This week saw Microsoft buy LinkedIn for an astronomical $26bn, surprising many. But new data reveals that 4 in 10 internet users are on the business-focused social network.
The study, from Global Web Index, revealed that LinkedIn has seen steady and consistent growth in its member numbers over the past few years.
While in 2012 one fifth had a LinkedIn account, the network can now boast that almost 40% of internet users are members. And with work-related networking becoming an ever more important motivation for social media usage, LinkedIn should be confident that this positive trajectory will continue.
Perhaps most important here, however, is LinkedIn’s appeal to higher-income networkers.
Among the top 25% income segment, it’s close to half who are LinkedIn members, giving some context to the hefty price tag that was attached to the platform and why it’s an obvious acquisition for Microsoft as it looks to target these segments with cloud-based professional solutions.
