Posted: on Thursday, November 24th, 2011.

LinkedIn is King of Social Media Professionalism

As working professionals, we know the benefits, we’ve heard the discussions and it’s clear at this stage; social media matters. This phenomenon not only applies to our personal lives but more so, professionally.

In 2003, Reid Hoffman created the professional social networking site LinkedIn. Since its establishment it has accumulated 100million professionals as members and this number is set to grow as is indicated by the company’s resounding success on the global stock market. Professionals, young and old alike are engaging and understanding the benefits.

Performics (A Chicago based Market Research Company) carried out a study in June 2011 which showed [60% say LinkedIn is the most important Social Networking site.]

LinkedIn has paved the way for career development and opportunity creation for both highly experienced workers and fresh graduates.  Those who haven’t caught on yet, why avoid the inevitable? The rest of us are waiting.

Is there really much to it?

So what is it all about anyway? Post some status updates, join a few groups and watch the business roll in? Not exactly but that’s the general idea and if applied correctly can be extremely effective. Fresh resources are being added daily to LinkedIn while tried and tested methods of creating premiere profiles excite even the un-excitable.

Be warned however that any social media campaign, big or small requires a plan, action and reactions to be gauged. Your Linkedin profile is an ongoing campaign with endless possibility. A combination of concise resource usage and consistent content building is key.

Do’s and Don’ts of Linkedin

Do build a strong database of contacts through groups, company profiles or according to your industry of interest.

Don’t blindly add contacts for the sake of it. Even a short introductory email explaining your interest level will suffice when it comes to connecting.

 Do treat your Linkedin profile like a CV. Linkedin shows up quite high when your name is googled. What would you like potential clients to see? A full profile or a half filled static page?

Don’t compensate. Have your CV as an additional attachment so that recruiters, clients can download this freely and keep it on file.

 Do explore the applications available on Linkedin. Remember that these reflect your interests and career to date. This applies to the Amazon application, trip it and Box files amongst hundreds of others.

Don’t utilize applications which you will get bored of after a while.  Again, a static application doesn’t give a strong first impression.

 Do use a photo; this is the subject of much debate. Putting a face to the name in any capacity is significant. Try to keep the photo professional looking.

Don’t post an inappropriate or irrelevant photo.

Change is inevitable. As LinkedIn grows, there will be a constant stream of resources to utilize and explore. Keep checking in to see what you can add to your profile and maximize its potential. At Product2Market, we have all created established profiles and we understand the benefits of Linkedin to all Sales and Marketing efforts.