LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform with over 722 million users worldwide. While the basic LinkedIn account is free, LinkedIn also offers several paid subscriptions under its Premium platform to unlock additional features for personal branding, networking, job seeking and business marketing.
The Premium options for individual users include Premium Career, Premium Business and Sales Navigator. This article focuses specifically on the Premium Business offering and examines whether the paid features are worth the investment for business owners, entrepreneurs and marketers looking to maximize their presence and engagement on LinkedIn.
What is LinkedIn Premium Business?
LinkedIn Premium Business is the middle tier paid subscription plan for businesses priced at $49.99 per month. It unlocks several additional tools beyond the free account such as:
Expanded company and showcase pages
You can add more content, info, images and multimedia to your company page to make it more robust and highlight specific products, services, awards etc. The showcase pages let you feature your business offerings in a scrollable, visual format.
InMail messages
Send direct emails to anyone on LinkedIn, even if they’re not in your network. This helps you connect with prospects, candidates and potential partners.
Advanced search filters
The premium account lets you search LinkedIn with parameters like location, company size, job function, seniority level, skills etc. This is useful for targeted recruiting and finding qualified leads.
Analytics and insights
You can view data on content performance, page visitors, post engagement metrics and profile views to optimize your LinkedIn activity.
Expanded network and contact search
Search beyond your 1st degree connections and see full profiles of 2nd and 3rd degree connections for more visibility into your extended network.
Let’s examine the key benefits of these features to evaluate if Premium Business offers a good ROI:
Benefits of LinkedIn Premium Business
More brand visibility and credibility
The expanded company page options allow you to share in-depth information on your business, achievements, culture and multimedia content. This showcases what makes your brand unique and establishes credibility.
According to LinkedIn, companies with complete pages get 30% more weekly views than those without. Premium also lets you add up to 100 employees on your page so visitors can engage with your full team.
Increased lead generation
One of the biggest benefits of Premium Business is the ability to send InMail messages to anyone in the LinkedIn community. This facilitates direct outreach to potential customers, partners and talent outside your existing network.
Studies show InMail response rates can be 3-4 times higher than regular LinkedIn messages. With wider reach, you can generate more qualified leads.
Better audience targeting
The advanced search filters and ability to see wider networks helps you drill down to your target audience based on various parameters. You can then engage these niche groups with tailored messaging and content.
Segmenting your audience for precise communication is vital for creating relevant experiences and driving conversions.
Improved content distribution
Premium Business opens up options to boost the reach of your LinkedIn posts beyond just your direct connections. You can now target content to extended networks, groups and specified audiences for greater distribution.
Wider shareability leads to higher engagement, views and shares for your content. This amplifies your brand visibility and thought leadership.
Valuable analytics and insights
The page visitor demographics, content metrics and Company Page analytics included in Premium provide a wealth of data to optimize your LinkedIn presence and guide your strategy.
You can identify highest performing content, learn about your followers, discover website referral traffic and sharpen your targeting – all based on data.
More effective recruiting and talent pooling
Premium Business makes it easier to connect with potential candidates outside your network through InMail and search filters. You can build a readily available pool of talent to source from when hiring.
Statistics indicate that nearly 70% of professionals are open to new job opportunities. Premium allows you to tap this talent for your recruiting needs.
Potential Drawbacks
While Premium Business can turbocharge your LinkedIn presence, there are a few potential drawbacks to consider:
Cost factor
For bootstrapped small businesses and solopreneurs, the $49.99 monthly subscription fee may seem expensive if you’re unsure of the ROI. However, this can be viewed as an investment in generating leads, traffic and brand visibility through LinkedIn.
Time commitment
To fully utilize Premium, you need to regularly create content, engage your network and nurture prospects. This requires dedicated time commitments beyond just having the tools.
Learning curve
There can be a learning curve in navigating the wide range of features available through Premium Business and using them impactfully. You may not maximize the benefits immediately.
Risk of spamming
Features like InMail and content boosting come with the risk of overuse and spamming people if not used strategically. This can backfire and damage your brand image.
Who Can Benefit the Most?
While any business can find value in Premium Business, the following types of companies are likely to benefit the most from upgrading:
Active recruiters
Premium provides a competitive edge in talent sourcing, networking and headhunting. Active recruiters should see a strong ROI through access to wider candidate pools.
B2B product companies
The targeting and messaging capabilities help B2B brands connect with relevant decision makers, share demos and generate pipeline.
Thought leaders / Personal brands
Premium amplifies personal brands by expanded reach for their content and positioning them as industry experts.
Consultancies
Consultants rely heavily on networking and client outreach. Premium Business enhances their prospecting abilities significantly.
SMBs focused on growth
Scalable small businesses looking to drive growth can benefit from Premium’s sales generation and branding features.
Tips to Maximize the Value of Premium
Here are some tips to help you get the most value out of a Premium Business subscription:
Set specific goals
Outline what you want to achieve – website traffic, leads, talent hiring etc. This focuses your efforts. Track progress on these goals.
Expand your company page strategically
Don’t just add content randomly. Enhance your page with the audience and their interests in mind. Add value.
Leverage analytics
Use page insights to determine what content and messaging works. Double down on those.
Create quality content consistently
Well-designed posts, articles and multimedia will benefit the most from expanded reach capabilities.
Use InMail selectively
Don’t blast people with spammy InMails. Use it to thoughtfully engage warm prospects already familiar with your brand.
Refine your search techniques
Master the advanced filters to laser target your ideal customers and talent pools.
Monitor ROI closely
Track metrics like leads generated, traffic, conversions and hiring to ensure you receive a return on premium investment.
Conclusion
Premium Business can be a smart investment for brands and businesses focused on leveraging LinkedIn to achieve key objectives – whether it’s building awareness, generating leads, recruiting talent or positioning thought leadership.
While the $49.99 monthly fee may seem steep, the unrestricted access to all LinkedIn users, expanded brand presence and powerful analytics make it worthwhile for committed marketers. Premium Business also offers a free 30 day trial to experience the features first-hand.
Overall, the upgrade unlocks tremendous opportunities for widened reach, engagement and data-driven optimization. With 700+ million members, LinkedIn is too influential a platform to not fully utilize for your business growth. Premium Business gives you the tools to maximize your LinkedIn presence and impact.
But simply having the paid features is not enough. You need a thoughtful strategy, focused goals, high-quality content and time commitment to fully benefit. Used strategically, Premium Business can deliver a strong return on investment and confer a competitive advantage on LinkedIn.
Premium Business Feature | Benefit for Businesses |
---|---|
Expanded Company Page | Showcase your brand and products to boost credibility |
InMail Messages | Directly engage prospects outside your network to generate leads |
Advanced Search Filters | Precisely target your ideal customers and talent pools |
Analytics | Optimize your content and strategy based on data-driven insights |
Content Distribution | Increase reach and amplify engagement for your posts beyond your network |