Most of us use LinkedIn for many different purposes. Whether it’s for business or to connect with people worldwide, LinkedIn has proven to be a strong social-business network.
The platform made its appearance in 2002, and with the growth of remote work these past years (adding the pandemic to the equation), LinkedIn has over 690+ million users in 150 countries. Many companies currently building their online presence are using LinkedIn for generating leads, recruiting talent, or making their brand more recognized.
Although the free version has many useful features, LinkedIn offers a more suitable option for companies: The premium account. Is it worth it for your business? Or is it just a fancy badge next to your name?
What are the Benefits of Using LinkedIn for Your Company?
Nowadays, people are more suspicious regarding how they spend their money. Before purchasing products or services, they decide to search through the web for comments and ratings to know if it’s worth it. Companies, whether new or old, need to stay on top of their game by building a digital brand.
Some companies opt for hiring web developers to build great websites and increase their online presence. But LinkedIn also opens the door for businesses to create their profiles and share content about their products/services. This leads to making them more recognized by users and other companies.
Here are some interesting facts about LinkedIn in 2020
- 30 million companies have profiles on LinkedIn
- LinkedIn is 277% more effective at generating leads than Facebook and Twitter
- 90% of recruiters use LinkedIn
- More than 2 new members join LinkedIn every second
LinkedIn allows people and businesses to create connections, which translates into new opportunities and partnerships. But if you want to look at the whole panorama, here are the pros and cons of LinkedIn:
Pros
Establish credibility
LinkedIn is a great platform to make your business stand out. You can show what products or services you offer and interact with users and customers. There are many useful features, such as the ‘’Recommendations’’ feature. When posting any publication on LinkedIn, users can recommend it or even share it on their profiles. This makes it an excellent opportunity to connect with more people and gain trust amongst clients and potential clients.
Generate more leads
Having a strong LinkedIn profile increases the percentage that more companies and users see it. If your company’s page is continuously updated and has interesting content, this will attract more people. They will view your profile, and if they find it useful, not only will they follow you, but they may even reach out to you. It’s all about how much you take advantage of it.
Build a digital presence
Having a LinkedIn page is one of the most effective ways of gaining attention for your business. If you focus on improving it regularly and posting good content, you will appear on Google whenever people are looking for your product/service.
Creating Valuable Connections
Businesses want customers. And to attract more customers, they make partnerships and build connections with other companies. LinkedIn is the number one business network that facilitates this process. Back in the old days, it was necessary to go to conventions or events to sell products and build business connections. With LinkedIn, all that is possible, because it’s a network built for professionals and companies seeking the same things. The best part is that you don’t need even to get out of your house.
Cons
Time
Creating a business page is extremely easy. Maintain it, not so much. You need to invest time and effort into it, creating quality content that attracts professionals. You need strategies for creating content that makes people believe in your company, or even better yet, that makes people want to purchase what you offer. First impressions are important, and not only in love matters but also on LinkedIn matters. If you don’t have time, you won’t see any of the benefits mentioned above.
Potential spam
We all hate spam but unfortunately, it’s part of our lives. On LinkedIn, it’s likely you encounter businesses or users with invasive selling strategies. And when they see you went through their feed, they’ll likely start bombing you with all kinds of advertisements, requests to connect, and messages.
Few interaction features
LinkedIn’s main objective is to maintain the platform 100% professional. So, don’t expect games, polls, or anything like that. People can do basic things such as connect, exchange messages, make publications and recommend other users publications. But further than that, there are not many options that other platforms offer.
A Closer Look into LinkedIn Premium
One of the first questions regarding upgrading a LinkedIn free account is: How much does LinkedIn premium cost?
It depends on what kind of plan you are looking for. LinkedIn premium offers 4 different plans:
1) Premium Career
2) Premium Business
3) Sales Navigator Pro
4) Recruiter Lite
Premium Career
The main objective of LinkedIn Premium Career is for those seeking jobs and professional growth. This plan includes:
- 3 InMail messages per month
- The option to see who viewed your profile
- Information on who posted jobs
- Access to learning videos and material
- Resume creation with Resume Builder
Cost: 29,99 USD per month
Premium Business
This is exclusively for companies who want to grow their digital presence by promoting and expanding their business. This plan includes:
- 15 InMail messages
- Advanced search filters
- Unlimited searches
- Additional company data
- On-demand learning
- The option to see who viewed your profile
Cost: 47,99 USD per month
Sales Navigator Pro
This plan aims to help companies improve their sales and find new opportunities, clients, and information about determining markets. It includes:
- 20 InMail messages
- Personalized lists of possible clients
- Exclusive information about companies
- On-demand learning
- Advanced search filters
- The option to see who viewed your profile
- Possible clients recommendations
Cost: 64,99 USD per month
Recruiter Lite
As the name states, this plan is exclusively for companies or users seeking the most qualified employees. It includes:
- 30 InMail messages
- Advanced search
- Automatic tracking of candidates
- Organize your talent pool and having a dedicated space for profiles that interest you
- The option to see who viewed your profile
- View unlimited profiles in your extended network
- You have eight Premium search filters optimized for recruiting
- Get insights into who is potentially interested in your company
Cost: 99,95 USD per month
Is LinkedIn Premium Worth it For Small Business in 2020
We’ve seen all the benefits LinkedIn brings to the table. Benefits that companies can get without paying a cent. So why consider LinkedIn premium over the free subscription? This mainly depends on your company’s objectives.
If you just want an online presence with few followers or interactions, go for the free version! Save that money and buy some tacos instead. But if you want to invest time and energy creating solid content to attract customers, one of the best ways to go forward with it is by upgrading to a Premium account. You’ve seen that it’s not only one or two benefits that come along but many.
When companies have LinkedIn search limits, it’s harder for them to look for clients or even employees. But upgrading means having broader and deeper search options. As well as InMail possibilities, among other things.
For those who don’t know what InMail is: on LinkedIn, it’s not possible to message users without connecting with them first. But the Inmail option that the premium version offers removes that restriction; that’s why it’s so valuable.
When you own a startup or small business, it’s sometimes harder to pay for something you haven’t tried. But overall, it’s not about the size of your business; it’s about putting in perspective your objectives and where you see yourself in the future. For instance, at DistantJob, we are a small company of 27 people. And we use the LinkedIn premium because it helps us fulfill our objectives, which is being the best remote recruitment agency you’ve ever seen.
Although as recruiters we go for the Sales Navigator Pro option. In the words of one of our recruiting superstars:
“Recruiting is possible with LinkedIn’s free version. However, with the premium version time becomes more effective, your staff does not need to put more effort into the same results. And in addition to that, the search for profiles is better.” – Leti Naranjo
Final Word about LinkedIn Premium
If you are still unsure about paying those extra bucks for upgrading a better version of LinkedIn, our recommendation is to analyze carefully what your goals are as a company. Compare if what these versions offer you could help you reach those goals.
You could be a big company, paying almost 100 USD a month, but without the proper use and investment of time, it could be a waste of money. But you could also be a small company that makes a big effort paying that extra money and creating good content, continually interacting with users and other pages. At the end of the day, the money spent will equal to growth and success.
We use it, and we love it! But it really depends on what you are looking for. The value is not in having it, but in taking advantage of the platform and using it.
