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LinkedIn is Not Facebook

December 7th, 2020

If you had a moment of attention from a big client or a new prospect, what would talk to them about? Our COVID services? A big project you worked on? Maybe your specialty at HRP and how that can help them? Maybe.

What you probably wouldn’t do is start an argument or show them whatever the latest tear jerking viral video is (Marine Returns Home From Duty to Meet Infant Daughter For The First Time Who is blind and Now Able to See for the First Time and Also both of them are Puppies Somehow). Right? Unfortunately, we know this is not always the case.

Coming onto the scene in 2003, LinkedIn was labeled as *cue the bright lights* “The new Facebook”. I hate that statement for many reasons (Like the fact Facebook was created in 2004) but mostly because LinkedIn is NOT Facebook.

By definition Facebook lists that their purpose is to “Connect with friends, family and other people you know. Share photos and videos, send messages and get updates.” LinkedIn’s? A place to “Manage your professional identity. Build and engage with your professional network. Access knowledge, insights and opportunities.” Do those sound anything alike? Other than both introducing the idea of “connecting” to a “network” of people (Hello, that’s literally what social media is) they have nothing in common.

Well, given all that, what exactly is LinkedIn? To put it simply, it’s a platform for creating and communicating your own professional brand. Your brand is how you market, well, you! If you blend your knowledge, character, talents and professional experiences, what do you want people to see? What makes you stand out in a crowd? The best part about branding yourself is that YOU control the narrative. You are the artist, LinkedIn is the canvas, and you can paint yourself not just as who you are, but who you want to be. On the other hand, you can choose to do nothing and let your brand develop naturally. The problem with this strategy? You are not the artist. Organic branding can be based on assumptions, rumors, or even the media, and it can grow and change in ways you can’t manage. And I know what you’re probably thinking, “I’m just me, no one is talking about me on social media or breaking news stories to the media.” But in today’s social media driven world, news travels quickly and often. New “nobodies” are becoming “internet famous” every day in good and bad ways, no one is safe from becoming a news headline. It is important to tell your own story before someone else does it for you.

On LinkedIn you not only represent the company you work for but most importantly, yourself! You control the narrative, and you build your brand. How? Update your profile, share/interact/generate relevant & insightful information, connect with people you know, new and old. If you had just met someone and all they knew you by was your LinkedIn, would you be confident in the “picture” they drew in their heads? More often than not, your LinkedIn may be someone’s first impression of you so it’s important to make it count.

With all that being said, if you're ever contemplating "Is this right for LinkedIn?" ask yourself this: Who do I want to be in the eyes of 690 million + employers?

Everett B. Anderson III, Creative Manager at HRP Associates, Inc.