10 Advantages to Using LinkedIn!

The World’s Largest Professional Network with over 200 Million members.

The single best place to manage your professional brand is LinkedIn.com.  I’m assuming at this point, most professionals with any social media interest have a profile.  If you don’t, carve out time to explore and build your personal brand using this powerhouse professional networking tool.

1. Build a profile:  When doing so, make sure it is complete and compelling.   Previously, I admit to just posting enough information to have my profile completion at 100%.  Spend time and be true to your unique professional brand.
2. Tell Your Story: Spend time building a few sentences of narrative, as you would for a product advertisement – you’re the product.  Now, sell your future employer.  Why you?  Please be sure to add a bit of personality to your profile.  Character is interesting and could set you a part from the crowd.  Still remain professional but personable.
3. Keywords: When building your profile, create a list of keywords that describe your professional expertise and reuse those words when building your profile.  Many times recruiters or potential clients will search for experts using keywords to find leads.
4. Build Your Network: As any value-driven social networking site, the primary advantage is tracking and keeping up with your colleagues, peers, friends and associates.  LinkedIn is professional prime property for this task.  The greatest advantage here is the “Recommendation Feature” where your professional circle can endorse your skills set and expertise by positing (per your approval) directly on your LinkedIn Profile.
5. Start Talking: As of late, I found myself participating in discussions, answering questions, posting my blog entries and joining a few groups.  The engagement is KEY! Don’t just peruse the network, participate in discussion and share your experience and knowledge.
6. Engage:  In keeping with participation and engagement, take time to congratulate colleague on a new job or accomplishment.  Likewise, thank people who acknowledge you and recognize those who posted articles of interest.
7. Invite With Interest: When sending invites, always find some common ground.  A cold invite welcomes a cold response or worse a decline to connect.

8. Go Mobile: LinkedIn is available via mobile platforms and there are several fantastic apps that keep you updated and connected.   Additionally, LinkedIn has a tool called “Card Munch” that allows you to take a picture of a business card and it automatically sends request to the contact – awesome!

9. 

   Company Connections: Company Profiles have a prominent and growing role on LinkedIn.  Follow your clients, colleagues, industry interests, competition, future employers or employees.  When you do this, the network will display a list of connections that link you to the company. Following company profiles will give you the option to receive notifications every time they a post a job, employee leaves and other company news.

10. Stay Connected: Connecting your other social networks (Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook) to LinkedIn can be beneficial but remember to stay in keeping with the nature of this social network.  In other words, be professional and make sure the content fits the community and is business worthy.

    Interested in learning about how businesses are successfuly using Facebook for marketing their businesses? Go to our Resources page and Download:

“10 Facebook Best Practices for Businesses“.