WHERE STORIES TAKE FLIGHT: LinkedIn as a Marketing Tool

What am I getting out of LinkedIn? Free exposure! A professional friend of mine insisted that I sign up for LinkedIn a few months ago. I wasn't interested. I was still trying to figure out Twitter! To me, all social media was just another, more complicated, Facebook.

I was wrong. LinkedIn is the largest professional network on earth. It's not a "fan Page" or a personal page--it's a professional snapshot. It highlights my education and work experience. There are groups I can join to meet other authors and publishers. My profile is searchable on the net. It increases my presence on the web.

Here Are Seven Reasons Why I Use LinkedIn:

Relationships--LinkedIn will link me to others in my field where I can build new connections outside of my own circle of friends.
Marketing--I can market my blog and my book to targeted groups who may actually be interested!!
Networking--I can safely connect, chat and share ideas with other authors
Hiring--If I want to hire services in the future to help me with my books, I can find qualified help.(Or find a job if my book sales don't increase!)
Showcasing--Highlighting my expertise may lead to paid gigs in the future as a speaker, writing teacher or guest poster. My blog and tweets are syndicated on LinkedIn, my book is featured and so are links to my websites. (To maximize this--make sure your public profile is set to Full View.) I also added a LinkedIn badge to my blogs!
SEO--it increases my Google page rank. I set a custom URL for my LinkedIn profile (anyone can do this). My custom URL is my full name. This makes it easier for search engines to index me.
It's Free!

I have the basic account with LinkedIn. There is a lot more you can do with LinkedIn than I've described. I may re-visit this post at another time. I know I haven't begun to maximize the benefits of LinkedIn and I can't wait to get started!

To Do: Create a LinkedIn profile page today, invite your friends and join a group! If you already have a LinkedIn profile, have you done the following--set a custom URL for your profile, added a LinkedIn badge to your website, set your profile to Full View, joined a group, invited friends (do it every three months to get the slackers), joined a discussion, updated your photo or added your blog? It works if you work it!

Check out my profile and connect with me!