Interview: There has been 60% y-o-y increase in content creation on LinkedIn, says Srividya Gopani

In conversation with Social Samosa, Srividya Gopani, LinkedIn speaks about the platform’s role in the COVID-19 ecosystem that has seen the consumers, brands, and platforms evolve. 

Srividya Gopani, Director - Brand and Consumer Marketing, APAC and China shares with Social Samosa that the global crisis has seen users come together on the platform in an attempt to help out the community in terms of opportunities, education and connections - an insight the platform has attempted to capture in the Lockdown leg of their long running campaign, #InItTogether. 

The professional networking platform has seen a surge in both content creation & consumption. According to Gopani, globally, professionals on LinkedIn watched 4 million hours of LinkedIn Learning content in March.

Edited Excerpts: 

Tell us about the recent leg of #InItTogether campaign - objective, ideation, execution - please take us through the campaign journey

LinkedIn launched the #InItTogether brand campaign this month to showcase how the ‘power of community’ is helping professionals stay productive and relevant in these uncertain times. To bring this to life, the campaign features real stories of four LinkedIn members with different professional backgrounds, highlighting how each of them is leveraging the platform to adapt, innovate, and lean on their networks to push forward in this new world of work. 

LinkedIn’s global campaign #InItTogether, which launched in 2018, resonates now more than ever, as the platform is uniquely positioned to foster a sense of community during these uncertain times, and help members help each other in their personal and professional lives. 

With a lockdown in place, how was the execution carried out? Top 3 learnings from the whole remote working set up 

In the nationwide lockdown, all four stories were shot remotely by each member and their family, which made the production of this campaign unique. The creative team led the process, and the production team, the director’s team, and the post-production team used their expertise to guide each member to relay their story on their own. 

• A day prior to the shoot we asked members to send us videos and images of their home and create a visual storyboard for the film
• We onboarded the members and the team on an app that gives us a live feed from their cameras
• The team guided the members and the ‘family cameraman’ to get the shots we wanted 
• As a result, each person involved in this campaign got a chance to witness the power of working together as a community first-hand.

Also Read: Focus is more on driving engagement than using traditional media for brand building: Vineet Gautam

How does the campaign help the platform in reiterating faith among consumers during such times of uncertainty? 

We are seeing a 55% year-over-year increase in conversations among connections globally, since March 2019. Members are increasingly reacting, commenting, resharing and replying to comments as they look to reconnect with their network and share advice and tips that can help them navigate this novel working environment together. 

As the world’s largest professional network, we are recognising that we are uniquely positioned to encourage members to build the right expertise, gain relevant skills and knowledge, and make the right connections at this time. Through this campaign and through these real member stories, we hope to instil faith in our members to seek support and inspiration from our platform to propel their professional lives forward during these uncertain times.

Consumer behaviour has changed drastically in the last couple of weeks. Please share a few consumer trends witnessed on the platform 

LinkedIn’s Network Gap data suggests that people with stronger networks are more confident about gaining access to opportunities. Now, more than ever, professionals are turning to LinkedIn to learn how they can navigate the varied challenges posed by the pandemic. Overall we are seeing a 55% year-over-year increase in conversations among connections globally, since March 2019. Members are increasingly reacting, commenting, resharing and replying to comments as they look to reconnect with their network and share advice and tips that can help them navigate this novel working environment together. There has also been a 60% year-over-year increase in content creation on LinkedIn (March. 2019 vs. March 2020)

It is inspiring to see the community come together like never before to give and get help. Members are coming together on LinkedIn to offer guidance, find jobs and internships and connect amidst these challenging times to help each other out. 

In India particularly, we’re seeing conversations range from internship opportunities for MBA students whose internships have been revoked to industry leaders urging people to help daily wage workers and their domestic help, and even healthcare workers appreciating their fellows and teams on the platform. LinkedIn’s ‘Give and Get Help’ brand video showcases a few examples of members who are giving and getting help during this uncertain time. 

In this new world of remote work, online learning has also gained a lot of traction. Professionals across functions are taking up online learning courses in order to upskill and build more resilience, become more adaptable, and learn transferable skills for an uncertain future. The LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index findings also show India’s consistent focus on upskilling as 67% of the Indian workforce state that they will continue to spend more time in online learning. Globally, professionals on LinkedIn watched 4 million hours of LinkedIn Learning content in March. 

Any tips for marketers to engage with consumers on the platform as they work their way towards the new normal?

The COVID-19 outbreak has led to an uncertain future for marketers today. We believe this is a time for brands to stand true to their values and communicate with intent, empathy and impact. Addressing varied professional instances and being mindful of tone, timing and delivery can help marketers position their brand(s) as a trusted, credible, and authentic advisor for their customers during these turbulent times.

When communicating with their audiences today, it is also important for marketers to not lose sight of customers and employee needs, and be supportive during these turbulent times. At LinkedIn, we’ve seen that listening intently, sharing responsibly, and boosting executive presence to imbibe supportive leadership has helped many brands unlock stronger relationships and customer engagement during these testing times.