The social channel is growing rapidly, and the increase in mobile activity has a lot to do with that growth. Professional social network LinkedIn now has a mobile presence that spans the globe. To accommodate that global audience, the company has been quite busy rolling out enhancements that improve the overall experience. The latest evidence of this can be seen in the recently released LinkedIn app.
According to LinkedIn, the new smartphone app is designed with the on the go social networker in mind, and immediately available for both iPhones and the wide array of Android phones. Without further ado, let’s dive into the juicy details that matter most to mobile professionals.
New and Improved Interface
LinkedIn’s revamped mobile-friendly application stands out right away with an eye-catching redesign. What you may notice first is how the stream is now placed front and center. This enhanced focus on relevant content puts all the updates, conversations and activity that matters most right at your fingertips. Interacting with this content has also been made easier as you have the ability to like and comment on posts right from the feed.
Better Personalization
To make the LinkedIn experience more personal, the new mobile app allows users to access a customizable navigation page that is preloaded with all their favorite features. For instance, you can see updates from the groups and companies you follow across the network, specific news items, or a list of like-minded professionals you may be interested in connecting with. This page is unveiled by sliding the homepage to the right of the screen. LinkedIn has always prided itself on catering to the user, but this new emphasis on personalization takes it to an all new level.
LinkedIn Contacts
One of the most talked about enhancements included in the new mobile app is the addition of a feature called LinkedIn Contacts. This feature streamlines all your contact data in one location. That goes for address books, messages, and calendars. These sources also tie in information related to prior conversations and other interactions, and delivers them to your centralized contract space. The new LinkedIn Contacts feature is of course mobile-friendly, but available on the desktop version of the site as well.
Additional Language Support
The LinkedIn train is moving full force both locally and beyond. In fact, the company revealed that 64% of its users are in fact located outside of the United States. As a result, the new app has been specifically tweaked to provide a better experience for its global user base. LinkedIn has expanded its app to support a number of additional countries on both its Android and iPhone platforms. The expansion brings its total count for those two platforms to 15 languages, including English, French, German, Korean, and Swedish.
Mobile Ads
This particular component is one mobile advertisers should find interesting. With the new app, LinkedIn introduced its very first round of mobile ads. The sponsored content is currently popping up in the news stream, similar to how paid material is displayed on rival platforms Facebook and Twitter. And like Facebook ads, these units can be targeted based on the interests of the advertiser’s audience. According to a LinkedIn representative, these ads are only being tested, but if they stick around, they could be huge for both the company and its advertising partners.
As LinkedIn reported, over a quarter of its global web traffic originates from mobile devices, which is a 15% increase from the number recorded roughly a year ago. Most of the firm’s revenue comes from selling data to serious number crunchers and employers in search of new recruits. However, advertising revenue is on the upswing as its number of advertisers reportedly increased by nearly double year-over-year from the fourth quarter of 2011 to the same quarter in 2012.
The Wrap-up
All in all, the new LinkedIn app looks to be an improvement most avid users of the site will appreciate. The emphasis on centralization and personalization puts essential features center stage, while simplifying access and communication. But with sponsored content in the mix, the reception to ads could very well determine how great the experience really is.
Have you downloaded and installed the new LinkedIn mobile app? How’s it working out for your social networking endeavors? Let us know in a comment.
Sources:
http://blog.linkedin.com/2013/04/25/introducing-the-new-linkedin-contacts-a-smarter-way-to-stay-in-touch-slideshow/
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_23054601/new-linkedin-apps-contain-comapnys-first-smartphone-ads
http://blog.linkedin.com/2013/04/17/new-mobile-experience-for-everyday-professional/