LinkedIn: Your Secret Weapon

In my experience, LinkedIn is widely misunderstood and underutilized by public relations professionals. Most of us are familiar with this social platform as a job-seeking tool but fail to see it as the industry knowledge and networking resource that it is.

LinkedIn helps connect the young PR professional (or any PR professional, for that matter) with four critical audiences:

Media

If all you know about your key media contacts is the information on your media list, it’s time to dig deeper. You’ll be surprised by what you can learn from an editor or producer’s LinkedIn profile. Not only can it shed light into that contact’s work background, but you might also discover common ground – a shared alma mater, for instance – that will help you forge a more meaningful connection.

Once you discover that connection, LinkedIn makes it simple to reach out to the contact and maintain a relationship through shared articles and status updates. LinkedIn is a prime way to keep tabs on which outlets and beats your fast-moving media targets cover.

Industry Experts

Using LinkedIn, you can grow your network and build a “dream team” of mentors. Seek out interesting people who are successful in your industry or work in areas that intrigue you. With a simple LinkedIn message, you can introduce yourself and invite them to coffee – and it’s much easier than randomly searching for industry veterans on Google and trying to track down their email addresses.

LinkedIn groups also afford you the opportunity to glean industry knowledge, strengthen connections and begin to establish yourself as a thought leader. For additional insights, you can subscribe to the brilliant feeds of influencers like Richard Branson and Arianna Huffington.

Prospective Clients

If you work in an agency, you know that new business is the lifeblood of your company. Use LinkedIn to pinpoint in-house practitioners who work in specific industries or companies that interest you. For example, if you’re fascinated by the food and beverage sector, research professionals in your city who work in food or beverage companies. Invite them to lunch to pick their brains, share experiences and solidify relationships. You never know when one of these contacts might casually mention that their brand is looking for new PR representation, which could reap major rewards for you and your career.

Potential Employers

Of course, LinkedIn is a must if you’re looking for a job – entry-level or otherwise. The site is crawling with recruiters and job postings. Make sure your profile is flawless and accurately portrays your personal brand and proactively reach out to employers that interest you.

If used correctly, LinkedIn can help you make more connections offline, land a job and do that job more successfully.

What other ways are you using LinkedIn? Share your own tips for maximizing your presence on LinkedIn!

 

Keri Cook is an assistant account executive with Hill+Knowlton Strategies’ consumer marketing practice in New York. She graduated from Liberty University with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies