3 Rarely Known LinkedIn Tools

By Donny Lamey

Most people have a profile page on LinkedIn, and chances are good that their business also have a LinkedIn profile page. Chances are equally good that out of these millions of people, most are not using this professional social networking platform to its full potential. LinkedIn has a huge value for marketers, that no matter where you are in your career, can help you get ahead. The following three features of LinkedIn are not very well known but can help you excel in marketing your career.

LinkedIn Today
Staying current on events in your industry is vital for marketing professionals who have business intelligence. LinkedIn has put together a tool called LinkedIn Today that will show you what your competitors are doing, and what our customers are demanding as well as the different innovations taking place. LinkedIn Today pulls this business intelligence from a wide variety of places on the internet that pertain only to your industry.

LinkedIn gathers news based on what you read and what those in your industry and network share and read making it easier for you to get updated information that may impact your company and you. You can also access this information on LinkedIn mobile application as well as your computer giving you two ways to check out the outside world.

LinkedIn Skill Search
LinkedIn is a social platform that begin as a place to bring professionals together with a kind of beefed up, online resume people could access. Skill Search is another LinkedIn feature that will help you achieve this goal by allowing users to be specific about their skills and find others needing those skills. Because the field of marketing is ever changing and very fast paced, this tool can be extremely useful.

You can use this tool to find other marketers that specialize in a certain type of marketing, add them to your network and learn from what they share. You can also use this tool to find conferences that your peers are attending, thereby making connection to events across the country through LinkedIn. Skill Search is not limited to headhunters, it also allows you to find people that are passionate about the same areas you are and connect with them so that you both learn from each others knowledge.

Applications Within LinkedIn

LinkedIn profiles, because of the help of Applications, are getting more complex with the new application that will allow users to add videos to their profile page. Other applications include allowing the user to take a poll, manage travel plans and share files. Through using third party vendor applications such as TripIt, Box.net, and Slideshare, users can find applications to allow them to post just about anything to their profile. The applications help to get people talking about your brand or even to create your own personal brand through enhancing your profile page.

Marketers have much potential using LinkedIn that they do not realize. There are many opportunities professionals have at their disposal from this most powerful social network. By putting the above lesser known features to work, you will discover how much your business can grow.

Donny Lamey is the President & CEO of DiscoverTec, LLC. He started the company in 1993, incorporated in 1994 and launched the web application development division in 1995. For the past 15 years, DiscoverTec has been a leading technology services company and has been selected as one of the fastest growing companies 3 years in a row. Prior to founding DiscoverTec, Donny graduated from the University of West Florida with a degree in Management Information Systems. DiscoverTec now offers web development as well as Internet marketing.

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