Today, there are many different social media sites available. So what makes LinkedIn more appealing to professionals? Having just recently joined the one hundred million other users, I wanted to learn more about the site and discover the advantages LinkedIn offers to working professionals over other social media sites. In addition, after reading Jennifer’s blog post on “The Value of LinkedIn vs. Other Social Media Networks,” I became even more curious about the overall success strategy on the site.
Just about every businessperson knows that joining LinkedIn is a prudent decision, but what they may not know is how to manage it effectively. So, after posting a photo and some basic information, what is the next step a person should take in order to maximize the network’s value? Here are four tips to keep in mind:
- Establish yourself. In order to be a successful LinkedIn user, establishing yourself among other users is an extremely important step. After setting up a profile, the next step is to gain connections. The more followers you have, the more potential opportunities you will have. With LinkedIn, you can reach out to people beyond just colleagues and employers. Don’t be shy about seeking out old friends and acquaintances. You never know what opportunities await and you might as well reach out to as many people as you can. Another helpful way to meet new people is to join groups. If you find someone you don’t know but want to connect with, find a group they are in and join it yourself or request that a mutual connection provide an introduction. In addition, an underlying advantage to gaining followers is that the more people who click on your profile, the higher up you will rank in online searches, which further enhances your networking power.
- Remain active. Once you are established with friends and networks, that doesn’t mean the work is over! The next task is to keep information current. The more changes that take place on a LinkedIn account, the more circulation your name will have on other people’s accounts. This action will ultimately earn you a place in someone else’s mind when they are searching for a new business partner or employee. Just like Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn also makes it possible for its users to post a status update. Any status has the potential to appear on your followers’ news feeds, and it is a great way for your name to pop up and remind others of who you are and the work that you are doing. That being said, don’t post “fluff,” and don’t overuse this tool. While it can be a very beneficial way to share new information or ask a question of your networks, overusing it can make others irritated by your excessive commentary.
- Maximize use of the event section. Also similar to Facebook, LinkedIn provides users with an event page. If you click on the event “attending” list, then you will be able to see all of the people attending the event. This allows you to prepare yourself for networking conversations well in advance. Furthermore, it is a great tool for advertising and organizing an event you are planning.
- Learn about your competition. LinkedIn is an excellent source to discover who you are competing against and what others are posting about to separate themselves from the crowd. Take advantage of this opportunity and use it to help gauge who you are competing against in a job interview, or how competing companies are recruiting new employees. Although your competition might be hesitant to add you if you request them out of the blue, try joining groups they are likely to be a part of and try connecting in the group first by engaging when they share content. In addition, research current employees within organizations you might be interested in joining. Discover what qualities they possess, and then try to meet these qualities to make yourself a more competitive and well-qualified candidate.
Unlike other social media networks, the primary purpose of LinkedIn is to facilitate business connections and relationships. Although other social media alternatives may also be capable of facilitating business development, there are so many other uses that the business aspects can often be drowned out. LinkedIn is an invaluable reference tool for individuals and companies, and it is important that anyone working in today’s business world is knowledgeable about how to best manage their account.
For more information, visit www.linkedlin.com