Does LinkedIn Help Build Business?

LinkedIn, so far, has proven to be the best social media tool to build my content writing business.

I admit it. I was a social media Luddite until one day, I decided it was time to stop thinking about all the reasons I didn’t want to use LinkedIn and other social media and give it a chance. I am, after all, a geek who has always loved technology, so why not try it? Everyone was telling me social media would help me build my business.

Like many of my peers, I love the Internet, but I’d kept my distance from Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. I have to give loads of credit to my very patient friend, a much hipper social media user than me, got me to consider it. She nicely listened to all of my concerns (about privacy, hacking, stalkers. etc.) and then helped me set up Facebook and LinkedIn accounts exactly the way I wanted. It’s been a rewarding, if sometimes hairy, road since we kicked it off, due to my own mistakes, but it’s well worth it.

I didn’t jump in. I posted a few things on Facebook but did not like the personal feel of it so I limited my involvement to watching how others use it.

LinkedIn started generating work very quickly.

I took my time updating my LinkedIn profile and getting connected with others. I also got some great training from a LinkedIn consultant, which helped me avoid some typical blunders and do the right things to build a good presence. Several people I’d worked with in the past reached out to say hello. Others inquired to find out if I was interested in working with them.

Within about a year, I was booked solid with new projects.

Much of the work has come from peers I worked with years ago, so there was a much shorter ramp-up time because we already knew and had a trust level with each other. Others came through referrals, and other inquiries have come from people watching what I’m posting.

You can be as involved or uninvolved as you want to be.

I also joined a few groups and started reading what others were writing about. I found that, with a little digging, you can find highly productive groups that help you keep a pulse on what’s trending in your industry.

Lately, I find myself asking my peers if they use LinkedIn. Many say, “No, I haven’t really gotten around to it yet,” or “I know I should get on it, but…”

I know. I felt the same way.

My advice? Give it a try if you want to build your business. Or your career path. Good things happen when you network in a genuine way, and LinkedIn is a natural extension of networking in person.

My advice to anyone who is considering leaving their day job to start they own company is to use LinkedIn to build business. It helped me get there much faster than if I’d have started seeking clients by traditional networking alone, although you definitely need to do both. It’s enabled me to do all the things I was doing for my business before, but much more quickly, with less effort. I’m glad my friend had the patience to help me get started.

Oh, one more thing. Don’t wait until you have a perfect profile. Mine is a work in progress. But that’s the point. Progress drives results.

You can check it out here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulaheikell

Any and all comments and suggests are welcome.