Yes, it is possible to connect your LinkedIn data to Google Data Studio. This allows you to create customized dashboards and visualizations using your LinkedIn metrics. There are a few different methods to integrate LinkedIn with Google Data Studio, which I will outline below.
Google Data Studio is a free data visualization tool provided by Google as part of their Google Marketing Platform. It allows you to connect to various data sources, including Google products like Google Analytics, and create interactive dashboards to analyze and share data insights.
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform with over 740 million members. As a social media platform, LinkedIn provides a wealth of data on your company page, posts, ads, and more. Connecting LinkedIn to Google Data Studio gives you access to all of this data for deeper analysis and reporting.
Some key benefits of connecting your LinkedIn data to Google Data Studio include:
- View LinkedIn metrics like page views, post clicks, and follower growth in one centralized dashboard
- Track and compare multiple LinkedIn Company and Showcase pages
- Blend LinkedIn data with other sources like Google Analytics for a complete view
- Create custom reports and share insights across your organization
- Spot trends and optimize your LinkedIn marketing strategy
In summary, integrating LinkedIn with Google Data Studio unlocks more robust analytics and maximizes the value of your LinkedIn presence. Let’s look at how to connect them.
Prerequisites
Before connecting LinkedIn to Google Data Studio, you need:
- Google account
- LinkedIn Company Page or Showcase Page
- LinkedIn administrator access to the page(s)
- Google Data Studio account
Your LinkedIn Company Page needs to have published at least one update post. Data Studio cannot pull metrics for LinkedIn pages with zero activity.
You should also be familiar with Google Data Studio and have access. Data Studio is free to use with any Google account.
Connection Methods
There are three main methods for connecting your LinkedIn data to Google Data Studio:
- Using LinkedIn’s API and OAuth
- Through Mixpanel’s LinkedIn integration
- Via MySQL and the LinkedIn API
Below I will explain each approach in detail, including the pros and cons.
Method 1: LinkedIn API & OAuth
The most direct method is to use LinkedIn’s API (application programming interface) to extract data and import it into Google Data Studio.
Here are the steps:
- Register as a LinkedIn developer and create a new LinkedIn API app. This will provide you with a Client ID and Client Secret.
- Enable the necessary permissions in your LinkedIn API app settings.
- Use OAuth 2.0 for user authentication and authorization.
- Make API calls to retrieve your LinkedIn data.
- Convert the JSON response into a format accepted by Data Studio, like CSV.
- Import the converted LinkedIn data into Google Data Studio as a new data source.
- Build your LinkedIn analytics dashboard in Data Studio.
The advantage of this method is you get raw, timely access to all your LinkedIn data for analysis in Data Studio. The downside is it requires more technical expertise to work with APIs and OAuth compared to other connectors.
Method 2: Mixpanel LinkedIn Integration
Mixpanel is a product analytics platform that offers pre-built integrations and connectors to data sources like LinkedIn.
The steps to use Mixpanel are:
- Sign up for a Mixpanel account.
- Enable the LinkedIn integration in Mixpanel.
- Connect your LinkedIn profile or Company Page to Mixpanel.
- Export your LinkedIn data from Mixpanel as a CSV.
- Import the Mixpanel CSV into Google Data Studio as a new data source.
- Build your LinkedIn analytics dashboard in Data Studio.
The Mixpanel method is simpler as their platform handles connecting to the LinkedIn API and OAuth. The limitation is you can only analyze the LinkedIn data types that Mixpanel offers.
Method 3: MySQL and LinkedIn API
You can also extract LinkedIn data using the API, store it in a MySQL database, then connect that to Google Data Studio.
The process looks like:
- Set up a MySQL database.
- Use the LinkedIn API and your preferred coding language to insert LinkedIn data into MySQL tables.
- Schedule and automate API calls to keep the database updated.
- Connect your MySQL database as a data source in Google Data Studio.
- Build your LinkedIn analytics dashboard in Data Studio.
While more complex, the MySQL approach gives you maximum flexibility to store and analyze LinkedIn data. The disadvantage is the technical skill required.
Connecting LinkedIn Data in Data Studio
Once you’ve extracted and exported your LinkedIn data using one of the above methods, connecting it as a data source in Google Data Studio is straightforward.
In Google Data Studio, click “+ Create a Data Source” and select the type of data you have:
- For CSV files, choose “File Upload”
- For MySQL databases, select “MySQL”
- For Mixpanel data, pick “Mixpanel”
Follow the steps to authorize and configure the data source. Make sure your table or CSV formatting matches what Data Studio expects.
You may need to clean, transform or join your LinkedIn data before visualizing. That can be done in Data Studio using calculated fields or the Query Editor.
Once your LinkedIn data source is connected, you can build dashboard charts, graphs, tables, and more to analyze the metrics.
LinkedIn Metrics to Track
Some of the key LinkedIn metrics to add to your Google Data Studio dashboard include:
Metric | Definition |
---|---|
Page Views | Number of views your LinkedIn page received |
Post Impressions | Number of times your posts are displayed |
Clicks | Clicks on your posts and page |
Engagement | Total reactions, comments, shares |
Followers | Total page followers |
Mentions | Mentions of your brand or company |
You can track these metrics over time, filter by post types, compare pages or accounts, and more when visualized in Data Studio.
Dashboard Examples
Here are some examples of LinkedIn dashboards you can build in Google Data Studio:
LinkedIn Page Performance
- Page views, post impressions, engagement over time
- Follower growth and demographics
- Content analysis like top performing post types, topics, etc.
LinkedIn Follower Insights
- Follower locations
- Follower companies and industries
- Changes and trends in followers
Comparative Performance
- Compare metrics across multiple LinkedIn pages
- Benchmark against competitors’ LinkedIn pages
- Blend with Google Analytics or other data for full view
The possibilities are endless when you connect your LinkedIn metrics to a powerful data visualization platform like Data Studio.
Limitations and Considerations
While connecting LinkedIn to Google Data Studio unlocks great analytics potential, there are some limitations to note:
- Requires technical expertise if using LinkedIn API directly
- Data lags if not importing frequently enough
- Data sampling and accuracy depends on LinkedIn
- Limited customization if going through connector like Mixpanel
- May need to supplement with other data for full context
Be thoughtful about the LinkedIn metrics you need and how they’ll be used. Testing different connector methods is recommended to find the right balance.
Conclusion
Connecting your LinkedIn data to Google Data Studio opens up new avenues for monitoring and optimizing your brand’s LinkedIn presence.
The three main methods are using the LinkedIn API, Mixpanel integration, or MySQL database. Each has pros and cons depending on your use case and technical abilities.
With your LinkedIn data available in Data Studio, you can build powerful dashboards tailored to your business needs. Track engagement, followers, content metrics, and more to guide your LinkedIn marketing strategy.
Linking these two powerful platforms unlocks deeper LinkedIn insights and drives business impact from your company’s social media presence.