Marketing Moves Into the Mainstream

Fifty-five percent of marketers in the study said they now work with influencers. The top reasons include trust, authenticity, and credibility.

B2B influencers are typically subject matter experts, practitioners, or respected voices in their fields. And their impact appears to be tied to business outcomes: 84% of marketers using influencer marketing expect budget increases next year, compared to just 58% of non-users.

Brendan Gahan, CEO and Co-Founder of Creator Authority, states:

“This feels like a YouTube moment. LinkedIn is entering that same phase now. It already generates more weekly comments than Reddit. Its creator ecosystem is thriving and growing fast.”

Buyers trust people they relate to. Marketers are shifting their influencer strategies to reflect that, prioritizing alignment and authority over follower counts.

Screenshot from: linkedin.com/business/marketing/blog/marketing-collective/2025-b2b-marketing-benchmar-the-video-influence-effect-starts-with-trust, July 2025.

What This Means

Trust signals are becoming more important across the board, especially as search engines continue to emphasize expertise, authority, and trust (E-E-A-T). Relying on blog posts alone may no longer be enough to demonstrate what your brand stands for.

Video gives you a way to show expertise in a more personal, credible way. Whether it’s a founder explaining your product or a customer sharing their experience.

For long sales cycles and complex buying decisions, what’s working now looks a lot more human: authentic voices, visible experts, and content that’s easy to connect with.

Featured Image: Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock

LinkedIn Study Finds Adding Links Boosts Engagement By 13% via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

A new study of over 577,000 LinkedIn posts challenges common marketing advice. It finds that posts with links get 13.57% more interactions and 4.90% more views than posts without links.

The LinkedIn study by Metricool analyzed nearly 48,000 company pages over three years. The findings give marketers solid data to rethink their LinkedIn strategies.

Link Performance Contradicts Common Advice

For years, social media experts have warned against adding links in LinkedIn posts.

Many claimed the platform would show these posts to fewer people to keep users on LinkedIn.

This new research says that’s wrong.

The data shows that about 31% of LinkedIn posts contained links to other websites. These posts consistently did better than posts without links.

Image Credit: Metricool LinkedIn Study 2025.

Content Format Performance Reveals Unexpected Winners

The study also found big differences in how content types perform.

Carousels (document posts) work best for engagement, with the highest engagement rate (45.85%) of any format. People on LinkedIn are willing to spend time clicking through multiple slides.

Polls are a missed opportunity. They make up only 0.00034% of all posts analyzed but got 206.33% more reach than average posts. Almost no one uses them, but they perform well.

Text-only posts performed worse than visual content across all metrics. Despite being common, they received the fewest interactions.

Video Content Shows Remarkable Growth

LinkedIn video content grew by 53% last year, with engagement up by 87.32%. This growth is faster than on TikTok, Reels, and YouTube.

The report states:

“Video posting may have increased by 13.77%, but the real story is in the rise of impressions (+73.39%) and views (+52.17%). Users are engaging more with video content, which indicates that LinkedIn is prioritizing this format in its algorithm.”

Industry-Specific Insights

The research broke down performance by industry. Surprisingly, sectors with smaller followings often get better engagement.

Manufacturing and utilities companies had fewer followers than education or retail companies, yet they received more engagement per post.

This challenges the idea that having more followers automatically means better results.

Practical Tips for Marketers

Based on these findings, here’s what LinkedIn marketers should do:

• Don’t avoid links: Include links when they add value. They help, not hurt, your posts.
• Mix up your content: Use more carousels and polls. They perform much better than other formats.
• Send more traffic through LinkedIn: With clicks up 28.13% year-over-year, LinkedIn is better than many think for driving website traffic.
• Be realistic about follower growth: Only 17.68% of accounts gained followers in 2024. Growing a LinkedIn following is harder than on other platforms.

Looking Ahead

The Metricool report challenges fundamental LinkedIn marketing beliefs with solid data. The most useful finding for SEO and content marketers is that adding links helps rather than hurts your posts.

Marketers should regularly test old advice against real performance data. What worked on LinkedIn in the past might not work in 2025.

Featured Image: Jartee/Shutterstock

LinkedIn Launches New Creator Hub With Content Strategy Tips via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

LinkedIn has launched a new “Create on LinkedIn” hub that helps professionals create better content, understand their stats, and use different post types.

The new hub is organized into three main sections: Create, Optimize, and Grow. It also includes a Creator Tools section with specific advice for each post format.

This resource offers helpful tips straight from LinkedIn for people using it to grow their business, build their brand, or share industry expertise.

Screenshot from: https://members.linkedin.com/create, April 2025.

Content Creation Best Practices

The “Create” section explains what makes a good LinkedIn post. It highlights four key parts:

• A catchy opening that grabs attention
• Clear, simple messaging
• Your personal view or unique angle
• Questions that start conversations

LinkedIn suggests posting 2-5 times weekly to build your audience, noting that “consistency helps you build community.”

The guide recommends these popular content topics:

• Career advice and personal lessons
• Industry knowledge and expertise
• Behind-the-scenes workplace stories
• Thoughts on industry trends
• Stories about overcoming challenges

Analytics-Driven Content Optimization

The “Optimize” section shows how to use LinkedIn’s analytics to improve your strategy. It suggests these four steps:

1. Regularly check how many people see and engage with your posts
2. Adjust when you post based on when your audience is most active
3. Set goals using your average performance numbers
4. Make more content similar to your best-performing posts

Format-Specific Creator Tools

One of the most useful parts for marketers is the breakdown of LinkedIn’s different content types. Each comes with specific tips and technical requirements:

Video Content

LinkedIn says “videos build trust faster” and reveals that “85% of videos watched on LinkedIn are viewed on mute.” This makes subtitles a must.

The guide suggests keeping videos short (60-90 seconds) and posting them directly on LinkedIn instead of sharing links.

Text and Images

For regular posts, LinkedIn stresses being real:

“People want to learn from those they feel a connection to, so it’s best to be yourself.”

It suggests focusing on specific topics rather than broad ones.

Screenshot from: members.linkedin.com/create-tools, April 2025.

Newsletters

You can create newsletters if you have over 150 followers and have posted original content in the last 90 days.

LinkedIn recommends posting on a regular schedule and using eye-catching cover videos.

Screenshot from: members.linkedin.com/create-tools, April 2025.

Live Events

LinkedIn Live lets you stream to your audience using third-party broadcasting tools if you qualify. To help you get the best results, LinkedIn offers tips before, during, and after your event.

Screenshot from: members.linkedin.com/create-tools, April 2025.

Why This Matters

While organic reach has dropped on many social platforms, LinkedIn still offers good visibility opportunities.

The content strategy advice matches what many marketers already do on other platforms. However, it provides specific insights into how LinkedIn’s algorithm works and what its users prefer.

Next Steps for Marketers

LinkedIn’s focus on analytics and testing different content types shows it wants users to be more strategic.

Check out this new resource to update your LinkedIn strategies. The format details are especially helpful for optimizing your content.

With over 1 billion professionals on LinkedIn, the platform is essential for B2B marketing, promoting professional services, and building thought leadership.

Smart marketers will include these approaches in their social media plans.

Featured Image: Fanta Media/Shutterstock

LinkedIn Integrates Calendly Scheduling Into Profile Buttons via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

LinkedIn partners with Calendly, enabling Premium users to schedule meetings directly through profile buttons.

• LinkedIn partners with Calendly on custom profile buttoms.
• This functionality enables users to schedule meetings directly through profiles.
• This feature is available to premium users.

LinkedIn Lists Top 15 In-Demand Skills, Makes Related Courses Free via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

LinkedIn has published its “Skills on the Rise” report, which lists the 15 fastest-growing skills in the U.S. job market.

To stay competitive, here’s what professionals should focus on.

The Top 15 Skills In Demand for 2025

AI is driving major workplace changes. LinkedIn predicts that by 2030, about 70% of skills in most jobs will significantly change. A quarter of professionals plan to learn new skills this year.

“AI Literacy” is now the most in-demand skill, reflecting the need for workers who can use AI tools across all industries.

While many list “AI” as a skill, this usually means basic familiarity with tools like ChatGPT rather than in-depth expertise.

The complete list of fastest-growing skills identified by LinkedIn includes:

1. AI Literacy
2. Conflict Mitigation
3. Adaptability
4. Process Optimization
5. Innovative Thinking
6. Public Speaking
7. Solution-Based Selling
8. Customer Engagement & Support
9. Stakeholder Management
10. Large Language Model (LLM) Development & Application
11. Budget & Resource Management
12. Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy
13. Regulatory Compliance
14. Growth Strategy
15. Risk Assessment

The report explains why each skill is gaining importance and the most common job titles and industries where these skills are prevalent.

Soft Skills Gaining Importance

While AI skills are essential, there is a growing need for soft skills. These skills are valuable as organizations address complex workplace issues such as return-to-office policies and managing teams from different generations.

For example, “Conflict Resolution” (ranked #2) is essential for customer service representatives, administrative assistants, and project managers in the technology and internet sectors.

“Adaptability” (ranked #3) is becoming essential for teachers, administrative assistants, and project managers as they face fast technological and economic changes.

Free Learning Resources Available

To help people develop these skills, LinkedIn is offering free access to related LinkedIn Learning courses until April 18. The list includes a link to a recommended course for each skill.

The report also includes in-demand skills lists for 15 job functions and seven additional countries, including Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Spain, and the UK.

LinkedIn created a separate list specifically for marketing job functions, as shown below.

Screenshot from: LinkedIn, March 2025.

LinkedIn’s methodology for determining the fastest-growing skills considers three key factors: skill acquisition (the rate at which members add new skills to their profiles), hiring success (the share of a skill possessed by recently hired members), and emerging demand (increased presence of skills in job postings).

See LinkedIn’s full report.

LinkedIn Study: AI Shortens B2B Sales Cycles By 1 Week via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

A new report shows that B2B sales teams increasingly use AI to improve efficiency and close deals.

Commissioned by LinkedIn and conducted by Ipsos, the survey included 1,250 sales professionals and found that AI is now a key part of sales practices.

Here’s what marketers need to know.

AI Adoption on the Rise

88% of sales professionals use AI weekly, and 56% use it daily. This trend reflects changes in the sales field, where teams must manage complex buying processes.

Karin Kimbrough, LinkedIn’s Chief Economist, notes that companies using AI gain a competitive advantage.

“Companies integrating AI are gaining a competitive edge,” says Kimbrough in the report. “Teams that don’t embrace AI will fall behind.”

Microsoft’s Future of Work report also shows that sales professionals see significant productivity increases from AI.

Key Drivers Of Investment

98% of sales executives plan to invest more in AI this year. They’ll focus on:

1. Sales intelligence
2. Sales enablement
3. AI-powered CRM tools

Methodology Note:
Ipsos surveyed sales professionals in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, India, and Singapore, focusing on mid-market (200–999 employees) and enterprise (1,000+ employees) sectors spanning tech, finance, manufacturing, professional services, and other industries.

Top Three Impact Areas

Sellers exceeding their targets are 2.5 times more likely to use AI daily than those not meeting their goals.

Researchers found three main ways AI improves sales:

1. Finding Leads
   1. 38% say AI helps to identify leads faster and more accurately.
   2. Sellers save at least 1.5 hours weekly using AI for lead research.
2. Personalized Messages
   1. AI tools enable faster and more tailored outreach campaigns.
   2. Sellers using AI saw a 28% increase in responses.
3. Sales Efficiency
   1. AI streamlines data entry and scheduling in CRM systems.
   2. Nearly 69% of sellers say AI shortens their sales cycle by about one week and helps them close more deals.

Looking Ahead

Dan Shapero, LinkedIn COO, advises companies to “start small” and focus on delivering immediate wins as a foundation for long-term AI adoption.

This approach resonates with the growing number of sales executives (39%) who feel “highly confident” about their readiness for future challenges.

In practical terms, sales teams can begin by:

• Automating routine tasks like updating CRM records or lead qualification.
• Leveraging real-time insights for targeted outreach (e.g., tracking job changes or company news).
• Experimenting with generative AI to craft more engaging prospect messages.
• Regularly training teams on new tools to reduce resistance and smooth adoption.

Dan Shapero, COO at LinkedIn, states:

“It’s too early to know what your AI strategy is. I think the question you ask yourself is, “What is my AI win?”. What’s the one thing that I can do with my team right now that’s going to create value over the next six months? Because the world is changing so quickly, it’s one of these moments to start small, to go big over time.”

For more insights, see the full report.

Featured Image: Screenshot from Linkedin ROI of AI report, March 2025. 

LinkedIn Rolls Out Email Metrics For Newsletter Publishers via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

LinkedIn now offers email analytics for newsletters, providing data on email sends and open rates.

• LinkedIn added new email metrics for newsletter publishers.
• New data include emails sends and open rates.
• LinkedIn notes that the reported data is only an estimate.

LinkedIn Report: AI Overwhelms 72% Of B2B Marketers via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

A recent LinkedIn report reveals that 72% of B2B marketers feel overwhelmed by the speed at which AI is reshaping their roles.

LinkedIn Chief Economist Karin Kimbrough shared the study, exploring marketers’ current concerns and opportunities.

Overview Of LinkedIn B2B Marketing Report

AI In B2B Marketing

Approximately two-thirds (66%) of B2B marketing leaders surveyed report integrating generative AI into their marketing campaigns.

Key applications include:

• Content creation: 45% leverage AI for short-form copy, 33% for blog posts.
• Efficiency gains: 40% report faster workflows, while 39% use AI to scale personalized campaigns.

However, challenges persist:

• 43% cite insufficient AI skills on their teams.
• 34% express data privacy concerns, and 40% worry AI-generated content lacks a “human touch.”
• Plagiarism risks (34%) and inaccuracies (32%) remain hurdles.

Despite this, 55% of organizations now offer AI training, signaling a push to close skills gaps.

LinkedIn’s data indicates that AI isn’t replacing jobs; it’s making daily tasks more efficient.

By current projections, half of today’s skills will require significant adjustments within the next five years. AI is accelerating changes to as much as 70%.

More than half (53%) of marketing professionals worry about being left behind if they don’t stay current with AI.

Short-Form Video Drives Highest ROI

According to LinkedIn’s report, video content dominates marketing strategies, with 55% of marketers citing short-form social videos as their top ROI driver.

LinkedIn data reveals:

• 75% use social media as their primary channel, followed by email (53%) and blogs (44%).
• 61% attribute increased brand engagement to bold creative campaigns.

Immersive tech is also rising:

• 35% use AR/VR for interactive demos and virtual events.
• 34% plan to adopt AR/VR this year
• 55% will expand connected TV (CTV) advertising investments.

Budgets Rebound

68% of marketers saw budget increases last year, and 72% expect further growth.

Priorities include:

• Lead generation: 37% rank pipeline quality as their top goal.
• Brand investment: 67% boosted spending on brand-building, with 88% of CMOs advocating for “riskier” creative campaigns.

CMOs Gain Influence

Marketing leaders are securing bigger seats at the table:

• 69% of CMOs say their role has grown in strategic importance.
• 77% report stronger collaboration with CFOs, emphasizing marketing’s financial impact.
• 84% of CMOs now actively shape company-wide budgeting and strategy.

What This Means For B2B Marketers

LinkedIn research suggests that B2B marketers who blend AI capabilities with human communication will be best positioned for success.

Marketing leaders are seeing the strongest results when they:

• Use AI to handle routine tasks
• Invest in visual content, especially short-form social videos
• Focus on social media while maintaining active blogs and email lists.
• Build stronger relationships across departments, especially with sales and finance
• Demonstrate clear ROI to the C-suite

While B2B marketing is changing, opportunities exist for those who adapt their skill sets.

The research combines data from LinkedIn with survey responses from 2,001 B2B marketing leaders across eight countries.

Featured Image: Luis Line/Shutterstock