Indisputably the largest business-oriented social network, LinkedIn has emerged as a crucial site for professional networking, B2B marketing, hiring and job seeking. LinkedIn now boasts more than 200 million members across 200 countries, and adds two new members every second; what’s more, 35% of LinkedIn members use the site daily. Furthermore, due to its multiple sharing options including buttons, apps, personal updates, company updates, and industry-focused group discussions, LinkedIn is often among the top three or four traffic sources for B2B blogs. MORE >>

I prepared summaries for my upcoming Search & Social Double Whammy seminar on May 2 in Burlington, MA describing the “big three” social networks: Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Facebook & LinkedIn. The two most popular social networks – Facebook and LinkedIn – use similar tools and metaphors to provide strikingly different utility. Both are based upon a foundation of personal profiles and “friends,” which LinkedIn calls “connections.” This makes LinkedIn a compelling new tool for professional networking and lead generation. MORE >>

It seems as though more and more clients are coming to us for LinkedIn ads – and with bigger budgets. These are mainly B2B companies looking to generate leads, drive traffic to a website or a LinkedIn company page. Here are some best practices to consider if you are thinking about running some LinkedIn ads for your business. Do you want to drive traffic to your website or your LinkedIn company page? LinkedIn allows you to choose either one. LinkedIn allows you to create up to 15 ad variations for a single ad campaign. MORE >>

Successful businesses in B2C and B2B have embraced the wide opportunities which blogs and social media offers to them to spread the word and to reach their audience where there are around. Recent data show that B2B marketers are very satisfied with the benefits of their social media marketing: – Over 56% of B2B marketers acquired new business partnerships through social media, compared to 45% of B2C. – 60% of B2B marketers saw improved search rankings from their social efforts, compared to 50% of B2C. LinkedIn. Where are Marketers going in 2012? MORE >>

Tweet In March this year, the professional networking service LinkedIn hit the 100-million-user milestone. LinkedIn is growing so quickly that it’s adding a new member every second. Gaining more and more members, LinkedIn is naturally getting more powerful and widespread. But what are people and businesses actually using LinkedIn for? Researcher at Lab 42 have made an effort to figure this out and asked 500 LinkedIn users exactly this question and more. LinkedIn users in numbers. Years With LinkedIn – Looking at the Growth [infographic]. MORE >>