Linked In: The Story the Next Level of Networking

You may be comfortable with blogging, know how to use Facebook to connect with friends, family and customers and love the ease and convenience of using Twitter. Yet, for many LinkedIn is foreign territory best left for the marketing executive or those with a full time staff.

Well, if truth be told, LinkedIn is my favorite platform by far. It surpasses Facebook for quality connections, Twitter for informal chats and giggles, and Blogging for lead generation and follows. Why? Because LinkedIn is truly the cream of the crop when it comes to executives, high-level decision makers and those who are serious about the professional world of business.

Who is on LinkedIn? The demographics appear to say anywhere from those in the $80-$100,000+ category. These are many business owners but I have met my fair share of entrepreneurs, business owners, consultants, coaches, authors, publishers, and executives in mid-management and beyond.

The entire idea behind LinkedIn is building relationships and that is the corner-stone for those making the most impact on this platform. People who give value, no matter where on or off-line usually have a large following. The idea of LinkedIn is similar to attending a networking meeting. Instead of walking up to the person and introducing yourself, you ask a friend to handle the introduction. In this way, your friend or acquaintance can vouch for you giving more value to the introduction.

In the next few weeks we will cover some of the ways to improve your LinkedIn profile, content and most of all how to get connected. We will also discuss the value of obtaining good referrals, inviting your friends and learning about group activities. If you have a particular question about LinkedIn let me know and we will address these in the upcoming weeks.