For many people, LinkedIn is a mystery, and one of the most frequent comments on the marketing workshops I deliver is “Why should I be on LinkedIn?” So here are 4 reasons for joining and being active on LinkedIn:
- It is the only Business to Business Social Media Platform
LinkedIn is the only social media platform aimed solely at businesses and professionals. If you are dealing with other businesses (and even consumer businesses often deal with other businesses too) then you should have a profile on LinkedIn. If you would like to recruit people for your business, then LinkedIn is also useful for you.
If you hate the whole social media thing (the “I don’t want to know what people had for breakfast” syndrome) then LinkedIn is the social media where you will feel most comfortable.
- LinkedIn Profiles Appear in Google Search Results
LinkedIn profiles will appear in Google search results if someone searches for your name, so it is worth thinking about what their first impression of you and your business will be.
LinkedIn is the only social media platform where you can display your CV, qualifications and credentials. That doesn’t mean your LinkedIn profile has to have a blow by blow account of every qualification and job you have ever had – just show the most relevant bits.
- LinkedIn has Some Features Not Available on Other Social Media
LinkedIn is the only social media platform where you can see who has been looking at your profile, download your connections into a spreadsheet, and track when your connections change jobs. Used correctly, these are very powerful features.
- LinkedIn’s Recommendations and Endorsements
You can ask a connection on LinkedIn to write you a recommendation, but you cannot edit it. This means that LinkedIn recommendations are viewed as genuine, so it is worth asking for (and giving) LinkedIn recommendations. You can choose which skills you’d like to be endorsed for, but can’t actually ask your connections to endorse you.
If you would like to learn more about LinkedIn, or other small business marketing techniques, please check out our workshops here. The next LinkedIn workshop is on Monday 15th January 2018 at the NBV Enterprise Centre.