Over the past few years, LinkedIn has altered it’s brand from a glorified “job hunting” network to the most powerful B2B Social Network on the web. LinkedIn is often referred to as the best Social Network for connecting with other business-minded individuals whether it’s to exchange ideas, obtain leads, or general networking. One of the reasons why LinkedIn has been able to establish themselves as a powerful B2B Social Network is because of all the features the site has to offer. While some of these features are well known by most members (company pages, messaging options, etc.), LinkedIn provides a substantial number of useful features that aren’t as well known by its members. Listed below are 7 Linkedin features you may not know.
1. Adding a Custom Keyword for Websites – Most users are aware of the ability to add multiple websites to their profile. LinkedIn allows you to add a personal website, company website, blog, among other types of URLs directly onto your profile page. Whichever option is selected will appear as the keyword (i.e. if you select “Company Website” the keyword “Company Website” will link up to the specified URL). A lot of users, however, don’t realize that you have the ability to change this keyword to whatever you’d like. By editing “websites” and selecting the “other” option, you can input any text that you prefer. This can be valuable in creating a text link that incorporates target keywords to your website. My LinkedIn profile, for example, includes “My Internet Marketing Agency” and “Social Media Services” as keywords linking back to PrimeVisibility.com
2. Application Directory: LinkedIn offers a suite of free applications that can be easily integrated to your profile. With a focus on B2B marketing, LinkedIn offers a total of 19 applications ranging from SlideShare (for sharing presentations), WordPress (sync up your WordPress blog), among others. Additionally, most of the applications contain custom analytics that will allow you to assess how many users viewed presentations, blog posts, and more on your profile. To view the full list of applications, visit: http://www.linkedin.com/static?key=application_directory&trk=hb_side_apps
3. Answers: Many LinkedIn users are already aware of Group Discussions. LinkedIn has thousands of different groups that allow users to post content and comment and link other users’ posts. These groups can be highly valuable in establishing yourself as a thought leader pertaining to a specific industry. LinkedIn also provides an “Answers” section that allows users to ask a question relatingto a specific category. Other users can then respond to these questions and include specific resources to support their answers. Additionally, the “asker” can select a “best answer” (which is displayed as a badge on your profile as seen below). If used properly, not only can the “Answers” section help build your overall LinkedIn presence, but can also increase leads. To browse through the “Answers” section of LinkedIn, visit: http://www.linkedin.com/answers?trk=hb_tab_ayn
4. Event Marketing: Have an upcoming webinar, exhibit, or other event that you are promoting? Consider using LinkedIn’s “events” feature to promote your upcoming event. Not only is it extremely simple to set up an event, but LinkedIn allows you to easily share your event with all of your connections (screenshot below). Additionally, once an event is created, it will included in LinkedIn’s event directory. To view LinkedIn’s “Events” feature click here.
5. Adding Products & Services to Company Pages: Recently LinkedIn has added a feature to company pages that allows users to highlight specific products and services. The real value in utilizing this feature is that other LinkedIn users can recommend and share the product / service with their connections. If you have customer testimonials, it could be beneficial to reach out to these customers and ask them to recommend your product / service on LinkedIn (especially if they have a high number of connections). AT&T has a great “products & services” page that can be viewed here: http://www.linkedin.com/company/at&t/products
6. Filtering Your Tweets on LinkedIn: Most LinkedIn users are aware of the ability to connect their Twitter feed to their LinkedIn profile. When implementing this feature, every time your Twitter account is updated, your LinkedIn status will also be updated with the same content. If you tweet frequently, this can be viewed as overkill by your connections. By clicking on the “edit” link next to your Twitter handle on LinkedIn, you can edit your tweets to only show up on LinkedIn when you incorporate the hashtag #in. By enabling this feature, you have the ability to only include tweets on your LinkedIn profile that you view as relevant.
7. Custom LinkedIn URL: If use LinkedIn frequently, it is important to have a custom URL for your profile that’s easy to remember. When you create a LinkedIn profile, the default URL will appear something like the screenshot below:
If you use LinkedIn for networking purposes, it can be difficult for others to find you if you do not customize your URL (especially if you have a common name). Instead of a URL with a bunch of random numbers, a custom URL will appear as http://www.linkedin.com/in/(customlink). A custom URL will help to increase the overall visibility of your LinkedIn account and will make it easier for you to verbally convey to others how to find you on LinkedIn.
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