Is Using LinkedIn Still a No-Brainer for Your Business in 2016

LinkedIn was my first experience with social media.  Not Facebook, not MySpace, but LinkedIn.  Because of this unexpected occurrence, I immediately noticed the business potential of social media and related technologies BEFORE the personal, ‘fun’ aspects to social.

 

To be a great manager, put people development first. http://t.co/0LFBH7ZJ6r

— LinkedIn for SMBs (@LinkedInSMB) February 9, 2014

 

I quickly became a LinkedIn evangelist, with clients and anyone else I networked with.  However, I would continually ask others how LinkedIn was received in their workplace, and the reviews were mixed.

 

At first, bosses complained about LinkedIn usage because they viewed the social network as little more than a channel on which to post resumes – believing that their employees were secretly using LinkedIn to simply look for another job. 

 

Must See LinkedIn Profiles of 2013 from LinkedIn

 

This continued to be the prevailing assumption about 6-7 years ago, but sentiment changed when Groups, Company Pages, and other features began to appear.  As the company increased its functionality – perhaps owing to competition from Facebook and Twitter, or to provide additional services – organizations of all sizes began to recognize the fundamental business value of LinkedIn.

 

Going public in May 2011 didn’t hurt the company’s visibility among professionals either.

 

However, LinkedIn is still missing a huge swath of a professional audience, and I’m continually confounded by how many individuals are still not on LinkedIn.  Or, the response I get is, ‘Yes, I know, I have a LinkedIn profile but I haven’t done anything with it. 

 

One way to help get the most out of LinkedIn is to see how it is received by your company.  If resources exist to assist you in promoting your capabilities or utilizing LinkedIn’s vast, rich feature set, then additional value of using the social network is created.

 

Here are some considerations for utilizing LinkedIn on the job, for the benefit of yourself and your company:

 

1.  Find a LinkedIn champion.  Because of LinkedIn’s different audience and purpose, find an individual within the organization who can keep everyone updated on LinkedIn features and best practices.

 

I’ve found that a LinkedIn champion at a company is not necessarily a social media manager sitting in the PR or marketing department, but rather someone in sales, as many forward-thinking sales professionals have been quick to capture the potential of LinkedIn for prospecting and identifying opportunities.

 

Even if you are not in sales, nonetheless there could be much to learn from a LinkedIn champion from sales.

 

2.  Capture interactions in the company’s CRM system.  To prove to others – and senior management – of the potential for LinkedIn, track any relevant, valuable interactions with your network in your company’s CRM database.  These insights will not only bring you additional visibility, but it will garner a more organizational favor towards use of the social network.

 

Final Thought:  Spend more time on LinkedIn, even during the workday.  You may already utilize LinkedIn for your own personal professional development, but demonstrating value to others in your company will help you in other ways, and possibly net you additional resources (i.e., a premium subscription).  Agree to join your organization’s LinkedIn task force or dream team, and show others the benefits of engaging properly and professionally on LinkedIn.

 

LinkedIn is expected to announce Q4 2013 earnings on February 6, and I’m excited to see their usage stats and new products coming down the pike.

 

 

ChangeU: For independent study

 

• LinkedIn Learning: http://help.linkedin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/530 (Webinars from LinkedIn, on how to optimize profiles, connect with others, and other activities)

• Social Selling for Sales Leaders:  How Social Selling Works: http://blog.hootsuite.com/how-social-selling-works/ (A blogpost and whitepaper on how sales executives can sell more effectively using social networks)

• Social Learning Best Practices for the Workplace: http://elearningindustry.com/social-learning-best-practices-for-the-workplace (From the eLearning industry, an article on how to instruct employees using social technologies and modalities)

 

CATEGORIES:

# digitalexe

References

3 Content Marketing Trends That Will Rule 2018

2015 TechTarget Media Consumption Report: Guided by content – How IT buying teams navigate through the research and purchasing process