The StyleSheet - For businesses that use the internet

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Online Networking, Get LinkedIn!

Posted June 1, 2007 By Jean Conover |

With today’s trend of grassroots networking and face-to-face meetings, many professionals may be overlooking a valuable resource that’s only a click away.

I am talking about a Web application called LinkedIn. Among other online networking applications such as MySpace, Classmates.Com, Friendster and many others, LinkedIn is unique in that it targets business professionals.

“LinkedIn allows the user to create a professional profile, including educational institutions, current and past employers, as well as send an email to colleagues inviting them to be connected.”

LinkedIn allows the user to create a professional profile as well as send an email to colleagues inviting them to be connected — even if they aren’t yet LinkedIn themselves. The application encourages users to recommend those linked to their profiles, therefore creating an online referral system too.

Just signing up and filling out a profile with LinkedIn, however, might leave you wondering what all the fuss is about. So if you already have a profile and want more, here are some tips on how to take your LinkedIn profile to the next level and create a strong online networking tool for yourself and your business:

1. Continue to add connections.

   If you haven’t invited people to be connections since you joined, it’s time to revisit who you know and add those new business contacts you’ve made to your invitation list. The more connections you have, the more visible you are to people when they are searching for a recommendation, so continuing to increase your connections is valuable. Plus, the majority of professionals would rather work with people they know or who their friends have referred.

2. Expand your profile.

   Your profile should look like an online resume. Many people just fill out their current information and don’t bother to add their former employer connections and educational information. If you want your network to be well-rounded, you must start with your profile. By having robust information about you, it allows for more areas where people can connect with you, and it naturally expands your online network of friends and colleagues.

3. Customize your Web address.

   Instead of using the default URL, change your public profile’s Web address to include your first and last name. You can then use this link when you respond to a blog or include it in your email signature. LinkedIn also has a good ranking power on Google, so this is a good way to control what people see when they search for you.

4. Promote your company.

   You can also list websites on your profile. You can choose the categories that are pre-set or select “other” to modify the name of your link. This is a great way to get the word out about your company. Any Web site that you list will be improved for search engine optimization (SEO), just make sure your profile setting is on “Full-View.”

5. Get answers.

   Now LinkedIn Answers, a new tool on LinkedIn, allows you to post your industry-related questions to both your network and the LinkedIn network at large. This will help you receive more valuable responses because the answers will be from the people in your network and not just an open forum.

LinkedIn Facts:

• People – mainly the site’s 60,000 recruiters – pay an average of $3,600 a year for premium features such as sending messages to LinkedIn members outside their own networks. Corporate members pony up six-figure fees for access to the network. (from Business 2.0 Magazine)
• People with more than twenty connections are thirty-four times more likely to be approached with a job opportunity than people with less than five.
• All 500 of the Fortune 500 are represented in LinkedIn. In fact, 499 of them are represented by director-level and above employees.
• Today, there are over 11 million users representing 150 industries on LinkedIn. If you are looking for a new way to network, look no further —get LinkedIn!

Resources:

For more facts and tips about LinkedIn, please visit Guy Kawasaki’s blog.

For a more about the history of LinkedIn, see the article from the December 1, 2006 issue of Business 2.0 Magazine.

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