What is LinkedIn?

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What is LinkedIn? In this article, we will answer this question, simply and clearly 😉

LinkedIn is a professional social network, a powerful digital media, a huge lead generation platform and free data.

What is LinkedIn.com?

Let’s start with LinkedIn and its definition in a short sentence

LinkedIn is a social network for professional purposes.

Intended for entrepreneurs, employees, recruiters, people looking for internships or applicants for jobs from all possible fields. The principle of LinkedIn is that it allows you to be known and to position yourself as an expert. So it is a great way to showcase what you do.

LinkedIn is also perfect for expanding your network in order to find new collaborators, new clients or a new job.

LinkedIn works on the system of creating a profile for which it is recommended to indicate a maximum of information. You can post content (publications, articles, video) directly from the platform, LinkedIn includes a system of “like”, comments and shares to facilitate interaction between members. Of course, the more you are, the more visible you are!

LinkedIn also includes groups on a variety of topics and hashtags that can be followed to quickly keep up with the latest content on a specific topic.

LinkedIn login: Why is is so important to have a profile on the platform?

As said before, LinkedIn is a social network. You will be able to make valuable 💞 connections with people from your area of expertise and even to find a job. If you are an applicant, LinkedIn is very perfect to find your next opportunity or even when you are a recruiter, it is really easy to do job postings.

But more than that, LinkedIn is a fantastic 🤩 platform for professionals to sell a product or a service.

If you have never been on this social media, you can create an account on it. We have made an excellent article over here concerning LinkedIn login. We really advise you to check it out.

Is LinkedIn free to use?

LinkedIn is absolutely free if you use it to grow your network. You can be on the platform without having to pay a single cent 💰 on anything.

But LinkedIn is very smart and they understood that there was money to make because of its members behaviour. So they decided to set up a range of solutions in order to help you with your business or just to recruit talents in your team, we can think about Sales Navigator.

Be assure that for the normal use of LinkedIn and grow your network, that will stay free for a bit of time.

How and why join LinkedIn: the professional social network?

The LinkedIn social network is generally used either to:

  • Find a job,
  • Boost your professional career,
  • Find sponsors or investors for a project,
  • Find clients for a company,
  • Find candidates as an HR or recruiter.

To answer first the “why” to use the social network: Well it is free and there are thousands of users on the network, so your target will necessarily be there. 🎯 Moreover, it is easy to use and its handling does not require any particular technique.

bullseye

Then, to answer the question “how” well there are several steps:

  • Create an account on LinkedIn,
  • Fill in and complete your LinkedIn profile,
  • Add a cover photo and a banner,
  • Start networking by adding people you know or who might be interested in what you have to offer.
  • Network, add people as friends, write notes or personalized messages, comment on interesting posts, subscribe to people or groups.
  • Search for your target with LinkedIn filters to make sure you are expanding your network with the right people.

The network is full of unsuspected opportunities that it would be very foolish to miss. For example, I’m typing these words on this keyboard because I got a job at Waalaxy through LinkedIn 😉

Kinsta announces in its study conducted in 2022:

With over 20 million companies listed on the site and 14 million open jobs, it’s no surprise that 90% of recruiters use LinkedIn regularly.

Moreover, it is the network for business-to-business exchanges and transactions. So-called “B2b lead generation“, i.e. finding customers in the business world, is more flourishing on LinkedIn than anywhere else.

And, we remind you, the network is free. 🤯🤯

Networking on LinkedIn

You might ask yourself how to do some great networking on LinkedIn. Let us explain this to you right away 👇.

To date, LinkedIn is the largest BtoB database in the world. With over 800 million users on the platform, it’s free data that’s updated regularly. And for that alone, we think it’s a great tool.

To be able to network on LinkedIn, there are things that you must take into consideration like 👀 having a perfect profile.

Yes, you read that right. LinkedIn is a platform that is based on trust. If your profile doesn’t inspire trust, chances are that you might not be able to expand your network.

So, in order to do that, you must complete your profile with the maximum of information that you have, put a profile picture and a banner. Obvisouly, all these elements need to be professional. Fill up your work experience, your trainings and tell the stories about new opportunities that you could have experienced.

Once you’ve done that, you can think about networking on LinkedIn. There are 4 ways to expand your network:

  • Reach people through LinkedIn Groups.
  • Via LinkedIn Events.
  • Search people on LinkedIn with the “research with keywords”.
  • Connection 💞 requests.

LinkedIn, an incredible digital media

In addition to being a social network, LinkedIn is an impressive digital media.

the-end

We will first answer the question “how / by what means” LinkedIn places itself as a Btob media.

To do this, LinkedIn has developed several ways to multiply its strength as a social media:

  • The LinkedIn Ads, the ads on LinkedIn, that the network has developed in the same way as Google Ads or other social networks = with a bidding system.
  • The LinkedIn Live and events, which correspond to webinars or links to Youtubes channels or webinars directly streamed on LinkedIn and allow to boost the visibility of companies. (Learn more about LinkedIn Live. 👀)
  • Community management on LinkedIn: the activity is becoming more and more widespread, you even find marketing experts or trainers specialized on LinkedIn grow like mushrooms in recent months. The role of the community manager is to create a community, boost the e-reputation and the notoriety of a company.
  • LinkedIn creates LinkedIn Pulse, which are LinkedIn Articles that anyone can write. The idea behind the invention was that each expert in his field develops and shares knowledge through the article.

🆔 Very important info: Unlike other social networks, people trust LinkedIn.

ZDNet explains for us:

LinkedIn analyzed data from 78 million young members and there is a high level of trust in LinkedIn, unlike the Facebook ecosystem.

  • 80% of people say they trust the LinkedIn network.
  • 73% believe that interacting with users and posting on the network is reliable.
  • 70% find the content of the network relevant and informative.

To answer the question “why” use LinkedIn as a medium: The answer is quite simple = it’s an incredible place to meet, partner and develop businesses or projects.

The best place to do B2b lead generation? LinkedIn!

LinkedIn is the most effective social network for getting new customers. It was found to be 277% more effective at finding customers than the other networks – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

80% of B2B social media leads are generated on LinkedIn.

That’s why some premium LinkedIn accounts were created. It was necessary to respond to a strong market demand and create a professional network to help companies sell, recruit and collaborate, while helping users get information and find jobs.

There are 4 types of LinkedIn premium:

  • Career: $29.99/month = to boost your professional career.
  • Business : 59,99$/month = to create a network.
  • Sales Navigator Pro: $79.99/month = for your products and services.
  • Hiring (Hiring): $119.95/month = to hire new talent.

There are also a lot of free or paid tools that allow you to use LinkedIn in an automated way and thus boost the use of the network.

Waalaxy is a free tool that allows you to send 100 personalized invitations per week, or (with the premium option) to find additional contact information on your targets (phone number, email address) and to perform multi-channel marketing.

[Conclusion] LinkedIn: What is it?

LinkedIn is a professional social network, a digital media, a free lead generation platform. It’s a complete platform full of opportunities that you just have to seize.

Now you know how to answer someone when they ask you “What’s LinkedIn?” 🚀

[Bonus] How to get free leads via LinkedIn?

To find new clients quickly and efficiently, you can rely on the LinkedIn network.

First, you’ll need to establish a few prerequisites:

  • Know who your future customers are on the network = establish a persona.
  • Knowing where to find them = doing a LinkedIn search that allows you to segment them.
  • Know how to approach them = use copywriting to write your marketing emails.
  • Use Waalaxy, the only free tool that automates your network prospecting. 🤩

Waalaxy - Avis, notes, prix et abonnements - Capterra France 2022

Entering a list of prospects on your Waalaxy tool, allows you to add them in personalized message sequences.

How to take advantage of using LinkedIn?

To take advantage of the network, we advise you not to make the mistakes that everyone else makes. 😥

Pimp your profile to be the one seen in the crowd. 💄

The first thing to do is to complete your profile, make it attractive and clear, then it’s about being active on the network, understanding its codes and taking advantage of your competitive advantages.

crowd

What are the disadvantages of LinkedIn?

Now let’s look at the disadvantages of LinkedIn! 🤐

  • There is spam:

Although it is a professional network, the truth is that there are always non-professionals who abuse this network, but this is not the rule. By spam, I mean people who want to take advantage of this network to sell something through InMail or post a group sale, instead of sharing knowledge and building relationships as they should. 🙏If you want to focus on sales but don’t want to get blocked, here are the best tips for prospecting!

  • It takes time and effort:

This is not a professional platform where you simply upload your CV and apply for a job…. It’s a social network, with real exchanges between humans. 🤖 This forces you to spend a lot of time and effort to post digital content, share news, recommend, update, etc…. At least, the good news is that you can do all this little by little, if you use an automation tool like Waalaxy! 👽

  • Unverified users:

Like other existing social networks, being online leaves us vulnerable to harassment from people who don’t quite understand how this professional network works! On LinkedIn, as in most social networks, there are fake or suspicious profiles. These untrustworthy users use other people’s communication networks to steal confidential information. 🤫 However, you can use fake profiles to prospect correctly by following these tips!

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FAQ of the article LinkedIn What is it

Whether you want to expand your network, whether you are an applicant, a marketer, a CEo, LinkedIn will always be a very good tool to help you in an area.

What is the purpose of LinkedIn?

The platform has come to life in a simple and unique objective: to connect professional people. You will create a professional network with people from your industry and many others.

How to use LinkedIn for networking?

LinkedIn is a fantastic tool to make valuable connections, more specifically in your area of expertise.

If you desire to talk 💭 with people about a subject, you can easily do it on LinkedIn. The process is quite simple. All you need to do is define your target audience and find the keywords related to that area.

Then you go on the search bar on LinkedIn and type these keywords. A list of people will be displayed, you can either decide to connect to them or send them a private message if they are already in your connections or part of a LinkedIn group.

How to log into LinkedIn?

Want to log in to your LinkedIn account? I’ll explain how to log in easily:

  • Go to Google or any other search engine.
  • Type “LinkedIn” or “LinkedIn Login” on your keyboard.
  • Go to the LinkedIn home page and click “Connect”.

To make it easier for you, you can find the direct link here. 👈

If you want a pro tip, here’s how to log in with multiple accounts on Waalaxy! 😘

What is a recommendation on LinkedIn?

Maybe you want to know how to endorse someone on this professional network? 🤔 Look no further! The answer is simple:

  • You must go directly to the “Skills & Endorsements” section of their LinkedIn profile and select the skill you want to vote for.
  • In this step, you must rate how good they are at that particular skill. From “good” to “highly qualified.”
  • Next, you must choose the relationship you have with this person and “Submit” your vote. 👍

That’s it! ✨

how to endorse on LinkedIn

What is LinkedIn Sales navigator?

As you would think about it, Sales Navigator is made for Sales. The platform allows you to maintain your relationships with your buyers.

In fact it’s a complete tool that can help you in:

  • Targeting the right people and companies.
  • Tracking changes in your buyers.
  • Engaging with prospects with LinkedIn’s messaging.

The tool has some very interesting features, particularly concerning targeting people. This tool is absolutely not free, so, yes, you will need a premium account.

How to avoid the mistakes everyone makes on LinkedIn

You will find in this article, the 12 mistakes to avoid to use LinkedIn intelligently:

  • Mistake 1: Not having an optimized LinkedIn profile.
  • Mistake 2: Not knowing how to structure your text.
  • Mistake 3: Not having a publication strategy and a clear editorial line.
  • Mistake 4: Being boring.
  • Mistake 5: Talking too much about yourself.
  • Error 6: Adding outgoing links.
  • Mistake 7: Not responding to comments.
  • Mistake 8: Tagging half your network to comment on your post.
  • Mistake 9: Using your company page.
  • Mistake 10: Not using the new features of LinkedIn.
  • Mistake 11: Not being regular and not planning your posts.
  • Mistake 12: Not knowing how to convert your audience.

What can you do on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn has several strings to its bow, it is ideal for job hunting, especially thanks to the thousands of offers that are presented every day on the network and the possibility to upload and share your resume online. LinkedIn’s features are really good.

LinkedIn is ideal for personal branding. The network has millions of users who are eager to learn new things.

You can also do digital communication and webmarketing on this social media, mainly thanks to LinkedIn Live and LinkedIn Ads.

Finally, your LinkedIn account can become a formidable weapon of marketing and sales strategy thanks to the automation on the network.

What is Inmail?

Well, Inmail is a premium feature (you might need a premium account). As you know now, you cannot send a message to someone who is not part of your network.

Except if you have Inmail. With this little gem, you can directly message another LinkedIn member that you are not connected to.

What is LinkedIn for companies?

Another principle of LinkedIn, it is possible to create a page dedicated to your company. It allows you to make your company more visible, especially by adding your employees and partners. It is also a very good solution to broadcast your company’s news, your products and services and to post job offers. It is also possible to use paid advertising to increase your visibility!
But here are other advantages of using LinkedIn for your company:

  • Boost your brand awareness and e-reputation.
  • Get more leads (potential customers) for your products/services.
  • Reach millions of users with an inbound marketing strategy.
  • Improve your company branding and employer brand.
  • Connect with your current customers to build loyalty.

The page function is for companies (large or small), as well as schools and universities. On the other hand, it is not possible to have access to private messaging via a company page if you want to exchange in a more discreet way with a prospect for example.

You can create a page by clicking on the “products” button button at the top of your LinkedIn homepage, then click on “Create a LinkedIn page” before filling in the necessary elements. Be careful, you can only create a page if you have a profile in your name!

Now you know how to answer someone when they ask you “What is LinkedIn?” 🚀

Amandine

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