Beginner's Tips for Using Online Networking Tool, LinkedIn

So I'm going to tell you what I know about why you'd want to use LinkedIn and the different ways to get there.

I love LinkedIn.

First, some in-general info. With any New Media marketing you have to go in with a plan, or you'll end up with a mess. Here are some broad options I've seen LinkedIn used for. Your mileage may vary, but most likely you'll see yourself relating to one of the following primary uses.

Someone just starting in business needs to have a place to store contacts, but doesn't want to buy an expensive customer relationship management system. LinkedIn allows this person to keep all the info in one place that you don't want to put into Outlook or an Excel spreadsheet online. It buys time until they find an open source customer relationship management system or purchase a system.

Another way to use LinkedIn, is to attach to your profile people you actually know. This will keep your group tight-knit and make for less connections that are potentially more meaningful. This is best if you're looking for very high quality leads.

Perhaps you're looking for mastermind advice or brainstorming help within your field. A LinkedIn profile that connects you to everyone from a particular group, such as professional women or Insurance Agents can be useful. Especially if you're starting out and want to see how others got to a place of success. Overall it's a great way to ask questions of your peers.

You could even opt for the be all, end all, as many connections as you can muster profile. Do you want to have access to information on a bunch of people? You could use this information for cold-calling or lead generation.

Any way you slice it, you'll have pros and cons. What you get out of it, as with anything, will be directly proportionate to plan + energy + consistency. I'll tell you, though, that just having a plan will reduce the amount of energy you have to use because you'll have your goal in mind every time you get a LinkedIn request.