A Brief History of Advertising on LinkedIn

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LinkedIn has been around since 2003, and since then a lot has changed. And while the company has built many revenue streams, advertising is definitely one of its fastest growing ones.

LinkedIn ran its first ads in 2005, just two years after the company was founded, and just around the time Facebook was just starting to get popular. Over time though, the latter was able to grow a massive business based on advertising on its platform. In the ensuing years though, LinkedIn really focused on its ads business, and launched a range of great options for marketers to reach their audiences effectively – and at scale.

And it’s around 2013 that things really get serious, with the introduction of Sponsored Content – still the platform’s most popular ad unit.

Did you know that LinkedIn ran its first ad in 2005 – only 2 years after Reid Hoffman found the company?

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The infographic below shows a part of some of the biggest changes LinkedIn’s Marketing Solutions division has made over time to help marketers get the results they need.

2013: LinkedIn introduces Sponsored Content. These ads, which appear in the LinkedIn feed, remain the platform’s most popular.
2014: LinkedIn acquires Bizo, which provides additional ad targeting technology.
2016: LinkedIn Iaunches Account Targeting, which boosts the effectiveness of account-based marketing programs on the platform.
2017: LinkedIn announced Lead Gen Forms, which increases conversions on mobile devices.
2018: LinkedIn introduces Video Ads, which gives marketers more storytelling options on LinkedIn.
2019: LinkedIn debuts interest targeting, lookalike targeting and more.