You may have heard that LinkedIn is dead. That’s not the truth and it’s quite subjective. In reality, LinkedIn is a fully functioning social media platform with a focus on facilitating business connections.
When a customer, client, or vendor wants to verify your business, credentials, or reputation, the first thing they’ll do is type your name into a search engine. The next thing they’ll do is try to find your profile on LinkedIn. Although there are legitimate reasons for not having a LinkedIn profile, many people find it strange when a business owner doesn’t have one.
Companies need Profiles, too
Although LinkedIn profiles have been traditionally created by individuals, there is also a category reserved for companies. Company pages are simple, yet provide a decent amount of information including location addresses, the website URL, the industry, company size, location, type of business, and when the business was founded. Business owners can post updates that are similar in appearance to Facebook posts with the familiar “like,” “comment,” and “share” buttons.
A company’s LinkedIn page can also be linked to employee profiles so clients and customers can check out the team. For example, an online ergonomic office furniture company called BTOD has a company profile that links to team member profiles. This makes it easy for curious customers to find out more about the company they’re about to patronize.
LinkedIn isn’t Dead – It’s just not designed for frivolous Socializing
Perhaps people think LinkedIn is dead because it doesn’t host the millions of daily and sometimes hourly posts like other social media platforms. Counting the amount of posts per minute, hour, or day isn’t a good way to gauge the usefulness of a platform that isn’t designed to be used for frivolous socializing.
People don’t use LinkedIn like Facebook, where people tend to post their thoughts all day long. However, that doesn’t mean it’s dead. LinkedIn has more than 660 million members spread across 200+ countries. The fact that people use this platform sparingly is actually a testament to its value.
LinkedIn remains a Staple Social Media platform for Business Owners
You can do things on LinkedIn that you can’t do on any other social media platform. For example, business owners can:
1. Create a strong brand presence on their company’s profile.
2. Publicly display recommendations to other LinkedIn members, which can contribute to a positive reputation and create wonderful first impressions.
3. Get discovered by other brands that could be potential business partners.
4. Demonstrate a high level of expertise or knowledge, which increases credibility.
5. Use the platform to perform research on competitors and other players in their industry.
6. Post job opportunities on the LinkedIn job board.
7. Get “social proof” endorsements for their company.
8. Enjoy group discussions or 1-on-1 chats without the drama associated with being signed into personal accounts like Facebook and Twitter.
Think of LinkedIn as a “Social Marketplace”
While it used to be a social media site, LinkedIn has evolved into a social marketplace. It’s like an online job fair that makes it easy for recruiters to find prospective employees and helps job seekers find employment.
While some people believe LinkedIn is a waste of time, it all depends on how you use the platform. If you’re accepting an excessive amount of connections to make yourself or your business look good, you’re wasting your time. However, if you’re using the platform to establish a professional presence online that displays your authentic connections, your LinkedIn profile is extremely valuable.
LinkedIn is Still useful even with an inactive Profile
It doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing with LinkedIn. It doesn’t matter if you never post any blogs or comment on anyone else’s blogs. All that matters is that you’re using your business profile to share important information with the people who will inevitably look for you online.
Remember, if you don’t have an online presence in today’s world, you may as well not exist. You need some form of online profile to make new customers feel comfortable doing business with your company. Even though LinkedIn isn’t anywhere near as active as it used to be, it’s still taken seriously as a credible business platform.
Whether you create a profile for your business is up to you. However, if you want to build your brand reputation, generate leads, potential employees, and clients, having a LinkedIn profile is a wise choice.
