LinkedIn is a social networking tool designed specifically for the business community.
There are now more than 300-million LinkedIn members worldwide (as of April 2014), making it a powerful tool for building business connections.
For an individual, the tool provides a social platform to manage a professional identity by building and engaging with a professional network; you will not find endless selfies and kitten pictures on this platform. Rather than making friends and sharing photos, videos and sentiments, one uses this tool for finding jobs, discovering sales leads and connecting with potential business partners.
For a business, the tool can be used to find new employees, partners, contractors and customers.
Companies consider LinkedIn the second-most important platform on which to focus, placing it at the forefront of their marketing mix. This is because LinkedIn provides good opportunities to socially market one's business proactively.
Some examples of this are:
- Posting regular status updates. This provides you with a platform to talk about what you're working on and for whom you're working
- Active group participation. LinkedIn allows you to join groups related to your business and your interests, and participate in discussions – offering you an opportunity to increase your exposure in your field and establish yourself as an expert
- Answer questions. This gives you the opportunity to showcase yourself as a key opinion leader in your field of research
It is for this reason that LinkedIn is often referred to as the “serious” social network.
Check it out. Before your competition does.