However, it’s fair to say that LinkedIn is more useful to some than others. LinkedIn is great if your clientele are businesses, if you are a freelancer, if you are seeking career opportunities, or you’re a business seeking new recruits. It’s not so useful if your prime social media focus is fun and humour.
LinkedIn can be valuable for building links and driving traffic to your blogs and website. But you can do this on Facebook and Twitter right? Yes, but LinkedIn is focussed on business and developing your professional connections. People on LinkedIn are actively thinking about their company, their career, and how to build them. In fact, it’s a must have for those seeking career opportunities as well as those primarily focused on sales and B2B interactions.
Does LinkedIn offer real value or is it merely a hyped trend?
What’s so good about LinkedIn?
- It helps you stay connected with your colleagues and news in your industry.
- It’s an effective way of seeking out new opportunities, including building links with potential new customers.
- You can maintain your connections with existing clients/customers. Network and keep them up-to-date with your news.
- It is great for connecting employers with potential employees. In fact, if you are not on LinkedIn you could be missing out on many potential opportunities. The job world is often based on your connections and it’s important your profile conveys that you are well connected.
- Building connections through LinkedIn leads to connections with their connections, leading to other connections – This ultimately expands your network and is one of the key features of LinkedIn.
- LinkedIn has a global reach, particularly useful if you need to network with people around the world.
- It’s easy to create and maintain a LinkedIn profile. The website is intuitive and easy to use.
How to maximise your success on LinkedIn
- Ensure your profile is complete. But ensure it is briefer than your CV. Also rather than giving job titles, work on developing better descriptions of what you do.
- Maintain an active profile. Regularly update your status.
- Display your social media links in your profile (include your blog(s), Twitter, Facebook, YouTube etc.)
- Use SEO keywords relevant to your niche in your summary.
- Make your profile public.
- Whilst you should be professional, also be friendly, fun, personable, and social
- Share work focused links and blog posts rather than fun/ highly personal ones.
- Join relevant groups in your niche.
- Interact with others – ask and answer questions. Invite your connections into discussions via private message. Participate in discussion boards.
- Give recommendations, but be selective in who you recommend. Ask people to recommend you too.
- Use the ‘follow us on LinkedIn’ button. Think about putting a badge on your website.
Lilach
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58 Responses to Should you be using LinkedIn for your business?
Great share and post. I am with linkedln but to be honest i havent really concentrated on it or used it to its full potential but after reading this post i am going to make time today to update my profile and get connecting and sharing with people.
Twitter: lewys_sfm
Thanks Lewys. I’m finding I’m spending more and more time on LinkedIn, I actually get quite a lot of traffic from there too:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
Interesting that you are seeing significant traffic coming in from LinkedIn Lilach, I suppose it is the same as any network (online OR offline) in that once you see the potential and a way in which you can actually capture attention and open discussion then the business aspect will naturally follow. Nice checklist for success, I will copy and make a point to integrate this more into my own approach. LinkedIn is the most neglected social platform in my experience and doesn’t have the “glam” or instant appeal of FaceBook and Twitter, but as it is specifically for business people the potential is definitely there….
Tony recently posted..Local SEO – a Case Study
Thanks Tony. I agree a lot of people are concentrating on Facebook and Twitter but there is a lot you can do with LinkedIn. It’s a great place to network and I’m finding that some groups are particularly active and relevant to what I do.
Twitter: lilachbullock
LinkedIn had been the best business connection platform I ever used. There are two things in the virtual world I like the most GOOGLE & LINKEDIN.
Thanks Sara, yes both Google and LinkedIn I couldn’t live without:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
I agree Lilach that I am starting to focus more and more on Linkedin as it is more like the Facebook for business! I have started actively joining groups and sharing information on there… just over the past week I have reconnected with a client who I haven’t been in touch with for about 2 years and it has opened discussions about doing some work together… you do have to be proactive though and make the effort however this is the same for any platform… you get back in the same measure that your contribute!
If you joing the right relevant groups for your target market, you can connect with large numbers of people so I would highlt recommend people do this…. but don’t just try and flog stuff… same rules apply to all forms of social media, don’t you agree?
Twitter: print_republic
I agree Lilach that I am starting to focus more and more on Linkedin as it is more like the Facebook for business! I have started actively joining groups and sharing information on there… just over the past week I have reconnected with a client who I haven’t been in touch with for about 2 years and it has opened discussions about doing some work together… you do have to be proactive though and make the effort however this is the same for any platform… you get back in the same measure that your contribute!
If you joing the right relevant groups for your target market, you can connect with large numbers of people so I would highly recommend people do this…. but don’t just try and flog stuff… same rules apply to all forms of social media, don’t you agree?
Twitter: print_republic
Thanks Stefan – the old saying “what you put in you get out” rings very true here. I’m finding the groups on LinkedIn are great and I too am connecting with people I used to know a couple of years ago. I completely agree, you can’t just flog stuff, same rules apply – give value, engage and build relationships:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
I have a LinkedIn account that I’ve had for years, but never used it much. I really need to change that and start. I do get updates when people I am connected with make changes in their status, and occasionally someone asks to connect with me, but I haven’t actively used this platform. Thanks for the checklist on making it an effective tool.
Val Heisey recently posted..Do opportunity meetings work and what is the success formula?
Twitter: valheisey
Thanks Val. The groups are particularly useful:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
Wow.. Lilach, I agree with you.. LinkedIn is a diamond mine.. I personally felt like I didn’t fit into the LinkedIn community at the beginning.. yet now.. I don’t see life without that particular platform. After reading, I believe I may have to hit it up a little harder than before going forward. Thanks for the reminder, refresher, and newness.. (I think I made that word up.. lol. ) Keep Smiling!
Shalonda Gordon recently posted..Are You Part of The One Percent??
Thanks Shalonda – loving your new word:) Yes I too think LinkedIn can be a little goldmine, you just have to take the time to find the right groups for your niche:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
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I use linkedin, but I get better results from facebook and twitter. I’m not sure exactly why, but the way I see it, it probably has something to do with the fact that people like working with people they like (Influence – liking). With facebook, everyone is interacting on a more personal level whereas in linkedin, you have your professional face on.
Kevin Lau recently posted..Are You Ready To S-T-A-R-T Your Online Network Marketing Business?
Thanks Kevin. I too get better results from Facebook and Twitter. That said according to my traffic stat’s LinkedIn is number 3 so that’s pretty good and worthwhile:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
I also have to admit I’m not as active as I should be on my linked in account. Perhaps it’s because like Kevin Lau says that you really get to interact with people more on a personal level on facebook. Thanks for the great tips Lilach, I’ll start to implement them immediately!
Chante Epps recently posted..A Warning for Network Marketers: Why You May Be A Part Of The “Twilight Saga?
Thanks Chante. I think it’s also habit and the unknown. I spent so much time on Facebook and Twitter, it’s like second nature whereas LinkedIn does take more effort as I spend considerably less time on there. However it is still a powerful social media networking site which can get you some pretty good results. I guess it’s about what you put in – you get out:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
I accidentally discovered the power of the LinkedIn groups when I posted one of my posts on a pretty large group. To my surprise my viewership suddenly exploded! I get about 50% of my traffic from LinkedIn alone. It’s pretty awesome, especially for niche bloggers like me. The groups provide a way to directly connect with people who are already truly interested in your topic.
Great Post!
Twitter: rachelannpoling
Thanks Rachel, I admit it was the same for me! I spent so much time focusing on Facebook and Twitter and then one day started sharing more in the groups and wow! suddenly my traffic soared! Plus of course I get to meet and network with some more great people:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
Ahh, one of the issues that I have seen on some posts about Linkedin is about the merits of connecting the Twitter feed to the Linkedin status update. Any thoughts?
Clive Roach ( recently posted..XYDO – The news social network
Thanks Clive. Good question, I have my Twitter feed connected to LinkedIn. It works OK, it’s something I’m testing as I tweet a lot! I don’t do this for Facebook though, I only update FB manually and in real time whereas my Twitter is obviously going out automatically on LinkedIn.
I’ll continue to test it and update you. I think it depends on what sort of business you have and how relevant the tweets are.
Twitter: lilachbullock
Yes, I think you are right, it depends on the business area. I also do exactly as you do for both Twitter and Facebook with respect to linking Twitter updates.
Clive Roach ( recently posted..XYDO – The news social network
Thanks Clive. Great minds think alike:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
LinkedIn is one of the best places to recruit professionals. I suggest everyone get 500+ connections and as many recommendations as possible. And like you said make sure your profile is up to speed.
Terry Petrovick recently posted..Entrepreneurs Get Paid For Results, Not Time Spent
Twitter: terrypetrovick
Thanks Terry, I agree. You can also email all your connections which I find really useful (of course the aim here is not to spam)
Twitter: lilachbullock
I totally agree here! Linkedin is where you will find way more professionals and recruit better leaders in my own opinion! I love this post and will study this more
Bluesman signin’ off
Bluesman Of MLM recently posted..Sponsor People Using The Internet
Thanks Bluesman (what’s your real name btw?) LinkedIn is a great place to network and also I’m surprised by how much traffic it’s generating for me too.
Twitter: lilachbullock
I have never took full advantage of Linkedin. Thank you for the detailed outline on how to maximize my Linkedin profile.
Preston Schumacher recently posted..Top Ranking Document Sharing Sites
Twitter: workwithpreston
My pleasure Preston. LinkedIn is a very different approach than Facebook/Twitter but it’s definitely still worthwhile spending a little time on there:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
Lilach great choice of topic. I have to agree linkedin is an interesting place to have at least some presence!
John Moussan recently posted..Finding Fun & Balance… How Do You Rate?
Twitter: johnmoussan
Thanks John. I agree, it’s important to have an online profile on the major social networks. It’s very different to Facebook and Twitter but gone are the days where it’s just a place to recruit people. The groups are a great place to network and create prospects/leads/clients:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
I need to put more time and energy into LinkedIn for sure! Thanks for the very insightful reminder!
Mindy Koch recently posted..7 Tools To Discover Your Digital Identity
Thanks Mindy. My pleasure:) I still spend the majority of my time on Facebook and Twitter but as I’m finding my traffic is increasing from LinkedIn I need to spend more time on there:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
Like many others I have not really used LinkedIn to it’s full potential, I guess now I’m starting to move with Facebook and Twitter I should start to be a bit more pro-active with LinkedIn. Thanks for the reminder and great tips.
David Sharp recently posted..The Law Of Attraction And Coincidence
Twitter: davidgsharp
Thanks David, it can be challenging finding the time for social media (can you remember what we did before Facebook/Twitter?) but LinkedIn is worth spending some time on, particularly the groups:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
Lilach – Well done for highlighting LinkedIn. Having recently set up my LinkedIn account (like some of the other people posting comments here are saying), I too need to set aside some time for LinkedIn, particularly to get active within the Groups.
In the offline world, if you want to network to make business contacts, I think most (if not all) people would choose to walk into a function room that is full of business people, versus walking into a room full of people who have just walked in off the street for a social event. Whilst there will no doubt be some business people at the social event, you know full well that it will be virtually all business people at the business function.
LinkedIn is growing in popularity amongst business minded people because it’s where business people go to network with other business people online, knowing that they aren’t going to get caught up with the social event crowd!
David Downer recently posted..What Price A University Degree?
Thanks David. Absolutely agree. I’ve been on LinkedIn now for nearly 6 years and it’s only recently that I’m seeing a growing trend of small businesses who are actually starting to leverage LinkedIn – and not just have a profile on there. The groups are becoming more and more active – I’m wondering if it’s because whilst I’m on many groups on Facebook, a lot of them are spammy and many people aren’t as active on them.
Twitter: lilachbullock
I can personally pinpoint a small catalogue of business opportunities that have come directly from my presence on Linkedin and rate it more highly than fb or Twitter.
Twitter: AcademyOfRock
Thanks Peter that’s great:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
I have had a very positive experience with LinkedIn, especially since I’ve written my job title as Recruiter/Trainer for my specific Network Marketing company. To prove that point, I had someone recently send me his resume, asking if he could work for me. It does take time though, like all other social media sites, to utilize it’s benefits fully, but well worth that time, in my opinion. Thank you for presenting LinkedIn in such a positive light. I like the way you think!
Juli Becker recently posted..Must Watch Video: Gary Vaynerchuck On Social Media & How It Can Help Grow Your Business
Twitter: Juli_Becker_
The most professional follow ups are done from LinkedIn. It truly is an under used source for business and entrepreneurs. It doesn’t take much to setup but provides a lot of value.
Monyelle recently posted..December Giveaway!
Thanks Monyelle, I agree. There is a lot chatter about Facebook and Twitter but LinkedIn is still a very strong contender in the social media world and it’s really worthwhile spending a little time there too:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
Thanks Lilanch, Nice article about linkedin,Hope to see more informative articles from you.
Thanks Naveen, my pleasure, thanks for your comment:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
Thanks Lilach. I noticed a HUGE spike in people that I know that have opened up Linkedin accounts since the beginning of the year. While Linkedin has always been my much more ‘business’ like platform that use, what has been missing is more people that I have a personal as well as a business connection. That seems to have changed a bit, now just hoping they use it properly and hang around…
Thanks Mike:) I too am seeing more and more people using LinkedIn, particularly the groups. I think the combination of having sharing buttons that go to LinkedIn has helped people who weren’t using LinkedIn before investigate it further:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
Great post, with good tips. I use LinkedIn a lot and teach others to; this is the most to the point and valuable list I’ve read.
Jon recently posted..The Airport Car park and a tip to get more leads
Twitter: divingjon
Thanks Jon appreciate your comment. I recently sent out a LinkedIn check list to my subscribers and will be posting it up on my blog in a few weeks:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
Ive found LinkedIn very beneficial. You need to spend some serious time on there building up your contacts and presence in group discusssions. I’ve also started my own groups as well. I’ve found people a lot more responsive if you take the time to make your invites and messages personal. You also get very little junk if you get your privacy settings right. Overall I’ve met most of my contacts on there, then on twitter as well. It’s worth the time spent on it!
Twitter: Asc_networking
Thanks Abi:) Yes I agree, like anything you need to spend time on there to get results from it. For me one of the best things are the groups, there are some really great active groups which are well worth joining.
I haven’t received any junk/spam on LinkedIn, in fact it’s pretty much the only social network now I think about that I haven’t:)
Twitter: lilachbullock
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LinkedIn is tructureless compared to the old usenet groups – there’s no logical structure to the groups so you search blindly and hope to find relevent groups. Many groups are over-run with spam, spambots and cross-posters and most groups owners do not thave the time to manage their content or enfore any groups rules. LinkedIn will have a very short life – I doubt it will last more than about another 1-2 years. Unfortunately many users are broadcasters (talk) rather than consumers or participators (listen) in groups so the level of meaningful communication and interaction is actually very low.
I usually don’t comment on any posts but this time,I can’t help myself but express my gratitude to be in your list and have the chance to read a great topic like this one. thanks so much.
Twitter: reenduran
Learning so much from your blogs Lilach, I have joined LinkedIn, but really haven’t ‘got’ it completely.
This is a big help – thanks !
Barbara Blevins recently posted..IBOtoolbox Power Hour
Twitter: barbieb2
Hi Lilach, I always like reading your articles, so very informative and useful. I am on Linkedin but really don’t use it as much as I should, I am always conscious that I don’t want to appear to be promoting my workshops continuously, I know it is getting the balance right, but with running a small business that is so very difficult to do. I have over 700+ contacts and a large proportion are in Education which is my target audience, any tips/advice would be gratefully received! Thank you and regards, Jacqui
Twitter: pulsecsi
Funny, I was just asking people in the office the benefit of using LinkedIn. Thanks for the great answer!
Sean Vandenberg recently posted..Why Sean Loves SEO Writing
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