LinkedIn expands its education arm – with the introduction of LinkedIn University Pages

Yesterday LinkedIn announced a feature just launched on the social network, ‘University Pages’ – essentially data hubs relating to universities and their alumni, from all over the world.

So far, the new feature has been released to a seed number of universities including University of Oxford and University of Cambridge in the UK, and a range of institutions in the USA, including University of Illinois and University of Michigan. It will be rolled out to thousands more colleges and universities over the coming weeks.

LinkedIn cite a range of services and benefits offered by the Pages, particularly emphasising the opportunities that they will offer to prospective students looking to make their college selection and map out their future career choices. As a result, LinkedIn are extending platform access to high school students, although the minimum age requirement will vary from country to country.

LinkedIn’s Director of Product Management, Christina Allen, outlines five key uses of the new Pages, as follows:

  • Join the conversation
  • Explore universities worldwide
  • Check out notable alumni
  • Expand your opportunities
  • Build your network

This is indeed an exciting step for LinkedIn, as the platform continues to broaden the value it offers, catering for a new, wider audience.

What I wonder is whether the introduction of University Pages will quickly start up a competitive race among universities and colleges worldwide to establish the greatest Page followings and to roll out the most active social media content streams. If you take a quick look at the Facebook pages of University of Oxford and University of Cambridge for example, it is clear that social media is already an investment area for many educational institutions (although I was surprised to see that Cambridge has less than half the number of Fans as Oxford’s Facebook page – I need to dig further to find out why this might be).

So to flip the announcement on its head – it seems to me that this new feature will not only prove to be a fantastic resource for prospective students but will also be another innovative marketing mechanic for the universities and colleges to capitalise on.

I wait with anticipation the roll out of The University of Bristol’s page – I’m very intrigued to discover what my fellow modern languages students are up to now…

What do you think of the roll-out of this new feature by LinkedIn? Please share your thoughts with me below.

Latest Posts

Nostalgia On Trend Remember the era when pixels ruled screens? With today’s high-res images and digital, out-of-this-world AI smoothness, a swing back to the comfortable imperfection of the glitch can be reassuring for millennials seeking their childhood vibe or Gen X looking back at their ‘youth’ years loving this style.
Read More
The concept of target personas is fundamental in today’s marketing landscape, but it’s more than just a buzzword. With 93% of companies exceeding lead and revenue goals through effective customer segmentation, it’s essential to understand your target personas. This blog delves into the steps you should take to define and…
Read More
TikTok leads the way in setting trends and shaping how we interact, connect, and share. We’ll dive into the latest TikTok Trends Report to explore trends that reshape the platform, giving you a sneak peek into what makes TikTok the hub of creativity, entertainment, and building connections.
Read More