LinkedIn: The Professional Face of Social Media

LinkedIn is the virtual expression of, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” The more professional sister of Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn has over 35 million users in over 170 industries, according to Wikipedia. Launched in 2003, LinkedIn is founded on the basic principle that in business, trust is essential. People will listen to someone they already know and trust. When you are looking for a job, where is the first place you turn? Your friends, your colleagues, or former college buddies who work in your field. They become the link between you and the job you want. A resume that gets passed along with a solid recommendation from your friend at the company will go a lot further than a random resume that arrives in the hiring manager’s inbox.

LinkedIn has seized on this instinctive behavior – we listen to people we trust – and formed a network online to make it easier for people to use their contacts and friends to their professional advantage. The goal of LinkedIn is to build up your network. In LinkedIn lingo, the people in your network are your “connections.” Your network consists of your direct connections, your second degree connections (connections of your direct connections) and third degree connections (connections of your second degree connections.) The way to gain the second-and-third- degree connections is by asking your friend, your direct connection, to “set you up.” (Like a blind date, but with the promise of a great job or new customer at the end of it!) As a job-seeker, you can use your connections to introduce you to hiring managers, or to recommend jobs; as an employer, you can use LinkedIn to list jobs or ask your contacts for recommendations. And for those people running a business, LinkedIn can be used to drive traffic to your site and gain new customers.

Profile Page: Spotlight on You

The first thing to do after joining LinkedIn is to create your profile. A detailed, well-developed profile page is important. This is the face that your contacts and customers will see, so make it a good one! Include a picture, since the faceless profile gives off the impression that you just don’t care enough. The profile set up page is easy to navigate, so just keep filling in the information until your profile is as complete as possible. Include your current job, your education, and a short summary of yourself and your relevant work experience. It’s kind of a “thumbnail resume” – anyone taking a quick look at your profile can see what you’ve done and where you’ve done it. And of course, add links to your website and blog as well.

Recommendations

One of the unique features of LinkedIn is the ability to include “recommendations” on your profile page. It’s another way to utilize the relationships with your connections. Ask a former or current boss, co-worker, or client to write a short recommendation about you. It should highlight specifically what they enjoyed about working with you, whether as an employee or client – and as usual, the more specific, the better. Often, when someone is Googled, their LinkedIn profile is one of the first pages that comes up…and with it, that glowing recommendation.

What are you working on now?

Similar to Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn also has a status update, though a more business-oriented one. Let people know if you’ve updated your blog, made a change to your product or service, or what project you are currently working on. A potential client wants to glean as much information about you as possible, so give them this glimpse into your business. The more someone knows about you, the more comfortable she will feel about becoming your client.

Join a Group; Get (or Give) Some Answers

Join a robust LinkedIn group in your field. There are hundreds of LinkedIn groups – make sure to pick one with the most members, since that has the most potential to drive traffic to your site. Once you’ve been approved to join the group, participate in the conversation. Remember your “groups etiquette,” which applies whether it’s a Google, Facebook, or LinkedIn group – you are there to add value and expertise. Don’t shamelessly promote yourself or your business. Read previous posts and be thoughtful in your responses and questions. Your potential customers are looking for someone who is intelligent, articulate, and helpful. Be that person!

Another great way to drive traffic to your site is to answer questions. LinkedIn has an open help forum, in which users can post questions and other uses can answer them. When you answer a question, you are demonstrating your expertise and involvement. In your “Answer” box, LinkedIn will provide a link to other questions you have answered as well as to your LinkedIn profile. (The same goes for the questioners – a link to previous questions and to the profile page is displayed.) If you want to go the extra step, you can become a LinkedIn “Expert” and be featured on LinkedIn’s homepage.

A Conduit to LinkedIn

Make your Conduit Community Toolbar even “stickier” by adding a quick link to LinkedIn. Allow your customers to access their LinkedIn account through their toolbar. Your Conduit toolbar, with its links to your site, news ticker, and fun gadgets, can become even more indispensable when you allow your customers to access their favorite social networking sites through the toolbar. And make sure to join the Conduit Community Toolbar group on LinkedIn to get even more great ideas on utilizing your toolbar to drive traffic.

LinkedIn is a valuable resource for professionals in many fields – from consulting to web development, from medical devices to marketing. There are also many alumni groups for colleges and universities, another way to connect with people you already know and spread the word about your business. Create a detailed and professional profile, get involved in groups, and reveal your expertise in the “Answers” section. As you build your network, you have the opportunity to reach hundreds of potential customers. They’re just one link away.