LinkedIn is always the social network that's just a bit behind the rest. On the other hand, it's still the social network for business. If you used LinkedIn, you might have noticed a few changes happened yesterday. Today, more changes from the network have been rolled out - changes that will really remind you of Facebook.

Sponsored Posts

I'm guessing that you can figure out the changes from that sub header title, but, just in case you can't: LinkedIn now offers sponsored posts. If you use Facebook, you are already familiar with these types of posts. If not, here's the scoop: sponsored posts let businesses and companies advertise via LinkedIn feeds.

These new sponsored posts will show up in all user feeds, and not just in the feeds of users that actually follow a company. The new posts will appear in all user feeds regardless of whether or not you follow a company. Will these sponsored posts be beneficial for companies that pay for the posts?

Are Sponsored Posts Worth It?

Sponsored posts work well when it comes to Facebook. Businesses that use the spaces to advertise do see an increase in sales, though that amount has yet to be determined. How much will LinkedIn charge for sponsored posts? Right now, LinkedIn is trying out a cost-per-click payment scheme. This means that businesses will have to pay per click.

On the user end of things, will these new sponsored posts take over your feed? LinkedIn has told press that the new advertising options will not bombard regular users with tons of new ads. LinkedIn representatives has stated that users will see the occasional ad appear, but there are ways to get rid of that ad if you don't want to see it.

Blocking Sponsored Posts Is Possible

While you can't completely block all sponsored posts that appear, you can click on the "hide" button that shows up if you mouse over the right side of a post. This will hide that post from you while you are looking at your feed. For the most part, though, these ads won't be overly bothersome, and they will benefit some companies seeking to advertise.

But, if I might, I'd like to offer companies considering sponsored posts a word of advice: do not bombard people with ads. Sure, some ads might be great and might work, but putting up too many ads (as is the case with Facebook sponsored ads) will simply drive consumers nuts - and not in a good way.

Setting Up Your Sponsored Posts

If you like the way that the sponsored LinkedIn posts sounds, you can set up your own ads via LinkedIn by checking out the social site. You'll see a banner for sponsored ads, and you can simply click on this banner to get more information and to set up your ads.

So far, my LinkedIn stream remains ad-free, but it's only a matter of time. If you own a company, make sure to check out the newest form of social advertising - it's really working for Facebook and Twitter, so why not give it a shot?