LinkedIn added a “Boost” option that brands can use to maximize the reach of their posts. Any high-performing organic Page update can be turned into paid ads in this manner, explained LinkedIn, adding that if the brand sees “early traction” to an organic update, it can “capitalize on that, without having to create a new ad.” “With the click of a button and a few payment details, you can easily give your most engaging or time-sensitive content a little boost to quickly expand your audience reach,” the company added. Boost is touted as an ideal tool for content related to industry thought leadership, customer spotlights, and new product launches or special events.

Social Media Today reports LinkedIn “explains that users will be able to pick from four objectives when boosting: Brand Awareness, Video Views, Engagement, or Website visits.” The brand can then select its target audience criteria, “from job seniorities, job functions, or company industries” or interest-based member groups.

Next, the user selects a “LinkedIn Audience template with pre-set targeting options,” which can include selecting the location, adding exclusions and setting a budget. The last step is to click on Boost. LinkedIn published “a short guide” with tips and strategies.

LinkedIn is also adding a new Event Ads option so marketers can “boost awareness of their virtual events,” with details of “key event details, like date, time, and how to join your event, to an entirely new audience, while also allowing members to learn if a mutual connection has expressed interest in attending.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, LinkedIn “made its Events option available for all company pages last April, then added live streaming for events a month later.” In addition, the company added new analytics for Events Ads.

The company is also offering more streaming options “with a new Custom Streaming process that will enable Company Pages to stream via a range of third-party video platforms, including Zoom, Webex, OBS, and Microsoft Teams.”

LinkedIn reported that use of its live streams has risen 400+ percent year-over-year. LinkedIn is “also updating its Mobile Page Analytics offering, which will now provide the same insight into visitor counts, followers, and content engagement that you can currently access via the desktop version … [and includes] both organic and boosted metrics.”

Search Engine Land reports that, regarding LinkedIn’s Boost feature, “posts can only be boosted once and only events and posts with a single image can be boosted at this time,” adding that, “posts that include a poll, document, job ad or Pulse article are ineligible for boosting currently.”

For Event Ads, it notes that the Event Analytics tool will provide “metrics such as attendee/visitor engagement with your Event posts, total number of attendees, unique event visits, attendees’ top job functions and viewer count at the peak of a live stream.”

“Boosted posts can enable brands to broadcast their message to a larger audience without having to learn or use any new marketing tools, which can be especially useful if you’re just looking to promote a one-time event or product launch,” it says. “B2B event marketers are the most likely to benefit from the new Event Ads.”

LinkedIn reported that 40 percent of “beta customers saw their cost per registration decrease when using this format compared to Sponsored Content Single Image event campaigns.”

For more information, visit LinkedIn’s Marketing Solutions Blog or the Boosting Best Practices Guide.