LinkedIn now the world's largest professional network site, boasting 332 million users worldwide and with two new members every second. The site has grown beyond a network for recruiters and people searching for jobs. It is a powerful marketing tool for building your personal brand as well as your business.Build Your Personal BrandBuilding a LinkedIn profile is a simple and effective way to promote your personal brand. You can build a LinkedIn profile with photos, certificates, videos, documents as well as your work history. People are able to recommend and endorse you based on your skills to help build your credibility.Sending connection requests to your colleagues and existing clients is also a great way to build relationships. If you're just starting out on LinkedIn and have a small number of connections, you can connect LinkedIn to your email address book and add connections quickly.[caption id="attachment_3005" align="alignnone" width="382"]

LinkedIn allows your connections to endorse your skills[/caption]Promote Your BusinessLinkedIn can be used for business development. It can help build relationships with potential clients, regardless of their location or industry. Using InMail (personal messages on LinkedIn) and getting involved in LinkedIn groups is a great way to connect with potential clients.Businesses of any size can use LinkedIn to improve brand awareness. LinkedIn Company Pages allow users to learn about your company without leaving the site. You can include a summary of your business and create company updates for followers of the page.If you have an update you would like to promote to a wider audience, you can make it a sponsored update to target people based on the company they work for, their job title, industry, seniority, location and more.[caption id="attachment_3006" align="alignnone" width="541"]

Targeting options for company sponsored updates[/caption]If you would like help in setting up a Linkedin Company page for your business, or would like to improve your personal LinkedIn profile get in touch with the Bang Online Marketing Team today.