Executive Summary

Though hardly rivaling other social networks in usage, LinkedIn has carved out a niche audience of professionals that B2B marketers covet. Brands have typically invested time in establishing their organic presence on the platform, but LinkedIn’s new ad products have increased the efficacy of paid promotion.

How has LinkedIn usage in Canada trended this year?

LinkedIn usage in the country was down slightly during the onset of the pandemic, when social media usage trended more toward personal use. Still, in H1 2020, LinkedIn attracted well over 8 million visitors per month across desktop and mobile. That’s a penetration rate of over a quarter of Canada’s internet users.

What are the top marketer approaches to engaging audiences on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn’s investment in brand-friendly features has made it the go-to platform for B2B brand marketing and performance-based ad campaigns, both organic and paid. Pages are a staple organic tactic for companies to attract a following and share content.

How has advertising on the platform evolved?

Advertising on LinkedIn has grown beyond Sponsored Posts to include other ad formats that have proved effective at amplifying content and promoting engagement. The platform has also improved its audience targeting, namely its ability to match advertisers’ first-party data to its users.

What role can LinkedIn play in account-based marketing (ABM) campaigns?

ABM, in which brand campaigns are tailored to a select set of companies, is a significant B2B marketing trend and commonly used on LinkedIn. The ability to customize targeting and paid promotion for one-to-one and one-to-few lists is key to ABM, and LinkedIn has developed advertising features to meet this B2B need.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report examines LinkedIn usage in Canada and explores brand experiences, both organic and paid, on the platform.

KEY STAT: LinkedIn attracted 9.7 million users in Canada in January, the heaviest usage month in H1 2020. But usage subsequently declined month over month through June, likely due to the pandemic.