Could it be time to reconsider LinkedIn?

by Justin Kistner on Jun 22, 2010 Follow @justinkistner

Tweet
Buffer

LinkedIn has long been the place where job seekers go to network. People with jobs usually don’t go to LinkedIn much. There’s not much there to do.

So, when people ask me what our strategy is for approaching the “professional” social network, my response has been it’s HR’s territory. Maybe support cares to follow discussions in groups in case an issue comes up. But, no one has ever been indignant with anyone I know for not responding to their discussions on LinkedIn.

Excitement about LinkedIn has always been a red flag for me. As a marketer, I’m looking for sites where people are engaging with each other on a regular basis. Like most professionals, I dutifully update my profile on the site because it’s a valuable directory. Social network? Hardly.

But, that may be changing.

LinkedIn has just announced an update to Groups. At first glance, you’ll notice an update to the look and feel of groups, which now look like this:

Engagement options!!

While LinkedIn has had a discussion board style of interaction for some time now, they haven’t had the full suite of social media functionality to which savvy users are now accustomed. Now users can like, pass (a type of dislike), follow, and more. Here’s a quick video demonstrating some of the new features:

Is it enough?

Compared to the other social networks, LinkedIn has been slow to grow-only recently surpassing the 70 million user mark. While that’s paltry compared to the half-a-billion users Facebook sports, it’s still a significant user base. They have also done an interesting job of introducing features that appeal to a business network that are unique to LinkedIn, such as an added value leader board for discussions, professional networks, professional recommendations, etc.

I certainly don’t expect LinkedIn to be the largest, most popular social network; but I do think it will take its place on the social network stage as the top network for professionals. I’ve met many people who do not want to blend professional and private, which makes LinkedIn their social network of choice. Even for people who don’t mind the blend, LinkedIn is becoming an attractive place to network as the site’s features are well-suited for professional networking.

Unproven value

While these recent changes suggest LinkedIn could become a valuable source for lead gen marketing, it’s value is still yet to be proven (outside of isolated cases). LinkedIn has had the promise of marketing value with each new release, but it has yet to make a significant market impact. I am going to reapproach the network to see if these new features will drive the kind of engagement that leads to business (as compared to job seeking). Anyone else?

Cory Huff

I just started testing LinkedIn again after a long hiatus. I don't think that it will do a lot for me, but I'm doing my homework. I'll catch you around town and we'll discuss the results.
http://kylecordes.com Kyle Cordes

I hadn't realized LinkedIn was mostly for job seekers. Among people I've spoken with about it, the main use case is to keep in touch with people whom you know in a professional capacity, in a manner that you won't lose track of them next time they change jobs, move and get a new phone number, etc.
http://jasonkeath.com jakrose

LinkedIn is tough. If you build a community, similar to how @lewishowes had created a sports industry community, it has legs.
http://www.WebBusinessFreedom.com BrandonUttley

I think LinkedIn is a “secret weapon” for a lot of marketers, particularly on the B2B side. It's a lot less crowded, and much more focused, than Facebook and Twitter. Groups, particularly discussions within them and the ability to direct message any members of groups you're in, are huge incentives to focus more time there. I find myself using it more and more on a daily basis. Plus the built in research features are outstanding.
http://www.scribnia.com/author/show/473/david-spinks/ David Spinks

I definitely used LinkedIn a LOT more when I was looking for a job.

The Q&A was a really great way for me to get my name out there a little bit, and establish myself as a knowledgeable professional. Now, I don't need to do that as much, and I have work to do. I think for consultants however, using this tool can still be really beneficial.

I think LinkedIn has a lot of potential. Though they're not as big as say, facebook, their audience is highly targeted and as I've perceived it, pretty high quality. The groups were definitely lacking majorly before. I'm curious to see how the new features will affect them. I'm willing to give it another shot.

David, Scribnia
Ty

I definitely think LinkedIn has legs. It has been great for me in two completely separate occasions. The first was when I lost my blackberry in a taxi, and Bloomberg's 311 service, as we know is about as much use as a chocolate teapot, so i lost hope, until someone found my phone, saw my name and used Linkedin to find me…which they did. The second was that without looking, a company found me on Linkedin using an algorithm which led to a great job. Will it beat Facebook…no, but it works for me!
Pingback: Great Article from Jason Keath at @SocialFresh! 4 Pillars of LinkedIn Marketing « Yovonne Kenny

Social Fresh