LinkedIn is a must-do for marketing/public relations professionals
By Craig on Jul 12, 2009 in Digital communication, Marketing, Public relations, Social media | View Comments
If you are in the marketing/public relations industry and are not on LinkedIn, and actively ‘involved’ in it, then you are not taking your career seriously. Being a LinkedIn member works on two levels:
- Being active for the benefits it provides
- Being seen to be there (but not actually doing anything with your membership – this is sort of like going to the beach in the height of summer and not going for a swim).
Simply put, LinkedIn is the world’s preeminent business social networking service. If you are not in the game, then you simply aren’t interested in winning or, at the very least, enjoying your match to the fullest extent possible.
Industries like legal are evidently right up there with the professional communication disciplines when it comes to the ‘hot’ fields that play in the LinkedIn sandpit, but my knowledge on that is sketchy. So I’m sticking to my home turf.
Reinforcing credibility
Simply using LinkedIn reinforces your credibility within the professional communication discipline industries. Arguably, this has now become, partly at least, because it is so widely subscribed to. As in, if you are not playing this game then you are obviously not serious about your career or capabilities.
Being linked to reputable PR/marketing practitioners and businesspeople adds to your credibility. The Australian Prime Minister’s ex-Chief of staff is not going to link in to you if you are a ditz, nor are various CEOs and COOs or heads of marketing and public relations agencies.
Recruiters and business opportunities are circling
Being on LinkedIn puts you in a shop window for recruiters, prospective employers and peers in general (who can be extremely valuable in bringing you to others’ attention or alerting you to employment or business opportunities).
In fact, a peer recently recommended me for a work opportunity that arose through LinkedIn. I don’t expect anything to come of that but you have to be in it to win it – and anyway, it helps gives your brand (that is – YOU!) ‘currency’.
In this age of retrenchments or just-around-the-corner hasta la vistas, it is a no-brainer that a proactive presence (that involves workshopping/sharing your body of knowledge and professional capabilities) on LinkedIn is a very smart career move indeed. Recruiters are increasingly utilising LinkedIn to zone in on and check candidates.
Professional knowledge
LinkedIn provides excellent opportunities to expand your professional knowledge. There are a wide variety of groups devoted to particular professions and sectors within professions (e.g. marketing, public relations, social media, innovation etc).
Each of these groups posts discussions, news, job ads and more. The greatest benefit, though, is the views that are put forward and the resulting discussions (um, okay, some are hell fire arguments, but that’s mostly that’s okay too). The various points of view challenge your professional perspectives, enlarge your knowledge base, alert you to resources and, generally, make you better at what you do. Well, they do for me, anyway.
As a communication professional, LinkedIn has a special potency. It is a B2B COMMUNICATIONS mechanism that cuts out any mediating ‘others’ and brings to our attention issues/perspectives that our peers feel are relevant to us.
And this is on a global basis. One of the groups I am in has over 50,000 members. Another has about 25,000. That is a hell of a lot of knowledge that you can learn from. Sure, there is some absolute inanity that is posted, but also some real pearlers and some that leads to some pretty entertaining incidents/arguments.
The network
Once you are linked in to people you can, generally, see who they are, in turn, linked in to. This can provide you with business opportunities and you have the ‘introduction’ mechanism already there. It is both built in to the LinkedIn software or you can just call them, saying you are a professional buddy of X, the intermediary.
Have I done this? Well, no. But it is definitely an option. My business plan hasn’t called for me to take this approach. But my business plan has been predicated on my being perceived as credible and, without an iota of doubt, I believe LinkedIn has enhanced this perception being generated.
Potential clients can search you on LinkedIn. They can compare your background/links/people who have recommended you with your competition. Your competition doesn’t cut it? Or your competition isn’t up there? So they are making it harder to get 3rd party perspectives on you?
Guess what – you win!
Making you feel worthy
LinkedIn has helped my professional and, by extension, personal self esteem.
I am a freelance professional. I have no colleague or boss to lean on. I am all by myself (sob, sob…).
LinkedIn provides me with a way of reaching out to my peers and getting their feedback on certain issues. Discussions I have posted have led to global interactions and, yes, new links. Maybe, one day, this will lead to actual non-digital friendships. That would be something.
Knowing that some of my peers support my sometimes contentious perspectives has enhanced my self-confidence and made me more committed to be who I am and in my professional efforts. Complementary to this, I have learnt from knowledgeable peers and evolved my viewpoints.
The credibility of LinkedIn
Finally (I think), LinkedIn is extremely credible. I have not heard of anyone speaking ill of it, only giving it praise. There are plenty of other perspectives out there that support my view. But LinkedIn is, after all, just a tool. It is up to those who use it to make it a worthwhile experience.
As the web has evolved to this point, however, LinkedIn seems the best current option for professionals to expand their business network. It is also right up there with any other mechanism to reinforce your credibility and enhance your knowledge and capabilities.
[And just in case you are wondering, no, this is uncommissioned praise. They are my genuine thoughts.]
