LinkedIn Connects People
LinkedIn is a network of business people helping each other through a growing social network comprised primarily of business owners, making it unique and different from other popular networks. LinkedIn allows business owners to forge essential connections for business success.
In business, the foremost reasons for using social networks are to gain leads and connect with people who can enhance your success. When using LinkedIn, you are mingling with people like you…business owners.
LinkedIn is not the leading social network, but is definitely a worthwhile investment of your time. I know you have heard me say that time and time again, but it is true! Unlike Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn is a social spot for business owners, providing an opportunity to network with other business owners. LinkedIn is a forum where like minds come together for solutions.
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After becoming a LinkedIn member, business owners can join groups and discussions according to common industries, areas or topics of interest. Exchanging ideas and collaborating with others is an invaluable tool! Gone are the days of traveling from site to site, seeking answers and/or leads for your growing business. Your entire social networking needs can be found in one place…LinkedIn.
LinkedIn Groups
“Basic” members can join a total of 50 groups, permitting the ability to explore an abundance of various interests within a range of groups. By joining multiple groups, you are sure to find the right mix of interests and knowledge to support your type of business.
I found the most valuable groups don’t spend an inordinate amount of time talking about their own business. You definitely want to belong to vital groups that brainstorm ideas and help build leads. Great groups will discourage those who only want to promote themselves.
Connections begin immediately upon joining a group and getting to know the business owners in that group. Giving/sharing with the group is what it is all about. You are not there to simply extract the advantages, but to give something back in return. Offer a brief introduction, let them know you are new to LinkedIn and, when there is opportunity, submit your own valuable input.
Topic Groups
After mastering the art of contributing to groups in a meaningful way, you should then consider starting a topic group of your own. Take the leap…share valuable information on a specific topic. Form a topic group and invite everyone and anyone that can relate to your topic. Don’t discount the value of sharing with your competition as well! Collaboration is what LinkedIn is all about; there is something for everyone, so don’t hold back.
All it takes to connect, in a meaningful way, on LinkedIn is to make a habit of establishing new connections every business day. Reach out and give a little, gain a bit, share a piece of your life and watch how this assists your business expand to new heights.
Remember, the way to amplify and augment your business is to get connected! LinkedIn is an essential tool for accomplishing this task. Business owners “gather” with like-minded people, gain information, form friendships and create leads. LinkedIn is your one-stop-shop for superior social networking.
So…have I convinced you about the power of LinkedIn? If you’ve never utilized this platform, now is the time to dive in. If you previously used LinkedIn but set it aside, promise me to jump back on board and join a few LinkedIn groups! As always, feel free to share your insight below.
To your continued online business success!
Really helpful tips, and it is actually what I had been searching for. I just want to get out of stuck, I feel so stressed because of my blog nowadays. I’ve just started my new blog, and I have heard so much about the importance of fresh content etc. But somehow I have lost my motivation, there are too many things to do with a blog. I unfortunately haven’t done anything like this before, so your useful tips could be very helpful for me. Thanks for sharing them! I have resisted to create a LinkedIn account for my online business yet, because I already have a Facebook page and a twitter account as well, and I though it was too much to create another social media page for that. But now I can see that LinkedIn might be the most efficient way to generate traffic in a short term!
Lilla recently posted..Egy rossz harapás, és oda a tökéletes mosoly… marad a fogpótlás.
Welcome Lila! So glad you found me and that the information was useful! I truly hope that the tips & advice you read allow you to de-stress and enjoy the blogging experience. Allow your blog to be a platform for your passion. By writing about subjects you feel passionate about, your enthusiasm will shine through and captivate your audience. Just as in face-to-face conversations, sincerity is easy to spot, as is the opposite — stress or lack of enthusiasm. Be yourself, write from the heart, hold true to your values and don’t be afraid to be a bit vulnerable. The more your audience gets to know the “real” you, the more likely they are to become genuine contacts and avid followers. People welcome the opportunity to create authentic connections. I highly recommend joining LinkedIn, as it has proven to be an invaluable part of my success. LinkedIn provides access to professionals in your field of interest, the ability to join groups and gain tremendous amounts of knowledge/tips/advice from successful entrepreneurs and business owners as well as the opportunity to interact with professionals who are more than willing to share their expertise, knowledge & experiences in order to support your success! Take the leap and join LinkedIn! After doing so and actively participating for a while, be sure to let me know how you feel about the experience. I’ll be anxious to hear if you find LinkedIn to be as valuable as I and millions of others do! Again, many thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Have a great weekend!
Such an informative article! Actually that is what I was looking for! I had been searching for a nice introduction or tutorial for LinkedIn since I have heard about this great professional social media platform, when I found your blog. Thanks for sharing the useful information!
Elisabeth recently posted..Professzionális fogbeültetés
Welcome Elisabeth! So very glad you found me and that the information was helpful! LinkedIn is such a wonderful social media tool because it enables you to gain a greater online presence but also because you can connect with like-minded professionals. You can join groups, share information, learn a great deal from others and/or even start your own group…the possibilities are endless! Now that you’ve found my site, I invite you to browse through my other articles regarding LinkedIn and, as always, feel free to share any comments or questions you may have. It’s all about sharing, learning & connecting. Have a great day!
Hi Lynn, I have to admit, I joined LinkedIn probably 5 years ago, and haven’t really done much over there. I’ve heard a lot of good reports about it though, and once I’ve finished a big project I’m doing right now, I’m going to start participating over there. Thanks for all the tips.
Regards from Julieanne
Julieanne van Zyl recently posted..MLM Blogging and Squeeze Pages
I’m glad to hear Julieanne that you will look into LinkedIn again. You can easily jump into 2 or 3 groups and start building your visibility immediately once you start jumping into the discussions, liking comments and adding your own discussions to.
If we are not connected on LinkedIn, please be sure to send me an invite. I share a lot of tips on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook – but my favorite platform is LinkedIn, I even have a separate YouTube channel for my LinkedIn tips you might want to check out. http://www.youtube.com/linkedinmarketingmgr
Lynn Brown recently posted..How LinkedIn Can Generate More Leads Than Facebook and Twitter Do
Good to see that you a fellow LinkedIn fan Lynn. I have been using it for a long time now. I actually used to call it my “secret weapon” because of the groups.
I agree with you when you talk about groups because I have made so many connections that way. It was great how you explained it. Once you are in a group and contribute, you do find people that will want to come to YOU!
I did create my own group once back in the day for a certain Network Marketing Business. It was a great way to brainstorm and also meet new people for that specific business.
Creating your own group is a great idea and I am glad you mentioned that.
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 80/20 Rule
Interesting link to the 80/20 rule, Donna. I think it all comes down to the well known fact that in order to be successful at whatever we do, a certain percentage of our time/effort/$ must be spent on networking & giving back to those who help us succeed…it’s the old “What goes around, comes around” rule, right? Thanks for sharing!
I like that Donna, the secret weapon is a good reference to LinkedIn. Groups have been the most important factor for me as well.
I appreciate you sharing your experience of starting your own group on LinkedIn Donna. Great input on how your group can provide brainstorming which is so helpful if you get stuck in your business or need some good ideas or suggestions.
Always appreciate you sharing your insight, so I look forward to you stopping by again soon. Have a great day Donna!
Lynn Brown recently posted..How LinkedIn Can Generate More Leads Than Facebook and Twitter Do
Linked in is my favorite platform, it is easy to use, it does not interfere with one’s personal sphere and there is a variety of groups that offer support and help. The 2 challenges I have is : 1 time to spend on the groups 2. time to sort all the contacts in the specific lists
This is something I have been procrastinating about but I know I will do it sooner or later to facilitate my connecting to great people.
Thanks Lynn for this share! I always enjoy thee informative articles.
Patricia Gozlan recently posted..How to Get Unstuck: Solving Problems Tips, Through a Revolutionary Point of View
I know you are making a huge effort towards using LinkedIn Patricia. Time is certainly key when using any of the social sites for our business. I like to schedule in time, but of course sometimes other things happen in your day that can throw that off. Keep at it, go with the flow and you will still see how daily interaction on LinkedIn will start providing results for your business.
Thank you Patricia for sharing your comments. Glad to share tips that can help us to manage LinkedIn or any of the other social sites more easily and effectively.
Lynn Brown recently posted..Succeeding In Business With A Winning Attitude
Hi Lynn,
I know that I some point I’ve been thinking of creating my own group on Linkedin, but then, somehow , it went to a way back burnner. Thanks to you, reading your post today, made me want to go ahead and do that. As a matter of fact, since I have two businesses, really. “Freelance Writer” and “Personal Development Coaching”, I should have two groups right?
I wish I could take a whole six month off everything else and just to concentrate on Social Media
Thanks for the great reminder, Lynn
Sylviane Nuccio recently posted..Five Blogging Lessons I Learned From A Mother Bird
Social media strategies are important to figure out Sylviane. If you have an audience on LinkedIn, and from the two businesses that you mention, I believe you would… then starting a group would be a great way to build your visibility, share information and learn from others that would be joining your group.
The key to a successful online group is to be active, get your members involved, use LinkedIn Polls and encourage members to invite others and to share information. Be sure your group profile explains exactly what you expect from the group.
When you form those groups, you have so many people right now, even in this discussion, including me, that you can invite right away!!
Thank you Sylviane for sharing your thoughts and look forward to having you visit again soon! Especially with feedback about your groups!!
Lynn Brown recently posted..Succeeding In Business With A Winning Attitude
Yeah you are right, we can grab people attention by niche linked in group.
I’ve been using linked in group for driving traffic to my sites for a while and all I say from my experience that those groups are very sensitive about quality, so we can use it without spamming or only focusing to get traffic. We do not have a target to push contents to readers, we need to recommend it by polite manner like ‘I think it might be useful for you, need your suggestions’.
Thanks to the wonderful post.
Vijay@Androidage recently posted..How to Update Jelly Bean Android 4.1 Unofficial ROM On Galaxy S3 I9300 [Tutorial]
That is very true Vijay and I am glad that you pointed that out. LinkedIn is for people that want to do business. They are not there to learn about what you had for breakfast. That is why the platform is so important to business if you wish to grow and become more successful.
Groups are one of the best features that LinkedIn offers. But there are other ways to ‘showcase’ your products and services. For instance, I like using SlideShare — take some of your blog posts, articles and turn them into nice looking PDF’s with images and add them to SlideShare with a good title that catches peoples attention. These PDF’s can have links to your site, products, services or even affiliate products.
If you maintain a professional attitude, you will gain a lot of credibility which in turn will only help you and your business.
Thank you again Vijay for sharing your awesome insight about LinkedIn. A good addition to this discussion!
Lynn Brown recently posted..Leverage Your Business With The Top Social Network Sites
Hi Lynn, thank you for this, I always sets a time to update my stuff on LinkedIn but always fail to do it
.. I think I should be paying attention to updating my LinkedIn now. Thanks
Herbert recently posted..How to Conquer Intimidation When Growing your Business
Putting it into your daily schedule will help to build those connections Herbert, so I hope I have inspired you to do just that! Just glad to hear that you will make an effort and if you have questions, please let me know, I will be happy to help!
Thank you so much for stopping by today and sharing your thoughts. I hope you will visit again soon.
Lynn Brown recently posted..Growing Your Business By Avoiding These 5 Mistakes
Hi Lynn.
I’ve had an account with LinkedIn for some time now but I haven’t done anything with it aside form “connecting” with people. I need to spend some more time looking around to see what it has to offer. I’ve spent very little time looking around but like any other social media it will take some time to get used to.
Thanks!
Stacy
Stacy recently posted..3 Simple Ways to Improve Your Writing
Stacy I would suggest you check out the LinkedIn apps! There are some really good ones. One that would be something you could add right away is SlideShare. You write and share really good content, turn that content into nice looking PDF’s and add them to SlideShare. I am going to start doing more of that as there are many ways visitors coming to your profile will enjoy the information that you share.
Let me know if you do give that a try. Thank you for stopping by today and sharing your comments, they are always appreciated!
Lynn Brown recently posted..Best 4 Blogging Tips for Small Business Owners
Onе оthеr thіng I wоuld lіkе tо аdd tо Lynn’ѕ роѕt іѕ, іn rеgаrdѕ tо mаkіng соnnесtіоnѕ – Lіnkеdіn Anѕwеrѕ іѕ а grеаt wау tо dеmоnѕtrаtе уоur еxреrtіѕе аnd hеlр оthеrѕ bу ѕіmрlу аnѕwеrіng quеѕtіоnѕ аbоut blоggіng, ѕосіаl mеdіа, уоur nісhе, еtс. I hаvе gаіnеd nеw соnnесtіоnѕ frоm реорlе ѕіmрlу frоm аnѕwеrіng quеѕtіоnѕ іn thе Lіnkеdіn Anѕwеrѕ ѕесtіоn. Thеrе аrе аlѕо Lіnkеdіn Grоuрѕ thаt уоu саn јоіn fоr уоur nісhе аnd nеtwоrk wіth оthеrѕ іntеrеѕtеd іn thе ѕаmе tорісѕ.
Amrik @ Monetize Blogging recently posted..How To Make Full Time Career In Blogging
I completely agree, Amrik! I learn the most useful information from colleagues/peers & thoroughly enjoy the collaborative aspect of LinkdedIn. There is something for everyone…you can learn, educate & connect!
Hi Lynn. Yes LinkedIn is definitely the place to be in terms of joining business related groups. I’ve had an account for a couple of years and have been contacted by people I would not otherwise have seen (from a business standpoint). And the business connections are great! Definitely a good social media tool for business. Thanks for explaining so well.
Barbara recently posted..Internet Marketing…A Necessary Evil for the Middle Aged Entrepreneur
Appreciate you sharing your experience with LinkedIn Barbara. It really confirms everything that I share about LinkedIn which is as you say, ‘definitely a good social media tool for business’!
Groups have been a very important key to my business as well Barbara, so it is good to hear you share how they have helped you and your business connecting with others.
Thank you for stopping by and look forward to you visiting again soon!
Lynn Brown recently posted..Growing Your Business By Avoiding These 5 Mistakes
Hi Lynn,
I like the fact that groups discourage promoting their own content
In most Facebook groups I see self-promotion and I think it’s really non-professional behavior. Recently I’ve joined with a group after an invitation of my friend and there are numerous and interesting discussions popping up time to time. Really helpful, but unfortunately it’s not my topic there. However I see major difference in groups there.
With above experience and after going through your post, I’m really concerned about groups dear. So I’d like to ask, what guidelines or rules you recommend for a group in LinkedIn and what should be avoided as much as possible?
If you have a post written about it, I’d like t check it out too.
Thanks for this helpful post about groups dear
Have a Wonderful Weekend !
Cheers…
Mayura recently posted..How to Add a Contact Form to Your Website with ContactMe
Thank you Mayura for voicing your concerns. As I am not sure which level of knowledge you have with LinkedIn, please visit my free recorded webinar … http://learnit2earnitwithLynn.com/LIPresentation
This will give you some basics and some helpful tips. Of course, if you have more questions, let me know. I know that the LinkedIn platform does have a learning curve. But I promise, once you learn even a few techniques, you will soon find out how LinkedIn will benefit you and your business.
As always, appreciate you visiting and please visit again soon!
Lynn Brown recently posted..The Top 3 Reasons Small Business Owners Should Be On LinkedIn
Wow… That’s really thorough dear
Thanks for your webinar and providing me here. It’s really helpful for me. And for anyone who curious in LinkedIn. Over 30 minutes and really interesting. I think now I need to go through my LinkedIn profile again. Thanks again 
Cheers…
Mayura recently posted..How to Disable Right Click Menu on Your Website
Bravo! I am so glad you watched the video Mayura!! Please share with others that may need some quick tips for their LinkedIn profile.
I took snap shots of your LinkedIn profile. Let me know when you make any changes and I will be happy to visit it again and offer some friendly ideas and suggestions.
Have a wonderful day Mayura!
Lynn Brown recently posted..How LinkedIn Can Generate More Leads Than Facebook and Twitter Do
Hi Lynn,
I’d be grateful for you
I’ve added all those details after going through your LinkedIn posts. Else my profile was just an empty sheet of paper. Just name on it 
As you can see I’ve added education, experience, skills etc.
However I have doubt in my current employment. You can see that I’ve listed it as “Blogger”. I’m just gonna graduate on this month and I have listed past experience already. But Blogging is what I’ve started as a hobby and recently I started earning from it too. I’ve got my first blog design project 2 days ago through my blog. Do you think I need more to do with tag line?
Ohw Lynn, I know you are a LinkedIn professional and I’m sorry if I’m asking a question beyond the limits here
If so, just ignore it. ‘Cause business and being friends are two separate things 
I respect that, really.
Cheers…
Mayura recently posted..How to Disable Right Click Menu on Your Website
Mayura … I’m very impressed that you watched the video and applied the techniques that you learned. Your LinkedIn headline is a very important area of your profile. I have taken a screen shot of your profile and sent you a message on LinkedIn offering your a suggestion that will give you an idea on how you can elaborate more on your headline.
Remember to use your primary keywords. I suggested using 3 or 4 or your top keywords that best describes what you do and the benefits you provide to your audience.
Great job Mayura ….
Lynn Brown recently posted..Leverage Your Business With The Top Social Network Sites
Hi Lynn,
I’m exhilarated with the fact that I’m finally able to complete my LinkedIn profile with your help and guidance. Really thanks for your time and effort used to create LinkedIn resources and for guiding me on LinkedIn with necessary steps. It really means to me
Thanks again for your suggestions
Cheers…
Mayura recently posted..How to Disable Right Click Menu on Your Website
i heard they are changing their privacy policy after the security breach
ankit recently posted..Facebook & LinkedIn To Ramp Up Privacy Protection
Ankit:
I found the following article regarding LinkedIn & Facebook taking steps to increase site security. I, personally, feel security should be of the utmost concern & welcome changes to ensure the safety of users’ information. Unfortunately, the battle against hackers will be an ongoing challenge for everyone!
http://www.valuewalk.com/2012/06/facebook-inc-fb-and-linkedin-to-upgrade-security/
Hi Lynn,
I dove into LinkedIn a few weeks ago, for the reasons you note here. Loving it so far.
The professional nature of the network helps you connect with serious people, easily. Serious meaning, “I am not here to spam the heck out of you because I am actually successful”-type entrepreneurs, lol
You can mingle with folks who have some authority, who have experienced success, and who are more than willing to connect with you, to inspire you and leverage your presence.
Like any social network you get what you give. By helping others with valued insight you will receive value through multiple channels.
Thanks Lynn!
Ryan
Ryan Biddulph recently posted..How to Connect with Online Prospects
I am jumping up and down Ryan! Bravo to you and so happy to hear that you took the dive! Your comments are exactly what LinkedIn is about. People ARE more willing to connect on LinkedIn and that it is why the connections you make on that platform are far more valuable than any other social platform I have been on.
I’m sure you won’t mind that I ‘quote’ you in my next write up about LinkedIn and even in some of my trainings. This is the kind of response more business owners need to take to heart and do the same thing you did Ryan …. jump in, take the dive! It will be well worth it.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your insight. Certainly will help others that just might be on the fence still with LinkedIn.
Lynn Brown recently posted..How LinkedIn Can Generate More Leads Than Facebook and Twitter Do