Dive summary: 

• LinkedIn's increasing use by brands has led to the social network offering native advertising options in the form of "sponsored posts;" the posts are pay-per-click and appear in the recently added LinkedIn news feed. 
• Nissan was one of the first to purchase a sponsored post; LinkedIn must still prove itself to brands, but the social network is sitting a bit easier since only 23% of their revenue came from advertising in the first quarter.
• Brands interested in purchasing the sponsored posts must have a company page and a business account. 

From the article: 

"The key here is that LinkedIn has been able to lure corporations to spend more time on its platform. The site used to be known mostly as a recruiting site, but it’s focused on evolving into something far more interesting. It added a Facebook-like news feed and in the past year, complemented that by publishing first-person pieces from business heavyweights like Richard Branson. According to comScore, LinkedIn saw 50.6 million U.S. uniques in June."