Creating Connections on Multiple Platforms

LinkedIn has been an up and coming form of social media within the past decade. I personally did not tap in to the world of LinkedIn until I was a student in the Business College, where networking and connecting with professionals in various companies was highly recommended. I quickly learned the ropes of LinkedIn once I created a profile.

To me, LinkedIn was surprisingly similar to Facebook in terms of the capabilities, features and overall theme of the site. The only major difference is the atmosphere of LinkedIn compared to Facebook. LinkedIn has a more professional atmosphere to the platform and is focused on goals, and staying up to date on people’s careers and industry news. The atmosphere makes sense since the average salary of the users is $109,000.

After using LinkedIn and becoming familiar with the site, I have found that companies generally have a page or group within LinkedIn to follow and interact with, but the best option to connect with a company is to network with individuals of all leadership from a company on LinkedIn. The social media site provides visibility within leadership of a company due to some executives having profiles.

When looking at how businesses market within LinkedIn, I found that most advertisements aren’t necessarily directed towards selling products or services, but rather selling the company itself and building a reputation. LinkedIn from my perspective is a hub where people can potentially apply for jobs. Also, companies post achievements and current news regarding business to keep followers up to date with various happenings.

I decided to do some research to figure out what is considered “effective” and “successful” business marketing on Linked In. At the URL, http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7206-linkedin-marketing-business.html , I found that it is recommended to focus on making connections and then slowly building relationships with those connections by direct messaging, or by formal conversation. The more connections a person and business has, the greater network and greater chance of success.

Overall, I find LinkedIn a great tool to advertise a business because it is more about selling the company rather than products or services, which is a marketing strategy I find very impressive. Although it may not have the ability or precedents set to where people give feedback about products or services directly, the ability to connect with company employees and executives is truly unique. LinkedIn in my mind is a very effective tool for business marketing.

The unique aspect of Youtube is that it is similar to a “first impression” tool for businesses. The videos and advertisements a company makes give the business a “face”, allowing customers to have a visual understanding of core values, missions and products a company offers.

One thing I’ve noticed with several companies on Youtube such as Dove, Apple, Ford and insurance companies is that they create commercials with a story line that focuses on highlighting one or two aspects of their product and then showing a story that encompasses company values. While researching effective marketing strategies on the internet, I saw that the website http://lewishowes.com/linkedin/linkedin-business-marketing-tips/, encourages businesses to entertain rather than oversell the products. This kind of advertising is not only appealing to customers because it is refreshing compared to most advertisements, but is also captivating.