LinkedIn’s ‘2025 B2B Marketer Sentiment Research’ that surveyed over 3,000 B2B marketers across 13 countries – UK, USA, France, Germany, Netherlands Spain, Italy, Sweden, Brazil, UAE, Singapore, India, and Australia – reveals that 76% of B2B marketers in the UAE, and 80% globally feel they need to invest in creative strategies to stand out because it’s more competitive these days. 

However, creativity still needs to make its case in the boardroom. Senior-level marketing leaders are clear that creative ideas and video will influence purchase decisions, but they’re being forced to rely on more traditional and stale tactics over experimental ones, with 83% of UAE CMOs and VPs saying their leadership is risk averse. 

B2B video and influencer marketing among most effective strategies to drive direct sales

As B2B marketers continue to do more with less and face increasing pressure to demonstrate impact on the bottom line, 97% of B2B marketers in the UAE say video and 98% say influencer marketing are among the most effective strategies to gain direct sales in the current landscape.

Short-form video in B2B helps marketers build trust with audiences (72%) and reach decision makers (72%), and short-form influencer video content is emerging as the top investment priority for marketers.

The research also uncovers that building authentic and credible brands is a top priority for B2B marketers, and influencer and creator partnerships can help achieve this. Sixty-six per cent of B2B marketers say that their marketing strategy is incomplete today without influencer and creator partnerships, and 91% are confident that influencer marketing campaigns will directly lead to sales by the end of the year.

Jessica Machalani (pictured), Head of LinkedIn Marketing Solutions MENA, said: “Today’s B2B buyers, 71% of whom are Gen Z or millennials, are engaging with brands in entirely new ways.

LinkedIn expands video advertising capabilities; introduces First Impression Ads, Reserved Ads, and expands CTV Ads capabilities to help B2B marketers cut through the noise.

LinkedIn has announced a number of updates that make it easier for marketers to continue innovating with video, including: 

First Impression Ads: 86% of B2B marketers say that day one of a campaign is extremely important in driving the highest impact, and that’s why LinkedIn has introduced First Impression Ads – a new full-screen, vertical video format for single-day campaigns to maximize visibility for important marketing moments. First Impression Ads allow marketers to target professional audiences, like small business owners or tech decision-makers, and exclusively reserve the first ad impression that a member sees on a given day.

LinkedIn’s 2024 B2B Marketing Benchmark surveyed 2,000+ B2B marketing leaders from across the globe. An interesting insight found was that 72% of B2B CMOs have found it challenging to focus on reaching buyers. This because of the overwhelming demands from buyers and consumers through all phases. 88% agree that relationship building is key to success, and building “collective confidence” amongst purchasing decision-makers can prove to help.

Brand building is key to driving “collective confidence”

With success in B2B not just down to one relationship or connection, building collective confidence among the buyer group – including decision-makers and brand advocates who influence a purchasing decision – is key. B2B buying cycles are long, emotion-driven and typically involve six to 10 stakeholders in the buying group, and require on average 17 meaningful interactions with a company before completing a purchase. Creativity is essential to staying top of mind – nearly three-quarters (73%) of B2B marketing leaders have focused on developing bolder creativity, and 61% agree that it is helping them improve brand engagement and drive conversions. 

Marketers top the list of AI-literate professionals globally

Marketing professionals globally are leading the charge on AI adoption and building AI proficiency as they look to improve ROI. 2 in 3 B2B marketing leaders globally are already using Generative AI applications in their marketing activities, and they say it has helped improve productivity (40%), accelerate content creation (39%), and create cost efficiencies (30%).  

LinkedIn data finds there has been a 142x increase in LinkedIn members globally adding AI literacy skills to their profiles, with marketers topping this list. ‘Artificial Intelligence’ is the fastest-growing digital skill for CMOs globally, based on the skills CMOs have added to their LinkedIn profiles in the past year. 

Tom Pepper, Senior Director, EMEA & LATAM at LinkedIn said, “B2B decision-makers buy from brands they’ve heard of, which is why brand building is essential in B2B – it helps improve memorability. With so many people involved in B2B purchasing, building “collective confidence” amongst all members of the buying group can be done effectively through bolder creative campaigns which will be key to success in the year ahead. 

After feeling the pressure to continuously prove ROI over the past year, B2B marketing leaders have upped their financial fluency, which has helped them to make the case for brand building and take it to the next level. Doing so will enable them to uncover new audience segments, and improve memorability and campaign performance.” 

Sean Johnston, VP of Advertising, Closed Loop further added, “Accelerate campaigns far surpassed the lead conversion performance we saw from even our best performing manual audiences for Calendly. The Lead Form Completion rate increased over 3X and delivered a 66% cheaper cost per lead (CPL). The higher conversion rates and more efficient CPLs convinced me this works.”  

 To help B2B marketers reach and engage all members of the buying group and build collective confidence, LinkedIn is introducing: 

• The Wire Program: With video uploads on LinkedIn increasing 45% year-over-year, LinkedIn is testing the Wire Program – a new initiative that allows brands to promote in-stream video ads alongside trusted publisher content on LinkedIn. The Wire Program is being tested with a limited number of publishers, like Barron’s, Bloomberg, Business Insider, Forbes, LinkedIn News, MarketWatch, NBCUniversal, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, and Yahoo! Finance to help marketers reach buyers who are consuming more-and-more digital video. The Wire Program is available in all languages to global advertisers who want to set up content sponsorships with this select group of publishers. At launch, the Wire Program will not offer EU member targeting.

• Expanded AI capabilities in Accelerate: LinkedIn is bringing new functionality into Accelerate – its AI campaign creation and optimization offering. Now in Accelerate, marketers can draft engaging creatives with Microsoft Designer and refine their targeting by allowing marketers to exclude companies and third-party lists. They can also get guidance on their campaign creation from our new AI marketing assistant. Advertisers already using Accelerate are creating campaigns 15%1 more efficiently and driving a 52% lower cost per action2 than with Classic campaigns. New functionality includes:

• Telling brand stories in new ways with AI: LinkedIn has integrated Microsoft Designer into the Accelerate campaign experience to help marketers build and customize creatives. To get started, marketers can describe what they’d like to see or upload their own image. From there, the Designer lets them choose from multiple options with varied imagery and text overlays, which they can further customize with their own logos and imagery.

• Helping companies bring their data into Accelerate to enhance targeting: Accelerate uses AI to help brands bring together their data, like customer lists or conversions, with LinkedIn’s platform data to find people who are more likely to take action with their ad campaign. To help further refine campaign targeting, marketers can also layer in targeting exclusions, like company and third-party lists. 

• Helping brands build their best campaigns with conversational assistance: LinkedIn is expanding the capabilities of its AI marketing assistant. Marketers can ask questions, like "How do I build better ad creatives" to gain insights on how to improve their campaigns. The assistant can also provide recommendations, like adding a data source to help inform targeting and perform tasks like adjusting your budget.

Accelerate campaigns are gradually ramping to customers globally and will be available to all customers in the coming months. Accelerate is available in all languages in Campaign Manager, but AI-generated creatives are currently available in English only. 

The 2024 B2B Marketing Benchmark Report will launch at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Monday, June 17.
 

LinkedIn Marketing Solutions (LMS) has emerged as an exciting platform in the B2B marketing arena since its inception in 2005 when it introduced the first-ever ad on the platform. Diana Daou, Head of LinkedIn Marketing tells Communicate how B2B marketing can drive efficient growth and transform the way businesses today function.

In image: Diana Daou, Head of LinkedIn Marketing

LinkedIn has just turned 20, what are some key milestones for LinkedIn Marketing Solutions? Why is B2B advertising so integral for LinkedIn?

LinkedIn Marketing Solutions (LMS) has grown to become one of the top B2B marketing players in the world since 2005 when we introduced the first-ever ad on the platform. Today, we are powered by our community and we help companies deliver the right message, to the right audience, at the right time on a safe and trusted platform.

We continue to evolve our tools and products to offer our customers higher reach and ROI. In 2013 we introduced Sponsored Content and followed that with Lead Gen forms four years later. But a game-changing moment for marketers on our platform was the introduction of video ads in 2018, as it gave them a whole new array of storytelling options. In 2022 LinkedIn Marketing Solutions reached $5B in revenue and we introduced the LinkedIn Collective, a global community for B2B marketers.

In MENA, we launched the first-ever LMS ad in 2009. Gradually, over the past two decades, our Ads business has evolved to focus on B2B businesses – we deeply understand the opportunities and challenges in this sector, and our products are built for B2B. Today, we count the biggest B2B leaders as clients.

Our growing community presents a captive and engaged audience for brands to target professional audiences, including decision-makers and C-suite executives; and our rich professional data — like job title, industry, seniority, geography and skills — makes it easy for brands to segment their audiences and reach like-minded people on our safe and trusted platform.

The evolution and growth of our marketing solutions signal the need for our trusted platform and cutting-edge marketing tools. And the best is still to come: we believe there is a huge untapped opportunity in B2B for creativity, brand building, B2B creative talent, and B2B creators. Today, marketers recognize the potential B2B brand building holds and we at LinkedIn want to continue developing tools that will help them foster that potential. As our business has grown, so has our commitment to investing in and building the tools B2B professionals need to navigate a changing landscape.

In what ways can B2B businesses drive ROI?

B2B buying decisions are group-based, relationship heavy, and realized over a long sales cycle, which makes measurement that much more challenging. B2B marketers globally say that measuring campaign effectiveness and proving the ROI of marketing investments is their biggest challenge right now. However, this challenge will evolve to become a game changer in B2B.

Marketers need to focus on measuring and mapping the success of their campaigns to tangible business outcomes. LinkedIn’s research has shown that B2B marketers globally strive to prove the ROI of marketing investments. To address this, we introduced powerful measurement tools, including the recently launched CMO Scorecard that helps marketers measure brand marketing effectiveness. This tool offers a way to quantify the impact of brand advertising by providing companies with specific metrics for assessing the success of their marketing campaigns, including measures related to creativity, media exposure, and overall outcomes.

Another tool is the Revenue Attribution Report, which helps B2B marketers clearly demonstrate the financial impact of their campaigns on sales metrics and formulate strategic plans for their campaigns.

We also use AI to measure report campaign conversions across channels, and our Insights Tag collects conversions using first-party data. LinkedIn also provides a wealth of professional data sourced from 930 million members, which simplifies audience profiling and helps marketers tailor their messaging.

How can B2B businesses humanize their approach to advertising and become more aware of the importance of storytelling?

B2B marketing is having its moment: there is a huge untapped opportunity in B2B, and we want to help companies unlock it. Today some of the biggest B2B brands power much of the global economy. The fastest-growing companies are B2B products and services emerging from cloud computing, data analytics, open-source intelligence, and machine learning. And they are rewiring the way we live, work, and consume. Last year, out of the 10 most successful IPOs, all but one were B2B organizations.

At LinkedIn, we are seeing B2B brands embrace this opportunity, invest in building their brand, and experiment with bolder, innovative marketing ideas to increase mindshare. Creativity is central to this and is currently the most sought-after skill according to senior marketing leaders. LinkedIn data also shows that there has been a 46% increase in creative skills added to the LinkedIn profiles of marketers across the globe in the last twelve months

It is also worth noting that B2B marketers are in it for the long game. They recognize that creativity is essential to long-term brand building, which is spurring them to reach new heights. Our B2B Creativity research found that the majority (82%) of B2B marketing leaders say “creative confidence”– the ability to push the envelope with campaigns – is growing.

We are also seeing momentum with the launch of Creative B2B Lions at Cannes, as B2B brands recognized the value of long-term brand building. That momentum has been challenged by the economic backdrop, but our recent B2B Marketing Benchmark report highlights signs of recovery and optimism.

How is LinkedIn enabling growth for B2B businesses across the Middle East?

We are building the tools B2B marketers need in a changing landscape: As our business has grown, so has our commitment to investing in and building the tools B2B professionals need to navigate a changing landscape.

As we deploy various strategies and tools such as the CMO Scorecard, the Revenue Attribution Report, and Insights Tag, we are actively exploring the implementation of new technologies to evaluate the effectiveness of campaigns and gain a deeper understanding of the buyer's journey. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to accurately measure conversions is one of the key ways we’re doing this. We are currently in the testing phase, employing machine learning models that can estimate and report campaign conversions across different channels with a remarkable level of precision, leveraging data from our comprehensive platform.

We’ve also launched the AI-generated Copy Suggestions feature for streamlining copywriting that uses advanced GPT models to generate compelling intro text and headlines for ad creatives. Marketers can now produce more content in less time. Recognizing the impact of visual content, we’ve added new video ad formats for users. These include In-stream video ads, which will play at the beginning or middle of long-form video content and thought-leader ads designed to boost engagement on thought leader’s posts.

What are the latest trends in B2B advertising / B2B ads in the area of digital transformation? How is the B2B business model changing with the ever-evolving digital landscape, especially in light of emerging AI technologies?

B2B is undergoing a renaissance as business models, innovation drivers and buyers evolve dramatically from decades prior. Now some of the most profitable companies across the globe are B2B companies. And while many in the business community cite serious concerns over rising global uncertainty, B2B leaders are largely optimistic about the fate of their organizations and the role of marketing in helping them grow.

We know that according to our 2023 B2B Marketing Benchmark Report, 55% of marketers plan to use Generative AI to increase their efficiency so they can focus on higher-value work. The report also shows that global B2B leaders are hopeful about the future and the ability to drive revenue in the coming year. This optimism could be the reason behind a key trend we’re witnessing in rising B2B marketing budgets- Lead Generation.

Another trend we’re witnessing is marketing leaders identifying creative strategy and problem solving as the top skills needed for their current role and are skills they identified as strengths. Forward-thinking B2B marketers are now focusing on staying top of mind. They’re keen to build and nurture trusted relationships with customers and partners and deliver value. Their priorities have now shifted to emotion-led brand marketing.

The role of CMOs is also evolving and expanding with roughly 2 in 3 C-suite members saying that the role of the CMO has increased in importance over the past two years. It’s worth noting that around half say CMOs have a more direct role in driving revenue and 8 in 10 of them are trying to involve other members of the C-suite in B2B marketing decisions. CMOs will need to speak the language of the CFO and invest in new measurement tools.

Looking ahead, what are the key priorities and opportunities for B2B marketers?

In the year ahead, forward-thinking B2B organizations will invest in building mind share over wallet share by nurturing trusted relationships with customers and partners, delivering value, and keeping their brands front-of-mind. B2B marketers that shift their priorities and focus on making strategic investments in emotion-led brand marketing, measurement, ROI, privacy, and thought leadership, are the ones that will help their companies navigate through this period and come out stronger.

The top 5 marketing predictions for 2023 as per LinkedIn are:

1. CMOs will need to speak the language of the CFOs
2. Purpose-built B2B measurement metrics will emerge
3. B2B marketers will take more steps to humanize their brands
4. Brands will go on the front foot with privacy investment
5. Thought leadership will be one of the most effective tools in a B2B marketer’s arsenal

For LinkedIn, the B2B sphere has witnessed a new avenue of branding with the rise of B2B influencing. As of January 2023, 14 million members on LinkedIn have turned on the Creator Mode setting on their profile which helps them enhance their influence on the app.

Looking ahead, we’re focused on enhancing and simplifying the user experience on our platform, being a data-rich source for our customers, and providing inventive ROI-measuring solutions that are curated for B2B campaigns.

CMOs around the world are under pressure to produce short-term ROI from their marketing campaigns, with those in the MENA region experiencing higher pressure than the global average. The top challenges they face during this period include burnout amongst employees, lack of creative freedom, and adapting reactive marketing strategies.

The priorities and perspectives of MENA CMOs differ from global standards, with a higher emphasis on understanding customer intent and ROI. The research also highlights the importance of soft skills, such as communication and problem-solving, in navigating the current economic climate.

Another area the research sheds light on is how marketing leaders around the world are managing their teams during the economic downturn, including cutback on flexibility and changes in leadership approaches.

Diana Daou, Head of LinkedIn Marketing Solutions at LinkedIn MENA, explains, "As CMOs face increasing pressure to produce short-term ROI in the current economic climate, our latest research signals higher levels of stress and feelings of imposter syndrome among marketing leaders globally, including in the MENA region. A staggering 88% of MENA CMOs feel pressured to prove a greater short-term return on investment from their marketing campaigns, which can compromise creativity and result in burnout within their teams. It's essential therefore to balance short-term results and long-term brand-building efforts in order to optimize the potential of marketing teams. On the brighter side, it is encouraging to see that most marketing executives in the MENA region recognize the value of both performance and brand marketing and are wisely investing in strategies that will help them adapt to the changing business landscape while staying on top of the game."

CMOs feel the pressure to produce short-term ROI from their marketing campaigns

• CMOs around the world say that the current economic climate has led them to have higher levels of stress (36%), imposter syndrome (34%), and difficulty in enjoying their personal time due to work distractions (32%).
• 88% of CMOs in MENA feel under pressure to prove greater short-term return on investment from their marketing campaigns against a global average of 77%.
• CMOs in the region say that ttheir top three marketing challenges during times of economic uncertainty are:
  • Fear of burnout and exhaustion (emotional and physical) amongst employees from adapting to constant change (31%)
  • Fear of operating on a reactive marketing strategy and winding back on the progress of the last year (31%)
  • Fear of lack of creative freedom in ideating memorable campaigns due to over-emphasis on ROI (25%)

Priorities and perspectives of MENA CMOs slightly differ from global metrics

• CMOs around the globe consider the below as their top 3 metrics to prove marketing effectiveness in order to increase budgets:
  • Brand awareness (17%)
  • Buyer intent/understanding relating to 'when' and 'why' a customer is interested in a product or service (17%)
  • New customer acquisition (15%)
• Middle Eastern CMOs' priorities come up as:           
  • Buyer intent/understanding relating to 'when' and 'why' a customer is interested in a product or service (25%)
  • ROI (19%)
  • Brand awareness (12%)

Balancing flexibility and stability: How CMOs are managing their teams during economic uncertainty

• Globally, all CMOs identify the below as the top 3 soft skills leaders need to navigate the current economic climate:
  • Communication (32%)
  • Problem-solving (31%)
  • Creative thinking (27%)
• 76% of CMOs across the globe are concerned that they’ll have to cut back on Learning & Development initiatives in order to save costs due to economic uncertainty, with 30% having already reduced investment in L&D opportunities. 74% of them also believe that this economic downturn will cause skill gaps to widen.
• To tackle the economic uncertainty, CMOs are cutting back on flexibility and remote work and are asking their team to:
  • Reduce flexible working and hybrid working roles (35%)
  • Reduce flexible working and hybrid working options (34%)
  • Ask employees who are working from home to return to the office (31%)
• Given the current economic climate, more than half (56%) of the CMOs prefer that their team members work from the office, compared to the 43% who say they prefer otherwise, with only 1% taking neutral ground.
• 85% of CMOs agree that the HR function has been more critical now than it’s ever been, with 77% in agreement it has been challenging to attract top talent due to the current economic situation, and 58% agreeing that they are experiencing difficulties in taking a long-term approach to workforce planning.
• 60% of CMOs are adopting a democratic style of leadership and motivating their team to be part of the decision-making process, with 41% increasing the frequency of gathering feedback and sentiment.

In this month's roundup of social media updates, you'll find that Twitter was the most active when it comes to trying new features — all in Musk’s efforts to steer the company in the right direction! Despite making the world’s most popular electric car, leading the transition to sustainable energy, and launching rockets into space, in the eyes of many, Musk has yet to cross one major item off his list: Reviving Twitter!

Besides that, we're particularly excited about Twitter's current focus on improving the search experience on mobile for curious users, as well as the introduction of a new ad type called Search Keywords. This could spell trouble for Google – an interesting battle to watch unfold!

For now, let’s get right into this month’s recap of all the social media news you need to know:

Twitter

• Introduces ‘Search Keywords’ ads.
• Adds ‘Advanced search’ on mobile.
• Publishes its annual 2023 Marketing Calendar.
• Adds ‘Hashfetti’, a new branded hashtag experience.
• Considers selling usernames online.
• Adds ‘For You’ and ‘Following’ tabs on the desktop.
• Adds an annual Blue subscription plan.
• Bans all third-party apps.
• Revives an old side-swipe feed navigation feature.
• Brings the ‘Bookmark’ display button up front.
• Works on counting Bookmarks as “quite likes”.
• Loosens the ban on political ads.

Instagram

• Outlines its areas of focus for 2023.
• Adds a 'Quite Mode' feature.

Meta

• Announces launch of ‘Rights Manager’.
• Adds more restrictions on teen ad targeting.
• Centralizes all its platforms’ settings in ‘Accounts Center’.
• Renames 'People' metric to 'Accounts Center accounts'.

TikTok

• Partners with IMDb for feature-targeting film and TV content.
• Adds video-scrubbing thumbnails.
• Tests ‘sleep reminders’.
• Adds ‘Talent Manager’ to its Creator Marketplace.
• Tests a ‘playback’ feature.

YouTube

• Tests suggested hashtags on Shorts.
• Tests its Queue feature on mobile.
• Adds subscribers by format in YouTube Analytics.
• Launches Shorts thumbnail selection on Android.
• Experiments with Shorts location tagging during upload.

WhatsApp

• Launches proxy support.
• Tests voice notes to status uploads.

LinkedIn

• Highlights their goals and plans for 2023.
• Makes newsletter subscriptions visible to others.

First and foremost, vertical videos got all the hype in 2022. These portrait-style videos have been literally everywhere that every social media platform, and other brands like Amazon and Netflix, have adopted them. And they are here to stay. As such, make sure your videos are vertical-friendly by 2023, or you'll be squashed on the newsfeed!

Additionally, TikTok has consistently stood out as the platform where trends first emerge, and then end up popping up and being replicated on Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. So if your brand isn't already on TikTok and capitalizing on trends, it's time to get on board, or else you're missing out on relevant and timely opportunities to reach a larger audience and boost your brand’s visibility!

In terms of content, seeing the rise of BeReal with TikTok and Instagram copycatting its main feature, it is clear that real and unfiltered content will pick up traction in 2023. Content that is too perfect will be perceived as fake, filtered, and often time manipulative. So, here’s what you can do! Find an opportunity to showcase your brand in a human manner, with lots of behind-the-scenes posts, daily vlogs snippets, and transparent messaging.

It's really anyone's guesses what the social media scene will look like in 2023. Twitter could go broke, Facebook could rise from the dead and become the "it" platform for the younger generation, or we could start paying for a verified checkmark on Instagram and YouTube. So anything could happen really. But if you want to stay in the loop of all the new social media news, then we’ve got you covered. For now, here's a roundup of the most important social media headlines during November.

Twitter

• Expands its ad optimization features.
• Adds a checkmark color scheme.
• Tests charging content on Twitter.
• Might get Vine back.

YouTube

• Adds a quiz feature to Community posts.  
• Adds e-commerce tools to Shorts.
• Allows users to watch Shorts on TV.
• Adds a new ‘Target frequency’ feature to video campaigns. 
• Adds ‘Smart Replies’ comment translations and suggestions.

Instagram

• Adds music to static posts.
• Allows users to schedule their posts.

TikTok

•  Adds verification requests that are similar to Twitter.
• Adds ‘Audience Insights’ for more demographic details.
• Tests ‘TikTok Music’.

Meta

• Updates its privacy settings to protect underage users.
• Adds new Creators Week 2022 features.

WhatsApp

• Expands its Yellow Pages-like experience.
• Adds ‘Communities’.

Facebook

• Launches its Professional Mode to all creators globally.

LinkedIn

•  Allows users to schedule their posts.

Snapchat

• Adds Shopping Lenses that will allow Snapchatters to play dress-up with Amazon Fashion's eyewear models.

Google

• Adds RSVP with Google Registry.

But all that aside, we're going to see some big changes across the social media scene in the coming period with Elon Musk finally taking over Twitter and getting ahead with his “rescue mission”. The world is watching him as he attempts to turn Twitter, a company that loses money every day, into a gushing money fountain and users’ favorite social platform. Will he succeed? Only time will tell.

Until that happens, here’s our pick of the most important social media headlines of October, all in one place. Enjoy!

Facebook

• Rolls out the ‘Advantage Custom Audience’ targeting option to help businesses reach out to new users better.
• Tests new ad options for Reels, such as ‘post-loop ads’ and ‘image carousel ads’.
•  Decides to shut down ‘Bulletin’, its newsletter subscription service, by early next year.

Instagram

• Tests a function that allows users to add a song to their profiles.
• Adds an anti-bullying feature that sends users reminders once they comment on a creator’s post for the first time or when they reply to an offensive comment thread.
• Introduces ‘Creator Portfolio’, allowing creators to build an essential package from their Professional Dashboard in order to showcase their audience reach and their previous projects for potential branded collaboration.

Twitter

• Considers canceling clickable unbranded hashtags.
• Tests a feature that limits bullying by controlling who can mention you in tweets.
• Adds product cards that will allow brands to highlight new products in tweets, and redirect users to their ‘Shop’.
• Adds views counter for tweets to better highlight content reach.    
• Adds a prompt that encourages users to share tweets with friends directly on Twitter instead of screenshotting them.
• Adds more performance metrics to the Professional Account Analytics dashboard.
• Tests a new NFT link preview display that will be generated from the URL details.
• Allows professional accounts to showcase their location, product purchasing links, and apps, and add CTAs on their profiles.

LinkedIn

•  Introduces ‘Person’ and ‘Page’ link stickers.
•  Adds new security features that help in combating fraud and spammers.

TikTok

•  Increases the minimum age for live streaming from 16 to 18.
•  Adds ‘TikTok Pulse’, a program that gives creators more chances to earn money.
•  Announces the ‘Profile Kit’ feature that allows creators to display their content on third-party apps.
• Rolls out a collection of advanced in-house tools, allowing creators to customize their videos better without any external editing apps.

Snapchat

•  Adds more features to Snapchat+ users, including Story expiration controls, new camera color borders, and more.
• Rolls out ‘Director Mode’ to all users, which includes a green screen, variable playback speed options, improved editing tools, and Dual Camera controls.

YouTube

•  Adds the ‘Moment Blast’ ad option that allows advertisers to highlight their offers for Connected TV users better.
•  Rolls out a range of new design and UI updates including a pinch-to-zoom option.
•  Introduces a new certification program for health-related channels.

The LinkedIn study, surveying 2,900+ C-level executives from large companies across the world, shows that leaders are still grappling with flexible working measures. In the UAE,  while 77% of executives believe that flexible work conditions will remain for the next five years at least, over three-quarters of them express concern that the prevailing economic uncertainty could push back the progress on flexibility that’s been made as leaders look to bring back employees to the office.

This sentiment has already gained ground, with 44% of executives saying they plan on reducing remote and flexible working roles. There are also plans to reduce investments in financial support and professional development programs for employees (29%), as management prioritizes financial preparedness over the next six months to weather economic uncertainty and save costs (51%).

This has resulted in a disconnect between company policies and employee preferences, and the difficult decisions that executives have been forced to make are taking a toll with 35% admitting to feelings of guilt over these decisions, and some going as far as experiencing imposter syndrome (36%) as their most valuable assets, their people, take a hit.

Employee commitment is crucial to getting through tough times

These decisions aren’t made lightly – with 57% of those who do not plan to cut costs saying they are holding back on making cuts to maintain workforce morale and productivity. In anticipation of challenging times globally, leaders say keeping employees motivated and engaged is among their top workforce priorities over the next six months. As a short-term remedy, some employers have sought to alleviate financial pressures on their employees by granting incentives through subsidized commuting costs (46%) or by offering direct financial well-being assistance (38%) to address the rising living costs.

Additionally, UAE executives say that they will prioritize workplace mobility such as giving employees opportunities to move into different roles within the organization (41%), as opposed to a global average of 34%. Employees who make an internal move are more likely to stay at their organization longer than those who stay in the same role.

Leading for the times

As companies navigate uncertainty, one area of agreement is clear: communication is critical.  It’s the top soft skill leaders identified as necessary to get through this time, followed by creative thinking, problem-solving, and empathy. In fact, the soft skills of problem-solving, communication, and strategy were featured in 78% of jobs posted globally on LinkedIn over the last three months.

60% of UAE business leaders believe a democratic management style to be key to increasing the motivation level of employees; a rather progressive approach compared to other key markets around the world. Thus, rather than making decisions at the top level before cascading them down to employees, leaders need to build bridges with their employees and include them in their decision-making journey.

Ali Matar, Head of LinkedIn MENA and Venture Markets, said in a statement, “As we have seen in the last couple of years, flexible working and learning & development have become important elements in ensuring business resilience. These policies are essential to building diverse and robust teams that can adapt to a fast-changing world. While difficult decisions undoubtedly have to be made, it’s important to remember that people are a company’s most valuable asset, and protecting their well-being is vital to getting through this time. Employers that invest in their people during these times will be the ones that come out stronger.”

More than half of the surveyed C-suite leaders believe it is currently more difficult to adopt a long-term approach to their workforce planning; however, they identified key areas that they plan to implement to increase resilience in their workforce: Gradually introduce more opportunities for employees to develop their skills (51%), open up communication channels for improvement (46%) and for collaboration (43%), and encourage mental health & well-being (44%).

LinkedIn also advises leaders to:

• Take an adaptive leadership approach – Leaders must be transparent about the current reality and adapt to what lies ahead, whilst providing employees with clarity on short-term business priorities. They should see this period as an opportunity to iterate and adjust, which will stand them in good stead when the cycle ends.

• Maintain workforce connection and trust – Today, just 43% of employers encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing amongst employees. By helping employees to build connections with their colleagues, employers can energize their teams and strengthen their company culture. Furthermore, returning to command and control styles of leadership and dictating that employees must be in the office will quickly erode trust.

• Focus on skills – The skill sets needed for jobs has changed by around 25% since 2015 and this number is expected to double by 2027. By understanding the skills your employees have today, and the skills your company needs in the future, companies can hire or redeploy talent into growth areas.

To help professionals discover opportunities that match their workplace preferences, LinkedIn has introduced new ways for workers to search for remote, hybrid, or in-person roles through LinkedIn Job Search features. To help people and businesses manage remote and hybrid work, LinkedIn has made a number of LinkedIn Learning courses available for free until November 30, including Hybrid Working Foundations, Level Up Your Remote Team Experience, and Enhance Productivity in a Hybrid Work Environment.

LinkedIn has also published its Global Talent Trends report which provides leaders with insight into how labor market trends are affecting employees and workplaces.

When looking at the UAE and KSA markets, the focus on brand building is top of mind for over two-thirds (70% and 62% respectively) of senior B2B marketers, who say they will maintain or increase spending in this area in the next six months.

The most cited reasons are that B2B marketers believe a strong brand supports long-term sales (54%) and helps brands stay on top of mind for buyers (41%). Over a third (35%) say it helps them to attract talent. Even more so, 73% of senior marketing leaders in the UAE and KSA are confident that companies that have maintained or increased their marketing spend recover faster following periods of economic uncertainty.

LinkedIn’s global B2B Marketer Sentiment study, which surveyed 1,700+ B2B marketing leaders from across the world, finds that the picture of optimism is uneven, with B2B marketers in India feeling the most optimistic about their strategies (94%), followed by Saudi Arabia (92%) and the UAE (91%); whilst only 56% of marketers in the UK and 50% of marketers in Germany felt positive about their plans.

Businesses in the UAE and KSA have shown resilience in business performance amidst a backdrop of global uncertainty. While local businesses have faced challenges, it has also prompted them to factor in new considerations for the future such as integrating sustainability, technology, and data privacy into their respective marketing strategies.

Incorporating sustainability into wider B2B brand strategies

With COP27 taking place in Egypt this coming November and the following COP28 in the UAE in 2023, there has been a growing regional debate around the importance of incorporating green skills and sustainability across marketing efforts in the UAE and KSA.

When asked about campaign objectives in the next six months, the top priority for B2B marketers in the UAE is showcasing that the brands they represent are serious about sustainability (51%), followed closely by showing customers that these brands are helping out in that domain (50%). In a similar vein, marketers in Saudi Arabia also said sustainability is a priority (47%), followed closely by nurturing customer relationships (44%).

B2B marketers navigate data privacy and technology

When asked about the eventual tightening of data privacy regulations, KSA-based B2B marketers are most likely to review their marketing media mix (MMM) and partners (36%) to make more informed decisions around measuring the impact of their marketing campaigns. Over nine-tenths (94%) say that first-party data is important to their marketing strategy, and four-fifths (79%) say they are prepared for the eventual phasing out of third-party cookies. On the other hand, the biggest new tech-related challenge in the UAE is seen to be unlocking the potential of new technologies (25%) such as NFTs, the metaverse, and AI.

The research study strongly suggests that B2B marketers are keen to focus on elements that directly support each country’s broader economic ambition, especially as the UAE and KSA strive to become the next global digital hubs.

Diana Daou, Head of LinkedIn Marketing Solutions MENA, said in a statement, “Despite economic headwinds, it’s inspiring to see B2B marketers in the UAE and KSA remain optimistic about their strategies as they navigate uncertainty. Pausing ad spend can seem like a cost-saving measure, but savvy marketers know that linking their strategy to national visions and broader goals can lead to more success in the long term. In fact, recovering from a drop in memorability can be far more costly, whereas focusing efforts on brand building can be fruitful, especially as competitors pull back. The biggest opportunity for B2B marketers right now across the region is to invest in customer and internal stakeholder relationships, followed by rethinking the brand story, which is crucial to maintain relevance and secure future budgets. There is also a strong need to incorporate sustainability-driven marketing campaigns as this topic becomes more prevalent in the region.”

LinkedIn’s advice for B2B marketers navigating uncertainty

• In times of uncertainty, B2B brands can optimize on recency, not frequency – by building a strategy that steadily maintains brand presence. Advertising consistently helps to avoid memory corrosion and keeps your brand front of mind when buyers are back in market and the need for your product or service eventually arises.
• With B2B brands looking to do more with less, creativity is the #1 most sought-after skill currently which can help marketers unlock new opportunities. LinkedIn’s Creativity Playbook offers best practices, expert advice, and top tips to empower brands and agencies to do their best work.
• With proving marketing effectiveness a top priority for B2B marketers, mastering the language of return on investment (ROI) and translating it to business stakeholders is key. Marketers need to hone the ability to express the long-term value of their activity in financial terms and demonstrate the impact it is having on the business.

Apart from getting the chance to connect with new perspectives and lovely people in general, it also gave me a chance to use the LinkedIn Audio Event format for the first time. I haven’t had much experience with Twitter Spaces or Clubhouse to date but am a huge fan of LinkedIn as an engagement platform in my work, so wanted to give it a try. Here are some things I learned I wanted to share.

Audio vs video

In my previous lives, I have been a radio DJ and an occasional podcaster (before it was cool), so obviously love the sound of my own voice. When discussing launching a podcast with friends in the industry last year, there were some folks (@Fahad, a creative genius) who really pushed us to produce a video version to host on YouTube alongside the audio on Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, and the rest. While I have to agree, for SEO reasons, that you cannot ignore YouTube’s massive reach, the additional production value required to put on a video version can sometimes defeat even the most enthusiastic podcaster. I see myself as more of a network broker than an expert in the field, so prefer to offer the lowest barrier to entry to encourage more people to join than less, and have even less reasons in place not to proceed. For me, audio-only is the preferred option and requires less cosmetic preparation too.

The hope is that, with audio using less data bandwidth, you can expect fewer technical glitches, although two of our four speakers had connection issues and my own line was deemed “crackly” during the 15-minute pre-session drop-in. Also, I wanted to judge the audio format for bringing more voices in than the announced speakers, a feature of this kind of formats that I know the panelists were keen to leverage too, as a real-world sounding board for their behind-closed-door discussions with clients.

Audience matters

Somehow – perhaps it was two weeks of shameless promotion on LinkedIn and Twitter? – the event received nearly 400 attendees signed up on LinkedIn itself. Brilliant numbers for a first stab at a new format with a new topic and a new moderator on board. Having worked in the industry for a few years, I was expecting roughly a third to maybe tune in if they had the time, based on LinkedIn’s automated alerts for people who had signed up and also in my network. In the end, we had a steady audience number of 50 listeners for our four speakers with another two people raising a hand to add their valued perspective from the floor too. I was particularly pleased that our discussion ranged across various topics, from budget restrictions to lack of commitment to metrics throughout a campaign and how we gauge a good influencer from a not-so-good one. The alchemy of audience participation combined with solid expert speakers confirmed on the panel helped navigate a nervous first outing with confidence and, having received some feedback since ending the broadcast, it seems the listeners got some good insights too.

Measuring success

The audio event theme was all-around measurement and will continue to be, in whatever context we care to explore (suggestions and requests welcome!); so it makes perfect sense to go a little meta and understand whether or not the LinkedIn Audio Event itself was indeed a success.

Let’s look at the numbers: 346 attendees registered in advance, 483 attendees listed by LinkedIn at its close with 761 total unique visits overall. With 4 + 2 speakers and an average 50 listeners in reality throughout, it feels like a much lower than anticipated number of engaged people, but assuming we do a second and third episode, perhaps we can then judge if the format and subject matter is really worth it. Bear in mind there was no paid promotion to boost interest and registrations, partly because LinkedIn wouldn’t allow me the option and partly because I am from the north of England and prefer to do things for free where possible.

The event page is still accessible but it doesn’t keep a recording of the session which would have been beneficial for those people unable to attend the live broadcast or looking to revisit, or even those speakers who might like to publish to their own LinkedIn page for posterity.

Would I do it again?

I want to test the format and topic some more, stretch it out beyond my comfort zone of marketing and communications, and apply measurement and metrics discussions to [topics] like ESG, work-life balance, sports, and other areas I am extremely unfamiliar with but want an excuse to reach experts to talk with.

I might not host it on LinkedIn Audio again as I do like to create sticky places that can be revisited and have a longer tail of engagement beyond the one-off hit. Any recommendations or suggestions on other options for this are much appreciated. The easier the better, for everyone’s sake.