The Power Of LinkedIn

Let's take a moment to admire how LinkedIn silently dominates among social networks. For many college students LinkedIn is simply a formal social network where you can dump your resume and hope to be contacted for internships or jobs. However, LinkedIn is in actuality much more than that.

This social network goes beyond just a host for your information. As you scroll through your Facebook newsfeed and Twitter feed you are constantly bombarded with advertisements.


Go and take a look at your LinkedIn right now. How many ads do you see?

LinkedIn Sidebar (Personal Profile)

When you look at LinkedIn you tend to only see one advertisement. The rest of the space is used to suggest tools and people that coud help you increase your profile visibility and possibly advance your career path.

Now go on to your Facebook, YouTube or any other social media account you may have and compare the results.

YouTube Advertisement Header - Main Page

Advertisement before YouTube video  

Numerous Advertisements on Facebook Newsfeed 

The obvious observations are that in comparison LinkedIn doesn't bombard us with constant ads. Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and YouTube all invite different people and all hold different types of content. Similarly, LinkedIn has it's own rules and guidelines and operates in their own unique way.

LinkedIn has become a place where companies can market themselves, sell, and recruit top talent. This means that it's a social network that can have a direct impact on the growth and success of a company. It's a unique position where LinkedIn as a network can monetize in a predominantly ad free way. They do this by pushing business users like sales people, marketers, corporate recruiters towards premium accounts. It's an another interesting example of how a social network can be a viable business.

In other words, don't just let your LinkedIn account sit there. Utilize it and update it to your advantage. Just like we post articles in our Facebook groups and tweet them out, don't be afraid to become an active member of a more professional community.