Sticking to the facts: All roads lead to LinkedIn
Why now, more than ever, it’s important to invest time into building your LinkedIn brand
Here are a few cold-hard facts. Right now, in the United States of America, at least 14.7% of Americans are currently unemployed. Right now, in the United States of America, close to 10% of all home loans are in delinquency. Right now, in the United States of America, the national debt has increased to $14.30 trillion. Everywhere you look, you are finding more and more evidence that the economic status of the United States is in a stage of both uncertainty, and dramatic shifting. Where most companies view this as a cause of fear and panic, certain industries are properly structured to create new opportunities during these conditions. When we look at the world of social media, with people at home, it’s obvious that their metrics should increase. The drawback however is in the impact of the audience engagement being too subject to variable change. There is one platform however that is proving to be the white-knight of the social media world and those economically impacted, and that is LinkedIn.
“If you can get better at your job, you should be an active member of LinkedIn, because LinkedIn should be connecting you to the information, insights and people to be more effective.” — Reid Hoffman, Co-Founder of LinkedIn
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been baptized in the ways of social media for years now. All rules and regulations engrained in you from the moment you enter the physical social space; you’re made very much aware just how important it is for you to be on social-media as a means of connection, entertainment, and economic opportunity. If you’re a person who works in the creative industry, Instagram is your foundation and Twitter your outlet to address your audience. If you’re in advertisement or marketing, Facebook is your church where you hang on every rule preached and every doctrine that describes new ways to reach target audiences. What’s interesting is just how much LinkedIn is left out of the conversation. One would have to assume it’s a PR issue because it can’t be for a void of resources or facts in their favor.
Currently, there are more than half a billion users on LinkedIn with over 250 million active monthly users. Compared to a social media platform like Twitter, LinkedIn has more than twice both registered users and monthly active users making it a more engaged with platform. Another great thing about LinkedIn is that 93% of job recruiters use the platform to research and recruit candidates. LinkedIn allows you to have an online personal brand which makes you visible to key decision makers and recruiters. As a platform, LinkedIn is a phenomenal search tool. Having a LinkedIn account also means that you can use the site to research companies, interviewers, recruiters, and hiring managers; this is helpful when you’re looking to prepare yourself for any job or position that you’re going after. Another key asset to the search feature, is in letting you know who the decision makers are in your field to ensure effective networking and relationship development.
Now I know what you might be thinking, “Yeah, all of that is cool, but I don’t really know how to use LinkedIn or see how that can be good for my brand.” I understand the sentiment, but when we look at the facts, the learning curve is a lot easier than you think. For instance, have you been looking at using the live feature on Instagram to better engage with your audience? Well, LinkedIn offers the same feature but to a higher level. Not only are you able to live-stream to your audience, but you can target a specific group with your stream, build up the buzz for your stream on a designated events page, and even repurpose the content afterwords to be used as content for your page to increase the lifespan on the asset.
“Companies want to reach their prospects and audiences, and what we hear from them over and over again is that LinkedIn is the best place to do that.”
Another great example of how easily LinkedIn fits already in your social-media arsenal is in how you engage on the platform in regards to other people’s posts. On Facebook for example, you’re able to not just like, but also love, express frustration, or even share a hug as a reaction. With LinkedIn, you can now do the same but with more relevant expressions such as celebrating, showing that something was insightful with a lightbulb, or showing curiosity for a post. Let me guess, you use Twitter to get an idea as to what your audience is looking for from you and your brand? Well, why not ask the professionals of your industry as well? On LinkedIn, you’re able to poll and source feedback and opinions from peers within the industry as well as senior level members.
“Traditional selling channels of email and phone are tried and true, but LinkedIn and other social channels can greatly increase sales performance.” — Ken Krogue, Co-Founder & President at InsideSales.com
When we look at the facts, we often paint pictures on them based on our subjective views of the moment. To some, a line of facts can mean doom and gloom and to others, the same facts can be a sign of great opportunity and momentum. Either way, the facts remain. In the case of LinkedIn, the facts are in its favor. In a state of political unrest, social distancing, and economic uncertainty, LinkedIn has the tools, the access, and the resources to not just provide opportunities, but solutions to wide majority of those impacted by the circumstances today. Not only is LinkedIn experiencing proof of this in real-time, but it’s able to do so while being a compliment to any other brand strategy you have existing through your other social media platforms. With more accounts being active on the platform, more jobs being posted, and more tools being developed for the benefit of the user, the facts in deed show that all roads are leading to LinkedIn.
If you’d like to learn more about branding, opportunities available to improve your community management, or simply would love to network and gain an advocate for your current endeavor, connect with me on LinkedIn by clicking Here
