In the social media arena, LinkedIn is the one that wears the most
professional face. In fact, if you are a serious business professional,
you ought to have a presence on LinkedIn. However, in addition to being
your online resume and a network of your business connections, LinkedIn
can also provide you with multiple advantages.
Benefits of Linked In
Promotion of Products & Services
LinkedIn
allows companies to create profiles. You can provide a detailed
description of your business here and include a list of all your
products and services. When your employees, link to the company profile
from their personal profiles, it means more exposure for your products
and services and more opportunities to sell them.
New Clients
You
can simply search the LinkedIn database to find prospective members who
would be interested in your business and would likely purchase your
products and services.
Lead Generation
LinkedIn
database is an extensive director of business professionals that you
can browse through and locate new leads for your business.
Funds & Sponsorships
You
can contact companies, entrepreneurs and business professionals and
communicate with them to obtain funds and sponsorships for your
projects.
Get International Exposure
LinkedIn is a
business networking platform and has users from across the world.
Creating a business presence here means you have an opportunity to
showcase and market your company and business on and international
scale.
Tips to Strengthen your LinkedIn Profile
Update Your Profile
Weak
profiles seldom attract attention. If you want people to take notice,
make sure your profile is crisp and compact. The content you include to
update your profile should not only be compelling but also value-driven.
Make
sure your profile is 100% complete and includes a professional
photograph of yourself. This is the only way you can make it appear in
the top ranks of search results if someone searches for you on Google.
Increase Your Connections
More
the number of connections you have in your profile, bigger will be your
network. This means more people will have access to your profile. And
every time you take an action on the website, it is updated on the home
pages of your 1st degree connections thus ensuring regular visibility.
Therefore, seek to increase your number of connections by connecting
with more and more people.
Customize your Website Links
Instead
of having your links look like 'My Website' and 'My Blog,' customize
them and make them appear as call-to-actions. If you have a blog that
discusses web design, write something like 'Web Design Tips.' people
wouldn't care to click through to your blog unless they know it will be
relevant to them. Therefore, customizing your links on your LinkedIn
profile can get you a steady stream of good traffic.
Answer Questions
Answering
questions posted by other users is the best way to showcase your
expertise and establish your reputation as a professional. Also, users
can rate your answers as 'The Best' which can further alleviate your
status on the community.
Update Status Regularly
LinkedIn
has also got a status update feature like Twitter. By updating your
status regularly, there will be more chances of users seeing it as the
first thing that pops up when they log into their home pages. However,
make sure your status updates are professional and value driven.
