Forget recruiting, if you’re not on LinkedIn it’s probably costing you money and losing you new clients.

Over the last several years at least two (and often three) representatives from Fellows and Associates have attended INTA’s Annual Meeting, with the purpose of networking and extending their international contact base at the feast of receptions and events. As part of our networking activities, once we’re back in the UK we set about adding all of our new contacts on LinkedIn as a way of ensuring we keep in touch. 

 

Director of Fellows and Associates, Pete Fellows, a veteran attendee of both INTA’s Annual Meeting and AIPPI’s biennial World Intellectual Property Congress comments on the development of LinkedIn over the past few years. “I’ve always embraced new technology and social media, especially in business; I joined LinkedIn in 2004 when it was in the first stages of development. When I first began attending international conferences for the Intellectual Property market, I found that approximately only 40 to 50% of the people I met were on the site now it’s more likely to be around about 90%.” So, why is LinkedIn so effective? Since May 2003 when it first launched to today the number has grown significantly with the site acquiring more than 200 million users as of January 2013. 

 

A common misconception is that its only use is during times of active job hunting but LinkedIn is actually just as important for building your profile and cementing yourself as a successful business person. As a first time attendee to INTA’s Annual Meeting last year, the INTA groups on the site allowed me a glimpse into all the things that were to come. It made the prospect of such a large international conference less daunting. The opportunity to start networking before you’ve even arrived is an attractive idea and the groups allow for likeminded individuals to come together and collaborate on issues important to them. 

 

With all our enthusiasm for LinkedIn it’s hard for us to understand other people’s lack of it. After any large conference or business meeting our first port of call is to search for individuals we have business cards for on the site. This provides a handy way for us to store all our business contacts in one easy place, keeps us up to date with their activity and the newsfeed and status tool act as a convenient and instantaneous way to interact. 

 

The world is getting smaller and as a firm we find we’re acting on behalf of clients in international territories.  LinkedIn acts as a leveller in the business world, allowing someone in China to interact with the US at the click of a button.  And visibility on LinkedIn can give competitive advantage.  If we are looking for new suppliers, people to quote on our articles or new opportunities we would inevitably check LinkedIn first. Thus, a well-crafted profile can support profitability, your chances of landing a new role as a candidate and your credibility as a business or professional in an ever developing online society. 

 

Consultant Phillipa Field stresses the importance of LinkedIn in her working day. “I was somewhat aware of LinkedIn before joining Fellows and Associates but did not actively dedicate time and effort to it until after settling into my role here. I’m amazed how much I rely on it on a daily basis for supplementing my knowledge of the industry, keeping in contact with colleagues overseas and for general research and development”. 

 

LinkedIn offers a fantastic ability to reach out and engage with colleagues and peers the world over; however the extent to which it is an aid to an individual or company depends upon their utilisation. Much of our progress as a company is dependent on the successful implementation of social networking and new technology and we’ve found that actively participating in group conversations, regularly updating our content and maintaining our company and individual profiles all add to our presence in the industry. 

 

 

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LinkedIn#Membership