“What is LinkedIn? And what is LinkedIn used for???”
As a member of LinkedIn’s Education Team, I got those exact questions almost daily from students and alumni around the world.
And while it was tempting to just say “LinkedIn is a social network,” I’m going to let you in on a little secret: LinkedIn isn’t a social network at all. It’s a tool.
What do I mean by that?
Well, think about what a social network usually implies - a place to hang out with friends, see funny photos, and generally waste time.
And yeah, sure, there’s probably a certain number of users who do just that on LinkedIn. But the savviest LinkedIn users are playing a whole different game. They’re using LinkedIn as a power tool to tackle their toughest challenges.
Here’s How to Use LinkedIn for Every Challenge
LinkedIn for Job-Seekers
The #1 use case, by far, is to help you find a job. But not just by searching for random jobs the way you would on Monster or Indeed. Because your chances of success by applying online randomly are approximately 1/250 - in other words, pretty dang awful.
On the other hand, the savviest LinkedIn job-seekers can boost their chances of success 10X just by leveraging a few advanced LinkedIn techniques:
First, whenever they find a job they’re excited about, they look up all the employees at the company - which you can do just by searching for your desired company on LinkedIn.
Then, they filter this list by people who have things in common with them - e.g., they have mutual connections or went to the same school.
Finally, they reach out to these people on LinkedIn with a personalized connection request, emphasizing what they have in common and asking for a quick informational interview - during which they ask for a referral.
And sure enough, this referral is their golden ticket - the best possible shot at a job they love. All made possible by LinkedIn!
LinkedIn for Sales + Recruiting
As you can see from the first example, LinkedIn is to the old-fashioned yellow pages as a bazooka is to a squirt gun. Like I said, a total people search power tool! And that’s especially true for the two biggest people search professions: Sales and Recruiting.
Because whether you want to find prospective clients or prospective hires, pretty much everyone you want to reach is on LinkedIn - 1B people and counting!
All it takes is a savvy use of LinkedIn’s advanced search filters:
Start by searching for a keyword that defines your target audience. For example, “Product Manager” if you’re looking to hire or sell to that audience.
Then, take your list of thousands of results and apply additional filters - e.g., only the talent in a specific location or only the sales prospects who work in a specific industry.
Finally, for each person you want to engage, look for a way to get a warm intro. For example, maybe you have mutual contacts (which LinkedIn calls 2nd degree connections) and so you ask your shared friend to make an intro. Or perhaps you volunteer with the same organizations and you mention this in your outreach!
Either way, you’ve now found and engaged the perfect person, paving the way to the perfect sale or hire!
LinkedIn for Marketing and Influence
As powerful as LinkedIn is for people search, it’s also become an incredibly powerful megaphone for people reach.
And I know what you’re thinking: “Hey Jeremy, didn’t you say that LinkedIn isn’t a social network?”
But keep in mind your goal here: You’re not coming to LinkedIn to waste time and watch cat videos, you’re coming here to get important things done.
Which means that your content use of LinkedIn is all about posting, not just consuming. You just need to do it the right way.
Here’s three critical steps:
Start by being crystal clear about your audience. Whether you’re looking to reach CMOs or Crypto Bros, know who you want to speak to and what you want to say to them.
Pick the best format for your message. While you can definitely post the way you would on any social network, LinkedIn also allows you to upload slides or even write a whole article. So if you’re looking to really flex your expertise (e.g., “7 Cutting-Edge Digital Marketing Tactics” or “The Future of Crypto”), you’ve got the space to do it.
Then target them in the most specific ways. That means using the most relevant hashtags (e.g., #digitalmarketing or #BTC) and, most importantly, tagging other key players in this space (e.g., marketing thought leaders or Web3 influencers). That way, when they see they’ve been tagged in a post and come to comment, their reaction will get shared with their massive and relevant audiences - along with your original post!
Voila - instant reach. Not just of random Internet users, but of the exact people who matter most to you!
What Is LinkedIn? Here’s the Definitive Answer.
So as we return to the original question, hopefully it’s obvious now that LinkedIn is so much more than just another social network.
Instead, it’s one of the most powerful tools in your kit. To land an amazing job. To reach the right people. To get your ideas into the world. And to do a whole lot more than watch cat videos… :)