Continually in conversation I find myself explaining the benefits of a strong LinkedIn presence to co-workers, customers and vendor partners. Commonly the response I receive when I mention LinkedIn is something along the lines of “Oh the site for job searching?” And here in lies the common misconception.

Don’t get me wrong, LinkedIn is a powerful force in a job search and can aid and speed up your placement faster than other applications on the market. However, this benefit is the result of having an already established network. In a sense, the job search capabilities and benefits are a side effect, though many times they are the first reason people think of to set up a LinkedIn profile.

I can speak to that as I was one of those people. I set my profile up as part of my last job search. Having since converted into a true believer in the power of the network, I now encourage all around me to link up. So how did I get so roped in to being a fan and where does my ‘LinkedInthusiasm’ come from? Here are a few reasons.

LinkedIn Benefits the Individual

I remember as a young teen, there was one question I could count on Granddad asking every time I saw him, “What did you learn today?” He reinforced in me that we never stop learning and that we need to look each day to see what we have learned from the experiences of that day. As a teen, many times I struggled to find the lesson of the day. Now, I make a point to search out the day’s learning opportunity. With so many industry experts, forums and companies posting news, trends and training materials, it is hard to not learn something new every day via LinkedIn. For me this can be something as simple as a quick organizational tip, to a new menu idea for a restaurant account.

brand PRESENCE

Increase your brand presence. We are all our own brands. We are selling ourselves to the market, whether it is to gain respect in our fields, establish our credentials to potential clients or simply to boost our own ego. Whatever your motivation, LinkedIn gives you a platform to tell your story to the world. Use the tools it lets you. Create a dynamite profile and be sure it tells the whole story of you, the story you want the world to see.

stay COMPETITIVE

Keep up with the competition. Whether your competition is the business across the street trying to take the attention of your customers or that personal rival you have had in the industry the last several years, you can easily stay on top of what they are learning, offering and what they are up to by seeing what they post and who they connect with or follow. Don’t forget we all have our strong points and we can learn from our competition. What do they bring to the table? Maybe we have the same offering but they are simply doing a better job of selling their story. Watch for what they do and then reflect on your own actions and profile to see how to answer back and stay ahead.

stay CONNECTED

One simple reason to use LinkedIn is to never lose a connection. How many times in the past have you dug through a stack of business cards or a rolodex to track down a connection only to find they have changed jobs and phones and you have now lost touch? Or how many hours have you spent updating your outlook contacts as people send you their new contact info as they move from company to company? Let’s face it, in today’s job market people move around more than ever and keeping up with where they have gone can be a full time job. If no other reason is motivating enough, then letting them keep your connections and contacts up to date for you online could be.

LinkedIn Benefits the Company

Why should employers encourage their employees to stay active on LinkedIn? Isn’t this risky when it exposes their employees to so many new opportunities that could pull them away? If this is your concern, then you are focusing on the symptom and not curing the disease. Happy employees will use LinkedIn to the companies benefit, generating sales leads, learning from industry related articles and following other companies and groups within the industry. Think of the thousands of posts daily to better improve time management, leadership skills or provide industry trends. What better access to free training could you provide for your employees and as this is something they are doing of their own accord, this information will be better received and have a higher rate of retention. LinkedIn provides for better trained, more knowledgeable employees, free of charge. What company will not benefit that?

better REPUTATION

A second company benefit is the company’s placement and reputation in the marketplace. How better to boast your top talent and what you can offer potential clients than by sharing the background and expertise of each individual team member for all to see. Companies often post the credentials and the bios of their top brass on their websites but with LinkedIn this information is available to the public for all levels of the team. For a potential client think how this could affect their decision. They can check out your star team right down to the person putting the final touches on their needs. Winning companies would view this as a compliment to their team, a chance to brag openly about their starting line-up, and would be proud to have great profiles on display to position themselves as the prime choice in their field.

boost MORALE

One last point for companies is a side benefit that will continue to pay off even more, increased employee morale! As employees will feel more important, more part of a winning team and less trapped, they will feel better positioned in their careers. Everyone loves to win. To be a part of a team that is experienced at a company that is up with the times will help employees gain this feeling. Seeing the strong presence of their colleagues’ profiles will reinforce that they are part of a great team and make this feeling a reality. There is no value too large to a company for the importance of good morale. As contagious as bad morale is, costing millions to companies per year in lost sales, mistakes and inefficiencies, the benefits of a positive environment have the polar opposite effect. And as I previously stated, happy employees will not use LinkedIn as a getaway vehicle.

Please do not mistake my exclusion of the networking benefits of LinkedIn for sales leads and job opportunities as a lack of understanding or oversight as my focus was to highlight the more commonly overlooked benefits we can use to our advantage.

spread LINKEDINTHUSIASM

Now that you have perhaps a few more reasons to get ‘roped-in’ to the benefits of LinkedIn, take that enthusiasm to your network.  Grow your network, share your ideas, add connections, and enjoy the rewards of a great system.  Whether you are a company focusing on recruiting and retention or an employee working to grow sales or your own personal development, LinkedIn will help you reach your goal.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you find these benefits helpful, please share with your friends either via LinkedIn or in simple conversations. I would also be interested to hear what benefits you see in your network, please comment on the benefits you have found with your LinkedIn experience.

Andy Vargo is a motivational speaker, life coach and comedian who challenges you to ‘Own Your Awkward’. He is the author of the Awkward Journal series, host of the podcast, Own Your Awkward, and shares thoughts and ideas in his blog and video series available at awkwardcareer.com.