With the current economic climate, times have been uncertain in the world of marketing and advertising. Although companies are slowly beginning to open up their pocket books again, many are still playing it close to the vest as they wait to see how things pan out. This has made things increasingly difficult for sales and marketing professionals from all industries and company sizes as they look for new ways to get the job done with increasingly less resources.

With the continued popularity of social networks and growth of social media there is an abundance of tools and resources available for us to leverage in order to connect with potential clients and customers. As more and more companies begin to utilize social networks it presents a new opportunity for you to reach out and network with key people in organizations.

LinkedIn is a professional network that can be hugely beneficial across industries with the sole mission to “connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.” Steve Patrizi, a VP for LinkedIn, shares 15 tips to help you stand out on LinkedIn and leverage this resource for ultimate success in his iMedia article, “How to Stand Out on LinkedIn.” Patrizi provides some great techniques including:

• Join groups that are relevant to your area of expertise as a way to connect with new clients or find a new position.
• Customize your LinkedIn Public Profile URL to help you own your professional brand and Google search results.
• Use LinkedIn Advanced Search to discover the key decision makers at the companies you want to work with.
• Use LinkedIn groups to establish a community for your brand and buildbrand ambassadors.

Many of these tips may seem obvious, but they are important to remember. LinkedIn can be a great tool, but it is not going to do the work for you. If utilized properly it can be an excellent resource to help build your personal brand and company’s brand, as well as enabling you to connect with the key people at the right companies. But just because you signed up doesn’t mean you will automatically start benefiting. Like many social networks and social media channels there is great marketing potential, but you have to take the time, do the research, and put in the work if you want to reap the rewards.