Social Media Marketing For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Getting Started

To understand the potential marketing value of LinkedIn, as shown in Figure 11-1, you can view it in two distinct ways: as a marketing vehicle for your own career, and as a marketing tool to understand and connect with the audience to which you market.

Figure 11-1: The LinkedIn home page.

It’s safe to assume that everyone on LinkedIn is sold on the idea of networking. They know the value of a connection that can take you where you need to go. This means that you can connect with people knowing that you don’t need to convince them that sharing contacts or advice is valuable.

On the other hand, the fact that they understand this value means that you can’t use connections frivolously. At no time should you connect with someone without the understanding that you or your contacts could also be of value to them.

LinkedIn gives you the option to start with a free account. This account has lots of great features. If you are just getting started, you may want to join without making any additional financial commitment. You can decide if you need additional premium features after you get the lay of the land.

If you have used LinkedIn for a while or know that you will be using your account for something specific like an immediate job search, you may want to consider joining at a premium level. (See the section called “Finding a Job” later in this chapter.) What’s in the ...