Is Appen on LinkedIn?

Appen is a technology company that provides high-quality training data for machine learning and artificial intelligence systems. Founded in 1996, Appen has grown to become a global leader in the data annotation industry, with over 1 million skilled contractors worldwide. But is Appen present on major professional social media platforms like LinkedIn? Let’s take a look.

Appen’s Presence on LinkedIn

The answer is yes, Appen does have an active presence on LinkedIn. Appen has an official company page on LinkedIn with over 49,000 followers as of September 2023. The company regularly posts updates about new projects, company growth, awards, CSR initiatives, and job openings on its LinkedIn page.

In addition to the company page, Appen also has active LinkedIn profiles for its leadership team and employees. The profiles help showcase expertise and thought leadership from Appen’s executives, managers, and staff. Some key Appen leaders on LinkedIn include:

• Mark Brayan – CEO
• Wilson Pang – Chief Technology Officer
• Kellie Hawkins – Chief Financial Officer
• Jon Kondo – Senior Vice President of Global Sales
• Diana Kuhrt – Vice President of Global Marketing

These executives regularly share updates, articles, and commentary on LinkedIn to boost engagement. Overall, Appen has done a great job establishing its brand presence on LinkedIn.

Benefits of Appen’s LinkedIn Presence

Here are some key benefits Appen gets from having a strong company profile and executive presence on LinkedIn:

• Increased brand awareness – Regular LinkedIn posts and interactions help more professionals learn about Appen’s work in AI data.
• Talent recruiting – LinkedIn is a go-to resource for finding and connecting with top talent. Appen’s profile makes it discoverable for recruitment.
• Thought leadership – Executive profiles demonstrate Appen’s industry knowledge and reinforce its status as an AI data leader.
• Customer acquisition – LinkedIn is great for lead generation and building relationships with potential enterprise customers.
• Stakeholder engagement – Appen can provide updates and interact directly with investors, partners, and policymakers.

Key LinkedIn Metrics for Appen

Here are some key metrics that showcase the results of Appen’s LinkedIn presence:

These metrics demonstrate that Appen has been able to build a sizeable and engaged audience on LinkedIn. The company’s followers and engagement rates are quite healthy.

Appen’s Content Strategy on LinkedIn

Here are some elements of Appen’s approach to content on LinkedIn that help drive results:

• Industry news – Appen shares the latest developments in AI, machine learning, and data annotation.
• Thought leadership – Executives contribute columns, insights, and commentary.
• Customer features – Appen highlights innovative use cases of its partners and customers.
• Awards – Recognition such as rankings, awards, and certifications are announced.
• Events – Conferences, webinars, and other events are promoted on the platform.
• Job openings – Available positions at Appen are routinely advertised on LinkedIn.

This diverse content strategy ensures regular high-quality updates that engage Appen’s target audience on LinkedIn. The focus is on value-added content versus hard sales pitches.

How Appen Connects with Followers on LinkedIn

Appen doesn’t just post content, it also actively interacts with followers. Here are some ways Appen connects with its audience:

• Responses to comments on posts – Appen’s social media team engages commenters.
• Sharing followers’ content – Relevant articles and updates from followers are reshared.
• Employee interactions – Employees like/comment on updates from colleagues and partners.
• Direct messages – Followers may be directed messaged for customer service or lead gen issues.
• Job opening interactions – The recruitment team connects with applicants on open positions.

This two-way interaction helps build relationships and trust with Appen’s audience on the platform.

Appen’s Employee Advocacy on LinkedIn

In addition to its official company presence, Appen also empowers employees to advocate for the brand on LinkedIn through:

• Employee social media policy – Provides guidelines for employees on best practices.
• Regular training – Employees get updated on how to best leverage LinkedIn.
• Content toolkits – Resources on company news, content templates provided.
• Incentivization – Employee activity may be incorporated into performance reviews.
• Recognition – Sharing and celebrating great employee content.

This employee advocacy helps multiply Appen’s reach and credibility on the platform.

Examples of Appen Employee Advocacy Content

Here are some examples of employee generated content that supports Appen’s goals:

• Employees share Appen company updates, news, and announcements.
• Employees share photos and commentary from Appen events they attend.
• Employees highlight their own work and projects at Appen.
• Leaders publish guest columns on topics relevant to Appen.
• Recruiters post Appen job openings and company culture.
• Sales representatives share content on Appen’s products and services.

This genuine content directly from employees helps tell Appen’s story authentically on LinkedIn.

Appen’s Target Audience on LinkedIn

Appen uses LinkedIn to connect with the following core audiences relevant to its business:

• Technology professionals – Engineers, developers, IT specialists in AI and ML fields.
• Business leaders – Executives and decision makers at Fortune 500 companies.
• Recruitment teams – HR and talent acquisition professionals at enterprises.
• Potential employees – Qualified candidates for open positions at Appen.
• Industry influencers – Thought leaders, academics, policymakers in AI industry.
• Investors and shareholders – Current and potential investors in Appen.

This wide target audience encompasses potential customers, partners, employees, shareholders, and influencers that impact Appen’s business and industry.

Why LinkedIn is Effective for Appen’s Audience

Here are some reasons why LinkedIn is an effective platform for Appen to engage its target audience:

• Professional context – LinkedIn is designed for business networking versus personal use.
• Industry focus – Members actively follow industry news and content.
• B2B relationships – Great for business-to-business lead generation and deals.
• Targeted ads – LinkedIn advertising can be customized to Appen’s audience.
• Thought leadership – Ideal for establishing expertise and credibility as an industry leader.
• Employee advocacy – Easy for Appen’s 1,200+ employees to amplify content.

LinkedIn provides the right professional environment to reach Appen’s B2B customers and partners at scale.

Appen’s Competitors on LinkedIn

Appen competes with other major data annotation and training data firms in the AI space. Here is an overview of key competitors and their presence on LinkedIn:

Figure Eight

• LinkedIn Followers: 25,000+
• Founded: 2008
• Acquired by Appen in 2019
• Key Executives: CEO Daniel Russell (9,500+ connections)

iMerit

• LinkedIn Followers: 35,000+
• Founded: 2012
• Key Executives: CEO Radha Basu (1,500+ connections)

CloudFactory

• LinkedIn Followers: 19,000+
• Founded: 2010
• Key Executives: CEO Mark Sears (7,500+ connections)

In terms of presence, Appen is competitive with these rivals on LinkedIn in terms of followers and activity. But there is opportunity for Appen to grow even further on the platform.

Opportunities to Improve Appen’s LinkedIn Presence

Here are some areas Appen could consider to boost its LinkedIn presence:

• More employee advocacy – Activate more of Appen’s 1,200+ staff as brand advocates.
• Executive thought leadership – Have leaders publish more guest columns and articles.
• Targeted ad campaigns – Run sponsored content campaigns focused on customer acquisition.
• Showcase customers – Publish more customer success stories and case studies.
• Multimedia content – Incorporate more interactive content like videos and polls.
• Cross-promote content – Share LinkedIn updates on other Appen social channels.
• Monitor competitors – Track competitor content and engagement metrics.

Leveraging these best practices can help Appen maximize the value of its LinkedIn investment.

Conclusion

In summary, Appen has established a considerable presence on LinkedIn through its company page, executive profiles, employee contributors, and quality content strategy. LinkedIn serves as an effective platform for Appen to engage its target B2B audience and build brand awareness.

Appen seems well positioned versus its competitors on LinkedIn today. But focusing on employee advocacy, thought leadership, advertising, and multimedia content can potentially help Appen grow its followers and engagement even further.

For any technology company, cultivating a strong brand profile on LinkedIn is crucial for long-term success. And Appen has implemented many best practices that have helped make it a leader within its industry on LinkedIn and beyond.