Not sure about you, but for a long time I was just collecting contacts on LinkedIn because I was supposed to. In this age of digital one-upmanship, it wasn’t cool to question the latest bright shiny object. You were supposed to be on LinkedIn, use QR codes and check in on Foursquare constantly. I finally decided to only use social media or other tools if I understood their benefit and it made sense for my clients.
LinkedIn is a very useful tool and here’s why:
1. New business contacts are accessible
I used to troll the internet or cold call companies to learn the name of the senior vice president of marketing. Today a quick search by title and company reveals this information on LinkedIn. Usually someone you know already knows them. Introductions are easy.
2. Advertising to specific demographic B2B groups is easy
I recommend my clients advertise on LinkedIn. It’s as successful for my B2B clients as Facebook advertising is for my consumer clients. You can pick colleges, vertical industries, professions, titles and more. Of course, you only pay for click-thrus. I recommend a serious message and landing page for optimal conversion.
3. Retooled messaging
I find myself emailing a lot of professionals asking for referrals, getting introductions or just asking questions. Now it’s easier to message. They’ve rebuilt everything from the ground up so you can expect a cleaner and more streamlined look and feel to help you start or keep a conversation going. They also introduced a chat-style interface to allow for easy back and forth messaging.
4. Unlike Twitter, LinkedIn is about engagement
LinkedIn doesn’t limit your conversation and it solicits social media engagement. Twitter tends to be limited and more about broadcast than engagement.
5. See who checked you out
This is really a great feature. If an individual has looked at your profile it feels like an introduction all its own and definitely invites more dialogue.
There are a lot of other great reasons to like LinkedIn but there are my top 5 right now.