Last year LinkedIn launched the Content Marketing Score and in turn identified the top 10 most influential global brands on LinkedIn. From Forbes, to the World Economic Forum to Mashable, all of these rose to the top when it came to content marketing efforts on LinkedIn.
It’s been even bigger this year for brands and we are excited to share the top 10 most influential brands on LinkedIn for 2015. Notable and new to the list this year are Domo and EY, both of which are at the forefront of the content marketing revolution, effectively leveraging the LinkedIn platform to establish themselves as true thought leaders in the digital world.
Check out the full list of the top global brands and the top brands in specific countries that are leading the way in the infographic below:
10 Most Influential Brands on LinkedIn (2015 Edition) from LinkedIn Marketing Solutions
Tech companies ultimately came up as the winners this year with the number one on slot going to Microsoft. Other tech companies included IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Google and Salesforce – brands which exemplify an always-on strategy that is rooted in quality of content. Media companies rounded out the second largest industry represented with Forbes, Harvard Business Review and Inc. Magazine at rising to the top.
A brands’ Content Marketing Score is calculated by measuring the ratio between the total target audience and the unique users that engaged with the content. With last year’s list, LinkedIn examined brands’ ranking as a moment in time (one month of content). This year, comparatively, we increased it to a six-month window for a more comprehensive view into their content marketing efforts and they’re always-on strategy.
The Content Marketing Score evaluates all content based on activities on the LinkedIn platform that includes Company Page updates, employee shares, Sponsored Updates, activities in Groups and Influence and employee posts through the LinkedIn Publishing Platform. With an increased scale of content, the influx of sponsored content and the opening of self-publishing, the quality of content brands have been generating has truly been unmatched to years past.
What do all of these brands have in common? See below for key practices:
• 99% of the top global brands have employees sharing their content to their networks
• 97% of the top global brands have employee posts contributing to their content efforts
• 99% of top brands regularly share updates on their Company Page
• 73% of top brands are utilizing Sponsored Updates
• All of these top brands post an average of 12.6 updates per week
What do these stats all mean? Basically these brands are utilizing a mix of reach, frequency, and engagement to influence their score. They are encouraging their employees to share and post content on LinkedIn, thus allowing them to act like influencers and boost the reach and engagement. Additionally, they are posting frequently and in a timely manner in a way that is relevant to their audiences.
We also found that no one topic dominated the content. From cloud computing, to employee engagement to management, nothing was off limits when it came to these brands driving engagement on LinkedIn.
Interested in taking advantage of LinkedIn’s Content Marketing Score for your own company? Customers of LinkedIn Marketing Solutions can request a report through your LinkedIn account executive.
Also, does your company follow these best practices? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
Want to make this list next year? Build influence and shape brand perception with your content using our newly enhanced product suite.
Valter Sciarrillo
June 18, 2015
