3 Reasons LinkedIn is vital to professional service providers

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Are you ignoring LinkedIn? Originally it was more of a job-seeking forum. Not anymore!

Today it is as much a global networking system of professionals as a place to post your resume.

Maybe you already have a well-established clientele. But what business doesn’t need to grow? LinkedIn can become a powerful networking and growth tool. Here’s why.

 1. LinkedIn has 467 million users as of 2016!

While Facebook is still a bigger pond with 800 million plus users, LinkedIn is very much a mega pool to fish from for helpful business connections.  With a clearly defined professional profile, your ideal clients can also locate you. Since Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in 2016, it’s also bound to continue growing as a professional networking pool.

2. In contrast to Facebook, though, LinkedIn is a very positive network of professionals.

Generally they don’t post about their personal feelings or what they ate for lunch! If you join LinkedIn groups, you can learn about the latest business best practices. Or, you can share your business expertise on topics.

Let’s talk about Facebook for a minute. I avoided it for years, personally, because I saw all the online drama that people choose to post. Reading the comments sections of many news articles, and even personal posts will make your stomach turn.

Yuck! It can also easily become a major source of personal information gathering for friends or foes. Basically, unless you are super careful with your settings and the groups you participate in (which can change overnight from private to public), it’s a massive “people-stalking network.”

That being said, I’m not advocating ignoring Facebook advertising.

I just think a business will need to exercise greater caution to keep their noses clean on Facebook. Once I had to disable my comments on my business page because some troll decided to have fun on my page.

It’s certainly a platform for “people drama”. By the same token, I’ve done a great deal of profitable learning and connecting in Facebook business groups and forums. I’ve gotten more likes and shares on this platform thus far.

3. LinkedIn is practically a second website for your business!

You can post relevant business articles. If you are a creative, you can post samples of your work in slideshare.

In short, you have a platform, a way to build credibilty, and a huge networking tool!

Seriously, the Alexa ratings for LinkedIn lists it as the 10th most popular website in the US. http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/linkedin.com.  

Globally, LinkedIn rates 22nd as of the writing of this article.  Either way, these statistics mean that it’s a massive search engine that can be used to showcase your successful products or services. It’s also a publicly traded company. #LNKD

Better than a comment section, your business profile can receive professional recommendations from those you have served well. Unlike Yelp, you have some control over what is posted there, too.  A real name and face on these recommendations adds to your business credibility. This builds the “know, like, and trust” factor which is every marketer’s goal.

Professional practices and networking, huge pool of potential clients, and a way to be taken seriously in your market — have I convinced you yet? Let’s get your LinkedIn growing.

Be sure to put your best foot forward with a professional headshot, client-facing profile, and professional connections.

Too busy to write your own profile? Let’s chat! Call and leave a message for me at 443-362-8789. Let’s connect and help each other grow.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliadaniels/