LinkedIn launched, officially, in May 2003. A month later, the network had 4,500 members.
Third quarter last year (2016, if your calendar is slow), LI had 467 million members worldwide; in the United States, LinkedIn membership approximated 135 million. Overall, about 106 million members visit the site each month — a great many potential contacts looking these days nearly as often for products and services as jobs.
Microsoft spent $26.2 billion to purchase the company in June, apparently planning to profit from LinkedIn ties with Outlook and Office, Sales Navigator and Dynamics 365, and, according to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, by allowing members to use Word to facilitate profile and resume updates, and connect with the Windows action center.
For Michael Yublosky, however, a LinkedIn specialist in Buffalo Grove, the promise for many small businesses is in LinkedIn’s marketing and sales potential. LI remains a key source of talent and jobs, Yublosky says, but although LI “is still a job search network, I am very optimistic that, for people who understand marketing and business, who understand the tools and how to leverage connections, LinkedIn’s immense resources offer a great opportunity for small businesses.
“Will LinkedIn work as a marketing tool? Absolutely, if you…
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