Social media descended from heaven and bless us with one of his most prized possessions, LinkedIn… professionally speaking your best choice!
What LinkedIn is?
LinkedIn simply is a social networking site for business that allows its users to keep up a permanent contact with a list of people they know or can trust when doing business. You can invite to join your network any user, it doesn’t matter whether they’re or not in LinkedIn to join.
Another interesting feature is that you can find people with who have studied or worked and get in touch again through LinkedIn.
Here you have some interesting points that make LinkedIn more appealing:
- The average LinkedIn profiles working at Google is 47%.
- The average number of Harvard Business School graduates is 58%.
- People with more than 20 contacts have 34 times more chance of being contacted for a job that a person who has less than 5 contacts.
- All companies in the Fortune 500 are represented in LinkedIn. In fact 499 of them are represented by director-level upwards.
Beyond a purpose
Most people use LinkedIn to either get someone to do business, attract potential customers or find a job. It works well because it is an online network of more than 9 million experienced professionals from around the world representing 130 industries. However it is still greatly under used tool. It’s believed that is LinkedIn is working at 70% of its capability…
If you are on LinkedIn or want to belong to the networking world’s largest, are some ways you could use:
Increase your visibility. Adding contacts, you can increase the likelihood that people will see your profile when looking for someone for a job or business.
Improve the possibility of being contacted. The majority of users put only their current company in their profile. By doing so, we’re severely constrained to connect with people. I recommend putting all the relevant information related to your career, from companies you’ve worked in the past to educational institutions you’ve attended even uploading your own presentations or sharing your reading list...Also affiliations and activities. You could also embed a link with your LinkedIn profile as part of the signature in your email.
Improving your Google Page Rank. Your information is found on a website and allows your LinkedIn profile is available on search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN, which is a good way to influence what people see when they search and you came as part of that. To carry out this task, create a public profile and select “Full View”. Also, instead of using the URL you are given by definition, use your real name as part of the URL of your public profile. To strengthen the visibility of your profile in the page search engine results, interconnect your LinkedIn profile to social media (Twitter, Facebook, Ping.Fm, your blog, website,etc.) and put a link to your profile on several Internet sites. For example, when you make comments in blogs, forums, reviews of products or services.
Improve the results of your websites in search engines. Besides your name, you can promote your blog or website using the spaces for your favourite links in your profile.
Look for advice. “Answers” LinkedIn A new product that lets you ask questions related to business or of opinion to find a guide to what you know or venture.
LinkedIn groups can be a powerful way to connect with other business people in a meaningful way. People are just discovering the potential, and there aren’t a lot of guides to group management on , so I’m working on some tips that would be useful for beginning community managers as well as experienced ones just learning the ins and outs of LinkedIn groups. Remember, creating the group is only the first step. It won’t thrive if you don’t nurture it.
Going deeper
Do not forget that LinkedIn is designed to manage contacts between non-corporate purposes. Surprisingly there are still people who think “quantity before quality.” If management means more or less regular contact via text messages, share info, face-to-face, etc … I’ve just done with 20 or 30. And when you have visibility, or take part in discussions and threads can not help to receive more invitations. What are you doing? Delete contacts when you reach the top of your ability? Some users have it clear, the more contacts, the better.
I prefer to keep a balance … when I talk to my clients I tell them that “depend on your goals.” If you want to manage with “love” a limited network is the solution. If you take the networks and what seems being a great channel of communication, the more people know you exist, the better. So in that scenario touches you connect with people who have many connections. Unfortunately, many people in the networks are passing through. They come, they are active a while, reaches its target and leave. They’re not to share …
I’ve realized that networks are now overlapping. Facebook is no longer just a network to share photos and meet up with friends as there are many professionals promoting their services. And LinkedIn is no longer only to manage your professional contacts, is to achieve your corporate goals. And both work.
That’s Social Media, I think. The key is simply to add value. The rest is almost entirely permissible. As in any platform it is essential to know what the goal / strategy to carry out on that network/ what going to say about all social media. In my view, if one has no clear vision of the goal all the effort / time / money invested will be in vain
My personal experience
From my point of view, LinkedIn could be considered an effective weapon depending you aim, either find a job, expand your networking, make yourself known as a professional in other markets or consecrate as an expert in your career field or finding new opportunities…I started using linked in to build a trustworthy and firmly network in the States, because I was planning to enrol in a scholarship exchange program extension for my master degree in UCA (USA) next January. Consequently, I needed start making contacts to first work part-time during the program and after full-time when it finishes. The fact is, I began with this strategy on February 2009 and by now I’ve arranged 6 interviews when I get there and a I’ve met admirable and outstanding professionals, but above all they’re magnificent persons, some of which have offered their kind help and guidance and have done all their best to guarantee my satisfaction.
Certainly, LinkedIn is – professionally speaking – your best choice! Are you in?
And you? What do you enjoy the most about Linked In? Which is you best choice?
Let’s connect on LinkedIn!