If you’re at a club I’m willing to bet no one is talking about how “lit” their night was on LinkedIn. There are far more attractive platforms out there and if your goal is to stalk your high-school crush, show-off your cars or attach a selfie to a quote that has categorically nothing to do with it…LinkedIn might not be your best bet.
BUT, if succeeding in your industry and setting up your future for great opportunities is something you care about, then Linkedin is the most invaluable tool of the lot. Here’s why (and how) you can take advantage of it.
1. You only need 500 followers. After that, it will say “500+” on your profile. While on other social media platforms everyone scraps it out with (thousands or millions) of followers, on LinkedIn, you only need to hit this very achievable benchmark. Start by adding people you know from your contacts and shared networks, and grow from there. Once you start, you’ll be surprised at how fast you enter the coveted 500 club on LinkedIn, containing everyone from entry level employees to billionaire CEO’s.
2. It’s a stellar recruitment tool. According to a 2014 Jobvite study, 94% of job recruiters are on LinkedIn whereas only 36% of job seekers are. This is an excellent ratio to take advantage of.
3. When people Google you, your LinkedIn profile is likely to be on the first page of the search. If one of the first things a company see’s when deciding to hire you or not is that you have great credentials and a proven history in that industry, that’s a major plus.
4. Companies use LinkedIn. A lot. According to the Salesforce 2015 State of Marketing report, 62% of business owners are on LinkedIn (3rd most of any site) and an additional 22% said they will use it the following year. Those numbers are staggering and seem to be growing exponentially.
5. You can start a blog…without having to start a blog. Creating your own website and posting on it every day can be incredibly time-consuming. On LinkedIn Pulse, you can share your thoughts on whatever subject you choose and showcase yourself as an expert in your field. If you get featured your work will get quality exposure and your work will next to leaders of other industries too. This is a great way to grow your brand and reach out to people outside of your network as well.
6. When you post something, it goes out to all of your followers. On other platforms, like Facebook when you post something it will show up on the feed of people you’ve recently interacted with or if you have many mutual friends. On LinkedIn it will show up to anyone who is on the site around the time of your post. They suggest that to reach 60% of your audience you’ve got to post about 20 times a month. Super manageable.
7. For launching products, LinkedIn is the way to go. According to a poll by Regalix, 81% of B2B companies looking to launch a product used LinkedIn. That’s the most of any site in the world. Twitter came in at 71% and Facebook at 54%.
8. Recommendations. Few things are as valuable as your coworkers and superiors as talking about how great you are at what you do. Even if you have a comfy job right now these recommendations and endorsements could come in handy down the road if your employment situation becomes less comfy.
9. Build trust in your brand. If you are just one person or a massive company, LinkedIn adds a human element to the numbers behind your success. Interacting with other posts, engaging in thought provoking conversations, and showcasing your own ideas is a powerful insight into one’s ideology. It’s an effective way to show why someone should hire you, or work at your company.
So, go and reset your LinkedIn password that you’ve inevitably forgotten by now, log in and position yourself for an excellent future.