The Benefits of Professional Social Media

In the past 10 years, the prevalence and importance of social media platforms in business and society have transformed the way we communicate with friends, peers and colleagues.

Though few may view social media as a distraction in the workplace, there are a wide range of professional benefits for those who build and maintain their online profiles.  Here are just a few of the benefits you may see from investing in your social media presence.

Build and Foster New Relationships

One of the greatest positives of the worldwide popularity of social media is its ability to connect you with people or businesses you are interested in locally, nationally and internationally.

By connecting with peers, your network will be accessible and available to you when required. Your connections will also be able to get in contact with you and stay up to date with your important professional updates.

Social media can also help you to build relationships with key influential people in your industry, which you may not otherwise meet. Twitter and LinkedIn, for example, are useful platforms for building rapport with people in your chosen field or specialisation.

Social media, in particular LinkedIn, has changed the follow-up process which occurs following networking events. Prior to social media, for connections made at a networking event to be valuable, you would have to collect business cards and recall who people were and what was discussed. Now, you can simply look a person up on LinkedIn and connect with them to be reminded of what they look like, their industry, experience and more.

Share Your Skills

With 95% of recruiters using LinkedIn to find and vet candidates, it is important that your online public profiles are professional and reflective of your experience and abilities. Platform choice can depend greatly on your chosen industry. While LinkedIn is a necessity across all business industries, for more creative pursuits, a blog which allows you to display a portfolio of your work may be more suitable.

Sometimes when seeking new opportunities or looking to make a career change, your online image can help to set you apart from other applicants. In addition, if you are connected with industry leaders and members on social media, this can improve your reputability.

Develop Knowledge

Social media platforms, especially Twitter and Facebook, have become known as the first source for news and events. Most news sources are highly active in the online space and many niche news and opinion sites utilise social media to build their profile and reach.

There are many business leaders on Twitter who often share great, informative articles about the current state of business, marketing and innovation. Alternatively, find some of the LinkedIn Influencers recognised in your industry. You’ll often find that they write fantastic blog posts or articles to share their insights and experiences.

How do you utilise social media for professional purposes? Do you have any advice for someone who is in the process of building their social profiles? Let us know in the comments!