Of all social networks, LinkedIn seems to be the most confusing to most people. Many users create a profile and they think they are done. As with any social network, you must network in order to make the most of your membership. Only by networking with those involved with LinkedIn can you realize its benefits.

Today we are going to discuss 5 ways you can use LinkedIn to build your business.

1. Create a Killer Profile

Resumes are typically boring. Rather than copy and paste your resume into LinkedIn, take time to spice it up a bit. Use action words to define your accomplishments. Numbers don’t lie. Use them as much as possible to quantify your results and expertise. If the company you worked for used job titles that were proprietary to the company, list them as something most others would recognize. If you were a clerk 3 or a Supervisor IV, explain exactly what it is. However do not stray from the truth. Be sure to include your picture and all relevant contact information. Ask previous companies for work endorsements to be included on your profile.

2. If You Build It They Will Come…

your network that is. Find fellow LinkedIn users from your community and connect with them. There are also many different groups catering to LinkedIn connections like: LinkedIn Lions () and My Virtual Power Forum. Once you begin making connections and adding people to your network, start looking through their connections for relevant users to add to yours.

3. Start Connecting

There are many different types of groups on LinkedIn that are relevant to your industry or the industry you are targeting. Become active within these groups and start asking and answering their questions. If you know of someone who could instantly fix the situation that a fellow LinkedIn user is experiencing, go ahead and connect the two. As with all networking, you must give in order to receive.

4. Keep Up With It All

There is nothing worse than creating something and then walking away from it. Think of fresh cut flowers. For awhile they are beautiful, but the longer they sit unattended the uglier they get. The leaves die and the water becomes stagnant. In the same vein, your profile can become ugly and stagnant. Be sure to keep your profile up to date. Review it every month and make changes and add to it. Continue to add new connections and foster existing connections at every turn. Once your business gets busy, the sad fact is we stop participating and making sure that our content is fresh and alive. Make LinkedIn part of your weekly networking routine.

5. Increase Your Search Engine Rankings

Did you know that LinkedIn gives you the option to have your profile made available to the many search engines including Google? To make this active, make your profile public and choose “full view” and also customize your URL. Because LinkedIn is well known and regarded by the search engines it’s a good way to influence what searchers see when they search for your keywords/phrases.

Google