LinkedIn Changes - What Do We Now Know?

Well, it's been just over a week, since my last post 'LinkedIn - It's All Change...' and during that time, myself and a number of other LinkedIn 'experts' have been attempting to get to the bottom of what exactly is going on, as far as any changes to LinkedIn's new Desktop experience is concerned. Here's what we now know;

1. LinkedIn is providing a handful of members with a Beta version of the new LinkedIn Desktop, without informing them first.
2. The Beta version has features & omissions which may or may not be present when the new site is ready for general release.
3. Given that LinkedIn's new Desktop is in Beta only at the moment, then it seems unlikely that the final version is going to be released imminently.
4. We don't know how any considered changes will affect the free or Business Plus accounts.

In a nutshell, we don't know what we don't know, except that we can be pretty certain a new Desktop version is on its way, sometime in the not too distant future.

Why LinkedIn Is Still The best B2B Option

For all that we may not like the way social media giants manage their membership base or should we say customers, there is no getting away from the fact that these platforms have, for many of us, become an essential part of our business-to-business networking, brand awareness and sales & marketing strategy.

Also, a recent study by Kissmetrics and shared by LinkedSelling, in the States, showed that of all the social media sites, LinkedIn is significantly outperforming other platforms when it comes to converting into new business.

You might find this analysis quite surprising, especially given all the hype around Facebook, so often lauded as the platform where everyone is generating new business. And it's not just this study - several others also place Facebook a distant 3rd behind LinkedIn and Twitter, when it comes to converting social activity into new business.

Do You Hold Tight Until The New LinkedIn Desktop Arrives?

In a word, 'No'! LinkedIn's recent acquisition by Microsoft means that the 13 year old professional networking site is now at the beginning of a new and exciting chapter. We may not like some of the initial changes but there's no getting away from the fact that LinkedIn's platform, both aesthetically and operationally was tired and in need of 20,000 volts of energy zapping where it hurts! In the end, whether we are shocked or pleasantly tingled by LinkedIn's new surge of energy, only time will tell but for now, it's business as usual for me and my clients. Let's not worry about what we cannot control and manage what we can, today!

Many thanks for viewing my post and would you please share it with anyone you feel would benefit from the advice provided.

If you have any private questions on the subject matter you can connect with me on LinkedIn and send me a message, or else you’ll find my contact details on my LinkedIn profile uk.linkedin.com/in/stevephillip.

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