A lot of business people today look at LinkedIn as strictly a method of confirming their qualifications or, perhaps, keeping one ear tuned to job opportunities somewhere down the road. Did you know that it can also be a powerful method of generating leads for your business? Just in case you need some convincing, let’s take a look at why you might want to consider activating a stronger LinkedIn presence. Here are some of my thoughts on the topic:

Why Use LinkedIn:

• LinkedIn is an 11-year-old business-focused social networking site that aims to help people network professionally. More than 300 million business professionals use LinkedIn (100 million users in the US and 9 million in Canada) and chances are good that the people you want to do business with, the decision makers at least, are there.
• 40% of users check LinkedIn daily, 18% spend more than 7 hours per week on the platform.
• If you aren’t active on LinkedIn it’s possible that your competition is – why give them the advantage?
• A robust LinkedIn profile demonstrates to potential customers and potential employers that you are engaged as a member of a community – a network of professionals. It lends credibility to you and to your organization and it helps support search engine rankings for your company.

What It Is:

LinkedIn is a way to communicate with the people you would like to do business with and it permits you to cultivate relationships with them in a way you might not otherwise be able to do. It allows you to build a community by connecting with business associates, clients, and colleagues who you already know. Once you have “connected” with them, they then become part of your own personal network and you can send them inmail messages. They can also see what you’re posting in your news stream.

Once you’ve connected with a person, you will then have access to their list of connections – this is called your “extended network”—and you can request an introduction to people in your extended network through your mutual contacts. LinkedIn also provides other features, including the ability to set up and join groups, and it has a jobs section where members can advertise open positions or apply for jobs.

The basic service is free and it is very, very powerful, both as a method of connecting and as a means of establishing your credibility.

In my next blog I’ll be taking a look at what you can do to maximize your revenue generating opportunities on LinkedIn. In the meantime, if you would like to book a conversation about how my team and I might be able to sort out your LinkedIn profile concerns, please contact me at susan@crossmancommunications.com and let’s book a conversation about how we might be able to help.