Perhaps you have toiled through different social media platforms and have not found one suitable one that can solve your networking issues. Interestingly, each social media platform has its features that make it entirely different; however, if you are looking for one with enough grounds for networking, then Linked In may be your best bet. LinkedIn is a social media platform with many professionals from all walks of life present on its base.
According to a recent report by Linked In, there are currently 58 million companies listed on its platform, and this has made it extremely important to recruiters and job seekers. Did you know that the majority of users on LinkedIn are there for specific purposes, which is in relation to networking primarily?
Their goals include:
- Displaying their learned skills
- Interacting with experts from industries
- Looking for great job offers
Another thing that makes LinkedIn well distinguished among other social media platforms for marketing is its space for B2B marketers. LinkedIn helps B2B marketers who are either struggling or gaining reasonable grounds to increase their brand awareness and advertise their products successfully. Although LinkedIn is an excellent networking platform, there are some tips that can help you maximize its effectiveness in your endeavors.
What Is LinkedIn?
You definitely would have been hearing about different types of social media platforms being available, but one that constantly keeps emphasizing growth in terms of business and career is LinkedIn. In short, it’s a media platform that’s built for the professional society and therefore makes it an easy place for people from different regions of the world to have a go at setting up their businesses or careers through it.
According to Hootsuite’s 2022 Digital Trend Report, LinkedIn currently has 875 million members, and it’s active in more than 200 countries.
Top companies now ensure to make use of LinkedIn as one of their marketing strategies because of the two excellent features that it possesses, and they include:
- LinkedIn Pages
- LinkedIn Groups
These features help businesses avoid wasting too much effort in finding their target market, as they can always provide the target audience needed to boost their sales. Another great thing about the features mentioned above is that it helps businesses build a base of loyal and happy customers and has a forum where people with like minds with interests in the industry come together to discuss and share ideas.
A great example of one of the forums on LinkedIn is the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), which has a committed group of over 60,000 members. Content marketers join this group and share members’ ideas, experience and knowledge, which can help other fellows to become better at creating effective, engaging and compelling content. LinkedIn is an excellent marketing platform that can help business owners and individuals looking to start their careers to be the best at their respective endeavors.
Using LinkedIn for Networking
Since LinkedIn is a platform for professionals and experts in the industry, it’s understandable why people decide to maximize it to their benefit. Using LinkedIn for networking is possible; however, some tips can help you to achieve that. There are ways through which you should use LinkedIn to maximize its benefit for your business or career.
These ways include the following:
1. Create and Complete Your Profile
In case you don’t know, having a LinkedIn profile serves as a means of creating a digital portfolio. It’s essential to fill every available gap in your profile by entering the necessary details. Also, you can create a great profile by uploading a good headshot, putting up a compelling headline, and summarizing your skills and experience.
2. Connect With Familiar People
Without connecting with people on LinkedIn, your profile may become stagnant if not checked for an extended period. That’s why LinkedIn gives its members a chance to connect with familiar people that can, including past and current colleagues at work. Connecting with familiar people can help you to access job opportunities and get important recommendations needed to push your business forward.
3. Share Helpful Content
Apart from having connections, there needs to be an activity on your LinkedIn profile to avoid being dormant. You can start by sharing content (tips and insights) useful for your connections or people generally on the platform. This helps to cement your position and relevance as a professional in the field of practice.
4. Join LinkedIn Communities
Several groups on LinkedIn consist of professionals with the same minds and interests in a particular field. To improve your networking, you can join these related communities as a member. You’ll be able to learn from experts, share ideas, ask questions when unclear, and provide feedback that can help your career or business move forward.
Final Thoughts
If you are planning to go higher in your career or business, then LinkedIn may be a suitable platform to hold onto. LinkedIn, when maximized fully, can help people in networking in ways they can never imagine because of its wide range of users and the services it provides. Some ways you can use LinkedIn successfully for networking include creating a great profile, connecting with people, and joining communities.
A worth read is our article about 10 Actionable PR Tips to Create Name Recognition where you’ll learn about creating a better name recognition in this online world.
