4 Exciting New LinkedIn Features

It’s been more than a decade since LinkedIn first hit our screens, taking the business world by storm, and transforming B2B networking as we know it. The platform has managed to not only stay relevant for many years, but it has been able to compete with the likes of Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Who most consider to be the social media royalty of our generation.

Before LinkedIn, business professionals who were purely looking to connect with other businesses had to mould their brand to fit into the B2C outlook of these platforms. Although this was still effective, they weren’t able to have complete control over the specific characteristics of their target audience and a way to connect with them.

So once there was a medium that allowed businesses to formulate their own target market and drill down on a particular client avatar – it was game over. The way LinkedIn has managed to dominate the market for so many years is through their constant efforts to innovate, just like Instagram and Facebook.

There have been many features rolled out successfully along the way, including LinkedIn Groups and LinkedIn Live, and the platform continues to reinvent itself to continue to create an interconnected business community. With that said, here are the top 4 latest features you need to know about and use when looking to build your brand and create an engaged community with your network.

1. Polls

Twitter first introduced polls to the social media game in 2015, followed by Facebook and Instagram in 2017. In 2020, LinkedIn has rolled out their very own polls feature to help you gain real and valuable insights from your network.

Using this feature is actually quite simple. First, click on start a post and choose the option called create a poll.

In the create a poll window, type your question and fill in the options. To add more options in, just click the +add option. It’s important to note that there is a minimum of two options and a maximum of four options on a poll. 

Next, select the poll duration option from the dropdown menu. The default duration is set to one week, however, you can change this if you like.

Click done and then you can click on the edit icon if you need to edit your post. Also, choose who you’d like to share the post with. If you’d like to add more you can in the what do you want to talk about section, otherwise hit post.

2. Stories

Many users responded very positively to the new LinkedIn live feature when it rolled out globally, as it allowed people to connect with their network in real time. Now, LinkedIn has gone one step further and once again joined Instagram and Facebook in creating their own LinkedIn stories feature.

At the moment, this feature is only available to members and select LinkedIn Pages across Brazil, the Netherlands and the UAE, however they will be releasing this feature more widely very soon. Based on what we know so far, members can either capture images or 20 second videos from the Stories camera in real-time, or they can upload content from their mobile device’s gallery.

You can only create a Story from the LinkedIn mobile app, not on desktop. Once a story is posted, LinkedIn shares this to your connections and followers for 24 hours from the time it’s posted. Your connections and followers can also share your Story with others on the platform.

Unfortunately, you cannot edit your Story once it’s uploaded, however you can delete it and repost. For more information on exactly how to use this feature and commonly asked questions, check out LinkedIn’s help page.

3. Featured Media

Previously known as the Summary Media Section by most, LinkedIn has now transformed this into the Featured section where you can showcase the pieces you’re most proud of. Given this section is located right underneath your summary, it catches the attention of whoever may be viewing your profile.

So it’s the perfect opportunity to make a good lasting impression. For example, this could include client testimonials, articles you’ve written, speaking engagements, special projects, awards, and so on.

Whoever you’re connecting with is most likely going to view your profile before they decide whether they want to engage with you or not. And having an active featured section media gives people a snapshot of what you do and your achievements within minutes. So if you don’t already have this section filled, we suggest to definitely start thinking about what you could add in.

4. Post as a Page or Member

Although it may be one of the most simple new features, it’s probably the most handy. A new toggle switch on the homepage now lets you toggle seamlessly between posting content as an individual, or an organisation.

Before this feature, you would have to visit your page in order to post there. Now all posts are published from the same place. To do this, all you need to do is click go to start a post and you’ll see next to your name there’s a drop down arrow you can click which allows you to switch between your personal and company page.