🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 109 (from laksa069)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa109.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical, ml_categories_json AS ml_categories_json, ml_types_json AS ml_types_json, ml_intent_types_json AS ml_intent_types_json, meta_language AS meta_language, attrs_author AS attrs_author, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(attrs_publish_time), 0) AS attrs_publish_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(attrs_original_publish_time), 0) AS attrs_original_publish_time, ifNull(attrs_is_republished, 0) AS attrs_is_republished, ifNull(attrs_nr_words, 0) AS attrs_nr_words, ifNull(attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words, 0) AS attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words, ifNull(body_ext_links_number, 0) AS body_ext_links_number, ifNull(body_int_links_number, 0) AS body_int_links_number, ifNull(meta_nofollow, 0) AS meta_nofollow, ifNull(meta_noarchive, 0) AS meta_noarchive, ifNull(props_was_rendered, 0) AS props_was_rendered, ifNull(src_redirect, \'\') AS src_redirect, ifNull(download_time_msec, 0) AS download_time_msec, ifNull(download_ttfb_msec, 0) AS download_ttfb_msec, ifNull(download_size, 0) AS download_size FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.pcmag.com/news/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.pcmag.com/news/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin","crawl_time":1774471237,"first_indexed_time":1579445544,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,pcmag!www,\/news\/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin s443","src_root_hash":"15303950204440063509","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Everything Businesses Need to Know About LinkedIn | PCMag","meta_descriptions":["From content creation, groups, and networking to a treasure trove of marketing data and human resources (HR) functionality, businesses can do a lot with LinkedIn—not to mention how Microsoft is transforming the experience."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Social media\nhas essentially become the air we breathe online. It's where customers increasingly spend more of their time, with social applications challenging browsers as the entry point through which users interact with the web. Businesses need to know absolutely everything they can about each prevalent social networking app—from social ground rules and how customers are using the platform to all of the different features and data of which your organization can take advantage to engage its social audience.\nLinkedIn\n($0.00 at Apple.com)\nis the social network that's most synonymous with business. According to the company, LinkedIn has more than 467 million members, including 40 million students and recent college graduates. Whether you're part of a small to midsize business (SMB) or a large enterprise, LinkedIn can be your Swiss Army Knife. Rolled into the website are a content publishing and sharing platform, messaging, and networking, as well as a human resources (HR) platform that combines a job board, recruiting, applicant tracking (AT) tools, and more.\nLinkedIn also offers a\nsocial listening\ngold mine of customer and marketing data, not to mention all of the ways the platform has begun to evolve under the Microsoft banner—from software and services integrations to building out a one-stop business communications and productivity platform. Microsoft didn't set a new social media acquisition record for no reason: the tech giant spent\n$26.2 billion\nto snatch up the \"social network for professionals.\"\nFeed and Messaging\nLinkedIn has put a lot of effort recently into making sure it still\nfeels\nlike a social network, re-designing its main news feed with features like\ntrending storylines\nand adding a host of new features to its messaging experience. The\nrevamped desktop feed\nde-clutters the interface with a more simplified navigation pane and a \"Me\" tab to control your privacy and settings. A no-brainer here is to make sure you've expressly set whether you want to browse profiles publicly or anonymously, and to make sure to turn \"broadcasting\" off to avoid notifying your entire feed every time you make a profile change. In the \"Me\" section, LinkedIn also now gives you suggested skills to add to your profile and a \"My Network\" tab dedicated solely to managing connections.\nIt's also worth discussing the new bells and whistles in LinkedIn's messaging interface. You can now\nhave a conversation with a connection without ever leaving their profile or reach out to someone directly from the LinkedIn Feed. The company has also built contextual suggestions into messaging on specific Jobs and Company pages to identify possible connections worth messaging or asking for an introduction.\nFinally, LinkedIn now generates\nanalytics reports\nfor InMail, the platform's premium messaging service. This gives you hourly updates through a dashboard on message response rates, how different mail templates are performing, and benchmark data for recruiters.\nContent Creation and Sharing\nOn the laundry list of features and functionality in LinkedIn, creating and publishing LinkedIn-specific social content is the first things users see beyond the main feed (but this is probably one of its least compelling features from a business perspective). That said, the way to make the most of the news feed and your company page updates is to follow the same golden rules of content creation as those for Facebook. LinkedIn gives you more flexibility of content types than do Instagram or Twitter, so your LinkedIn post queue should be a combination of short updates and long-form articles (LinkedIn has a \"Write an Article\" option when creating new posts). Attach images and videos whenever possible to make your posts more engaging.\nThe long-form article option—which opens an intuitive LinkedIn Publishing article creation interface that's similar to\nMedium\n—is also a good way to give company blog posts or promotional content published elsewhere a new life on social. Republishing a blog post or article excerpt on LinkedIn, with a link to the source material, makes a static blog post inherently more shareable; it can help kickstart some social buzz on a great piece of content your business has had trouble promoting. Don't sleep on\nSlideShare\neither, the web-based virtual presentation app that's similar to Microsoft PowerPoint (which LinkedIn acquired in 2012). SlideShare is another easy, built-in way to diversify your content, particularly for online presentations and webinars.\nMore importantly, make sure that LinkedIn marketing content is tied directly to your company's sales goals and\ncustomer relationship management\n(CRM) strategy. Your company's social media team and salespeople should be in sync on key performance indicators (KPIs) for your brand and the type of engagement for which you're looking from target audiences, and should keep an eye on daily, weekly, and monthly goals. LinkedIn has made this even easier with new\naudience demographics reports\non posts, which give you real-time insights on who's reading your posts, what they do, where they work, where they live, and how they found your post. Check out PCMag's\nsocial media marketing checklist\nfor more information on this.\nGroups and Networking\nLinkedIn Groups have long been a favorite way for businesses and marketers to find and engage targeted audiences and prospective customers, be it through creating your own group or joining and\nbecoming an active member\nand networking in other groups. If you already have an active community around your brand, then a LinkedIn Group can be a great place to start discussions and create a more engaged audience. A few tips: Use keywords in the group title to help it surface in LinkedIn's organic search, take advantage of the weekly email feature to keep group members up to date, and designate the group as a Featured Group that you can highlight on your company page.\nWe won't spend too much more time on groups, but it's worth going over the golden rule if you plan on joining other groups and using them as marketing outreach and promotion for your business. Particularly if it's an invite-only group, don't spam it. Start discussions and participate in conversations but add value as a member beyond just pushing your brand. If a targeted audience of LinkedIn users would benefit from the resources and services your business provides, then tell them. But be a brand ambassador, not a shill. There's also a standalone Groups mobile app (as part of LinkedIn's app bundle) available.\nGroups are a great networking tool in that way but they're far from the only useful way to use LinkedIn to facilitate connections. Integrations with services such as\nEvernote\n(Compare Prices at Software Advice)\nallow you to use LinkedIn as the bridge between analog networking and digital connections. Using the\nEvernote Scannable\n($0.00 at Apple.com)\napp, business cards scanned with Evernote can pull data from LinkedIn's database, with a new note scanned for each card including contact information, a photo, and a link to their profile so you can follow up right away with a connection request.\nGet Our Best Stories!\nYour Daily Dose of Our Top Tech News\nThanks for signing up!\nYour subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!\nJob Boards and Recruiting\nOf all the LinkedIn tools for businesses, maybe none is more valuable than its role as an all-in-one\nHR and recruiting tool\n. LinkedIn's Job Search includes more than 6 million listings, but for businesses the LinkedIn Talent Solutions suite—which includes LinkedIn Recruiter—makes up the bulk of the company's revenue, and for good reason. LinkedIn Recruiter typically costs around $8,000 per seat depending on organization size, so it's not cheap. The value is in the unlimited access it gives recruiters to anyone in the LinkedIn database, plus advanced search filters and custom candidate profiles. Most importantly, it gives you a\nbuilt-in AT pipeline\nif LinkedIn is your company's primary recruiting ground, including reporting and analytics on the your recruiting team.\nLinkedIn also has a handful of other apps and services on the HR front. LinkedIn Referrals is also part of the AT pipeline; it allows employees in your organization to suggest LinkedIn connections for the right open roles, share jobs, and track the hiring process. The LinkedIn app bundle also includes\nLynda.com\n(30-Day Free Trial at LinkedIn Learning)\n, the online learning website acquired in 2014 for $1.5 billion. Lynda.com offers more than 4,000 online courses, a standalone Job Search app for job seekers, a Lookup app serving as a company's HR intranet to search for coworkers on LinkedIn, and\nLinkedIn Students\n, which helps companies tie recruiting more closely in with specific colleges. Soon-to-be grads can see suggested jobs based on their education, a list of companies that have hired from their school, and profiles of recent alumni with their major. For entry-level recruiting, businesses should factor the school-specific outreach facilitated by LinkedIn Students into their recruiting strategies.\nProspect and Lead Engagement\nThere's a lot you can do with LinkedIn when it comes to marketing and engagement. But the first thing your business needs to get a grasp on is\nhow to research\nprospects and leads. LinkedIn's database pulls in every piece of identifiable information and content about a user, but tapping into the right information means you need to ask the right questions. At a macro level, you can use the LinkedIn Economic Graph to identify larger demographic trends such as geography and job type to tailor marketing campaigns. But at a micro level, it means everyone in your organization should be perpetuating an inbound marketing strategy by actively posting, updating, and engaging with other users. Make sure all of your employees have their accounts associated with your company page.\nHow do they go about performing inbound engagement on LinkedIn? Sending messages and InMail on LinkedIn without the feeling that you're spamming your prospect is a tricky proposition. But Brent Johnson, PCMag's modern marketing columnist, laid out\nseven steps\nto ensure you're not overpaying for InMails that don't get you anywhere. While response rates on marketing messages in LinkedIn will never be through the roof, taking the time to chat with a LinkedIn prospect and provide them some useful content before diving into a pitch can lead to more sales success.\nMarketing Research and Database Mining\nBeyond the base lead identification and targeted marketing efforts, LinkedIn also allows you to do much deeper dives and take full advantage of its\nmarketing database\ngold mine. Johnson's aforementioned column goes into all of the means of data mining, customer research, and prospecting available through LinkedIn. The column starts with the most straightforward features: the \"People Also Viewed\" widget on the right-hand side of a user profile.\nA marketing manager or salesperson who is combing through LinkedIn for leads should research your current customers and prospective clients through the \"People Also Viewed\" feature; this allows them to hone in on similar roles to target within different organizations. The\nLinkedIn Economic Graph\ncan help here, too, but the true data mining value lies in LinkedIn's advanced search filters. Beyond \"My Network\" and \"People You May Know,\" advanced searches allow marketers to add not only kewords but companies and job titles for a more complex query. If your organization has paid for a Premium membership, you can begin to build Boolean-level listening queries that incorporate function, company size, interests, associated groups, seniority level, years of experience, and other more granular metrics that tie in every other aspect of the platform into one, high-powered search tool.\nThe Microsoft Factor\nNow that Microsoft has\nput a ring on it\n, we'll start to see LinkedIn truly become part of the Microsoft ecosystem. The acquisition is only beginning to bear fruit from all of the possible\nsoftware, services, and data\nopportunities. LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman recently joined the Microsoft Board of Directors as the companies begin melding in different ways. But the first major integration came\nin April\nwhen Microsoft announced it's linking its Dynamics 365 CRM tool directly with LinkedIn Sales Navigator, giving salespeople and marketers using Dynamics 365 direct access to LinkedIn's database and vice versa. This is the tip of the iceberg in how Microsoft will start leveraging the marketing and sales data in LinkedIn across its tools, and integrating Microsoft services into the social network.\nMicrosoft also announced a\nnew HR and recruitment management\ntool called Dynamics 365 for Talent, which gives\nMicrosoft Dynamics GP\n(5,000.00 Per Three-User License at Microsoft Dynamics)\nusers the ability to search for prospective employees directly through LinkedIn's Recruiter and Learning tools, as well as manage employees from recruitment through the term of their employment.\nBeyond that, look for more integrations with additional Microsoft apps and services, such as\nMicrosoft Office 365\n($69.99 Per Year at Microsoft)\n, Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Skype, embedded intuitively within the LinkedIn experience. LinkedIn has the potential to become the front-facing social hub for Microsoft's converged vision of business and productivity. Microsoft's productivity suite could become natively available via content creation and sharing tools within the social network. The LinkedIn Recruiter and Sales Navigator integrations with Dynamics 365 are just the start. Microsoft could make LinkedIn credentials as ubiquitous as Facebook for one-click login across Microsoft services. Over the next few years, we'll begin to see LinkedIn reshaped and enhanced in accordance with Microsoft's larger enterprise cloud strategy. If your organization is already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, then that could be very good for business.\nAbout Our Expert\nRob Marvin\nFormer Associate Features Editor\nExperience\nRob Marvin writes features, news, and trend stories on all manner of emerging technologies. Beats include: startups, business and venture capital, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, AI, augmented and virtual reality, IoT and automation, legal cannabis tech, social media, streaming, security, mobile commerce, M&A, and entertainment. Rob was previously Assistant Editor and Associate Editor in PCMag's Business section. Prior to that, he served as an editor at SD Times. He graduated from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. You can also find his business and tech coverage on Entrepreneur and Fox Business. Rob is also an unabashed nerd who does occasional entertainment writing for Geek.com on movies, TV, and culture. Once a year you can find him on a couch with friends marathoning The Lord of the Rings trilogy--extended editions.\nLatest By Rob Marvin\nRead Full Bio","attrs_markdown":"![](https:\/\/zdbb.net\/l\/z0WVjCBSEeGLoxIxOQVEwQ\/)\n\n[Skip to Main Content](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin#main \"Skip to Main Content\")\n\nMenu\n\n- ![Maggie AI Logo](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/icons\/maggie-logo.svg)\n  \n  ![Maggie AI White Logo](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/icons\/maggie-logo-white.svg)\n  \n  Maggie: AI Product Finder\n- [\\#AmazonBigSpringSale](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/events\/amazon-prime-day)\n- Best Products\n  - [The Best Laptops for 2025](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-laptops)\n  - [The Best PCs (Desktop Computers) for 2025](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-desktop-computers)\n  - [The Best Tablets for 2025](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-tablets)\n  - [The Best Phones for 2025](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-phones)\n  - 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[News](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news)\n# Everything Businesses Need to Know About LinkedIn\nFrom content creation, groups, and networking to a treasure trove of marketing data and human resources (HR) functionality, businesses can do a lot with LinkedIn—not to mention how Microsoft is transforming the experience.\n\n[![Rob Marvin](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/authors\/02H6VGDu3KHtKmdb9oPyY6J.fit_lim.size_100x100.v1567806071.jpg)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/authors\/rob-marvin)\n\nBy [Rob Marvin](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/authors\/rob-marvin)\n\nUpdated June 2, 2017\n\n[Threads](https:\/\/threads.net\/intent\/post?text=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcmag.com%2Fnews%2Feverything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin \"Threads (Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n[Bluesky](https:\/\/bsky.app\/intent\/compose?text=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcmag.com%2Fnews%2Feverything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin \"Bluesky (Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n[Reddit](http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcmag.com%2Fnews%2Feverything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin&title=Everything%20Businesses%20Need%20to%20Know%20About%20LinkedIn \"Reddit (Opens in a new tab)\")\n\nSocial Share\n\n[Facebook](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcmag.com%2Fnews%2Feverything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin \"Facebook (Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n[LinkedIn](https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcmag.com%2Fnews%2Feverything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin&title=Everything%20Businesses%20Need%20to%20Know%20About%20LinkedIn&source=PCMag \"LinkedIn (Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n[Pinterest](http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcmag.com%2Fnews%2Feverything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin&description=Everything%20Businesses%20Need%20to%20Know%20About%20LinkedIn \"Pinterest (Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n[Flipboard](https:\/\/share.flipboard.com\/bookmarklet\/popout?v=2&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcmag.com%2Fnews%2Feverything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin&title=Everything%20Businesses%20Need%20to%20Know%20About%20LinkedIn \"Flipboard (Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n[Twitter](https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcmag.com%2Fnews%2Feverything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin&text=Everything%20Businesses%20Need%20to%20Know%20About%20LinkedIn&hashtags=PCMag \"X (Opens in a new tab)\")\n\nCopied\n\nError\\!\n\n[Copy Link]()\n\nhttps:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin\n\n[Email](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#4e713d3b2c242b2d3a730b382b3c373a262720296b7c7e0c3b3d27202b3d3d2b3d6b7c7e002b2b2a6b7c7e3a216b7c7e052021396b7c7e0f2c213b3a6b7c7e022720252b2a0720682f233e752c212a3773263a3a3e3d6b7d0f6b7c086b7c08393939603e2d232f29602d21236b7c08202b393d6b7c082b382b3c373a26272029632c3b3d27202b3d3d2b3d63202b2b2a633a216325202139632f2c213b3a63222720252b2a27206b7e0a6b7e0f6b7e0a6b7e0f03213c2b6e283c21236e1e0d032f29746e263a3a3e3d746161393939603e2d232f29602d2123 \"Email (Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n[Comments](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin#comments)\n\n![LinkedIn Tips](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-13.fit_lim.v1569487927.jpg)\n\n[Social media](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-social-media-management-analytics-tools) has essentially become the air we breathe online. It's where customers increasingly spend more of their time, with social applications challenging browsers as the entry point through which users interact with the web. Businesses need to know absolutely everything they can about each prevalent social networking app—from social ground rules and how customers are using the platform to all of the different features and data of which your organization can take advantage to engage its social audience.\n\n[LinkedIn](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/reviews\/linkedin) [(\\$0.00 at Apple.com)](https:\/\/cc.pcmag.com\/v1\/otc\/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=041L1kBgwzzwXRdPGtNcsId&url=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Flinkedin-network-job-finder%2Fid288429040 \"(Opens in a new tab)\") is the social network that's most synonymous with business. According to the company, LinkedIn has more than 467 million members, including 40 million students and recent college graduates. Whether you're part of a small to midsize business (SMB) or a large enterprise, LinkedIn can be your Swiss Army Knife. Rolled into the website are a content publishing and sharing platform, messaging, and networking, as well as a human resources (HR) platform that combines a job board, recruiting, applicant tracking (AT) tools, and more.\n\nLinkedIn also offers a [social listening](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-social-listening-and-influencer-identification-tools) gold mine of customer and marketing data, not to mention all of the ways the platform has begun to evolve under the Microsoft banner—from software and services integrations to building out a one-stop business communications and productivity platform. Microsoft didn't set a new social media acquisition record for no reason: the tech giant spent [\\$26.2 billion](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/microsoft-drops-262-billion-on-linkedin) to snatch up the \"social network for professionals.\"\n\n[![LinkedIn Publishing](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-1.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)![LinkedIn Publishing](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-1.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n## Feed and Messaging\nLinkedIn has put a lot of effort recently into making sure it still *feels* like a social network, re-designing its main news feed with features like [trending storylines](https:\/\/press.linkedin.com\/site-resources\/news-releases\/2017\/introducing-trending-storylines-on-the-linkedin-feed \"(Opens in a new tab)\") and adding a host of new features to its messaging experience. The [revamped desktop feed](https:\/\/press.linkedin.com\/site-resources\/news-releases\/2017\/make-the-most-of-the-linkedin-desktop-redesign \"(Opens in a new tab)\") de-clutters the interface with a more simplified navigation pane and a \"Me\" tab to control your privacy and settings. A no-brainer here is to make sure you've expressly set whether you want to browse profiles publicly or anonymously, and to make sure to turn \"broadcasting\" off to avoid notifying your entire feed every time you make a profile change. In the \"Me\" section, LinkedIn also now gives you suggested skills to add to your profile and a \"My Network\" tab dedicated solely to managing connections.\n\nIt's also worth discussing the new bells and whistles in LinkedIn's messaging interface. You can now have a conversation with a connection without ever leaving their profile or reach out to someone directly from the LinkedIn Feed. The company has also built contextual suggestions into messaging on specific Jobs and Company pages to identify possible connections worth messaging or asking for an introduction.\n\nFinally, LinkedIn now generates [analytics reports](https:\/\/press.linkedin.com\/site-resources\/news-releases\/2017\/new-inmail-analytics-report-todays-job-matches-for-mobile \"(Opens in a new tab)\") for InMail, the platform's premium messaging service. This gives you hourly updates through a dashboard on message response rates, how different mail templates are performing, and benchmark data for recruiters.\n\n## Content Creation and Sharing\nOn the laundry list of features and functionality in LinkedIn, creating and publishing LinkedIn-specific social content is the first things users see beyond the main feed (but this is probably one of its least compelling features from a business perspective). That said, the way to make the most of the news feed and your company page updates is to follow the same golden rules of content creation as those for Facebook. LinkedIn gives you more flexibility of content types than do Instagram or Twitter, so your LinkedIn post queue should be a combination of short updates and long-form articles (LinkedIn has a \"Write an Article\" option when creating new posts). Attach images and videos whenever possible to make your posts more engaging.\n\nThe long-form article option—which opens an intuitive LinkedIn Publishing article creation interface that's similar to [Medium](https:\/\/medium.com\/@pcmagazine \"(Opens in a new tab)\")—is also a good way to give company blog posts or promotional content published elsewhere a new life on social. Republishing a blog post or article excerpt on LinkedIn, with a link to the source material, makes a static blog post inherently more shareable; it can help kickstart some social buzz on a great piece of content your business has had trouble promoting. Don't sleep on [SlideShare](http:\/\/www.slideshare.net\/ \"(Opens in a new tab)\") either, the web-based virtual presentation app that's similar to Microsoft PowerPoint (which LinkedIn acquired in 2012). SlideShare is another easy, built-in way to diversify your content, particularly for online presentations and webinars.\n\nMore importantly, make sure that LinkedIn marketing content is tied directly to your company's sales goals and [customer relationship management](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-crm-software) (CRM) strategy. Your company's social media team and salespeople should be in sync on key performance indicators (KPIs) for your brand and the type of engagement for which you're looking from target audiences, and should keep an eye on daily, weekly, and monthly goals. LinkedIn has made this even easier with new [audience demographics reports](https:\/\/press.linkedin.com\/site-resources\/news-releases\/2016\/introducing-audience-demographics-see-who-youre-reaching-when-you-post-content-on-LinkedIn \"(Opens in a new tab)\") on posts, which give you real-time insights on who's reading your posts, what they do, where they work, where they live, and how they found your post. Check out PCMag's [social media marketing checklist](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/a-social-media-marketing-checklist) for more information on this.\n\n[![Re-designed LinkedIn Desktop](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-2.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)![Re-designed LinkedIn Desktop](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-2.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n## Groups and Networking\nLinkedIn Groups have long been a favorite way for businesses and marketers to find and engage targeted audiences and prospective customers, be it through creating your own group or joining and [becoming an active member](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/how-to\/10-linkedin-tips-for-networking-success) and networking in other groups. If you already have an active community around your brand, then a LinkedIn Group can be a great place to start discussions and create a more engaged audience. A few tips: Use keywords in the group title to help it surface in LinkedIn's organic search, take advantage of the weekly email feature to keep group members up to date, and designate the group as a Featured Group that you can highlight on your company page.\n\nWe won't spend too much more time on groups, but it's worth going over the golden rule if you plan on joining other groups and using them as marketing outreach and promotion for your business. Particularly if it's an invite-only group, don't spam it. Start discussions and participate in conversations but add value as a member beyond just pushing your brand. If a targeted audience of LinkedIn users would benefit from the resources and services your business provides, then tell them. But be a brand ambassador, not a shill. There's also a standalone Groups mobile app (as part of LinkedIn's app bundle) available.\n\nGroups are a great networking tool in that way but they're far from the only useful way to use LinkedIn to facilitate connections. Integrations with services such as [Evernote](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/reviews\/evernote-business) [(Compare Prices at Software Advice)](https:\/\/cc.pcmag.com\/v1\/otc\/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=07xuABeQnxadOcazUPIaCef&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpartner-forms.softwareadvice.com%2Fprice-quotes%2Fcms%2Fdocument-management%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpcmag%26utm_medium%3Daffiliate \"(Opens in a new tab)\") allow you to use LinkedIn as the bridge between analog networking and digital connections. Using the [Evernote Scannable](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/reviews\/evernote-scannable-for-iphone) [(\\$0.00 at Apple.com)](https:\/\/cc.pcmag.com\/v1\/otc\/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=041L1kBgwzzwXRdPGtNcsId&url=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fevernote-scannable%2Fid883338188%3Fuo%3D4%26at%3D10l6XA%26ct%3D8e26ecb1-b6ae-4689-8e5a-6d11989ae1fe \"(Opens in a new tab)\") app, business cards scanned with Evernote can pull data from LinkedIn's database, with a new note scanned for each card including contact information, a photo, and a link to their profile so you can follow up right away with a connection request.\n\n![Newsletter Icon](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/images\/newsletter-envelope.svg)\n\n![Newsletter Icon](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/images\/newsletter-envelope.svg)\n\nGet Our Best Stories\\!\n\n### Your Daily Dose of Our Top Tech News\n![What's New Now Newsletter Image](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/newsletters\/17768392-contextual.fit_lpad.size_250x140.v1752614006.png)\n\nSign up for our **What's New Now** newsletter to receive the latest news, best new products, and expert advice from the editors of PCMag.\n\nSign up for our **What's New Now** newsletter to receive the latest news, best new products, and expert advice from the editors of PCMag.\n\nBy clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our [Terms of Use](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/terms) and [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/privacy).\n\nThanks for signing up\\!\n\nYour subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox\\!\n\n[![LinkedIn Groups](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-3.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)![LinkedIn Groups](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-3.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n## Job Boards and Recruiting\nOf all the LinkedIn tools for businesses, maybe none is more valuable than its role as an all-in-one [HR and recruiting tool](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/dont-write-off-linkedin-yet). LinkedIn's Job Search includes more than 6 million listings, but for businesses the LinkedIn Talent Solutions suite—which includes LinkedIn Recruiter—makes up the bulk of the company's revenue, and for good reason. LinkedIn Recruiter typically costs around \\$8,000 per seat depending on organization size, so it's not cheap. The value is in the unlimited access it gives recruiters to anyone in the LinkedIn database, plus advanced search filters and custom candidate profiles. Most importantly, it gives you a [built-in AT pipeline](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-applicant-tracking-systems) if LinkedIn is your company's primary recruiting ground, including reporting and analytics on the your recruiting team.\n\nLinkedIn also has a handful of other apps and services on the HR front. LinkedIn Referrals is also part of the AT pipeline; it allows employees in your organization to suggest LinkedIn connections for the right open roles, share jobs, and track the hiring process. The LinkedIn app bundle also includes [Lynda.com](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/reviews\/lyndacom-from-linkedin) [(30-Day Free Trial at LinkedIn Learning)](https:\/\/cc.pcmag.com\/v1\/otc\/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=03hp2qYZprnHbEUN3UtpTIU&url=https%3A%2F%2Flearning.linkedin.com%2F \"(Opens in a new tab)\") , the online learning website acquired in 2014 for \\$1.5 billion. Lynda.com offers more than 4,000 online courses, a standalone Job Search app for job seekers, a Lookup app serving as a company's HR intranet to search for coworkers on LinkedIn, and [LinkedIn Students](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/need-a-job-grads-linkedin-students-wants-to-help), which helps companies tie recruiting more closely in with specific colleges. Soon-to-be grads can see suggested jobs based on their education, a list of companies that have hired from their school, and profiles of recent alumni with their major. For entry-level recruiting, businesses should factor the school-specific outreach facilitated by LinkedIn Students into their recruiting strategies.\n\n[![LinkedIn Recruiter](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-4.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)![LinkedIn Recruiter](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-4.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n## Prospect and Lead Engagement\nThere's a lot you can do with LinkedIn when it comes to marketing and engagement. But the first thing your business needs to get a grasp on is [how to research](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/how-to-research-prospects-and-leads-on-linkedin) prospects and leads. LinkedIn's database pulls in every piece of identifiable information and content about a user, but tapping into the right information means you need to ask the right questions. At a macro level, you can use the LinkedIn Economic Graph to identify larger demographic trends such as geography and job type to tailor marketing campaigns. But at a micro level, it means everyone in your organization should be perpetuating an inbound marketing strategy by actively posting, updating, and engaging with other users. Make sure all of your employees have their accounts associated with your company page.\n\nHow do they go about performing inbound engagement on LinkedIn? Sending messages and InMail on LinkedIn without the feeling that you're spamming your prospect is a tricky proposition. But Brent Johnson, PCMag's modern marketing columnist, laid out [seven steps](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/7-steps-to-linkedin-marketing-success) to ensure you're not overpaying for InMails that don't get you anywhere. While response rates on marketing messages in LinkedIn will never be through the roof, taking the time to chat with a LinkedIn prospect and provide them some useful content before diving into a pitch can lead to more sales success.\n\n[![LinkedIn Who Has Viewed Me](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-5.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)![LinkedIn Who Has Viewed Me](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-5.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n## Marketing Research and Database Mining\nBeyond the base lead identification and targeted marketing efforts, LinkedIn also allows you to do much deeper dives and take full advantage of its [marketing database](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/how-to-tap-into-linkedins-marketing-database-gold-mine) gold mine. Johnson's aforementioned column goes into all of the means of data mining, customer research, and prospecting available through LinkedIn. The column starts with the most straightforward features: the \"People Also Viewed\" widget on the right-hand side of a user profile.\n\nA marketing manager or salesperson who is combing through LinkedIn for leads should research your current customers and prospective clients through the \"People Also Viewed\" feature; this allows them to hone in on similar roles to target within different organizations. The [LinkedIn Economic Graph](https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/linkedin-economic-graph \"(Opens in a new tab)\") can help here, too, but the true data mining value lies in LinkedIn's advanced search filters. Beyond \"My Network\" and \"People You May Know,\" advanced searches allow marketers to add not only kewords but companies and job titles for a more complex query. If your organization has paid for a Premium membership, you can begin to build Boolean-level listening queries that incorporate function, company size, interests, associated groups, seniority level, years of experience, and other more granular metrics that tie in every other aspect of the platform into one, high-powered search tool.\n\n[![Microsoft LinkedIn Acquisition](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-6.fit_lim.size_810x456.v_1569470645.jpg)![Microsoft LinkedIn Acquisition](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-6.fit_lim.size_810x456.v_1569470645.jpg)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n## The Microsoft Factor\nNow that Microsoft has [put a ring on it](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/microsoft-and-linkedin-put-a-ring-on-it), we'll start to see LinkedIn truly become part of the Microsoft ecosystem. The acquisition is only beginning to bear fruit from all of the possible [software, services, and data](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/6-amazing-things-microsoft-could-do-with-linkedin) opportunities. LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman recently joined the Microsoft Board of Directors as the companies begin melding in different ways. But the first major integration came [in April](https:\/\/blogs.microsoft.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/24\/new-ways-drive-business-forward-todays-digital-landscape\/#sm.0000jtj6t99z8e59waa1g8oadp5ga \"(Opens in a new tab)\") when Microsoft announced it's linking its Dynamics 365 CRM tool directly with LinkedIn Sales Navigator, giving salespeople and marketers using Dynamics 365 direct access to LinkedIn's database and vice versa. This is the tip of the iceberg in how Microsoft will start leveraging the marketing and sales data in LinkedIn across its tools, and integrating Microsoft services into the social network.\n\nMicrosoft also announced a [new HR and recruitment management](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-hr-software) tool called Dynamics 365 for Talent, which gives [Microsoft Dynamics GP](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/reviews\/microsoft-dynamics-gp) [(5,000.00 Per Three-User License at Microsoft Dynamics)](https:\/\/cc.pcmag.com\/v1\/otc\/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=07KBKoj4RDEraXrdEuCfkps&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdynamics.microsoft.com%2Fen-us%2Fgp-overview%2F \"(Opens in a new tab)\") users the ability to search for prospective employees directly through LinkedIn's Recruiter and Learning tools, as well as manage employees from recruitment through the term of their employment.\n\nBeyond that, look for more integrations with additional Microsoft apps and services, such as [Microsoft Office 365](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/reviews\/microsoft-office-365-home) [(\\$69.99 Per Year at Microsoft)](https:\/\/cc.pcmag.com\/v1\/otc\/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=03sqIMHtmmaHBjsncmFUGPt&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.microsoft.com%2Fen-us%2Fmicrosoft-365%2Fp%2Fmicrosoft-365-personal%2Fcfq7ttc0k5bf \"(Opens in a new tab)\") , Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Skype, embedded intuitively within the LinkedIn experience. LinkedIn has the potential to become the front-facing social hub for Microsoft's converged vision of business and productivity. Microsoft's productivity suite could become natively available via content creation and sharing tools within the social network. The LinkedIn Recruiter and Sales Navigator integrations with Dynamics 365 are just the start. Microsoft could make LinkedIn credentials as ubiquitous as Facebook for one-click login across Microsoft services. Over the next few years, we'll begin to see LinkedIn reshaped and enhanced in accordance with Microsoft's larger enterprise cloud strategy. If your organization is already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, then that could be very good for business.\n\n## About Our Expert\n![Rob Marvin](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/authors\/02H6VGDu3KHtKmdb9oPyY6J.fit_lim.size_100x100.v1567806071.jpg)\n\nRob Marvin\n\nFormer Associate Features Editor\n***\nExperience\n\nRob Marvin writes features, news, and trend stories on all manner of emerging technologies. Beats include: startups, business and venture capital, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, AI, augmented and virtual reality, IoT and automation, legal cannabis tech, social media, streaming, security, mobile commerce, M\\&A, and entertainment. Rob was previously Assistant Editor and Associate Editor in PCMag's Business section. Prior to that, he served as an editor at SD Times. He graduated from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. You can also find his business and tech coverage on Entrepreneur and Fox Business. Rob is also an unabashed nerd who does occasional entertainment writing for Geek.com on movies, TV, and culture. Once a year you can find him on a couch with friends marathoning The Lord of the Rings trilogy--extended editions.\n\nLatest By Rob Marvin\n\n- [Social CRM: Where Social Media Meets Customer Engagement](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/social-crm-where-social-media-meets-customer-engagement)\n- [9 Tips for a Killer Social CRM Strategy](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/8-tips-for-a-killer-social-crm-strategy)\n- [The Dos and Don'ts of Securing Your VoIP Communications](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/the-dos-and-donts-of-securing-your-voip-communications)\n- [Peacock? HBO Max? The New Streaming Giants Explained](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/disney-plus-hbo-max-the-new-streaming-giants-explained)\n- [Are You Worried About Smart Home Devices Listening to You?](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/are-you-worried-about-smart-home-devices-listening-to-you)\n- [More from Rob Marvin](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/authors\/rob-marvin)\n\n[Read Full Bio](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/authors\/rob-marvin)\n## Table of Contents\nTable of Contents\n\nAdvertisement\n\n### Amazon Big Spring Sale\n[![My Favorite Robot Vacuum Is at Its Lowest Price Ever During Amazon's Big Spring Sale](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/04FICZSh7teOa3M34mS9src-4.fit_lpad.size_300x169.v1774454258.png)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/opinions\/my-favorite-robot-vacuum-deal-lowest-price-ever-amazon-big-spring-sale)\n\n[My Favorite Robot Vacuum Is at Its Lowest Price Ever During Amazon's Big Spring Sale](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/opinions\/my-favorite-robot-vacuum-deal-lowest-price-ever-amazon-big-spring-sale)\n\nBy [Andrew Gebhart](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/authors\/andrew-gebhart)\n\n[![The Best Amazon Big Spring Sale Deals on Apple AirPods Are Here](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/00HZfqLfDeppP6WqeinZaIa-1.fit_lpad.size_300x169.v1774452771.png)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/best-amazon-spring-sale-2026-deals-apple-airpods)\n\n[The Best Amazon Big Spring Sale Deals on Apple AirPods Are Here](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/best-amazon-spring-sale-2026-deals-apple-airpods)\n\nBy [Cierra Cowan](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/authors\/cierra-cowan)\n\n[![This Sonos Soundbar Drops The Boom and the Price During Amazon's Big Spring Sale](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/00s3ETZvCWfI1uoZoY0E9vt-4.fit_lpad.size_300x169.v1774450730.png)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/sonos-soundbar-deal-amazon-big-spring-2026)\n\n[This Sonos Soundbar Drops The Boom and the Price During Amazon's Big Spring Sale](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/sonos-soundbar-deal-amazon-big-spring-2026)\n\nBy [Carlos Mejia](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/authors\/carlos-mejia)\n\n[![The Best Amazon Big Spring Sale Apple Deals We've Found So Far](<data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 400 225'%3E%3Crect fill='%23f7f7f7' \/%3E%3C\/svg%3E>)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/deals\/best-amazon-spring-sale-2026-apple-deals-sale-airpods-ipads-macbooks)\n\n[The Best Amazon Big Spring Sale Apple Deals We've Found So Far](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/deals\/best-amazon-spring-sale-2026-apple-deals-sale-airpods-ipads-macbooks)\n\nBy [Cierra Cowan](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/authors\/cierra-cowan)\n\n[![I'm Vetting the Best Amazon Big Spring Sale Headphone and Earbud Deals](<data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 400 225'%3E%3Crect fill='%23f7f7f7' \/%3E%3C\/svg%3E>)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/best-amazon-spring-sale-2026-deals-headphones-earbuds)\n\n[I'm Vetting the Best Amazon Big Spring Sale Headphone and Earbud Deals](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/best-amazon-spring-sale-2026-deals-headphones-earbuds)\n\nBy [Juhi Wadia](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/authors\/juhi-wadia)\n\n[![Looking for Amazon Spring Sale Savings? 6 Legit Ways to Get Prime Perks Without Paying \\$139](<data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 400 225'%3E%3Crect fill='%23f7f7f7' \/%3E%3C\/svg%3E>)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/explainers\/how-to-get-amazon-prime-perks-without-paying-139-dollars)\n\n[Looking for Amazon Spring Sale Savings? 6 Legit Ways to Get Prime Perks Without Paying \\$139](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/explainers\/how-to-get-amazon-prime-perks-without-paying-139-dollars)\n\nBy [Chloe Albanesius](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/authors\/chloe-albanesius)\n\n[![Amazon Is Going All In for the Big Spring Sale: Snag Unlocked Smartphones Up to 50% Off From Apple, Samsung, and More](<data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 400 225'%3E%3Crect fill='%23f7f7f7' \/%3E%3C\/svg%3E>)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/best-amazon-spring-sale-2026-deals-smartphones)\n\n[Amazon Is Going All In for the Big Spring Sale: Snag Unlocked Smartphones Up to 50% Off From Apple, Samsung, and More](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/best-amazon-spring-sale-2026-deals-smartphones)\n\nBy [Juhi Wadia](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/authors\/juhi-wadia)\n\n[![Slice \\$400 Off the Price of This Sweet Apple Watch Thanks to Amazon’s Big Spring Sale Deals](<data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 400 225'%3E%3Crect fill='%23f7f7f7' \/%3E%3C\/svg%3E>)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/deals\/400-off-apple-watch-deal-amazon-big-spring-sale-2026)\n\n[Slice \\$400 Off the Price of This Sweet Apple Watch Thanks to Amazon’s Big Spring Sale Deals](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/deals\/400-off-apple-watch-deal-amazon-big-spring-sale-2026)\n\nBy [Juhi Wadia](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/authors\/juhi-wadia)\n\n[All Amazon Big Spring Sale Stories](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/events\/amazon-prime-day)\n\nKeep scrolling for next article\n\n[PCMag Newsletters](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/newsletter_manage)\n\nPCMag Newsletters\n\nOur Best Stories in Your\n\nInbox\n\nFollow PCMag\n\n## Honest, Objective, Lab-Tested Reviews\nPCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering lab-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.\n\n[How We Test](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/about\/how-we-test-everything-we-review)   [Editorial Principles](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/about\/pcmagcom-mission-statement)\n\n### Best Products\n***\n\n[Best Products](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks)\n\n- [3D Printers](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-3d-printers)\n- [Android Phones](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-android-phones)\n- [Android Tablets](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-tablets)\n- [Antivirus Apps](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-antivirus-protection)\n- [Apple iPads](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/whats-the-best-ipad-to-buy)\n- [Apple iPhones](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/whats-the-best-iphone-to-buy)\n- [Apple Watches](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-apple-watch)\n- [Bluetooth 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16](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/comparisons\/apple-iphone-16e-vs-iphone-16-whats-the-difference)\n- [Apple Watch Series 10 vs. Series 9](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/comparisons\/apple-watch-series-10-vs-series-9)\n\n- [FreshBooks vs. QuickBooks](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/comparisons\/freshbooks-vs-quickbooks-which-is-best-for-your-small-business)\n- [Mac vs. Windows](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/macos-vs-windows-which-os-really-is-the-best)\n- [Meta Quest 3 vs. 3S](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/comparisons\/meta-quest-3-vs-meta-quest-3s-whats-the-difference)\n\n- [Nest vs. Ring](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/nest-vs-ring-which-video-doorbell-is-right-for-you)\n- [OLED vs. QLED](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/comparisons\/oled-vs-qled-whats-the-difference)\n- [Proton VPN vs. NordVPN](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/comparisons\/proton-vpn-vs-nordvpn-which-service-is-better)\n\n- [Sony PlayStation 5 vs. PlayStation 5 Pro](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/comparisons\/sony-playstation-5-vs-ps5-pro-should-you-upgrade)\n- [SSD vs. Hard Drive](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/comparisons\/ssd-vs-hdd-whats-the-difference)\n\n- [Wi-Fi Extender vs. Mesh](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/how-to\/wi-fi-range-extender-vs-mesh-network-whats-the-difference)\n- [Windows 11 Home vs. Pro](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/comparisons\/windows-11-home-vs-pro)\n\n### Top Explainers\n***\n\n[Top Explainers](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/how-to)\n\n- [How Do Airtags Work?](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/how-to\/apple-airtag-tips)\n- [How Does Starlink Work?](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/explainers\/what-is-starlink-spacex-satellite-internet-service-explained)\n- [How to Organize Tax Documents](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/explainers\/how-to-organize-tax-documents)\n- [How to Set Up a VPN](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/how-to\/how-to-set-up-and-use-a-vpn)\n\n- [How to Unblock Netflix With a VPN](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/how-to\/how-to-unblock-netflix-with-a-vpn)\n- [Is Google Password Manager Safe?](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/how-to\/how-to-master-google-password-manager)\n- [What Is a Proxy Server?](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/explainers\/what-is-a-proxy-server-and-do-you-need-one)\n\n- [What Is Agentic AI?](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/explainers\/what-is-agentic-ai-white-collar-robots-are-here-for-better-or-worse)\n- [What Is an AI PC?](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/explainers\/what-is-an-ai-pc)\n- [What Is an eSim Card?](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/explainers\/what-is-an-esim-card)\n- [What Is Discord?](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/explainers\/what-is-discord-and-how-do-you-use-it)\n\n- [What Is Microsoft Copilot?](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/explainers\/what-is-microsoft-copilot)\n- [What Is the Best Browser?](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/chrome-edge-firefox-opera-or-safari-which-browser-is-best)\n- [What Is USB-C?](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/how-to\/what-is-usb-c-an-explainer)\n- [What Is Wi-Fi 6E?](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/what-is-wi-fi-6e)\n\n- [What Is Wi-Fi 7?](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/how-to\/wi-fi-7-explained-everything-to-know-about-tomorrows-fastest-wireless-spec)\n- [What To Stream This Weekend](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/what-to-watch-this-weekend)\n- [Why You Need a VPN](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/how-to\/what-is-a-vpn-and-why-you-need-one)\n\n### Popular Brands\n***\n\n[Popular Brands](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands)\n\n- [Acer](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/acer)\n- [Adobe](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/adobe)\n- [AMD](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/amd)\n- [Apple](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/apple)\n- [Asus](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/asus)\n- [Bitdefender](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/bitdefender)\n\n- [Dell](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/dell)\n- [Facebook](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/facebook)\n- [Google](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/google)\n- [HP](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/hp)\n- [Instagram](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/instagram)\n- [Intel](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/intel)\n\n- [Lenovo](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/lenovo)\n- [LG](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/lg)\n- [Microsoft](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/microsoft)\n- [Motorola](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/motorola)\n- [MSI](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/msi)\n- [Netflix](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/netflix)\n\n- [NordVPN](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/nordvpn)\n- [Nvidia](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/nvidia)\n- [OpenAI](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/openai)\n- [Qualcomm](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/qualcomm)\n- [Samsung](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/samsung)\n- [Sony](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/sony)\n\n- [SpaceX](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/spacex)\n- [Tesla](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/tesla)\n- [X\/Twitter](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands\/twitter)\n\n### Series\n***\n\n[Series](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/series)\n\n- [All About AI](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/series\/all-about-artificial-intelligence)\n- [Android](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/series\/android)\n- [Apple](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/series\/apple)\n- [Back to School Tech](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/series\/back-to-school-tech)\n- [Best ISPs](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/series\/fastest-isps)\n- [Connected Traveler](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/series\/connected-traveler)\n- [Get Organized](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/series\/get-organized)\n\n- [Holiday Gift Guide](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/series\/holiday-gift-guide)\n- [NextCar](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/series\/nextcar)\n- [Readers' Choice](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/series\/readers-choice)\n- [Rigged Up](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/series\/rigged-up)\n- [SecurityWatch](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/series\/securitywatch)\n- [Weekend Project](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/series\/weekend-project)\n- [Windows 11](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/series\/windows-11)\n\n### Events\n***\n\n[Events](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/events)\n\n- [Amazon Prime Day](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/events\/amazon-prime-day)\n- [Apple WWDC](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/events\/apple-wwdc)\n- [Black Friday](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/events\/black-friday)\n- [Black Hat](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/events\/black-hat)\n- [CES](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/events\/ces)\n- [Computex](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/events\/computex)\n\n- [Cyber Monday](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/events\/cyber-monday)\n- [IFA](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/events\/ifa)\n- [Mobile World Congress](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/events\/mwc)\n- [RSAC](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/events\/rsac)\n- [Samsung Unpacked](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/events\/samsung-unpacked)\n\n- [Reviews](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/reviews)\n- [Best Products](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks)\n- [Categories](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/categories)\n- [Brands](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/brands)\n- [Events](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/events)\n- [Series](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/series)\n- 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All Rights Reserved.\n\nPCMag, PCMag.com and PC Magazine are among the federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of PCMag. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant.\n\n- [About Ziff Davis](https:\/\/www.ziffdavis.com\/about \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n- [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/www.ziffdavis.com\/ztg-privacy-policy \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n- [Terms of Use](https:\/\/www.ziffdavis.com\/about\/terms \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n- [Advertise](https:\/\/www.ziffmedia.com#contact \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n- [Accessibility](https:\/\/www.ziffdavis.com\/accessibility \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n- [Do Not Sell My Personal Information](https:\/\/dsar.pcmag.com\/ \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n- ![AdChoices image pixel](https:\/\/c.evidon.com\/pub\/icong1.png) AdChoices\n- [TRUSTe Logo ![TRUSTe Logo](<data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 142 45'%3E%3Crect fill='%23f7f7f7' \/%3E%3C\/svg%3E>)](https:\/\/privacy.truste.com\/privacy-seal\/validation?rid=ce211316-dfd0-4abb-8bfb-9cb70de1e37c \"TRUSTe Privacy Certification (Opens in a new tab)\")\n- [![Better Business Bureau (BBB) Logo](<data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg' viewBox='0 0 96 50'%3E%3Crect fill='%23f7f7f7' \/%3E%3C\/svg%3E>)](https:\/\/www.bbb.org\/us\/ny\/new-york\/profile\/digital-media\/ziff-davis-llc-0121-531\/#sealclick \"BBB Business Review (Opens in a new tab)\")\n\nHello\\!\n\nI'm Maggie, PCMag's AI-powered product finder, exclusively powered by our deep library of reviews and buying advice written by our expert team of technology journalists.\n\nPRESENTED BY ![]()\n\n***\nRecommended for You\n\n![](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/formatImage\$product.image.url,%20325,%20183\$)\n\nWhat Our Ratings Mean\n***\nRead Our [Editorial Mission Statement](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/about\/pcmagcom-mission-statement) and [Testing Methodologies](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/about\/how-we-test-everything-we-review).\n\n[Read Full Review](\"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n\nat\n\n[See It](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/trackCommerceUrl\$product.offer%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20.commerceUrl,%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20'Full%20Report%20Product%20Card',%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20productIndex%20+%201\$ \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n***\nPros & Cons\n\nSpecs & Configurations\n\nMy Best Recommendation\n\n![](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/formatImage\$product.image.url,%20325,%20183\$)\n\nWhat Our Ratings Mean\n***\nRead Our [Editorial Mission Statement](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/about\/pcmagcom-mission-statement) and [Testing Methodologies](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/about\/how-we-test-everything-we-review).\n\n[Read Full Review](\"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n\nat\n\n[See It](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/trackCommerceUrl\$product.offer.commerceUrl,%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20'Top%20Recommendation%20Card',%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20productIndex%20+%201\$ \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n\nHere's What I Found\n\nMore Recommendations\n\n![](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/formatImage\$product.image.url,%20200,%20113\$)\n\nWhat Our Ratings Mean\n***\nRead Our [Editorial Mission Statement](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/about\/pcmagcom-mission-statement) and [Testing Methodologies](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/about\/how-we-test-everything-we-review).\n\n[Read Full Review](\"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n\nat\n\n[See It](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/trackCommerceUrl\$product.offer.commerceUrl,%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20'Stacked%20Product%20Card',%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20productIndex%20+%201\$ \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n\nBased on these stories\n\n[![Product Image](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/formatImage\$content.image,%20160,%2090\$) By ,](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/content.url)\n\n**Here are some examples of the types of questions you can ask:**\n\n- What's the best graphics card for 4K gaming?\n- Should I get the iPhone 17 or the iPhone 17 Pro?\n- Show me some good VPNs under \\$10 a month.\n\nI'm in Beta. [Help me get better](https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSdL9ayCDMigj08oQXjAgDJVX77ti49d9ILHwE--ZFlRtEHOSw\/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=117991066449526760970).\n\nKeep scrolling for next article","attrs_readable_markdown":"[Social media](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-social-media-management-analytics-tools) has essentially become the air we breathe online. It's where customers increasingly spend more of their time, with social applications challenging browsers as the entry point through which users interact with the web. Businesses need to know absolutely everything they can about each prevalent social networking app—from social ground rules and how customers are using the platform to all of the different features and data of which your organization can take advantage to engage its social audience.\n\n[LinkedIn](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/reviews\/linkedin) [(\\$0.00 at Apple.com)](https:\/\/cc.pcmag.com\/v1\/otc\/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=041L1kBgwzzwXRdPGtNcsId&url=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Flinkedin-network-job-finder%2Fid288429040 \"(Opens in a new tab)\") is the social network that's most synonymous with business. According to the company, LinkedIn has more than 467 million members, including 40 million students and recent college graduates. Whether you're part of a small to midsize business (SMB) or a large enterprise, LinkedIn can be your Swiss Army Knife. Rolled into the website are a content publishing and sharing platform, messaging, and networking, as well as a human resources (HR) platform that combines a job board, recruiting, applicant tracking (AT) tools, and more.\n\nLinkedIn also offers a [social listening](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-social-listening-and-influencer-identification-tools) gold mine of customer and marketing data, not to mention all of the ways the platform has begun to evolve under the Microsoft banner—from software and services integrations to building out a one-stop business communications and productivity platform. Microsoft didn't set a new social media acquisition record for no reason: the tech giant spent [\\$26.2 billion](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/microsoft-drops-262-billion-on-linkedin) to snatch up the \"social network for professionals.\"\n\n[![LinkedIn Publishing](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-1.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n## Feed and Messaging\nLinkedIn has put a lot of effort recently into making sure it still *feels* like a social network, re-designing its main news feed with features like [trending storylines](https:\/\/press.linkedin.com\/site-resources\/news-releases\/2017\/introducing-trending-storylines-on-the-linkedin-feed \"(Opens in a new tab)\") and adding a host of new features to its messaging experience. The [revamped desktop feed](https:\/\/press.linkedin.com\/site-resources\/news-releases\/2017\/make-the-most-of-the-linkedin-desktop-redesign \"(Opens in a new tab)\") de-clutters the interface with a more simplified navigation pane and a \"Me\" tab to control your privacy and settings. A no-brainer here is to make sure you've expressly set whether you want to browse profiles publicly or anonymously, and to make sure to turn \"broadcasting\" off to avoid notifying your entire feed every time you make a profile change. In the \"Me\" section, LinkedIn also now gives you suggested skills to add to your profile and a \"My Network\" tab dedicated solely to managing connections.\n\nIt's also worth discussing the new bells and whistles in LinkedIn's messaging interface. You can now have a conversation with a connection without ever leaving their profile or reach out to someone directly from the LinkedIn Feed. The company has also built contextual suggestions into messaging on specific Jobs and Company pages to identify possible connections worth messaging or asking for an introduction.\n\nFinally, LinkedIn now generates [analytics reports](https:\/\/press.linkedin.com\/site-resources\/news-releases\/2017\/new-inmail-analytics-report-todays-job-matches-for-mobile \"(Opens in a new tab)\") for InMail, the platform's premium messaging service. This gives you hourly updates through a dashboard on message response rates, how different mail templates are performing, and benchmark data for recruiters.\n\n## Content Creation and Sharing\nOn the laundry list of features and functionality in LinkedIn, creating and publishing LinkedIn-specific social content is the first things users see beyond the main feed (but this is probably one of its least compelling features from a business perspective). That said, the way to make the most of the news feed and your company page updates is to follow the same golden rules of content creation as those for Facebook. LinkedIn gives you more flexibility of content types than do Instagram or Twitter, so your LinkedIn post queue should be a combination of short updates and long-form articles (LinkedIn has a \"Write an Article\" option when creating new posts). Attach images and videos whenever possible to make your posts more engaging.\n\nThe long-form article option—which opens an intuitive LinkedIn Publishing article creation interface that's similar to [Medium](https:\/\/medium.com\/@pcmagazine \"(Opens in a new tab)\")—is also a good way to give company blog posts or promotional content published elsewhere a new life on social. Republishing a blog post or article excerpt on LinkedIn, with a link to the source material, makes a static blog post inherently more shareable; it can help kickstart some social buzz on a great piece of content your business has had trouble promoting. Don't sleep on [SlideShare](http:\/\/www.slideshare.net\/ \"(Opens in a new tab)\") either, the web-based virtual presentation app that's similar to Microsoft PowerPoint (which LinkedIn acquired in 2012). SlideShare is another easy, built-in way to diversify your content, particularly for online presentations and webinars.\n\nMore importantly, make sure that LinkedIn marketing content is tied directly to your company's sales goals and [customer relationship management](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-crm-software) (CRM) strategy. Your company's social media team and salespeople should be in sync on key performance indicators (KPIs) for your brand and the type of engagement for which you're looking from target audiences, and should keep an eye on daily, weekly, and monthly goals. LinkedIn has made this even easier with new [audience demographics reports](https:\/\/press.linkedin.com\/site-resources\/news-releases\/2016\/introducing-audience-demographics-see-who-youre-reaching-when-you-post-content-on-LinkedIn \"(Opens in a new tab)\") on posts, which give you real-time insights on who's reading your posts, what they do, where they work, where they live, and how they found your post. Check out PCMag's [social media marketing checklist](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/a-social-media-marketing-checklist) for more information on this.\n\n[![Re-designed LinkedIn Desktop](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-2.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n## Groups and Networking\nLinkedIn Groups have long been a favorite way for businesses and marketers to find and engage targeted audiences and prospective customers, be it through creating your own group or joining and [becoming an active member](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/how-to\/10-linkedin-tips-for-networking-success) and networking in other groups. If you already have an active community around your brand, then a LinkedIn Group can be a great place to start discussions and create a more engaged audience. A few tips: Use keywords in the group title to help it surface in LinkedIn's organic search, take advantage of the weekly email feature to keep group members up to date, and designate the group as a Featured Group that you can highlight on your company page.\n\nWe won't spend too much more time on groups, but it's worth going over the golden rule if you plan on joining other groups and using them as marketing outreach and promotion for your business. Particularly if it's an invite-only group, don't spam it. Start discussions and participate in conversations but add value as a member beyond just pushing your brand. If a targeted audience of LinkedIn users would benefit from the resources and services your business provides, then tell them. But be a brand ambassador, not a shill. There's also a standalone Groups mobile app (as part of LinkedIn's app bundle) available.\n\nGroups are a great networking tool in that way but they're far from the only useful way to use LinkedIn to facilitate connections. Integrations with services such as [Evernote](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/reviews\/evernote-business) [(Compare Prices at Software Advice)](https:\/\/cc.pcmag.com\/v1\/otc\/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=07xuABeQnxadOcazUPIaCef&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpartner-forms.softwareadvice.com%2Fprice-quotes%2Fcms%2Fdocument-management%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpcmag%26utm_medium%3Daffiliate \"(Opens in a new tab)\") allow you to use LinkedIn as the bridge between analog networking and digital connections. Using the [Evernote Scannable](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/reviews\/evernote-scannable-for-iphone) [(\\$0.00 at Apple.com)](https:\/\/cc.pcmag.com\/v1\/otc\/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=041L1kBgwzzwXRdPGtNcsId&url=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fevernote-scannable%2Fid883338188%3Fuo%3D4%26at%3D10l6XA%26ct%3D8e26ecb1-b6ae-4689-8e5a-6d11989ae1fe \"(Opens in a new tab)\") app, business cards scanned with Evernote can pull data from LinkedIn's database, with a new note scanned for each card including contact information, a photo, and a link to their profile so you can follow up right away with a connection request.\n\n![Newsletter Icon](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/images\/newsletter-envelope.svg)\n\n![Newsletter Icon](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/images\/newsletter-envelope.svg)\n\nGet Our Best Stories\\!\n\n### Your Daily Dose of Our Top Tech News\n![What's New Now Newsletter Image](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/newsletters\/17768392-contextual.fit_lpad.size_250x140.v1752614006.png)\n\nThanks for signing up\\!\n\nYour subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox\\!\n\n[![LinkedIn Groups](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-3.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n## Job Boards and Recruiting\nOf all the LinkedIn tools for businesses, maybe none is more valuable than its role as an all-in-one [HR and recruiting tool](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/dont-write-off-linkedin-yet). LinkedIn's Job Search includes more than 6 million listings, but for businesses the LinkedIn Talent Solutions suite—which includes LinkedIn Recruiter—makes up the bulk of the company's revenue, and for good reason. LinkedIn Recruiter typically costs around \\$8,000 per seat depending on organization size, so it's not cheap. The value is in the unlimited access it gives recruiters to anyone in the LinkedIn database, plus advanced search filters and custom candidate profiles. Most importantly, it gives you a [built-in AT pipeline](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-applicant-tracking-systems) if LinkedIn is your company's primary recruiting ground, including reporting and analytics on the your recruiting team.\n\nLinkedIn also has a handful of other apps and services on the HR front. LinkedIn Referrals is also part of the AT pipeline; it allows employees in your organization to suggest LinkedIn connections for the right open roles, share jobs, and track the hiring process. The LinkedIn app bundle also includes [Lynda.com](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/reviews\/lyndacom-from-linkedin) [(30-Day Free Trial at LinkedIn Learning)](https:\/\/cc.pcmag.com\/v1\/otc\/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=03hp2qYZprnHbEUN3UtpTIU&url=https%3A%2F%2Flearning.linkedin.com%2F \"(Opens in a new tab)\") , the online learning website acquired in 2014 for \\$1.5 billion. Lynda.com offers more than 4,000 online courses, a standalone Job Search app for job seekers, a Lookup app serving as a company's HR intranet to search for coworkers on LinkedIn, and [LinkedIn Students](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/need-a-job-grads-linkedin-students-wants-to-help), which helps companies tie recruiting more closely in with specific colleges. Soon-to-be grads can see suggested jobs based on their education, a list of companies that have hired from their school, and profiles of recent alumni with their major. For entry-level recruiting, businesses should factor the school-specific outreach facilitated by LinkedIn Students into their recruiting strategies.\n\n[![LinkedIn Recruiter](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-4.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n## Prospect and Lead Engagement\nThere's a lot you can do with LinkedIn when it comes to marketing and engagement. But the first thing your business needs to get a grasp on is [how to research](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/how-to-research-prospects-and-leads-on-linkedin) prospects and leads. LinkedIn's database pulls in every piece of identifiable information and content about a user, but tapping into the right information means you need to ask the right questions. At a macro level, you can use the LinkedIn Economic Graph to identify larger demographic trends such as geography and job type to tailor marketing campaigns. But at a micro level, it means everyone in your organization should be perpetuating an inbound marketing strategy by actively posting, updating, and engaging with other users. Make sure all of your employees have their accounts associated with your company page.\n\nHow do they go about performing inbound engagement on LinkedIn? Sending messages and InMail on LinkedIn without the feeling that you're spamming your prospect is a tricky proposition. But Brent Johnson, PCMag's modern marketing columnist, laid out [seven steps](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/7-steps-to-linkedin-marketing-success) to ensure you're not overpaying for InMails that don't get you anywhere. While response rates on marketing messages in LinkedIn will never be through the roof, taking the time to chat with a LinkedIn prospect and provide them some useful content before diving into a pitch can lead to more sales success.\n\n[![LinkedIn Who Has Viewed Me](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-5.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n## Marketing Research and Database Mining\nBeyond the base lead identification and targeted marketing efforts, LinkedIn also allows you to do much deeper dives and take full advantage of its [marketing database](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/how-to-tap-into-linkedins-marketing-database-gold-mine) gold mine. Johnson's aforementioned column goes into all of the means of data mining, customer research, and prospecting available through LinkedIn. The column starts with the most straightforward features: the \"People Also Viewed\" widget on the right-hand side of a user profile.\n\nA marketing manager or salesperson who is combing through LinkedIn for leads should research your current customers and prospective clients through the \"People Also Viewed\" feature; this allows them to hone in on similar roles to target within different organizations. The [LinkedIn Economic Graph](https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/linkedin-economic-graph \"(Opens in a new tab)\") can help here, too, but the true data mining value lies in LinkedIn's advanced search filters. Beyond \"My Network\" and \"People You May Know,\" advanced searches allow marketers to add not only kewords but companies and job titles for a more complex query. If your organization has paid for a Premium membership, you can begin to build Boolean-level listening queries that incorporate function, company size, interests, associated groups, seniority level, years of experience, and other more granular metrics that tie in every other aspect of the platform into one, high-powered search tool.\n\n[![Microsoft LinkedIn Acquisition](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/articles\/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-6.fit_lim.size_810x456.v_1569470645.jpg)](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin \"(Opens in a new tab)\")\n\n## The Microsoft Factor\nNow that Microsoft has [put a ring on it](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/microsoft-and-linkedin-put-a-ring-on-it), we'll start to see LinkedIn truly become part of the Microsoft ecosystem. The acquisition is only beginning to bear fruit from all of the possible [software, services, and data](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/6-amazing-things-microsoft-could-do-with-linkedin) opportunities. LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman recently joined the Microsoft Board of Directors as the companies begin melding in different ways. But the first major integration came [in April](https:\/\/blogs.microsoft.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/24\/new-ways-drive-business-forward-todays-digital-landscape\/#sm.0000jtj6t99z8e59waa1g8oadp5ga \"(Opens in a new tab)\") when Microsoft announced it's linking its Dynamics 365 CRM tool directly with LinkedIn Sales Navigator, giving salespeople and marketers using Dynamics 365 direct access to LinkedIn's database and vice versa. This is the tip of the iceberg in how Microsoft will start leveraging the marketing and sales data in LinkedIn across its tools, and integrating Microsoft services into the social network.\n\nMicrosoft also announced a [new HR and recruitment management](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/picks\/the-best-hr-software) tool called Dynamics 365 for Talent, which gives [Microsoft Dynamics GP](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/reviews\/microsoft-dynamics-gp) [(5,000.00 Per Three-User License at Microsoft Dynamics)](https:\/\/cc.pcmag.com\/v1\/otc\/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=07KBKoj4RDEraXrdEuCfkps&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdynamics.microsoft.com%2Fen-us%2Fgp-overview%2F \"(Opens in a new tab)\") users the ability to search for prospective employees directly through LinkedIn's Recruiter and Learning tools, as well as manage employees from recruitment through the term of their employment.\n\nBeyond that, look for more integrations with additional Microsoft apps and services, such as [Microsoft Office 365](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/reviews\/microsoft-office-365-home) [(\\$69.99 Per Year at Microsoft)](https:\/\/cc.pcmag.com\/v1\/otc\/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=03sqIMHtmmaHBjsncmFUGPt&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.microsoft.com%2Fen-us%2Fmicrosoft-365%2Fp%2Fmicrosoft-365-personal%2Fcfq7ttc0k5bf \"(Opens in a new tab)\") , Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Skype, embedded intuitively within the LinkedIn experience. LinkedIn has the potential to become the front-facing social hub for Microsoft's converged vision of business and productivity. Microsoft's productivity suite could become natively available via content creation and sharing tools within the social network. The LinkedIn Recruiter and Sales Navigator integrations with Dynamics 365 are just the start. Microsoft could make LinkedIn credentials as ubiquitous as Facebook for one-click login across Microsoft services. Over the next few years, we'll begin to see LinkedIn reshaped and enhanced in accordance with Microsoft's larger enterprise cloud strategy. If your organization is already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, then that could be very good for business.\n\n## About Our Expert\n![Rob Marvin](https:\/\/i.pcmag.com\/imagery\/authors\/02H6VGDu3KHtKmdb9oPyY6J.fit_lim.size_100x100.v1567806071.jpg)\n\nRob Marvin\n\nFormer Associate Features Editor\n***\nExperience\n\nRob Marvin writes features, news, and trend stories on all manner of emerging technologies. Beats include: startups, business and venture capital, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, AI, augmented and virtual reality, IoT and automation, legal cannabis tech, social media, streaming, security, mobile commerce, M\\&A, and entertainment. Rob was previously Assistant Editor and Associate Editor in PCMag's Business section. Prior to that, he served as an editor at SD Times. He graduated from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. You can also find his business and tech coverage on Entrepreneur and Fox Business. Rob is also an unabashed nerd who does occasional entertainment writing for Geek.com on movies, TV, and culture. Once a year you can find him on a couch with friends marathoning The Lord of the Rings trilogy--extended editions.\n\nLatest By Rob Marvin\n\n[Read Full Bio](https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/authors\/rob-marvin)","meta_canonical":null,"ml_categories_json":"{\"\/Business_and_Industrial\":788,\"\/Business_and_Industrial\/Business_Services\":652,\"\/Business_and_Industrial\/Business_Services\/Consulting\":485,\"\/Internet_and_Telecom\":299,\"\/Internet_and_Telecom\/Web_Services\":284,\"\/Jobs_and_Education\":272,\"\/Jobs_and_Education\/Jobs\":267,\"\/Jobs_and_Education\/Jobs\/Career_Resources_and_Planning\":181,\"\/Internet_and_Telecom\/Web_Services\/Web_Design_and_Development\":131}","ml_types_json":"{\"\/Article\":998,\"\/Article\/Tutorial_or_Guide\":527}","ml_intent_types_json":"{\"Informational\":984,\"Commercial\":231}","meta_language":"en","attrs_author":"Rob Marvin","attrs_publish_time":1496409900,"attrs_original_publish_time":1496409900,"attrs_is_republished":0,"attrs_nr_words":"4029","attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words":"2352","body_ext_links_number":49,"body_int_links_number":392,"meta_nofollow":0,"meta_noarchive":0,"props_was_rendered":1,"src_redirect":"","download_time_msec":849,"download_ttfb_msec":822,"download_size":103785}

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Everything Businesses Need to Know About LinkedIn | PCMag

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From content creation, groups, and networking to a treasure trove of marketing data and human resources (HR) functionality, businesses can do a lot with LinkedIn—not to mention how Microsoft is transforming the experience.

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Social media has essentially become the air we breathe online. It's where customers increasingly spend more of their time, with social applications challenging browsers as the entry point through which users interact with the web. Businesses need to know absolutely everything they can about each prevalent social networking app—from social ground rules and how customers are using the platform to all of the different features and data of which your organization can take advantage to engage its social audience. LinkedIn ($0.00 at Apple.com) is the social network that's most synonymous with business. According to the company, LinkedIn has more than 467 million members, including 40 million students and recent college graduates. Whether you're part of a small to midsize business (SMB) or a large enterprise, LinkedIn can be your Swiss Army Knife. Rolled into the website are a content publishing and sharing platform, messaging, and networking, as well as a human resources (HR) platform that combines a job board, recruiting, applicant tracking (AT) tools, and more. LinkedIn also offers a social listening gold mine of customer and marketing data, not to mention all of the ways the platform has begun to evolve under the Microsoft banner—from software and services integrations to building out a one-stop business communications and productivity platform. Microsoft didn't set a new social media acquisition record for no reason: the tech giant spent $26.2 billion to snatch up the "social network for professionals." Feed and Messaging LinkedIn has put a lot of effort recently into making sure it still feels like a social network, re-designing its main news feed with features like trending storylines and adding a host of new features to its messaging experience. The revamped desktop feed de-clutters the interface with a more simplified navigation pane and a "Me" tab to control your privacy and settings. A no-brainer here is to make sure you've expressly set whether you want to browse profiles publicly or anonymously, and to make sure to turn "broadcasting" off to avoid notifying your entire feed every time you make a profile change. In the "Me" section, LinkedIn also now gives you suggested skills to add to your profile and a "My Network" tab dedicated solely to managing connections. It's also worth discussing the new bells and whistles in LinkedIn's messaging interface. You can now have a conversation with a connection without ever leaving their profile or reach out to someone directly from the LinkedIn Feed. The company has also built contextual suggestions into messaging on specific Jobs and Company pages to identify possible connections worth messaging or asking for an introduction. Finally, LinkedIn now generates analytics reports for InMail, the platform's premium messaging service. This gives you hourly updates through a dashboard on message response rates, how different mail templates are performing, and benchmark data for recruiters. Content Creation and Sharing On the laundry list of features and functionality in LinkedIn, creating and publishing LinkedIn-specific social content is the first things users see beyond the main feed (but this is probably one of its least compelling features from a business perspective). That said, the way to make the most of the news feed and your company page updates is to follow the same golden rules of content creation as those for Facebook. LinkedIn gives you more flexibility of content types than do Instagram or Twitter, so your LinkedIn post queue should be a combination of short updates and long-form articles (LinkedIn has a "Write an Article" option when creating new posts). Attach images and videos whenever possible to make your posts more engaging. The long-form article option—which opens an intuitive LinkedIn Publishing article creation interface that's similar to Medium —is also a good way to give company blog posts or promotional content published elsewhere a new life on social. Republishing a blog post or article excerpt on LinkedIn, with a link to the source material, makes a static blog post inherently more shareable; it can help kickstart some social buzz on a great piece of content your business has had trouble promoting. Don't sleep on SlideShare either, the web-based virtual presentation app that's similar to Microsoft PowerPoint (which LinkedIn acquired in 2012). SlideShare is another easy, built-in way to diversify your content, particularly for online presentations and webinars. More importantly, make sure that LinkedIn marketing content is tied directly to your company's sales goals and customer relationship management (CRM) strategy. Your company's social media team and salespeople should be in sync on key performance indicators (KPIs) for your brand and the type of engagement for which you're looking from target audiences, and should keep an eye on daily, weekly, and monthly goals. LinkedIn has made this even easier with new audience demographics reports on posts, which give you real-time insights on who's reading your posts, what they do, where they work, where they live, and how they found your post. Check out PCMag's social media marketing checklist for more information on this. Groups and Networking LinkedIn Groups have long been a favorite way for businesses and marketers to find and engage targeted audiences and prospective customers, be it through creating your own group or joining and becoming an active member and networking in other groups. If you already have an active community around your brand, then a LinkedIn Group can be a great place to start discussions and create a more engaged audience. A few tips: Use keywords in the group title to help it surface in LinkedIn's organic search, take advantage of the weekly email feature to keep group members up to date, and designate the group as a Featured Group that you can highlight on your company page. We won't spend too much more time on groups, but it's worth going over the golden rule if you plan on joining other groups and using them as marketing outreach and promotion for your business. Particularly if it's an invite-only group, don't spam it. Start discussions and participate in conversations but add value as a member beyond just pushing your brand. If a targeted audience of LinkedIn users would benefit from the resources and services your business provides, then tell them. But be a brand ambassador, not a shill. There's also a standalone Groups mobile app (as part of LinkedIn's app bundle) available. Groups are a great networking tool in that way but they're far from the only useful way to use LinkedIn to facilitate connections. Integrations with services such as Evernote (Compare Prices at Software Advice) allow you to use LinkedIn as the bridge between analog networking and digital connections. Using the Evernote Scannable ($0.00 at Apple.com) app, business cards scanned with Evernote can pull data from LinkedIn's database, with a new note scanned for each card including contact information, a photo, and a link to their profile so you can follow up right away with a connection request. Get Our Best Stories! Your Daily Dose of Our Top Tech News Thanks for signing up! Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox! Job Boards and Recruiting Of all the LinkedIn tools for businesses, maybe none is more valuable than its role as an all-in-one HR and recruiting tool . LinkedIn's Job Search includes more than 6 million listings, but for businesses the LinkedIn Talent Solutions suite—which includes LinkedIn Recruiter—makes up the bulk of the company's revenue, and for good reason. LinkedIn Recruiter typically costs around $8,000 per seat depending on organization size, so it's not cheap. The value is in the unlimited access it gives recruiters to anyone in the LinkedIn database, plus advanced search filters and custom candidate profiles. Most importantly, it gives you a built-in AT pipeline if LinkedIn is your company's primary recruiting ground, including reporting and analytics on the your recruiting team. LinkedIn also has a handful of other apps and services on the HR front. LinkedIn Referrals is also part of the AT pipeline; it allows employees in your organization to suggest LinkedIn connections for the right open roles, share jobs, and track the hiring process. The LinkedIn app bundle also includes Lynda.com (30-Day Free Trial at LinkedIn Learning) , the online learning website acquired in 2014 for $1.5 billion. Lynda.com offers more than 4,000 online courses, a standalone Job Search app for job seekers, a Lookup app serving as a company's HR intranet to search for coworkers on LinkedIn, and LinkedIn Students , which helps companies tie recruiting more closely in with specific colleges. Soon-to-be grads can see suggested jobs based on their education, a list of companies that have hired from their school, and profiles of recent alumni with their major. For entry-level recruiting, businesses should factor the school-specific outreach facilitated by LinkedIn Students into their recruiting strategies. Prospect and Lead Engagement There's a lot you can do with LinkedIn when it comes to marketing and engagement. But the first thing your business needs to get a grasp on is how to research prospects and leads. LinkedIn's database pulls in every piece of identifiable information and content about a user, but tapping into the right information means you need to ask the right questions. At a macro level, you can use the LinkedIn Economic Graph to identify larger demographic trends such as geography and job type to tailor marketing campaigns. But at a micro level, it means everyone in your organization should be perpetuating an inbound marketing strategy by actively posting, updating, and engaging with other users. Make sure all of your employees have their accounts associated with your company page. How do they go about performing inbound engagement on LinkedIn? Sending messages and InMail on LinkedIn without the feeling that you're spamming your prospect is a tricky proposition. But Brent Johnson, PCMag's modern marketing columnist, laid out seven steps to ensure you're not overpaying for InMails that don't get you anywhere. While response rates on marketing messages in LinkedIn will never be through the roof, taking the time to chat with a LinkedIn prospect and provide them some useful content before diving into a pitch can lead to more sales success. Marketing Research and Database Mining Beyond the base lead identification and targeted marketing efforts, LinkedIn also allows you to do much deeper dives and take full advantage of its marketing database gold mine. Johnson's aforementioned column goes into all of the means of data mining, customer research, and prospecting available through LinkedIn. The column starts with the most straightforward features: the "People Also Viewed" widget on the right-hand side of a user profile. A marketing manager or salesperson who is combing through LinkedIn for leads should research your current customers and prospective clients through the "People Also Viewed" feature; this allows them to hone in on similar roles to target within different organizations. The LinkedIn Economic Graph can help here, too, but the true data mining value lies in LinkedIn's advanced search filters. Beyond "My Network" and "People You May Know," advanced searches allow marketers to add not only kewords but companies and job titles for a more complex query. If your organization has paid for a Premium membership, you can begin to build Boolean-level listening queries that incorporate function, company size, interests, associated groups, seniority level, years of experience, and other more granular metrics that tie in every other aspect of the platform into one, high-powered search tool. The Microsoft Factor Now that Microsoft has put a ring on it , we'll start to see LinkedIn truly become part of the Microsoft ecosystem. The acquisition is only beginning to bear fruit from all of the possible software, services, and data opportunities. LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman recently joined the Microsoft Board of Directors as the companies begin melding in different ways. But the first major integration came in April when Microsoft announced it's linking its Dynamics 365 CRM tool directly with LinkedIn Sales Navigator, giving salespeople and marketers using Dynamics 365 direct access to LinkedIn's database and vice versa. This is the tip of the iceberg in how Microsoft will start leveraging the marketing and sales data in LinkedIn across its tools, and integrating Microsoft services into the social network. Microsoft also announced a new HR and recruitment management tool called Dynamics 365 for Talent, which gives Microsoft Dynamics GP (5,000.00 Per Three-User License at Microsoft Dynamics) users the ability to search for prospective employees directly through LinkedIn's Recruiter and Learning tools, as well as manage employees from recruitment through the term of their employment. Beyond that, look for more integrations with additional Microsoft apps and services, such as Microsoft Office 365 ($69.99 Per Year at Microsoft) , Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Skype, embedded intuitively within the LinkedIn experience. LinkedIn has the potential to become the front-facing social hub for Microsoft's converged vision of business and productivity. Microsoft's productivity suite could become natively available via content creation and sharing tools within the social network. The LinkedIn Recruiter and Sales Navigator integrations with Dynamics 365 are just the start. Microsoft could make LinkedIn credentials as ubiquitous as Facebook for one-click login across Microsoft services. Over the next few years, we'll begin to see LinkedIn reshaped and enhanced in accordance with Microsoft's larger enterprise cloud strategy. If your organization is already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, then that could be very good for business. About Our Expert Rob Marvin Former Associate Features Editor Experience Rob Marvin writes features, news, and trend stories on all manner of emerging technologies. Beats include: startups, business and venture capital, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, AI, augmented and virtual reality, IoT and automation, legal cannabis tech, social media, streaming, security, mobile commerce, M&A, and entertainment. Rob was previously Assistant Editor and Associate Editor in PCMag's Business section. Prior to that, he served as an editor at SD Times. He graduated from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. You can also find his business and tech coverage on Entrepreneur and Fox Business. Rob is also an unabashed nerd who does occasional entertainment writing for Geek.com on movies, TV, and culture. Once a year you can find him on a couch with friends marathoning The Lord of the Rings trilogy--extended editions. Latest By Rob Marvin Read Full Bio

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PCMag editors select and review products [independently](https://www.pcmag.com/about/pcmagcom-mission-statement). If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our [testing](https://www.pcmag.com/about/how-we-test-everything-we-review). 1. [Home](https://www.pcmag.com/) 2. [News](https://www.pcmag.com/news) # Everything Businesses Need to Know About LinkedIn From content creation, groups, and networking to a treasure trove of marketing data and human resources (HR) functionality, businesses can do a lot with LinkedIn—not to mention how Microsoft is transforming the experience. [![Rob Marvin](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/authors/02H6VGDu3KHtKmdb9oPyY6J.fit_lim.size_100x100.v1567806071.jpg)](https://www.pcmag.com/authors/rob-marvin) By [Rob Marvin](https://www.pcmag.com/authors/rob-marvin) Updated June 2, 2017 [Threads](https://threads.net/intent/post?text=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcmag.com%2Fnews%2Feverything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin "Threads (Opens in a new tab)") [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcmag.com%2Fnews%2Feverything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin "Bluesky (Opens in a new tab)") [Reddit](http://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcmag.com%2Fnews%2Feverything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin&title=Everything%20Businesses%20Need%20to%20Know%20About%20LinkedIn "Reddit (Opens in a new tab)") Social Share [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcmag.com%2Fnews%2Feverything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin "Facebook (Opens in a new tab)") [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcmag.com%2Fnews%2Feverything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin&title=Everything%20Businesses%20Need%20to%20Know%20About%20LinkedIn&source=PCMag "LinkedIn (Opens in a new tab)") [Pinterest](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcmag.com%2Fnews%2Feverything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin&description=Everything%20Businesses%20Need%20to%20Know%20About%20LinkedIn "Pinterest (Opens in a new tab)") [Flipboard](https://share.flipboard.com/bookmarklet/popout?v=2&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcmag.com%2Fnews%2Feverything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin&title=Everything%20Businesses%20Need%20to%20Know%20About%20LinkedIn "Flipboard (Opens in a new tab)") [Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcmag.com%2Fnews%2Feverything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin&text=Everything%20Businesses%20Need%20to%20Know%20About%20LinkedIn&hashtags=PCMag "X (Opens in a new tab)") Copied Error\! 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It's where customers increasingly spend more of their time, with social applications challenging browsers as the entry point through which users interact with the web. Businesses need to know absolutely everything they can about each prevalent social networking app—from social ground rules and how customers are using the platform to all of the different features and data of which your organization can take advantage to engage its social audience. [LinkedIn](https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/linkedin) [(\$0.00 at Apple.com)](https://cc.pcmag.com/v1/otc/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=041L1kBgwzzwXRdPGtNcsId&url=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Flinkedin-network-job-finder%2Fid288429040 "(Opens in a new tab)") is the social network that's most synonymous with business. According to the company, LinkedIn has more than 467 million members, including 40 million students and recent college graduates. Whether you're part of a small to midsize business (SMB) or a large enterprise, LinkedIn can be your Swiss Army Knife. Rolled into the website are a content publishing and sharing platform, messaging, and networking, as well as a human resources (HR) platform that combines a job board, recruiting, applicant tracking (AT) tools, and more. LinkedIn also offers a [social listening](https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-social-listening-and-influencer-identification-tools) gold mine of customer and marketing data, not to mention all of the ways the platform has begun to evolve under the Microsoft banner—from software and services integrations to building out a one-stop business communications and productivity platform. Microsoft didn't set a new social media acquisition record for no reason: the tech giant spent [\$26.2 billion](https://www.pcmag.com/news/microsoft-drops-262-billion-on-linkedin) to snatch up the "social network for professionals." [![LinkedIn Publishing](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-1.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)![LinkedIn Publishing](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-1.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https://www.pcmag.com/news/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin "(Opens in a new tab)") ## Feed and Messaging LinkedIn has put a lot of effort recently into making sure it still *feels* like a social network, re-designing its main news feed with features like [trending storylines](https://press.linkedin.com/site-resources/news-releases/2017/introducing-trending-storylines-on-the-linkedin-feed "(Opens in a new tab)") and adding a host of new features to its messaging experience. The [revamped desktop feed](https://press.linkedin.com/site-resources/news-releases/2017/make-the-most-of-the-linkedin-desktop-redesign "(Opens in a new tab)") de-clutters the interface with a more simplified navigation pane and a "Me" tab to control your privacy and settings. A no-brainer here is to make sure you've expressly set whether you want to browse profiles publicly or anonymously, and to make sure to turn "broadcasting" off to avoid notifying your entire feed every time you make a profile change. In the "Me" section, LinkedIn also now gives you suggested skills to add to your profile and a "My Network" tab dedicated solely to managing connections. It's also worth discussing the new bells and whistles in LinkedIn's messaging interface. You can now have a conversation with a connection without ever leaving their profile or reach out to someone directly from the LinkedIn Feed. The company has also built contextual suggestions into messaging on specific Jobs and Company pages to identify possible connections worth messaging or asking for an introduction. Finally, LinkedIn now generates [analytics reports](https://press.linkedin.com/site-resources/news-releases/2017/new-inmail-analytics-report-todays-job-matches-for-mobile "(Opens in a new tab)") for InMail, the platform's premium messaging service. This gives you hourly updates through a dashboard on message response rates, how different mail templates are performing, and benchmark data for recruiters. ## Content Creation and Sharing On the laundry list of features and functionality in LinkedIn, creating and publishing LinkedIn-specific social content is the first things users see beyond the main feed (but this is probably one of its least compelling features from a business perspective). That said, the way to make the most of the news feed and your company page updates is to follow the same golden rules of content creation as those for Facebook. LinkedIn gives you more flexibility of content types than do Instagram or Twitter, so your LinkedIn post queue should be a combination of short updates and long-form articles (LinkedIn has a "Write an Article" option when creating new posts). Attach images and videos whenever possible to make your posts more engaging. The long-form article option—which opens an intuitive LinkedIn Publishing article creation interface that's similar to [Medium](https://medium.com/@pcmagazine "(Opens in a new tab)")—is also a good way to give company blog posts or promotional content published elsewhere a new life on social. Republishing a blog post or article excerpt on LinkedIn, with a link to the source material, makes a static blog post inherently more shareable; it can help kickstart some social buzz on a great piece of content your business has had trouble promoting. Don't sleep on [SlideShare](http://www.slideshare.net/ "(Opens in a new tab)") either, the web-based virtual presentation app that's similar to Microsoft PowerPoint (which LinkedIn acquired in 2012). SlideShare is another easy, built-in way to diversify your content, particularly for online presentations and webinars. More importantly, make sure that LinkedIn marketing content is tied directly to your company's sales goals and [customer relationship management](https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-crm-software) (CRM) strategy. Your company's social media team and salespeople should be in sync on key performance indicators (KPIs) for your brand and the type of engagement for which you're looking from target audiences, and should keep an eye on daily, weekly, and monthly goals. LinkedIn has made this even easier with new [audience demographics reports](https://press.linkedin.com/site-resources/news-releases/2016/introducing-audience-demographics-see-who-youre-reaching-when-you-post-content-on-LinkedIn "(Opens in a new tab)") on posts, which give you real-time insights on who's reading your posts, what they do, where they work, where they live, and how they found your post. Check out PCMag's [social media marketing checklist](https://www.pcmag.com/news/a-social-media-marketing-checklist) for more information on this. [![Re-designed LinkedIn Desktop](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-2.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)![Re-designed LinkedIn Desktop](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-2.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https://www.pcmag.com/news/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin "(Opens in a new tab)") ## Groups and Networking LinkedIn Groups have long been a favorite way for businesses and marketers to find and engage targeted audiences and prospective customers, be it through creating your own group or joining and [becoming an active member](https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/10-linkedin-tips-for-networking-success) and networking in other groups. If you already have an active community around your brand, then a LinkedIn Group can be a great place to start discussions and create a more engaged audience. A few tips: Use keywords in the group title to help it surface in LinkedIn's organic search, take advantage of the weekly email feature to keep group members up to date, and designate the group as a Featured Group that you can highlight on your company page. We won't spend too much more time on groups, but it's worth going over the golden rule if you plan on joining other groups and using them as marketing outreach and promotion for your business. Particularly if it's an invite-only group, don't spam it. Start discussions and participate in conversations but add value as a member beyond just pushing your brand. If a targeted audience of LinkedIn users would benefit from the resources and services your business provides, then tell them. But be a brand ambassador, not a shill. There's also a standalone Groups mobile app (as part of LinkedIn's app bundle) available. Groups are a great networking tool in that way but they're far from the only useful way to use LinkedIn to facilitate connections. Integrations with services such as [Evernote](https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/evernote-business) [(Compare Prices at Software Advice)](https://cc.pcmag.com/v1/otc/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=07xuABeQnxadOcazUPIaCef&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpartner-forms.softwareadvice.com%2Fprice-quotes%2Fcms%2Fdocument-management%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpcmag%26utm_medium%3Daffiliate "(Opens in a new tab)") allow you to use LinkedIn as the bridge between analog networking and digital connections. Using the [Evernote Scannable](https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/evernote-scannable-for-iphone) [(\$0.00 at Apple.com)](https://cc.pcmag.com/v1/otc/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=041L1kBgwzzwXRdPGtNcsId&url=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fevernote-scannable%2Fid883338188%3Fuo%3D4%26at%3D10l6XA%26ct%3D8e26ecb1-b6ae-4689-8e5a-6d11989ae1fe "(Opens in a new tab)") app, business cards scanned with Evernote can pull data from LinkedIn's database, with a new note scanned for each card including contact information, a photo, and a link to their profile so you can follow up right away with a connection request. ![Newsletter Icon](https://www.pcmag.com/images/newsletter-envelope.svg) ![Newsletter Icon](https://www.pcmag.com/images/newsletter-envelope.svg) Get Our Best Stories\! ### Your Daily Dose of Our Top Tech News ![What's New Now Newsletter Image](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/newsletters/17768392-contextual.fit_lpad.size_250x140.v1752614006.png) Sign up for our **What's New Now** newsletter to receive the latest news, best new products, and expert advice from the editors of PCMag. Sign up for our **What's New Now** newsletter to receive the latest news, best new products, and expert advice from the editors of PCMag. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our [Terms of Use](https://www.pcmag.com/terms) and [Privacy Policy](https://www.pcmag.com/privacy). Thanks for signing up\! Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox\! [![LinkedIn Groups](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-3.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)![LinkedIn Groups](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-3.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https://www.pcmag.com/news/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin "(Opens in a new tab)") ## Job Boards and Recruiting Of all the LinkedIn tools for businesses, maybe none is more valuable than its role as an all-in-one [HR and recruiting tool](https://www.pcmag.com/news/dont-write-off-linkedin-yet). LinkedIn's Job Search includes more than 6 million listings, but for businesses the LinkedIn Talent Solutions suite—which includes LinkedIn Recruiter—makes up the bulk of the company's revenue, and for good reason. LinkedIn Recruiter typically costs around \$8,000 per seat depending on organization size, so it's not cheap. The value is in the unlimited access it gives recruiters to anyone in the LinkedIn database, plus advanced search filters and custom candidate profiles. Most importantly, it gives you a [built-in AT pipeline](https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-applicant-tracking-systems) if LinkedIn is your company's primary recruiting ground, including reporting and analytics on the your recruiting team. LinkedIn also has a handful of other apps and services on the HR front. LinkedIn Referrals is also part of the AT pipeline; it allows employees in your organization to suggest LinkedIn connections for the right open roles, share jobs, and track the hiring process. The LinkedIn app bundle also includes [Lynda.com](https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/lyndacom-from-linkedin) [(30-Day Free Trial at LinkedIn Learning)](https://cc.pcmag.com/v1/otc/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=03hp2qYZprnHbEUN3UtpTIU&url=https%3A%2F%2Flearning.linkedin.com%2F "(Opens in a new tab)") , the online learning website acquired in 2014 for \$1.5 billion. Lynda.com offers more than 4,000 online courses, a standalone Job Search app for job seekers, a Lookup app serving as a company's HR intranet to search for coworkers on LinkedIn, and [LinkedIn Students](https://www.pcmag.com/news/need-a-job-grads-linkedin-students-wants-to-help), which helps companies tie recruiting more closely in with specific colleges. Soon-to-be grads can see suggested jobs based on their education, a list of companies that have hired from their school, and profiles of recent alumni with their major. For entry-level recruiting, businesses should factor the school-specific outreach facilitated by LinkedIn Students into their recruiting strategies. [![LinkedIn Recruiter](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-4.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)![LinkedIn Recruiter](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-4.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https://www.pcmag.com/news/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin "(Opens in a new tab)") ## Prospect and Lead Engagement There's a lot you can do with LinkedIn when it comes to marketing and engagement. But the first thing your business needs to get a grasp on is [how to research](https://www.pcmag.com/news/how-to-research-prospects-and-leads-on-linkedin) prospects and leads. LinkedIn's database pulls in every piece of identifiable information and content about a user, but tapping into the right information means you need to ask the right questions. At a macro level, you can use the LinkedIn Economic Graph to identify larger demographic trends such as geography and job type to tailor marketing campaigns. But at a micro level, it means everyone in your organization should be perpetuating an inbound marketing strategy by actively posting, updating, and engaging with other users. Make sure all of your employees have their accounts associated with your company page. How do they go about performing inbound engagement on LinkedIn? Sending messages and InMail on LinkedIn without the feeling that you're spamming your prospect is a tricky proposition. But Brent Johnson, PCMag's modern marketing columnist, laid out [seven steps](https://www.pcmag.com/news/7-steps-to-linkedin-marketing-success) to ensure you're not overpaying for InMails that don't get you anywhere. While response rates on marketing messages in LinkedIn will never be through the roof, taking the time to chat with a LinkedIn prospect and provide them some useful content before diving into a pitch can lead to more sales success. [![LinkedIn Who Has Viewed Me](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-5.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)![LinkedIn Who Has Viewed Me](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-5.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https://www.pcmag.com/news/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin "(Opens in a new tab)") ## Marketing Research and Database Mining Beyond the base lead identification and targeted marketing efforts, LinkedIn also allows you to do much deeper dives and take full advantage of its [marketing database](https://www.pcmag.com/news/how-to-tap-into-linkedins-marketing-database-gold-mine) gold mine. Johnson's aforementioned column goes into all of the means of data mining, customer research, and prospecting available through LinkedIn. The column starts with the most straightforward features: the "People Also Viewed" widget on the right-hand side of a user profile. A marketing manager or salesperson who is combing through LinkedIn for leads should research your current customers and prospective clients through the "People Also Viewed" feature; this allows them to hone in on similar roles to target within different organizations. The [LinkedIn Economic Graph](https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkedin-economic-graph "(Opens in a new tab)") can help here, too, but the true data mining value lies in LinkedIn's advanced search filters. Beyond "My Network" and "People You May Know," advanced searches allow marketers to add not only kewords but companies and job titles for a more complex query. If your organization has paid for a Premium membership, you can begin to build Boolean-level listening queries that incorporate function, company size, interests, associated groups, seniority level, years of experience, and other more granular metrics that tie in every other aspect of the platform into one, high-powered search tool. [![Microsoft LinkedIn Acquisition](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-6.fit_lim.size_810x456.v_1569470645.jpg)![Microsoft LinkedIn Acquisition](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-6.fit_lim.size_810x456.v_1569470645.jpg)](https://www.pcmag.com/news/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin "(Opens in a new tab)") ## The Microsoft Factor Now that Microsoft has [put a ring on it](https://www.pcmag.com/news/microsoft-and-linkedin-put-a-ring-on-it), we'll start to see LinkedIn truly become part of the Microsoft ecosystem. The acquisition is only beginning to bear fruit from all of the possible [software, services, and data](https://www.pcmag.com/news/6-amazing-things-microsoft-could-do-with-linkedin) opportunities. LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman recently joined the Microsoft Board of Directors as the companies begin melding in different ways. But the first major integration came [in April](https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2017/04/24/new-ways-drive-business-forward-todays-digital-landscape/#sm.0000jtj6t99z8e59waa1g8oadp5ga "(Opens in a new tab)") when Microsoft announced it's linking its Dynamics 365 CRM tool directly with LinkedIn Sales Navigator, giving salespeople and marketers using Dynamics 365 direct access to LinkedIn's database and vice versa. This is the tip of the iceberg in how Microsoft will start leveraging the marketing and sales data in LinkedIn across its tools, and integrating Microsoft services into the social network. Microsoft also announced a [new HR and recruitment management](https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-hr-software) tool called Dynamics 365 for Talent, which gives [Microsoft Dynamics GP](https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/microsoft-dynamics-gp) [(5,000.00 Per Three-User License at Microsoft Dynamics)](https://cc.pcmag.com/v1/otc/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=07KBKoj4RDEraXrdEuCfkps&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdynamics.microsoft.com%2Fen-us%2Fgp-overview%2F "(Opens in a new tab)") users the ability to search for prospective employees directly through LinkedIn's Recruiter and Learning tools, as well as manage employees from recruitment through the term of their employment. Beyond that, look for more integrations with additional Microsoft apps and services, such as [Microsoft Office 365](https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/microsoft-office-365-home) [(\$69.99 Per Year at Microsoft)](https://cc.pcmag.com/v1/otc/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=03sqIMHtmmaHBjsncmFUGPt&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.microsoft.com%2Fen-us%2Fmicrosoft-365%2Fp%2Fmicrosoft-365-personal%2Fcfq7ttc0k5bf "(Opens in a new tab)") , Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Skype, embedded intuitively within the LinkedIn experience. LinkedIn has the potential to become the front-facing social hub for Microsoft's converged vision of business and productivity. Microsoft's productivity suite could become natively available via content creation and sharing tools within the social network. The LinkedIn Recruiter and Sales Navigator integrations with Dynamics 365 are just the start. Microsoft could make LinkedIn credentials as ubiquitous as Facebook for one-click login across Microsoft services. Over the next few years, we'll begin to see LinkedIn reshaped and enhanced in accordance with Microsoft's larger enterprise cloud strategy. If your organization is already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, then that could be very good for business. ## About Our Expert ![Rob Marvin](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/authors/02H6VGDu3KHtKmdb9oPyY6J.fit_lim.size_100x100.v1567806071.jpg) Rob Marvin Former Associate Features Editor *** Experience Rob Marvin writes features, news, and trend stories on all manner of emerging technologies. Beats include: startups, business and venture capital, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, AI, augmented and virtual reality, IoT and automation, legal cannabis tech, social media, streaming, security, mobile commerce, M\&A, and entertainment. Rob was previously Assistant Editor and Associate Editor in PCMag's Business section. Prior to that, he served as an editor at SD Times. He graduated from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. You can also find his business and tech coverage on Entrepreneur and Fox Business. Rob is also an unabashed nerd who does occasional entertainment writing for Geek.com on movies, TV, and culture. Once a year you can find him on a couch with friends marathoning The Lord of the Rings trilogy--extended editions. Latest By Rob Marvin - [Social CRM: Where Social Media Meets Customer Engagement](https://www.pcmag.com/news/social-crm-where-social-media-meets-customer-engagement) - [9 Tips for a Killer Social CRM Strategy](https://www.pcmag.com/news/8-tips-for-a-killer-social-crm-strategy) - [The Dos and Don'ts of Securing Your VoIP Communications](https://www.pcmag.com/news/the-dos-and-donts-of-securing-your-voip-communications) - [Peacock? HBO Max? The New Streaming Giants Explained](https://www.pcmag.com/news/disney-plus-hbo-max-the-new-streaming-giants-explained) - [Are You Worried About Smart Home Devices Listening to You?](https://www.pcmag.com/news/are-you-worried-about-smart-home-devices-listening-to-you) - [More from Rob Marvin](https://www.pcmag.com/authors/rob-marvin) [Read Full Bio](https://www.pcmag.com/authors/rob-marvin) ## Table of Contents Table of Contents Advertisement ### Amazon Big Spring Sale [![My Favorite Robot Vacuum Is at Its Lowest Price Ever During Amazon's Big Spring Sale](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/04FICZSh7teOa3M34mS9src-4.fit_lpad.size_300x169.v1774454258.png)](https://www.pcmag.com/opinions/my-favorite-robot-vacuum-deal-lowest-price-ever-amazon-big-spring-sale) [My Favorite Robot Vacuum Is at Its Lowest Price Ever During Amazon's Big Spring Sale](https://www.pcmag.com/opinions/my-favorite-robot-vacuum-deal-lowest-price-ever-amazon-big-spring-sale) By [Andrew Gebhart](https://www.pcmag.com/authors/andrew-gebhart) [![The Best Amazon Big Spring Sale Deals on Apple AirPods Are Here](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/00HZfqLfDeppP6WqeinZaIa-1.fit_lpad.size_300x169.v1774452771.png)](https://www.pcmag.com/news/best-amazon-spring-sale-2026-deals-apple-airpods) [The Best Amazon Big Spring Sale Deals on Apple AirPods Are Here](https://www.pcmag.com/news/best-amazon-spring-sale-2026-deals-apple-airpods) By [Cierra Cowan](https://www.pcmag.com/authors/cierra-cowan) [![This Sonos Soundbar Drops The Boom and the Price During Amazon's Big Spring Sale](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/00s3ETZvCWfI1uoZoY0E9vt-4.fit_lpad.size_300x169.v1774450730.png)](https://www.pcmag.com/news/sonos-soundbar-deal-amazon-big-spring-2026) [This Sonos Soundbar Drops The Boom and the Price During Amazon's Big Spring Sale](https://www.pcmag.com/news/sonos-soundbar-deal-amazon-big-spring-2026) By [Carlos Mejia](https://www.pcmag.com/authors/carlos-mejia) [![The Best Amazon Big Spring Sale Apple Deals We've Found So Far](<data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 400 225'%3E%3Crect fill='%23f7f7f7' /%3E%3C/svg%3E>)](https://www.pcmag.com/deals/best-amazon-spring-sale-2026-apple-deals-sale-airpods-ipads-macbooks) [The Best Amazon Big Spring Sale Apple Deals We've Found So Far](https://www.pcmag.com/deals/best-amazon-spring-sale-2026-apple-deals-sale-airpods-ipads-macbooks) By [Cierra Cowan](https://www.pcmag.com/authors/cierra-cowan) [![I'm Vetting the Best Amazon Big Spring Sale Headphone and Earbud Deals](<data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 400 225'%3E%3Crect fill='%23f7f7f7' /%3E%3C/svg%3E>)](https://www.pcmag.com/news/best-amazon-spring-sale-2026-deals-headphones-earbuds) [I'm Vetting the Best Amazon Big Spring Sale Headphone and Earbud Deals](https://www.pcmag.com/news/best-amazon-spring-sale-2026-deals-headphones-earbuds) By [Juhi Wadia](https://www.pcmag.com/authors/juhi-wadia) [![Looking for Amazon Spring Sale Savings? 6 Legit Ways to Get Prime Perks Without Paying \$139](<data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 400 225'%3E%3Crect fill='%23f7f7f7' /%3E%3C/svg%3E>)](https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/how-to-get-amazon-prime-perks-without-paying-139-dollars) [Looking for Amazon Spring Sale Savings? 6 Legit Ways to Get Prime Perks Without Paying \$139](https://www.pcmag.com/explainers/how-to-get-amazon-prime-perks-without-paying-139-dollars) By [Chloe Albanesius](https://www.pcmag.com/authors/chloe-albanesius) [![Amazon Is Going All In for the Big Spring Sale: Snag Unlocked Smartphones Up to 50% Off From Apple, Samsung, and More](<data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 400 225'%3E%3Crect fill='%23f7f7f7' /%3E%3C/svg%3E>)](https://www.pcmag.com/news/best-amazon-spring-sale-2026-deals-smartphones) [Amazon Is Going All In for the Big Spring Sale: Snag Unlocked Smartphones Up to 50% Off From Apple, Samsung, and More](https://www.pcmag.com/news/best-amazon-spring-sale-2026-deals-smartphones) By [Juhi Wadia](https://www.pcmag.com/authors/juhi-wadia) [![Slice \$400 Off the Price of This Sweet Apple Watch Thanks to Amazon’s Big Spring Sale Deals](<data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 400 225'%3E%3Crect fill='%23f7f7f7' /%3E%3C/svg%3E>)](https://www.pcmag.com/deals/400-off-apple-watch-deal-amazon-big-spring-sale-2026) [Slice \$400 Off the Price of This Sweet Apple Watch Thanks to Amazon’s Big Spring Sale Deals](https://www.pcmag.com/deals/400-off-apple-watch-deal-amazon-big-spring-sale-2026) By [Juhi Wadia](https://www.pcmag.com/authors/juhi-wadia) [All Amazon Big Spring Sale Stories](https://www.pcmag.com/events/amazon-prime-day) Keep scrolling for next article [PCMag Newsletters](https://www.pcmag.com/newsletter_manage) PCMag Newsletters Our Best Stories in Your Inbox Follow PCMag ## Honest, Objective, Lab-Tested Reviews PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering lab-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services. 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I'm Maggie, PCMag's AI-powered product finder, exclusively powered by our deep library of reviews and buying advice written by our expert team of technology journalists. PRESENTED BY ![]() *** Recommended for You ![](https://www.pcmag.com/news/formatImage$product.image.url,%20325,%20183$) What Our Ratings Mean *** Read Our [Editorial Mission Statement](https://www.pcmag.com/about/pcmagcom-mission-statement) and [Testing Methodologies](https://www.pcmag.com/about/how-we-test-everything-we-review). 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I'm in Beta. [Help me get better](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdL9ayCDMigj08oQXjAgDJVX77ti49d9ILHwE--ZFlRtEHOSw/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=117991066449526760970). Keep scrolling for next article

Readable Markdown

[Social media](https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-social-media-management-analytics-tools) has essentially become the air we breathe online. It's where customers increasingly spend more of their time, with social applications challenging browsers as the entry point through which users interact with the web. Businesses need to know absolutely everything they can about each prevalent social networking app—from social ground rules and how customers are using the platform to all of the different features and data of which your organization can take advantage to engage its social audience. [LinkedIn](https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/linkedin) [(\$0.00 at Apple.com)](https://cc.pcmag.com/v1/otc/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=041L1kBgwzzwXRdPGtNcsId&url=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Flinkedin-network-job-finder%2Fid288429040 "(Opens in a new tab)") is the social network that's most synonymous with business. According to the company, LinkedIn has more than 467 million members, including 40 million students and recent college graduates. Whether you're part of a small to midsize business (SMB) or a large enterprise, LinkedIn can be your Swiss Army Knife. Rolled into the website are a content publishing and sharing platform, messaging, and networking, as well as a human resources (HR) platform that combines a job board, recruiting, applicant tracking (AT) tools, and more. LinkedIn also offers a [social listening](https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-social-listening-and-influencer-identification-tools) gold mine of customer and marketing data, not to mention all of the ways the platform has begun to evolve under the Microsoft banner—from software and services integrations to building out a one-stop business communications and productivity platform. Microsoft didn't set a new social media acquisition record for no reason: the tech giant spent [\$26.2 billion](https://www.pcmag.com/news/microsoft-drops-262-billion-on-linkedin) to snatch up the "social network for professionals." [![LinkedIn Publishing](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-1.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https://www.pcmag.com/news/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin "(Opens in a new tab)") ## Feed and Messaging LinkedIn has put a lot of effort recently into making sure it still *feels* like a social network, re-designing its main news feed with features like [trending storylines](https://press.linkedin.com/site-resources/news-releases/2017/introducing-trending-storylines-on-the-linkedin-feed "(Opens in a new tab)") and adding a host of new features to its messaging experience. The [revamped desktop feed](https://press.linkedin.com/site-resources/news-releases/2017/make-the-most-of-the-linkedin-desktop-redesign "(Opens in a new tab)") de-clutters the interface with a more simplified navigation pane and a "Me" tab to control your privacy and settings. A no-brainer here is to make sure you've expressly set whether you want to browse profiles publicly or anonymously, and to make sure to turn "broadcasting" off to avoid notifying your entire feed every time you make a profile change. In the "Me" section, LinkedIn also now gives you suggested skills to add to your profile and a "My Network" tab dedicated solely to managing connections. It's also worth discussing the new bells and whistles in LinkedIn's messaging interface. You can now have a conversation with a connection without ever leaving their profile or reach out to someone directly from the LinkedIn Feed. The company has also built contextual suggestions into messaging on specific Jobs and Company pages to identify possible connections worth messaging or asking for an introduction. Finally, LinkedIn now generates [analytics reports](https://press.linkedin.com/site-resources/news-releases/2017/new-inmail-analytics-report-todays-job-matches-for-mobile "(Opens in a new tab)") for InMail, the platform's premium messaging service. This gives you hourly updates through a dashboard on message response rates, how different mail templates are performing, and benchmark data for recruiters. ## Content Creation and Sharing On the laundry list of features and functionality in LinkedIn, creating and publishing LinkedIn-specific social content is the first things users see beyond the main feed (but this is probably one of its least compelling features from a business perspective). That said, the way to make the most of the news feed and your company page updates is to follow the same golden rules of content creation as those for Facebook. LinkedIn gives you more flexibility of content types than do Instagram or Twitter, so your LinkedIn post queue should be a combination of short updates and long-form articles (LinkedIn has a "Write an Article" option when creating new posts). Attach images and videos whenever possible to make your posts more engaging. The long-form article option—which opens an intuitive LinkedIn Publishing article creation interface that's similar to [Medium](https://medium.com/@pcmagazine "(Opens in a new tab)")—is also a good way to give company blog posts or promotional content published elsewhere a new life on social. Republishing a blog post or article excerpt on LinkedIn, with a link to the source material, makes a static blog post inherently more shareable; it can help kickstart some social buzz on a great piece of content your business has had trouble promoting. Don't sleep on [SlideShare](http://www.slideshare.net/ "(Opens in a new tab)") either, the web-based virtual presentation app that's similar to Microsoft PowerPoint (which LinkedIn acquired in 2012). SlideShare is another easy, built-in way to diversify your content, particularly for online presentations and webinars. More importantly, make sure that LinkedIn marketing content is tied directly to your company's sales goals and [customer relationship management](https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-crm-software) (CRM) strategy. Your company's social media team and salespeople should be in sync on key performance indicators (KPIs) for your brand and the type of engagement for which you're looking from target audiences, and should keep an eye on daily, weekly, and monthly goals. LinkedIn has made this even easier with new [audience demographics reports](https://press.linkedin.com/site-resources/news-releases/2016/introducing-audience-demographics-see-who-youre-reaching-when-you-post-content-on-LinkedIn "(Opens in a new tab)") on posts, which give you real-time insights on who's reading your posts, what they do, where they work, where they live, and how they found your post. Check out PCMag's [social media marketing checklist](https://www.pcmag.com/news/a-social-media-marketing-checklist) for more information on this. [![Re-designed LinkedIn Desktop](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-2.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https://www.pcmag.com/news/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin "(Opens in a new tab)") ## Groups and Networking LinkedIn Groups have long been a favorite way for businesses and marketers to find and engage targeted audiences and prospective customers, be it through creating your own group or joining and [becoming an active member](https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/10-linkedin-tips-for-networking-success) and networking in other groups. If you already have an active community around your brand, then a LinkedIn Group can be a great place to start discussions and create a more engaged audience. A few tips: Use keywords in the group title to help it surface in LinkedIn's organic search, take advantage of the weekly email feature to keep group members up to date, and designate the group as a Featured Group that you can highlight on your company page. We won't spend too much more time on groups, but it's worth going over the golden rule if you plan on joining other groups and using them as marketing outreach and promotion for your business. Particularly if it's an invite-only group, don't spam it. Start discussions and participate in conversations but add value as a member beyond just pushing your brand. If a targeted audience of LinkedIn users would benefit from the resources and services your business provides, then tell them. But be a brand ambassador, not a shill. There's also a standalone Groups mobile app (as part of LinkedIn's app bundle) available. Groups are a great networking tool in that way but they're far from the only useful way to use LinkedIn to facilitate connections. Integrations with services such as [Evernote](https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/evernote-business) [(Compare Prices at Software Advice)](https://cc.pcmag.com/v1/otc/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=07xuABeQnxadOcazUPIaCef&url=https%3A%2F%2Fpartner-forms.softwareadvice.com%2Fprice-quotes%2Fcms%2Fdocument-management%2F%3Futm_source%3Dpcmag%26utm_medium%3Daffiliate "(Opens in a new tab)") allow you to use LinkedIn as the bridge between analog networking and digital connections. Using the [Evernote Scannable](https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/evernote-scannable-for-iphone) [(\$0.00 at Apple.com)](https://cc.pcmag.com/v1/otc/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=041L1kBgwzzwXRdPGtNcsId&url=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fevernote-scannable%2Fid883338188%3Fuo%3D4%26at%3D10l6XA%26ct%3D8e26ecb1-b6ae-4689-8e5a-6d11989ae1fe "(Opens in a new tab)") app, business cards scanned with Evernote can pull data from LinkedIn's database, with a new note scanned for each card including contact information, a photo, and a link to their profile so you can follow up right away with a connection request. ![Newsletter Icon](https://www.pcmag.com/images/newsletter-envelope.svg) ![Newsletter Icon](https://www.pcmag.com/images/newsletter-envelope.svg) Get Our Best Stories\! ### Your Daily Dose of Our Top Tech News ![What's New Now Newsletter Image](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/newsletters/17768392-contextual.fit_lpad.size_250x140.v1752614006.png) Thanks for signing up\! Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox\! [![LinkedIn Groups](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-3.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https://www.pcmag.com/news/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin "(Opens in a new tab)") ## Job Boards and Recruiting Of all the LinkedIn tools for businesses, maybe none is more valuable than its role as an all-in-one [HR and recruiting tool](https://www.pcmag.com/news/dont-write-off-linkedin-yet). LinkedIn's Job Search includes more than 6 million listings, but for businesses the LinkedIn Talent Solutions suite—which includes LinkedIn Recruiter—makes up the bulk of the company's revenue, and for good reason. LinkedIn Recruiter typically costs around \$8,000 per seat depending on organization size, so it's not cheap. The value is in the unlimited access it gives recruiters to anyone in the LinkedIn database, plus advanced search filters and custom candidate profiles. Most importantly, it gives you a [built-in AT pipeline](https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-applicant-tracking-systems) if LinkedIn is your company's primary recruiting ground, including reporting and analytics on the your recruiting team. LinkedIn also has a handful of other apps and services on the HR front. LinkedIn Referrals is also part of the AT pipeline; it allows employees in your organization to suggest LinkedIn connections for the right open roles, share jobs, and track the hiring process. The LinkedIn app bundle also includes [Lynda.com](https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/lyndacom-from-linkedin) [(30-Day Free Trial at LinkedIn Learning)](https://cc.pcmag.com/v1/otc/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=03hp2qYZprnHbEUN3UtpTIU&url=https%3A%2F%2Flearning.linkedin.com%2F "(Opens in a new tab)") , the online learning website acquired in 2014 for \$1.5 billion. Lynda.com offers more than 4,000 online courses, a standalone Job Search app for job seekers, a Lookup app serving as a company's HR intranet to search for coworkers on LinkedIn, and [LinkedIn Students](https://www.pcmag.com/news/need-a-job-grads-linkedin-students-wants-to-help), which helps companies tie recruiting more closely in with specific colleges. Soon-to-be grads can see suggested jobs based on their education, a list of companies that have hired from their school, and profiles of recent alumni with their major. For entry-level recruiting, businesses should factor the school-specific outreach facilitated by LinkedIn Students into their recruiting strategies. [![LinkedIn Recruiter](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-4.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https://www.pcmag.com/news/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin "(Opens in a new tab)") ## Prospect and Lead Engagement There's a lot you can do with LinkedIn when it comes to marketing and engagement. But the first thing your business needs to get a grasp on is [how to research](https://www.pcmag.com/news/how-to-research-prospects-and-leads-on-linkedin) prospects and leads. LinkedIn's database pulls in every piece of identifiable information and content about a user, but tapping into the right information means you need to ask the right questions. At a macro level, you can use the LinkedIn Economic Graph to identify larger demographic trends such as geography and job type to tailor marketing campaigns. But at a micro level, it means everyone in your organization should be perpetuating an inbound marketing strategy by actively posting, updating, and engaging with other users. Make sure all of your employees have their accounts associated with your company page. How do they go about performing inbound engagement on LinkedIn? Sending messages and InMail on LinkedIn without the feeling that you're spamming your prospect is a tricky proposition. But Brent Johnson, PCMag's modern marketing columnist, laid out [seven steps](https://www.pcmag.com/news/7-steps-to-linkedin-marketing-success) to ensure you're not overpaying for InMails that don't get you anywhere. While response rates on marketing messages in LinkedIn will never be through the roof, taking the time to chat with a LinkedIn prospect and provide them some useful content before diving into a pitch can lead to more sales success. [![LinkedIn Who Has Viewed Me](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-5.fit_lim.size_740x417.v_1569470645.jpg)](https://www.pcmag.com/news/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin "(Opens in a new tab)") ## Marketing Research and Database Mining Beyond the base lead identification and targeted marketing efforts, LinkedIn also allows you to do much deeper dives and take full advantage of its [marketing database](https://www.pcmag.com/news/how-to-tap-into-linkedins-marketing-database-gold-mine) gold mine. Johnson's aforementioned column goes into all of the means of data mining, customer research, and prospecting available through LinkedIn. The column starts with the most straightforward features: the "People Also Viewed" widget on the right-hand side of a user profile. A marketing manager or salesperson who is combing through LinkedIn for leads should research your current customers and prospective clients through the "People Also Viewed" feature; this allows them to hone in on similar roles to target within different organizations. The [LinkedIn Economic Graph](https://www.linkedin.com/company/linkedin-economic-graph "(Opens in a new tab)") can help here, too, but the true data mining value lies in LinkedIn's advanced search filters. Beyond "My Network" and "People You May Know," advanced searches allow marketers to add not only kewords but companies and job titles for a more complex query. If your organization has paid for a Premium membership, you can begin to build Boolean-level listening queries that incorporate function, company size, interests, associated groups, seniority level, years of experience, and other more granular metrics that tie in every other aspect of the platform into one, high-powered search tool. [![Microsoft LinkedIn Acquisition](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/07jMtsBdE8la0laUoumLpQr-6.fit_lim.size_810x456.v_1569470645.jpg)](https://www.pcmag.com/news/everything-businesses-need-to-know-about-linkedin "(Opens in a new tab)") ## The Microsoft Factor Now that Microsoft has [put a ring on it](https://www.pcmag.com/news/microsoft-and-linkedin-put-a-ring-on-it), we'll start to see LinkedIn truly become part of the Microsoft ecosystem. The acquisition is only beginning to bear fruit from all of the possible [software, services, and data](https://www.pcmag.com/news/6-amazing-things-microsoft-could-do-with-linkedin) opportunities. LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman recently joined the Microsoft Board of Directors as the companies begin melding in different ways. But the first major integration came [in April](https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2017/04/24/new-ways-drive-business-forward-todays-digital-landscape/#sm.0000jtj6t99z8e59waa1g8oadp5ga "(Opens in a new tab)") when Microsoft announced it's linking its Dynamics 365 CRM tool directly with LinkedIn Sales Navigator, giving salespeople and marketers using Dynamics 365 direct access to LinkedIn's database and vice versa. This is the tip of the iceberg in how Microsoft will start leveraging the marketing and sales data in LinkedIn across its tools, and integrating Microsoft services into the social network. Microsoft also announced a [new HR and recruitment management](https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-hr-software) tool called Dynamics 365 for Talent, which gives [Microsoft Dynamics GP](https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/microsoft-dynamics-gp) [(5,000.00 Per Three-User License at Microsoft Dynamics)](https://cc.pcmag.com/v1/otc/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=07KBKoj4RDEraXrdEuCfkps&url=https%3A%2F%2Fdynamics.microsoft.com%2Fen-us%2Fgp-overview%2F "(Opens in a new tab)") users the ability to search for prospective employees directly through LinkedIn's Recruiter and Learning tools, as well as manage employees from recruitment through the term of their employment. Beyond that, look for more integrations with additional Microsoft apps and services, such as [Microsoft Office 365](https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/microsoft-office-365-home) [(\$69.99 Per Year at Microsoft)](https://cc.pcmag.com/v1/otc/01r1WRIAJykbQgN4oGQ8FSi?merchant=03sqIMHtmmaHBjsncmFUGPt&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.microsoft.com%2Fen-us%2Fmicrosoft-365%2Fp%2Fmicrosoft-365-personal%2Fcfq7ttc0k5bf "(Opens in a new tab)") , Microsoft Outlook, and Microsoft Skype, embedded intuitively within the LinkedIn experience. LinkedIn has the potential to become the front-facing social hub for Microsoft's converged vision of business and productivity. Microsoft's productivity suite could become natively available via content creation and sharing tools within the social network. The LinkedIn Recruiter and Sales Navigator integrations with Dynamics 365 are just the start. Microsoft could make LinkedIn credentials as ubiquitous as Facebook for one-click login across Microsoft services. Over the next few years, we'll begin to see LinkedIn reshaped and enhanced in accordance with Microsoft's larger enterprise cloud strategy. If your organization is already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, then that could be very good for business. ## About Our Expert ![Rob Marvin](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/authors/02H6VGDu3KHtKmdb9oPyY6J.fit_lim.size_100x100.v1567806071.jpg) Rob Marvin Former Associate Features Editor *** Experience Rob Marvin writes features, news, and trend stories on all manner of emerging technologies. Beats include: startups, business and venture capital, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, AI, augmented and virtual reality, IoT and automation, legal cannabis tech, social media, streaming, security, mobile commerce, M\&A, and entertainment. Rob was previously Assistant Editor and Associate Editor in PCMag's Business section. Prior to that, he served as an editor at SD Times. He graduated from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. You can also find his business and tech coverage on Entrepreneur and Fox Business. Rob is also an unabashed nerd who does occasional entertainment writing for Geek.com on movies, TV, and culture. Once a year you can find him on a couch with friends marathoning The Lord of the Rings trilogy--extended editions. Latest By Rob Marvin [Read Full Bio](https://www.pcmag.com/authors/rob-marvin)

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