ATLANTA, GA – LinkedIn may not be nearly as popular as Facebook and Twitter for personal use, but it is perhaps the most powerful social-networking tool for business use. And it’s growing: professionals are signing up to join LinkedIn at a rate that is faster than two new members per second.
Guests of the most recent episode of the “Commercial Real Estate Show” shared those observations and others in an enlightening look at the benefits of and best practices for the social media site. Topics included perfecting a profile page, accepting connections, asking for recommendations and joining groups.
With more than 150 million members worldwide, including executives from every Fortune 500 company, LinkedIn is the world's social network site geared toward professionals.
LinkedIn offers a “very targeted professional networking site,” said Neal Schaffer (top right photo) president of WindMill Marketing and author of “Maximizing LinkedIn for Sales and Social Media Marketing.” “It’s targeted on decision makers and individuals with a high annual household income … I think it’s a tremendous resource that has really gone under the radar.”
A person’s LinkedIn profile page should feature a photo to establish legitimacy with other users, and the 200-character headline next to the picture needs to brand the person in a way that makes him or her stand out from competitors, Schaffer added.
Guests said users should be open to accepting as many connection requests as possible. “I generally accept requests from anyone who reaches out because you never know who they know,” said Stephen Jones (middle left photo), president of Growth Strategies.
Having recommendations on a profile page makes a user more credible, and obtaining a recommendation can be as simple as asking, guestssaid. “On LinkedIn, everyone’s looking for recommendations, so if you ask for one, nine times out of 10, you’ll get it,” said Les Adkins (middle right photo) CEO of Orange SMS. “But only ask the people that you’re also willing to give a recommendation for.”
Joining LinkedIn groups is a particularly effective networking tool, but users should exercise some caution when doing so. “Read the discussions. Don’t immediately jump in,” Adkins said.
“And then, don’t create your own discussions right away. Answer questions and add value to the conversations that are currently going. That will get you a lot further as a member of the group than” immediately touting what you can do for people.
For More Information, Contact
Stephen Ursery
Wilbert News Strategies
404.965.5026
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