For the past year or so I’ve been loving LinkedIn! It’s such a great place to connect with people who are looking to expand their networks and grow their businesses. But I haven’t always felt that way about the platform…It’s a network that I’ve struggle to fully embrace, until recently!
If you haven’t logged on to LinkedIn lately, you are going to be in for a huge surprise when you do!
In the last 18 months, LinkedIn has been completely revitalized.
Gone are the days when all it’s used for is posting your resume. LinkedIn is a professional networking platform, and it is now the place to be for entrepreneurs. ESPECIALLY if you are in the B2B world.
But lots of entrepreneurs hold back, as I once did, when it comes to embracing LinkedIn, and it comes down to these 3 misconceptions.
Misconception #1 LinkedIn is for just for Job Seekers
When LinkedIn first came on the scene (side note – did you know LinkedIn has been around longer than Facebook?) there was a big focus on connecting employers with potential employees and vice versa. And you can see some of those elements on the platform today, for example: “Sobeys, Saint Mary’s University, and KPMG are looking for candidates like you” is the type of notification I sometimes get.
But LinkedIn really is a professional social network.
Unlike other platforms, when users are on LinkedIn they are looking to network with others. They haven’t logged on to look at cat vids, pictures of their grandchildren, or take a quiz telling them which game of thrones character they are (I’d like to think that I’m a Daenerys BTW)
LinkedIn is where most Fortune 500 decision-makers and executives like to spend their spare time. And guess what? When they are there, they are actively looking for something for valuable content and connections. They are looking for something that changes the way they are doing business. And that might be you!
LinkedIn gives business owners and professionals a convenient, accessible and effective place to make connections, market themselves, and grow their business.
Misconception #2 LinkedIn is boring and stuffy
Unfortunately, I let that hold me back for awhile. I would sometimes let myself believe that LinkedIn wasn’t the right place for my content, because it wasn’t “polished” enough.
But that is not true.
LinkedIn is a professional social network, and as I’ve said about 100 times on this show – professional doesn’t mean boring. In this case it means you’re not posting selfies or pictures of you in your jammies.
But there is no “right way” to create content for LinkedIn. The type of content you are already creating is probably fine. You don’t need to change the content you are creating so that it fits into LinkedIn – because you are still you, that is your voice, so do what you do and LinkedIn will shift accordingly.
Now – this isn’t to say that there isn’t some horribly boring content out there or that some people are using it to share every boring thing they’ve ever thought. But that doesn’t mean that you should too.
One of the biggest influencers on LinkedIn is Goldie Chan – she has green hair and shares a video from Disney probably at least once a week. Is that who you imagine when you think LinkedIn influencer? If not, it’s time to change the way you think about LinkedIn!
Misconception #3 LinkedIn is dead
The last misconception I want to discuss today is “LinkedIn is dead.”
Microsoft paid $26.2 billion for LinkedIn in 2016.
Before that, LinkedIn had been trending down, but it’s on its way back up. Now, not saying that everything Microsoft does makes sense, but they saw $26.2 billion worth of potential in the platform, and I wouldn’t ignore that.
Since then Microsoft has added video – which, honestly has completely changed the platform and brought new life into it.
And, LinkedIn is in the process of rolling out live video! I think today less than 30 people in the world have access to it, but the way they are rolling it out is brilliant! They have created a product that has so much demand that 100s of people are applying to get access to LinkedIn Live every single day!
And why not? Those who get early access to LinkedIn Live are going to get so much exposure and added benefit.
(Unfortunately, these things are usually rolled out to the US first, so us Canadians might be on the waiting list for awhile).
By Denise Alison
Denise Alison is the CEO & Founder of Stratigro which empowers business owners and entrepreneurs to build relationships and connect with their potential customers on social media and through live video.
For more details on the Live Video Formula, visit my website or watch my weekly Facebook live episodes on The Art of Online Marketing every Tuesday at 9am EST or you can view on my website at Stratigro.ca/blog.