LinkedIn reports attendance for its virtual live events are up 231% year-over-year. Building on this success, LinkedIn is launching audio-only live events.
The increase in attendance correlates with an increase in the number of virtual live events on LinkedIn, as 150% more events were created year-over-year.
That number is likely continue going up with LinkedIn adding the ability to create audio-only live events.
Audio live events will allow attendees to actively participate in the conversation, rather than just being part of the audience.
In an announcement, LinkedIn states:
“This month, we’re taking a big step forward and building on the success of LinkedIn Live broadcasts by launching an entirely new interactive events experience that allows our members to more actively participate in the conversation.
Being an active part of the conversation at an event can help you make new connections, bolster your professional brand and inspire peers. In our new experience, you can participate in the live conversation by raising your hand and joining the speakers, “on stage” to help direct and add to the discussion.”
See below for an example of the user interface for LinkedIn audio events:
Audio events will first launch as a beta test with a few thousand users hosting events across a variety of topics and themes.
While the ability to host audio events will be limited during the testing period, all LinkedIn members have the option to tune in and participate.
Hosting capabilities will be expanded to more users in the coming months. LinkedIn plans to launch interactive video events later this spring.
More About LinkedIn Virtual Live Events
LinkedIn launched virtual live events in May 2020 in response to the many in-person events events being cancelled during the onset of the pandemic.
Throughout 2020, LinkedIn rolled out several updates designed to bolster attendance of live events.
For example, it introduced an ‘Events’ tab on LinkedIn pages, which lists both virtual and in-person events hosted by a company.
LinkedIn also made it easier to discover virtual events without actively looking for them.
Now, LinkedIn highlights personalized event recommendations in the “My Network” tab, and in a new weekly events digest email.
In addition, LinkedIn helps get the word out about virtual events through notifications.
When a company posts an event on their page, LinkedIn will automatically notify followers who are most likely to attend.
Benefits Of Hosting A LinkedIn Virtual Event
LinkedIn allows companies to host virtual events, as well as collect leads from their events, for free.
This lets companies jump into virtual events with no additional stress on their budget.
Companies have the option to throw money into it, if they choose to, by promoting virtual events with LinkedIn ads.
If the leads you could potentially gain from hosting a LinkedIn virtual event are valuable to your company, this can be a cost effective way to grow your list.
Expect to hear more about LinkedIn virtual events this year as the company works to make them more interactive.
Source: LinkedIn Pulse
Featured Image: Screenshot from LinkedIn.com/Pulse, January 2022.
