LinkedIn is a powerful player for those looking to network, find a job, or even get B2B leads.
According to research roughly 70% of users on LinkedIn are a decision-maker or shot caller at their company. As a social media network with a focus on quality, business professionals LinkedIn is a great place for lots of various types of people and businesses to focus their energy and time.
Did you know that 98% of recruiters and 85% of hiring managers use LinkedIn to find candidates?
When it comes to networking on LinkedIn you need to realize it is a completely different playing field than that of it’s counterparts Facebook and Twitter.
LinkedIn shows your updates to everyone of your connections. Unlike Facebook and Twitters soon to be algorithms on who to display updates to, LinkedIn will share your update with any connection in your network. LinkedIn also doesn’t allow for you to search for updates, even in advanced searches so unless you are connected people cannot see your updates.
One of the main keys to growing your business, increasing your brand while driving engagement is to increase your network.
While this doesn’t mean adding a ton of random strangers (please do not do this, it is very annoying), quality connections are key! Only connect with those that are in a related field, that you know, or truly want to know.
To connect you have to have a good profile.
- Here are some quick tips on your profile:
- Write a compelling headline that captures your audience
- Always include a profile picture
- Summary is more important than you think
- Include Charity Work – 1 in 5 managers use an applicants charitable contributions and work as a factor in hiring
Post Engaging Content.
Posting interesting posts is really a vital aspect of utilizing LinkedIn. You want to share your knowledge and showcase your skill set while bringing value to the people you are connected with. Posting on average 1-3 times a day is normal.
Moz wrote about a great idea to help you post quality content that they called the “Social Network Sharing / Posting Pyramid” to which they utilized Twitter to test the content to see what was most popular (as it is more appropriate to post their 10-20 times a day) and then take their most engaging content and share it on LinkedIn.
Once you got a valuable Network, use it to gather information.
Whether you are looking for a job, trying to learn more about a company, or even acquiring venture capital LinkedIn is a great place to gain insight. When trying to find a job or learn more about a specific job posting you could ask friends that work there or reach out to others to ask for advise and insight into employment. You could use your Network to gain information about a company to learn their needs and help address them in a B2B capacity. The possibilities are endless.
In summary LinkedIn is a wonderful corporate tool if used appropriately. Stay active and keep growing your network (remembering quality not quantity) and it will accumulate over time into a great tool for you and possibly your business.