LinkedIn is becoming the definitive social networking tool for business professionals. As soon as you connect to an individual, you are greeted by a resume that includes an introduction, past employment information, education, interests, and even recommendations. Even people who are not linked directly to one another can typically learn a small amount but each other, professionally, to see if they may be good connections for one another. Things that you will not include on LinkedIn would include pictures of your connection's meals, anecdotes about their children, or political and religious commentary. It is strictly professional. With all this information available at your fingertips, what is the benefit for LinkedIn Premium?
The Benefits of LinkedIn Premium
LinkedIn Premium offers several benefits that would not be available to the average LinkedIn user. some of these benefits include:
- InMail credits (credits to allow you to send messages to people within LinkedIn with whom you are not connected)
- Seeing who has viewed your profile
- Business insights (exclusive insights in companies of interest to you, such as competitors)
- Job Insights (staying abreast of career opportunities)
- Unlimited people browsing (you can view LinkedIn profiles in full even up to 3rd degree connections)
- Open Profile (Your LinkedIn profile is available for all to view, working as a continuous advertisement for you and your services)
These are phenomenal resources for many people, which make the monthly premium well worth the investment. However, that does not mean LinkedIn Premium is for everyone. It is important to know who benefits most from this type of platform usage.
Who Benefits from LinkedIn Premium?
As you can see, one of the main focuses of LinkedIn premium is sales growth. LinkedIn Premium allows you to utilize LinkedIn as a cold introduction type platform, wherein you do not need to have people in common to connect. This remove the idea of social media and replaces it with typical sales. This is wonderful for people who are in sales, as it provides a warmer, more intimate introduction method than cold calling, but still does not require an actual introduction.
In addition to people in sales, LinkedIn Premium allows both job seekers and those looking to fill positions a wonderful way in which to connect, eliminating the need for less personal job posting sites, such as CareerBuilder and monster. It allows for a conversation to occur between both parties before an actual interview is to every take place.
Finally, people that are in the field of investigations can benefit from LinkedIn Premium. Due to the ability to message people and view 3rd level connections' profiles, people who are investigators, recruiters, attorneys, or even HR managers can benefit from access to profiles that provide additional insight into who an individual is and how he or she conducts himself in business.
In conclusion, LinkedIn is essential for every business person. However, LinkedIn Premium serves a specific need to specific types of professionals. Just because you are offered the opportunity to upgrade, do not jump on board without determining whether LinkedIn Premium is worh the investment for how you and your company utilizes LinkedIn.