Six million member strong business networking site Xing is launching its first major marketing campaign in the UK. The campaign ‘Start networking not just Linkin' aims to increase the brand's awareness in the UK and position the company as Europe's leading business networking site, according to Ralf Ahamer, Xing's VP marketing. "With the campaign we aim to draw attention to our site and communicate the benefits of active professional networking," says Ahamer. "This user engagement is what separates us from rival networks."

Xing doesn't deny that they are taking a poke at competitor networking site LinkedIn, and say its aim is to draw a clear line between the active networking that Xing provides and merely collecting business contacts through other networking sites. "Xing is an active community and not just a passive database of CVs," states Ahamer.

Xing is taking a multi-pronged offence on its campaign, including ambient, print, SEO, online presence. "All business people who want to actively network, manage and capitalise on their business network," are the target, according to Ahamer, with a special focus on London's commuting business people. Business commuters will be targeted via 400-plus billboards throughout underground stations in London, as well as advertisements running in freesheet Metro (which reaches 1.3 million commuters per day). The online offence will feature display advertising on websites such as The Guardian, The Times, Sky News, Reuters and MSN Hotmail, in addition to search engine marketing and a ‘Network Value calculator' microsite. This feature will answer the question "why network?" says Ahamer, as it calculates the pound value that networking will have for you.

Xing will be launching a promotion for members in the UK and Ireland during the campaign. Any Xing member who invites a friend from the UK or Ireland to sign up will receive one free month of premium membership. "The UK is one of the most interesting markets for us to grow internationally. We already have an active nucleus of members in the UK and are keen to expand on this," says Ahamer. The promotion runs until 31 October.

Other B2B marketing activity for Xing includes sponsorship of events such as Ad:Tech and partnerships for a ‘Best Offers' programme. "Sponsorships...mean we can position Xing within a key decision marketing target audience," says Ahamer. Last but not least, the company attract potential recruiters to capitalise on the highly valuable audience on Xing by using the network to recruit business professionals.

Meanwhile, Xing has appointed Davide Villa as senior vice president of B2B. Villa will assume responsibility for the newly created department and will manage all German and international B2B activities including Xing marketplace, advertising, best offers, company pages and enterprise groups.

Xing has placed 400-plus billboards throughout London underground stations.

Related articles

DIGITAL MARKETING NEWS: LinkedIn secures £millions for UK expansion - 14-07-08

Or use our enhanced search functionality to find other related articles

ShareThis