I read an article called “LinkedIn is testing Snapchat-like stories because that’s the world we live in now” by Chain Gartenberg. The article talks about how LinkedIn recently announced that they are testing to implement Snapchat-stories into their platform. LinkedIn’s head of content products, Pete Davies, means that stories would offer a more casual way of connecting through the otherwise very business-focused atmosphere that makes up LinkedIn. Davies visualizes companies sharing “key moments from work events” or “tips and tricks that help us work smarter” through LinkedIn stories.
This article grabbed my attention because, to be honest, I am very skeptical as to how effective this would be. Stories works amazingly well on certain platforms, like Instagram and Snapchat, but just because they work there does not mean they will work on all social platforms. Just like marketers need to adapt their copy to fit for different platforms, companies need to adapt their business initiatives to fit their platform. I think one of the problems is that users are not as frequently active (at least I am not) on LinkedIn as they are on Instagram. The article did not mention whether LinkedIn plan to have their stories available only 24 hours like Instagram does, but if so, I think there is a risk of missed impressions.
LinkedIn is a business oriented platform where professional, formal messaging and posting is the vibe to follow. I do not see “casual stories” being a part of that. I understand that it is tempting to copy the “stories idea” since it works so well for other social platforms, but I think LinkedIn’s vibe is so different from both Instagram and Snapchat that it just does not make sense to implement it. But I might be wrong. Gartenberg states how there is no guarantee that LinkedIn will actually launch stories, for the moment it is just being tested internally. I guess the future will tell if 1) stories will become a part of LinkedIn’s platform and 2) if I am right thinking it will not be as effective as expected.
Read the full article here: https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/27/21156247/linkedin-testing-instagram-stories-feature-social-network-resumes-why
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