Social media has been around long enough now, that businesses see the need to implement it into their marketing efforts. It’s almost hard to believe with all of the new social platforms popping up, LinkedIn has been around for over seventeen years now. Originally created for business professionals to connect and possibly recruit all those years ago, and still they have stayed true to their model while making some fantastic partnerships and updates. These are the very reasons that LinkedIn marketing has come complete circle and is quickly becoming the powerhouse platform for business professionals.
LinkedIn is successful when the user knows that it’s not about selling products or services; it’s about the network of connections. The old saying that knowledge is power is what drives the success of the social platform. It allows people to join groups and network with others who have similar backgrounds, and eventually, when done correctly, gain a guru status and become a person other people gravitate to for information. When this is achieved, they will trust you when you offer a program or service. In a nutshell, it is a highly elevated form of word-of-mouth referrals.
With the partnership with certified learning platform, Lynda.com, LinkedIn now offers education and certification programs. Not only can you learn new skills, you can receive official certification on your profile when you complete the course. This shows your connections that you are certified in a skill set and continuing to further your knowledge of the industry.
Having the ability to create your own business page and connect it with your profile is important to gain traction for your company. This is also a great way to form partnerships of your own, either with other local businesses, or even online businesses. LinkedIn is built for people to be able to connect via the content they react to or comment on. This creates organic network growth to be able to reach your connections network as well.
LinkedIn can be a professional powerhouse for you and your company as long as you understand the platform and the etiquette. This is meant to be a professional platform where people can share their skills and knowledge while building a network. Think of this as an ever-changing resume that updates along with you your network. Save the jokes and pictures of the family vacation for the other social media platforms, and you will be building your own network in no time.
Plan to meet with a local digital marketing company to see how you can grow your social media marketing. The platforms and etiquette for those platforms are rapidly changing, and it’s important that you work with someone who is up-to-date with social media marketing and networking.
