LinkedIn Publishes New Data on Ad Engagement for B2B Brands Over the Holidays

Should you be running ads or publishing content over the holidays?

The instinctive logic is probably that you shouldn’t – people are spending more time with family, sharing updates with friends. They likely want a break from work-related posts and material. But then again, people also have more free time. Maybe, in those gaps where they’re taking a moment to themselves, they might actually want to read something related to their professional interests.

This is a question that many social media managers have asked themselves over the years, and there isn’t a definitive answer. But this year, LinkedIn went to the tape – utilizing its insights on B2B ad engagement from last year, LinkedIn has identified some key trends in B2B content engagement over the period, which may help to inform your strategic approach.

As explained by LinkedIn:

“B2B marketers might expect a decrease in online activity as people go on vacation or spend time with family and friends over the holidays. As expected, there was a dip in overall sessions over Christmas (the biggest dip of the holiday season is on New Year’s Eve when people are getting ready to celebrate), however, LinkedIn members are highly engaged during this time.”

According to LinkedIn’s data, people are actually still engaged with professional content on the platform over the period. In fact, in some cases, even more so than normal:

“Ad engagement for B2B brands on LinkedIn increased by 18% in December 2018, compared to the average engagement rate outside of the holiday season (February through October). LinkedIn Members were reading and engaging more with content, particularly on mobile, as well as searching for new jobs. LinkedIn members were also more likely to volunteer to hear from brands during the holiday season – lead gen form submission increased by 22% in December.”

Interesting, huh? Maybe it is worth creating new content for this period after all.

LinkedIn also notes that holiday keywords, such as ‘holidays’, ‘New Year’ and ‘Christmas’, are effective for B2B brands, particularly with LinkedIn Sponsored Content.

“While B2B brands aren’t necessarily selling gifts, ensuring a brand’s message incorporates the spirit of the holiday season with key terms will boost conversions and convert buyers into long term loyalists.”

Those in the tech sector are the most engaged at this time, with LinkedIn noting that computer software brands saw 2.6X higher ad CTR, on average, in the period.

LinkedIn’s data also suggests that B2B brands should consider promoting how-to and tips articles, incorporating things like New Year’s resolutions, checklists and holiday season survival guides.

There are some interesting considerations here, worth noting for your approach. And while it may be too late for many, with staff clocking off for the holidays, it could be another element to keep in mind for next year, or for the remainder of the holiday break.

You can check out LinkedIn’s full B2B holiday’s report here.