If you have never heard of LinkedIn or never used it, let me introduce it here and now.    LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 65 million members and growing rapidly. LinkedIn connects you to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals.

But it’s more than that, and it’s certainly more than just another social network service which is going to take up more of your precious time.  For a small business owner, IT contractor or IT freelancer, it is an indispensable tool for growing your business.   Of course it can be used to just keep in touch with people you have worked with in the past and want to work for in the future, but let me give you 3 additional ways that I have used the network in the past which may give you ideas on how you can utilise it in the future:

Small Business Groups

In addition to individuals, groups can be defined within LinkedIn and you can view, join, participate in the discussions, use them for advice or even attend events.    One of the many groups I belong to is a group called “Ambitious Owners and Managers” which is for small business owners.  Through this group, a small band of IT specialists have formed a real-world group around my local town, and we are now meeting on a regular basis in a mentoring and support group, where we can discuss marketing, sales, and growth strategies.

Finding Freelance Resource

Because you have the option of listing your skills when you register on LinkedIn, the network becomes a very useful searchable directory of people with the skills you need.   In a recent project, I was asked to look at a data migration from an obsolete database into Oracle.   Despite my best efforts in Google, I could not find a way of exporting the information from the obsolete database – so I turned to LinkedIn.  Within a few minutes of searching by the database name, I came across 2 people who had the skills to use the database, and with a quick email exchange I had the information I needed to compete the project.

Being found as a resource

Just as I use LinkedIn to find skills and resources I need for projects I work on, so I list my skills and work experience to allow people to find me.   I am happy to report that a small number of freelance contracts have been secured through a LinkedIn connection.

So if you have never used LinkedIn before, now is the time to give it a try.  Even if you are an existing user, think about ways that it can help you grow your business, and don’t forget to link me in.

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