LinkedIn Business Benefits

Posted on 14. Jul, 2011 by KrebStar [archives]

Last month there were more visitors to LinkedIn than to MySpace, making LinkedIn the second most popular social networking site out there, behind Facebook. If you haven’t explored the benefits of LinkedIn yet for your business or career, its time to delve in.

First and foremost, you need to know that LinkedIn is not another Facebook. Facebook is for connecting with friends or peeking in on their lives. And its a time vampire. Most of us can completely lose track of time as we browse through endless comments and photos. LinkedIn barely has photos at all beyond the stamp-sized headshot/business logo for profiles. And conversations are one-on-one. That’s because LinkedIn is not for browsing, its for getting stuff done.

Here are the four main categories in which LinkedIn can help your business and career:

1. Networking

linkedin benefits for business LinkedIn doesn’t want you eavesdropping on others’s conversations, but it absolutely wants you aware of who’s connecting to who. This isn’t a social networking site, its just a networking site. Smart people know that real networking is done face-to-face. Smarter people recognize that LinkedIn will help you set up exponentially more face-to-face meetings… if used properly. Spamming may have worked with MySpace, but that’s because MySpace is used by 13-year-old girls. This is for adults. Treat your LinkedIn conversations as if they were face-to-face, because that’s what you’re hoping they lead to. Translation: don’t contact strangers and start asking for things. If you’re personable and selfless in your networking endeavors, LinkedIn can be a terrific tool. As the old saying goes: Build your network before you need it.

2. Finding and Filling Jobs

When searching for jobs, LinkedIn’s job boards are not as big as, say, Monster. Its connection-centric model, however, gives it an interesting edge. What’s the easiest way to get a job?: Know somebody. Now as you grow your network, you can find openings at the same companies you already have connections with. Capitalize on it. What’s more, by creating a detailed and searchable profile, you open yourself up for headhunters. The more experience and referrals you gain, the more desirable you become.
Again, LinkedIn’s job boards have some catching up to do with Monster, because its newer. Right now though, LinkedIn is a superb tool for background checking. A solid LinkedIn profile will have detailed job history, an attached resume, and at least 3 referrals. What’s more, you can see how you or a co-worker may be connected to the applicant already. Ask the mutual colleague for the real scoop on your prospect.

3. Advertising your Business

linkedin for advertising your business First off, if you don’t already have a LinkedIn page for your business, you’re missing another way to make it easier for potential customers to find you. Secondly, I know I said not to spam, but there’s nothing wrong with some well-directed brand-awareness. A safe way to do this is by jumping on the LinkedIn forums and sharing your expert knowledge on topics within your industry. Its all about giving something away for free, and throwing in a little soft sell when appropriate. Before a networking event/party we hosted once, we decided to post the invite on LinkedIn, and allow our contacts to invite their contacts. The event was free to attend, and it proved an effective way for us to meet new people. Finally, you can set up alerts for when contacts change jobs, or when they connect to one of your competitors… both great times to remind them about your services.

4. Industry news

The homepage news feed on LinkedIn may look like Facebook’s at first glance, but the news couldn’t be more different. Yeah, you can catch news news on Facebook, but only if that’s what your friends are sharing. LinkedIn lets you know when a contact has:
a. changed jobs or title.
b. made a new connection.
c. joined a business group.
d. shared a relevant news article.
Like Facebook, you can hide irrelevant posters or spammers. LinkedIn takes it a step further by allowing you to customize your feed to show you industry-specific news.