Use LinkedIn to improve your professional reputation

We heard a comment the other day that shocked and surprised us. A business owner was heard to say, “I don’t bother with LinkedIn, it is of no use to me. I’m not interested in job hunters and there are no customers on there.”

The reason we were surprised by this comment is because it came from a stationery business owner who was struggling to increase sales, and looking for ways to increase revenue in an increasingly digital world. Our immediate thought was, surely, the majority of LinkedIn users are business people, and business people have offices, so they will all need stationery?

The point is LinkedIn is far more than a way to link up with current and previous work and college contacts. It is so much more than a network of business people all looking for work. In fact, according to LinkedIn statistics, the majority of users are happy with the jobs they have, they primarily use LinkedIn as a means of seeking out new business opportunities and of keeping a finger on the pulse of commercial developments, marketing techniques, and news from the business world.

Here are some ways we have found that LinkedIn can help you build your reputation and authorship online.

The latest and biggest news from LinkedIn appeared only this week!

“LinkedIn expanded its publishing platform on Wednesday to allow all users the opportunity to write and share longform posts to their LinkedIn profile.” Mashable.

Every LinkedIn user has the ability to share articles and posts on the business subjects most important to them. These posts can be shared openly or with specific groups. They are searchable, can be tagged, and you can add links to your website, images or video. And it is free. As far as we can see, all of that makes LinkedIn a highly fruitful way to boost your business’s revenue potential.

Any LinkedIn user can create a group. These can be for certain geographic areas, industries or special interests. Users can also join as many groups as they want to. All this gives you another opportunity to reach out to people, learn from them, share opinions, and get your name out there.

LinkedIn is still growing in popularity. It has become the business network above all others. The profiles have been recently improved again and now full portfolios, resumes, projects and a variety of media can be added to profiles to really show off what each individual can do.

LinkedIn also gives people the opportunity to give and receive endorsements, reviews and recommendations, as well as comments and discussion. Think Facebook but for businesses.

In our book, there is no part of LinkedIn that is bad for business, or a waste of time. In fact, we think that anyone who does not have a profile for themselves and who is not building their network, is wasting an exciting opportunity for growth commercially and personally.