LinkedIn – A Tool to be Added to Your Marketing Kitbag

LinkedIn is a site that should be taken seriously by professionals

If you aren’t familiar with LinkedIn and are looking for a good way to increase your visibility online and to network with others, you really owe it to yourself to join . It doesn’t cost anything unless you want to upgrade, so you certainly have nothing to lose.  One of the purposes of this blog is to introduce you to the site and  to give you an idea of why joining LinkedIn could be a very valuable resource for you.

 LinkedIn is not a social site like Facebook and MySpace -  instead it is considered to be a professional networking site that can be used as a tool to help you expand your network.  As always, you will sometimes come across people trying to push their products and services, but that is somewhat rare and  that was never the intention when LinkedIn was founded.  That strategy is also frowned on by other users.  The purpose of LinkedIn is to be a place oline where people come to develop relationships that can be beneficial to them professionally.  So plan to add this tool to your marketing kitbag.  However, don’t make the mistake of thinking that using this site will replace all your other networking – this is just another great way to increase your internet presence and to get your presence known on the web.  It is also a great way to connect to people you would have never had the opportunity to otherwise.

One of the great benefits of LinkedIn is that the developers put in controls as to who you can connect with.  You are only allowed to add connections that are already on LinkedIn (or someone who decides to join after receiving your invitation).  Anyone you want to connect to you has to agree that, they too, want to be connected to you.  In a later blog I will go into how the connection thing works. But the real benefit of that is that it keeps spamming to a minimum.

Why would you want to be on this site?

1. It is a great way to get to be known by others who are doing networking.
2. It offers you another great way to be found.  Remember it is always advantageous to advertise yourself along with your strengths and weaknesses.   LinkedIn actually allows you to upload your entire resume on to the site.
3. It helps you find others who you might be interested in connecting.
4. It has a wonderful component called Answers that allows you to learn and share information.
5. It offers you the ability to join groups and network with others in yours or related businesses.  Being part of a group also allows you to expand your network.

 Who uses LinkedIn? (to name a few)

1. Recruiting managers and job seekers.
2. Professionals who want to search for potential clients at the same time they are developing their reputation.
3. Small companies and individuals who are interested in establishing their identity and establishing a reputation.
4. Individuals who are looking for a way to meet and develop business partnerships.

In future blogs I will add ways to take of advantage of using LinkedIn to its fullest.  For those of you who are already using the site, I would love to have you contribute some of the ways LinkedIn has helped you expand your business.

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