Microsoft | LinkedIn

When I heard the news about Microsoft buying LinkedIn for $26.2 billion dollars, I was stunned. Maybe it was the price or maybe it was the fact that I feel it’s a perfect match for both the Microsoft and LinkedIn brands. Nevertheless, I believe together, they’ll be an unstoppable duo and the go-to network for professionals. I did a little research about both brands and came up with an analysis:The brands actually have a lot in common. LinkedIn is “the world’s largest and most valuable professional network,” and Microsoft is a multi-platform, multi-product organization. From a quick look it might appear as an unclear, simple connection between the two companies, but they have more in common than you might think. For one, the same target audience, including professionals, decision-makers in businesses, enterprise brands, and that’s just to name a few. They also have a shared focus on enhancing productivity. Ultimately, helping organizations and people enhance productivity is both brands game plan.So what can the brands do for each other? I’m glad you asked. With an expanded audience and eagerness to grow, that’s how. While Microsoft and LinkedIn are “highly complementary,” they also have unique markets, which combined could really grow the company. According to theverge.com, Microsoft has 1.2+ billion Officer users, while LinkedIn has over 433 million members to date. Combine those numbers and you have an impressive pool of professional users to serve.Overall, I think it’s a great deal!