This May, LinkedIn celebrated its tenth anniversary. There are now over 259 million users in 200 countries. Though millions are considered connected or “linked,” there are still new people wanting to know the best way to use the social network.
LinkedIn is a good networking resource for business development. Forging business connections, joining groups and finding sales opportunities are some of its benefits. Using it differs from other social media like Facebook. Following are answers to common LinkedIn questions.
Connecting
You don’t have to accept every request to connect that comes your way. Think of it as a business Rolodex. Connections should be made with people you know (online or in person) or have done business with in the past.
If you are contacted by someone you’d rather not be associated with, simply ignore the request. That person will not receive an email stating that you’ve declined the invitation. If you have an established connection from which you wish to disconnect, simply remove them. Unlike Facebook, they won’t get a message that you’ve done so. They are simply taken off your network.
When extending an invitation, be sure to personalize it rather than use the generic LinkedIn message. You’ll get a better response when addressing the would-be connection in this manner.
Connections are public, visible to all your connections. The only other option is to only make connections visible to you, which defeats the whole purpose. Choose wisely!
Content
Once you’ve completed your profile, participate. Share your company’s news and blog posts. Let your connections know if you will attend a business event. Join relevant groups and participate in discussions within those groups.
Endorsements
Your connections can endorse your skills and expertise contained in your profile.
Recommendations
This differs from an endorsement. It is similar to a traditional letter of recommendation. You can request a recommendation from your connections. Make sure the people can legitimately recommend you. You are former co-workers or have some kind of business relationship. Don’t make someone uncomfortable by asking for a bogus recommendation.
Link Up You’re connecting so that you can help one another. If someone is seeking a career opportunity, check your connections. See if there’s someone who can help them. Similarly, if you’re interested in new clients, customers or seeking a new work environment, reach out to those to whom you’re connected. That is the purpose of this dynamic social networking site.
Worked properly, LinkedIn can be a valuable business tool.
If you’ve had success with LinkedIn, we’d like to hear about it. Tell us how has it helped you.