Many people look at LinkedIn and see one thing and one thing only: the ability to connect and network with other business professionals.
While this may be the primary use of the service, you can get a lot more from it if you know what you are doing.
Here are three other ways to use LinkedIn as a business professional:
1. To prospect for clients. There is a big difference between networking and prospecting. With prospecting, you are taking the networking step to the next level. Once you make a connection, you can then reach out to your target audience to explain what you can do for them.
LinkedIn offers many ways to connect with potential clients, including both groups and advertising. The more you experiment with LinkedIn for prospecting the more you will realize that new business is at your fingertips.
2. To showcase your company. Are you running out of ideas for building your brand? If so, take the time to focus on everything that LinkedIn has to offer. Regardless of company size or industry, it will not take long for you to realize that it can be good for your brand.
Do you have a company page setup? Are you posting updates on a regular basis? Are you participating in group discussions? If you aren’t involved in these ways, you are making a big mistake. The opportunity to showcase your company is very real. Don’t let this pass you by.
3. For research purposes. Do you want to learn more about a particular company? Are you attempting to research the work history of a key client or prospect? Regardless of what type of research you need to conduct, if it is professionally driven you may be surprised at how much data you can dig up via LinkedIn.
For many, LinkedIn starts out as nothing more than a way to connect with people in their professional life. Before you stop short, make sure you realize what else this service can do for you. From prospecting to building your brand to research, the opportunities are nearly endless.
You have to think outside the box if you truly want to harness the power of LinkedIn. This is the number one professional networking site in the world for many reasons. If you have yet to experiment with the many features of LinkedIn, expanding past networking, now is the time to do so.
