Some LinkedIn Facts
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LinkedIn.com.com is a business/professional networking site.
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It was launched in 2003 and has gone from strength to strength ever since.
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In April 2010 it was reported to have 65 million registered users across 200 countries and territories.
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More than half of members represent the USA, 11 million represent the EU whereas the rest make up the rest of the world, with India being the fastest growing nation to sign up to LinkedIn.com.com in recent months.
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Because LinkedIn is continuously growing in popularity across Europe and the East it is becoming an increasingly important aspect of Search Engine Optimisation Ireland.
There are many features and benefits of having a personal LinkedIn.com account as well as one for your company. The main purpose of the site is to allow registered users maintain a list of contact details for business purposes. It can be integrated successfully along with dedicated marketing campaign management and is a must have for any successful social marketing strategy.
LinkedIn.com provides the following benefits:
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Help with finding job vacancies
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Advertising jobs
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Find potential employers/employees (headhunting purposes)
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Search for recommendations
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Aid in identification
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Picking up trends in the marketplace by way of discussions amongst groups of customers as well as peers
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Finding the right groups and organisations to be a member of. This includes both online and offline
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Getting recommendations (pertains to individual personal accounts as well as Groups, which will work for companies). These recommendations can’t be edited or modified by the one who is recommended, therefore making them stronger and more reputable
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Word of mouth publicity. Often what carries on in Social Networking sites can transcend to the offline. If the publicity that is being generated is positive, this in turn will have positive effects on the company that has the LinkedIn.com.com presence
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Maintaining relationships with current customers as well as developing new relationships with new customers. It also provides benefits in terms of e commerce services as you’re company information is now easier to find
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If a company has a corporate blog then LinkedIn.com is a great way of promoting that blog. Bloggers have the potential to use LinkedIn.com to drive traffic to their blogs and gain more exposure and thus on to their website and in turn increade web conversion rates.
Other Features Include:
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Groups – LinkedIn.com Groups function acts as a forum for members to have real world conversations about products, issues, opportunities, events and referrals of appropriate information. These discussions on real world scenarios offer good information to members pertaining to all types of topics, problem solving, company news as well as job opportunities amongst other things
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Company Profiles – Companies are trying to ensure that their company profiles and the information it contains are being used correctly. Social media and marketing groups try to ensure that the information detailed not only is completely accurate, but also best promotes the company
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Events – LinkedIn.com now offers users the ability to create events (tradeshows, conferences, training events etc). This system means that events will become accessible to a large network of members where professional interests align
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Jobs – LinkedIn.com has the added facility of advertising jobs. Depending on the specialist industry that a user belongs to, specific jobs appear on your live feed page. If a user can think of someone that might be interested in the job they can refer them to it. This is another method of headhunting and finding the right person for the job
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Right Price – most of the services that LinkedIn.com offers are free of charge. It is also free to set up an account/profile. Therefore it is highly recommended that both companies and individuals take advantage of another route of free advertising. Remember your competitors probably are
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Sponsored Ads – LinkedIn have also launched LinkedIn DirectAds as a form of sponsored advertising that come in a variety of packages in order to suit most budgets
LinkedIn.com also allows users to research companies with which they may be interested in working. When typing the name of a given company in the search box, statistics about the company are provided. These may include the percentage of the most common titles/positions held within the company, the location of the company's headquarters and offices, or a list of present, past, and former employees. By listing a company’s statistics it allows users to identify your company from your point of view. Therefore by listing your company on LinkedIn.com or by creating a “group” based on your company you are extending the reach of the company, allowing more people (potential customers or potential future employees) to learn more about you. Many companies have a presence on LinkedIn.com and it is a great method of free advertising as well as creating a loyal following.
