Even if you know what LinkedIn is, or at least have a basic understanding of it, here are some numbers you might not be aware of:
- LinkedIn was created all the way back in December 2002.
- There are 107 million LinkedIn members in the U.S. alone.
- And it might be the most versatile social media tool out there.
One of the great things about LinkedIn is the very nature of the platform as a business-oriented social networking service. It’s a fantastic platform for highlighting what you bring to the table as a professional while interacting with and learning from other like-minded individuals.
But if you simply start a personal profile and leave it out there, you might not be getting the most of what LinkedIn has to offer. From developing dynamite personal profiles to using groups and company pages to their full capacity, let’s dive in and look at some of the top features available on LinkedIn.
With Linkedin you are most likely to connect with business contacts directly without invading their personal social space like on Facebook. But if you simply start a personal profile and leave it out there, you might not be getting the most of what LinkedIn has to offer. From developing dynamite personal profiles to using groups and company pages to their full capacity, let’s dive in and look at some of the top features available on LinkedIn.
Personal Profiles
Personal profiles are your online resume, a social site all about who you are and the professional accomplishments you are proud to report. Use your profile to shine the light on what you’re known for, the skills you have.
Through your personal profile, you not only connect with other professionals but can use endorsements and recommendations to bolster your personal profile and help other professionals. If you’re unfamiliar with endorsements, essentially you can “endorse” a connection for a skill they have already attributed to themselves, which builds their profile. Obviously, they can also endorse you for Recommendations are similar but are actually written out recommendations you can send to someone who can use it on his or her profile. You can also formally ask for written recommendations from other connections to help boost your profile.
Groups
LinkedIn Groups are very good for rallying conversation around a topic or idea. They are smaller networks and can be private to allow Group members to post and read other posts from members. Open Groups can be read by any LinkedIn member and is a good way to communicate and even advertise, however Private
Groups can be fantastic for delivering conversations to select individuals.
There are actually many different types of Groups you can join and use. Some include: Your job and/or whatever sector your support such as IT or sales or HR.
Location: Many use LinkedIn based on geography. Alumni: Many groups are created for educational backgrounds/schools/universities. Self-improvement: You can also join groups that help you education yourself for your job or even hobbies, pick up on training sessions and tips for tackling goals in your career field.
Company Pages
Essentially, having a company page is like uploading your website to LinkedIn and maintaining it through updated posts. Other LinkedIn members use your Company Page to keep up on changes, events, job openings, blogs and information about people working in your company.An advantage of company pages is it allows you to market what your company does and reveal some of the human side of your company. Also, it shows the engagement each of your posts is getting, a feature not available in Groups or on posts from your personal profile.
The wonderful thing about LinkedIn is how versatile and segmented it can be. This one platform allows professionals so many different options to illustrate and highlight their skills in different categories. So whether you are using LinkedIn as a company or an individual, make sure you take advantage of the different aspects available for a well-rounded approach to your overall social media strategies.
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