WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA — Local advertisers are continuing to reduce their use of X while moving more actual advertising money toward LinkedIn, according to new small-business research from Borrell Associates.
LinkedIn usage among surveyed local advertisers increased from 35% in 2025 to 41% in 2026. Fourteen percent now purchase advertising on the platform, a higher level than Borrell recorded during either of the two preceding years.
X moved in the opposite direction. Only 14% of surveyed businesses use the platform, 4% purchase advertising there and 38% of businesses remaining on X say they are using it less.
Follow the spending—not simply the conversation
TikTok and YouTube remain among the platforms that local businesses say they are considering. Facebook continues to rank first for local social-media advertising spending and Instagram ranks second. Borrell’s results suggest that curiosity about a platform does not necessarily translate into paid campaigns.
For radio and independent publishers, LinkedIn may offer a stronger environment for business reporting, industry recruitment, career coverage and advertising relationships than its reputation as a simple résumé network suggests.
The findings should not be treated as universal without the panel size, participating business categories and local-market breakdown. Publishers should test their own referral traffic and professional engagement rather than abandoning one platform solely because of an industry survey.
Source: Radio Ink, September 25, 2026.