Social Throwback 2022: The LinkedIn transition from a B2B platform to a creator hub

LinkedIn has always been a B2B platform that engages professional communities around the globe. Here, we recap how the platform transitioned into a creator hub, along with the updates to advertising and user experience.

LinkedIn continued to strengthen its global footprint with a special focus on India this year. India is one of the fastest-growing markets for the platform, with a presence of 96 Mn Indian members, and the platform aims to achieve higher levels of member engagement as the Indian creator community continues to grow stronger on the platform. This year marked several India-specific campaigns and launches too, the most prominent being the creator program along with more updates.

Recapping the year, and discussing India - the fastest growing market globally, a LinkedIn spokesperson mentions 2022 has been an exciting year at LinkedIn. With a continued influx of new members from diverse communities, new perspectives and meaningful conversations multiplied across the platform – which in turn led to more Indians connecting with other professionals, building their networks, finding new opportunities, and strengthening their skills.

Creator Accelerator Program

"At the heart of the growth is our booming creator community, sparking conversations that matter and creating content that enables knowledge sharing across communities. We also elevated our offerings for B2B marketers and sellers to help them forgo traditional methods and build a more focused approach towards reaching their targets and audiences. As we look ahead, we will continue to innovate towards a greater platform experience for our members so they can drive stronger value from LinkedIn for years to come", the spokesperson added.

In May 2022, LinkedIn introduced the first India class of the Creator Accelerator Program. The 10-week Creator Accelerator Program by LinkedIn offered coaching, networking opportunities, and a financial grant to help 200 creator participants amplify their voices, grow their communities, and share content.

The first India class of the 10-week incubator program included 200 creators from diverse professional and demographic backgrounds. The creators delve into a range of professional topics across the world of work such as ethical Artificial Intelligence, Entrepreneurship, Semiconductors, Financial Literacy, Health & Wellbeing, and more.

The 10-week incubator program enabled shortlisted creators to have the opportunity to learn from LinkedIn creator managers and four program mentors on how they can create engaging content in their areas of interest and expertise.

Educational Hub

Future Of Skills, an interactive data tool, and software development courses launched in partnership with GitHub are a few of the several updates launched to amplify the learning value offered by LinkedIn. Several of the courses and tools aren't paywalled and are easily accessible for users from all walks of industry, whether they're just starting off or are established, professionals.

Community Building

LinkedIn has always been the sole platform for professional communities to thrive on a digital medium, this was further augmented with the launch of LinkedIn Collective, a community hub designed specifically for and by B2B marketers. They will discover thought leadership, driven by platform data and independent research. Marketers can find insights and data-driven guidance for marketing on LinkedIn and optimizing their return on investments, on the LinkedIn Collective page.

Also Read: Social Throwback 2022: A year of Web3 updates, creator push & massive layoffs at Meta

Here are a few more updates that LinkedIn announced throughout the year:

January 2022

• Audio events to facilitate virtual substitution for professional in-person meetings launched

February 2022

• The discontinuation of LinkedIn Lite and its removal from the Android app stores announced

March 2022

• Future Of Skills, an interactive data tool developed for professionals rolled out
• Oribi, an Israel-based marketing analytics company acquired to scale actionable insights and campaign analysis further

May 2022

• Updated Professional Community Policies rolled out in a strive to maintain the digital well-being and welfare of users on the platform
• The first class of the Creator Accelerator Program in India announced
• Tools including real-time captions in audio events & service provider reviews launched

June 2022

• New tools for creator mode added to help the users grow their audience

August 2022

• Details on the origins of LinkedIn Post Search shared
• Discovery Of Voices & Conversations, Meet The Hiring Team in Jobs section, and more such resources launched
• LinkedIn Collective, a community designed for and by B2B marketers launched

September 2022

• Access to certification courses provided in partnership with IBM, Meta, Oracle, and more, expanded for more users

October 2022

• Product updates and resources to improve accessibility for users launched for National Disability Employment Awareness
• Document Ads allowing brands to collect lead-gen info by gating the content they share on the platform launched
• LinkedIn B2B deep sales platform launched
• A range of tools and functionalities to manage campaigns such as conversion measurements and audience insights launched

November 2022

• A new brand safety hub enabling brands to boost advertising performance while customizing brand safety guardrails introduced
• Over 40 software development courses released in partnership with GitHub