LinkedIn and Branding: Why Is LinkedIn So Special?

Why is LinkedIn so special when there are many social networking websites out there including Facebook and Twitter? Well, LinkedIn specifically provides you a platform where you can build relationships in the field you are in, search for a job as well as offer one. In this post, I am going to talk about some of the benefits of using LinkedIn. First of all, you are able to set up a completely professional profile. Your profile enables you to describe what you do, what accomplishment you have reached or awards or honors you have achieved in detail, and LinkedIn helps you categorize those and show a clear and smooth outline to your colleagues, recruiters and customers. Another benefit of using LinkedIn is because of its unique features. An example is the new professional portfolio feature enables you to display your professional work easily. You now have ability to showcase your blog posts, videos, portfolios on your profile. All in all, it is better to display your work rather than just talk about it. Another example is the "Who's Viewed Your Updates" feature. It is a visual snapshot of what you have shared over the past two weeks, who read or viewed it, and whether it was well-received. This new feature definitely helps you sharpen your LinkedIn posting because you learn what works and you can use similar strategy in the future. This feature also helps you make connections with professionals who find value in your posts. To sum up, LinkedIn is a great business social media and provides you a great platform and tools to best promote you. Remember that you will get out of LinkedIn what you put in.