LinkedIn is the “world’s largest professional network” and is a great place to make professional connections with other people who seek to do the same. It is a website that has grown significantly over the last few years and is increasingly becoming a central media source for news and information. What really makes LinkedIn unique and stand out from other social media websites is the fact that it is dedicated to helping professionals connect with each other. You can meet other business people, get introduced to future employers, employees, and sales leads and keep in touch with peers from across the globe. If you are a working professional, you owe it to yourself to at least explore this influential social network. While you’re there, send me a connection request here.

In terms of sports business, LinkedIn is a great place to bounce ideas off of other people in the industry, to find recruiters for high-level positions, or to keep in touch with what the world’s biggest brands are doing in terms of sponsorships and activations. One of the most valuable aspects of LinkedIn for me are the “groups.” Groups are similar to online forums in that they are a place for people to ask questions and have conversations around certain topics. Users post a question or comment while others accepted into that same group have the ability to answer the question or add to the discussion. With a 50 group membership limit, LinkedIn really encourages its users to join only the groups for which someone has a tangible interest, which at the same time encourages user engagement with the limited number of groups for which they belong.

From a sales perspective, LinkedIn is a great place to learn more about the people with whom you do business. You can follow up on leads, engage in a more formal online business setting, learn more about a person’s work history and work experience, as well as connect with other people from the same organization. Social media certainly doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon and the value of a strong professional network cannot be understated. Go check out LinkedIn and let me know what you think in the comments below. How do you use LinkedIn for business?

Go Forth!