Shocking Statistic That Will Make You Rethink LinkedIn!

• LinkedIn is on a mission to change your mind.

"You may think of LinkedIn as primarily a site where people upload their digital résumé," the company notes in a new eBook. "But 9 billion content impressions per week are delivered in the LinkedIn feed - more than 15 times the job postings in the feed.

"These stats reveal that LinkedIn has become a destination where professionals consume high-quality content from professional publishers like The Wall Street Journal and The Economist, and even from peers who are sharing content in the feed."

• Out with the Old

LinkedIn remains bound and determined to move beyond its well-worn reputation as a site for job seekers and hiring managers.

Its most recent eBook, "Spotlight on Tactics," delves deeply into how LinkedIn's internal marketing staff utilizes content marketing on the world's largest social media platform for professionals.

With nearly 450 million members in 200 countries, and with 2 new members joining the platform every second, LinkedIn has a very distinctive (and captive) audience.

"LinkedIn presents a unique opportunity for brands. It's the first time in the history of media you can reach the world's professionals in one place," the company notes in its new eBook. "With LinkedIn, you're targeting a quality audience in a professional context.

"And, you can interact them in a very meaningful way: By sharing valuable content through products tailored to how professionals engage. By doing so, you become part of your audience's conversations and education on the platform."

• Teaching Sells

Therein lies the key - the more you can position yourself as an expert in your respective niche through the content you create and share on LinkedIn, the easier it is to attract and engage with the professionals who want what you're selling.

LinkedIn's new eBook notes that it is seeing more and more professionals using the site as their go-to resource for professionally-themed content, industry news, training resources and more.

"As we all search for the right destinations to find the best information, there are fewer places where we're gathering in large numbers," it says. "Think Amazon for buying stuff, Facebook for connecting with friends and family, and YouTube for watching videos.

"In the same way, the world's professionals are coming to LinkedIn specifically to connect to brands, opportunities and their networks, and engaging with high-quality content across the platform."

• Big on Blogging

LinkedIn recently revamped its entire blogging platform in hopes of encouraging more members to blog on the site more frequently. It also indexes every piece of content you publish on the site and encourages the use of keywords and hashtags to help others "find" your content when searching on the site.

"It's important because content is essential to influencing decisions," according to the eBook. "A study by Google shows that 10 pieces of content are consumed before a purchasing decision is made. As a marketer, you want to influence the outcome of the purchasing decision, and content is your best way to do that. Simply put, people are consuming content at every turn."

In today's marketplace, content is currency. Without it, you'll be hard-pressed to attract new customers online or deepen existing relationships.

And when it comes to the professional and B2B marketplace, LinkedIn continues to be the best venue online to create, share and utilize your content to generate leads and win new business.