Sara Carter of mac-reviews.net writes regularly about IT services, computer upgrades, computer repair and computer apps for Computer Geeks Online, Social Mouths, and Tech Republic.
As of September 2012, LinkedIn had 175 million members in more than 200 countries. An increasing number of LinkedIn users have Smartphones and the social network has acknowledged this by updating its iPhone and Android apps. Although the number of apps offered by LinkedIn is relatively small compared to other marketplaces, what is on offer is of premium quality and can help you increase the number your company page followers. Developers are now using the site’s API to create downloads which help businesses leaders meet contacts for a formal lunch, scan business cards and conduct a myriad of other activities. Below is a selection of LinkedIn apps that can increase your company’s online presence.
CardMunch
This is an interesting app available for iPhone users. It recognises the fact that even in this technologically advanced world; business cards are far from dead. How does CardMunch differ from similar apps? It syncs uploaded information with existing LinkedIn contacts. Take a picture of the card and in no time, the card’s information will be stored and cross-referenced to ensure you have access to that person’s LinkedIn details. Once the contact is scanned, there will also be a list of mutual contacts listed on that individual’s profile available for you to connect with.
Polls
This is an application that helps you leverage the wisdom of LinkedIn’s many professionals. You can use LinkedIn Polls to quickly find the answers to business and market research questions. For instance, you can discover how managers answer your questions in comparison to the answers provided by staff lower on the corporate ladder. You may find that answers vary dramatically according to the age, sex or earning power of the respondents. To utilize Polls correctly, you need to ask searching questions that go beyond ‘yes’ and ‘no’ answers. The results page will break down the demographics of the respondents for you and help you determine the differences between each group.
WordPress
This app allows you to sync your WordPress posts with your LinkedIn profile, which means everyone you know and all of their group members will be kept up to date with your work. A special LinkedIn tag can be used to filter your posts and it is even possible to display a personal gravatar. All updates will automatically be sent to your network, allowing your blog posts to gain greater exposure on LinkedIn.
SlideShare
This is the world’s biggest community when it comes to sharing presentations. It allows you to upload resumes, portfolios, conference speeches and marketing presentations to your profile. The app supports many different formats and enables you to embed YouTube videos in presentations and include audio to create a webinar.
Box.Net
This app makes it easier to manage and share files than ever before. It allows you to upload basically any type of file to your LinkedIn profile, showing interesting data to visitors who are allowed to view and download what you offer. It is a great tool for those seeking work as you can share your resume or portfolio and send it to your LinkedIn contacts. Equally, it is an excellent method for finding suitable staff because you can post job openings to your profile. In effect, this is free storage space for your best sales content. Box.Net allows prospects to learn important information about your company just by looking at your LinkedIn profile.
My Travel
This is another brilliant networking app as it allows you to see where your professional network is travelling at any time. With this information, you can see if a contact’s travel plans coincide with your own and make arrangements to meet. The My Travel app can be added to show your current location, details of upcoming trips and other travel stats within your network.
A LinkedIn company page is a great sales lead generation tool. Remember, a LinkedIn page should be seen as a portal to the products and services offered by your business. The modern day customer performs a lot of research before making a purchasing decision so the more information made available to them relating to your company and what it does, the more likely you are to gain a new client.