Reasons Why LInkedIn Is Your Digital Business Card?
A few weeks back, my wife and I attended a social impact event where we had the opportunity to meet some new people. Upon arrival, we met a really impressive woman who worked in the same industry as my wife so obviously they got to chatting and decided they wanted to connect further.
Scenario
Woman: I’d love to stay in contact, but realize I forgot to bring my business cards.
My Wife: I cannot even remember the last time I’ve been to a networking event much less needed a business card - how about we exchange numbers or emails?
Me: [Interjecting into the conversation] OR How about you both connect on LinkedIn and take it from there.
Both: [an aha moment] YES even better, let’s connect on LinkedIn!
Woman: [after easily connecting via the app] I’m not sure why that wasn’t my first thought, but it really should be.
My Wife: This is much easier. Ayanna tells me to use LinkedIn constantly.
I share this quick story to emphasize how often we forget that we can connect and engage with professionals right on LinkedIn. Even though I am a LinkedIn employee and ambassador (I was promoting LinkedIn years before I started working here) it is no secret that there is opportunity for more professionals to utilize the platform better. I’ve had various scenarios where my family, friends and even acquaintances have put LinkedIn last by default when it should really be higher on their list (if not first). Now I could spend hours talking about “Why LinkedIn'' but in the essence of time here are 3 reasons professionals should utilize LinkedIn as the digital business card of today:
Convenient app - Which makes sense since we always have our phones or laptops close by. How many times have we all misplaced a physical business card or even forgotten the person and conversation that gave it to us? Sure we can save someone’s contact in our phones, but then we run into saving and forgetting. Next thing you know it's been 3 years and we still have contacts in our phones that we’ve never really connected with since we met (or at least that has been my experience). By connecting through the app you now have access to their profile so it helps you remember who they are, what they do and who they are connected with. More importantly, it provides more color to a person that you may not have been able to get in the few minutes you connected with them. A LinkedIn profile (if done correctly) offers a full story on an individual that they curate themselves. From a profile pic to rich media features - you get to learn more about this person just by browsing their profile.
Build Your Network Instantly - By connecting on LinkedIn you are not only adding someone to your professional network, but you now open up opportunities to cultivate that relationship further on the platform as well as connect with their network on a larger scale in a short amount of time. This can be done through engagement tactics such as following them and people in their network, commenting on each other's feeds, subscribing to their newsletter and reaching out via direct message or In Mail. The more you engage the more top of mind this person and people in their network will be.
Master Database - Think about a more efficient and compact version of a phone book. We have evolved further into digital ways of efficiency. I’m not sure about you, but when I meet someone or want to know more about someone the first place I go to is Google and you’ll usually see their LinkedIn profile within the first top results, assuming they have an account. In my mind, everyone should have a LinkedIn profile so that is usually a first stop for me. Being able to have access (if their privacy settings allow) for you to instantly locate someone on LinkedIn and get a run down on who they are professionally can be a game changer!! This applies to multiple scenarios from learning more about a hiring manager to learning more about speakers you will be joining on an upcoming panel. Getting access to different people in different parts of the world with one click could be the one thing keeping you from the opportunities and connections you’ve been seeking.
I know a lot of people who already utilize LinkedIn in this way, but for those of you who are still learning and wondering about LinkedIn’s use, I do hope my reflection offers some more perspective for you. Who knew a digital business card had this much potential.
