LinkedIn is B2B's Gateway to Social Media

While many businesses hesitate to "adopt" social media, many business people are already heavy users of social media sites. Sometimes they don't even notice it. The ubiquitous success of LinkedIn is proof that even the most reluctant technology user can be enticed into the Web 2.0 space. Clearly LinkedIn have a great value proposition:

• Allows you to:
  • advertise/demonstrate your professional experience
  • manage your personal and professional network
  • expose this network (and activate its value)
  • identify and facilitate business opportunities in your wider network
• Provides employers with:
  • easy access to categorised and location based professional profiles
  • ready source of verifiable and referenceable professional histories

And while there are many other reasons to use LinkedIn, the simple fact that many business PEOPLE use it is a great proof point for social media within a business. And for B2B, it just means that you need to clearly articulate the value proposition -- how will it impact the business, which problem will it solve and what opportunities will it open up.

Take a look at this interview by Andy Sernovitz featuring David Armano and Matt Dickman -- if you listen to your customers, partners and employees then you might be suprised at what you find. But then think about your own LinkedIn profile. Think of its value to you. Then think bigger. Apply that thinking to your business -- and I will bet you see the opportunity that social media presents. It's about the FUTURE of your brand. (I'll have more on this topic really soon.)