LinkedIn: A Social Networking Site for Business People and Professionals To Connect

What is LinkedIn?

When most people talk about “Social Media,” they only concentrate on Facebook and Twitter. While these are the biggest social media sites, they are certainly not the only ones doing well. LinkedIn has managed to gather approximately 100 million users and is now one of the most influential social media networks on the internet.

You have probably received an invitation to LinkedIn from a friend or peer over the past few years. Did you accept? Do you even have a LinkedIn account? If not, you are missing out on a huge networking opportunity.

Many local businesses ignore this platform simply because they don’t understand how powerful it can be for exposing and growing their businesses.

LinkedIn is the most popular social networking sites when it comes to online “business networking”. It is a platform that allows business people and professionals all over the world, regardless of their industry, to connect with other professionals.

It is a great environment where individuals connect with multiple like-minded individuals who share interests in the business and professional world. LinkedIn users can even display updates on recent projects and give other users an opportunity to see what they are working on.

The aim of the connection is to share information, market products and services, find jobs, form business-to-business relationships, and much more. LinkedIn is basically free to use, but has premium paid packages that contain more functionality.

LinkedIn works similar to other social networks. You join by simply signing up and then creating a profile which should include any information about yourself that you want to share; such as, employment history, education, achievements, and more. You can then easily link your account to other social network sites, websites and blogs to increase exposure to your profile.

LinkedIn Statistics

Statistics aggregated by Amodiovalerio verde show the following numbers:

LinkedIn has approximately 147 million members.
The standard Linked in member is aged 25 to 54 years old.
66% of LinkedIn members are located in Europe and N. America.
LinkedIn’s members have grown by 45% worldwide compared to January 2011.
Over 40% of members of LinkedIn are employees in companies that employ 10,000+ employees.

Quantcast has the following statistics:

LinkedIn has more than doubled their monthly visits to 94.3 million in Sept 2011 from 45.8 million in 2010.
Quantcast breaks down LinkedIn visitors to addicts, regulars and passersby. Addicts account for 1% of members and will use LinkedIn on a daily basis for interaction. Regulars account for 33% of the users and will use the site for interaction more than once but less than 30 times in a period of one month. Passersby accounts for the other 66% and they will visit the site or interact with media only once in a period of one month.
Approximately 26% of LinkedIn members are between the ages of 18 and 34, while members between the ages of 35 and 50 account for 70% of total members.
Approximately 75% of members are college graduates and roughly 39% of LinkedIn members earn more than $100,000 every year.

What this Means for Your Business

From these numbers, you can draw a simple conclusion; LinkedIn is an important part of social media that can boost your business if approached properly. LinkedIn is here to stay so you can confidently direct your efforts to improving your business through this powerful social media tool.

Imagine being able to keep track of industry developments and related news just by logging into your LinkedIn account. Connecting with other businesses in your industry can prove to be a very profitable thing. It provides great opportunities in terms of business ventures that would have been missed without it.

For instance, if you run a Fashion Design business, you can connect with groups in this line of business. Doing so will allow you to gain access to a wealth of information as well as connect with other related businesses in that field, such as marketers and distributors who can help expand your company even further.

If you are searching for highly qualified employees, then LinkedIn is one way to find them. LinkedIn is a platform that has a large number of freelancers and job-seekers who possess skills that can take your business to new horizons.

The success of LinkedIn is fueled by the profile you create and how much you reach out to other people.

In other words, social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are more geared towards “social networking,” while LinkedIn is more geared towards “business connections.”

With multiple opportunities in hand, small business owners have the power to better their businesses using LinkedIn. It is a great marketing tool that is worth learning if you are serious about growing your business.

With so many different social networks on the internet, it may be hard for you to decide which ones you should use. While LinkedIn may not seem important, it could be the missing link you need to take your business to the next level.

By now, you should have a much clearer understanding of why Social Media Marketing is so important for the success of your local business. If most of your customers and prospects are spending a lot of time there, there is no reason your business should not have a presence there. It’s almost like leaving money on the table.

If you would like the help of a professional Social Media specialist to get your Social Media profiles setup and working on sites like Facebook, Twitter , G+ and LinkedIn, contact me for a free consultation.