Haven't logged into LinkedIn lately? 5 reasons you really should be using it

How much do you know about LinkedIn? Sure, you probably understand it’s a social network for professionals, but it’s so much more.

Unlike most social networks that are used to share the latest vacation pictures, LinkedIn was designed for more important reasons. It can help you make connections, share work experience and find or post jobs.

Your LinkedIn profile can be set up to look like a resume, complete with accomplishments and referrals from colleagues. If you’ve never experienced the power of LinkedIn, we can help. Here are five smart ways to use LinkedIn to network, poach employees, boast and more.

Visit LinkedIn.com/Kim and post a job for free.

1. Sales prospecting

If you’re wondering what sales prospecting is, it’s exactly what it sounds like — sorting through tons of companies and individuals to find prospects who will most likely turn into paying customers.

This can take a lot of time and effort and relies on knowing where to look. In the past, sales prospecting mainly consisted of cold calling and following up with every potential lead.

Now that we live in a digital world, those days are gone. Most buyers make decisions online. That’s where LinkedIn comes into play.

With about 1 billion members, LinkedIn is a leader in connecting buyers and sellers. One of the most important sales techniques is understanding how buyers behave, making prospecting easier with greater success.

An IDC social buying study revealed:

  • 75% of B2B buyers use social media to make buying decisions.
  • 50% of B2B buyers use LinkedIn to make purchasing decisions.
  • 76% of B2B buyers prefer to work with recommendations from their professional network.

Those numbers prove how important LinkedIn is when it comes to sales prospecting. Information is power and LinkedIn is packed with information buyers are looking for.

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Unsecure page error: 5 things to try if you get this warning

There are countless threats on the internet, from scams to malware-infested websites. Then there are unsecured websites, which your browser warns you about. If you get a message that says, “Your connection is not private,” you might jolt in alarm.

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🙏 Alive in the digital world: After losing his daughter to a rare blood disease in 2021, a dad used AI to “bring her back” for just a moment. Using snippets of her voice from a video call, he created a video of her singing a birthday song for her mom. I wonder how it felt to listen to that.

Your IP address: What it is and why you need to protect yours if you care about privacy

Using the internet is a complicated affair. It may not feel like that to you as a user. You click on your browser and get on with your day — it’s as easy as pie.

Behind the scenes, though, is a whole different story. It’s full of numbers like your Internet Protocol (IP) address, basically your digital home address. This numeric label distinguishes your phone or computer from other devices worldwide.

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3 reasons you shouldn't go another day without antivirus software

If you don’t have antivirus software, you’re putting every internet-connected gadget you own at risk. Something as simple as an unchanged router password can be an entry point for an invader to shut down your phone or even taunt your children through a security camera or smart speaker.

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Scammers are coming after your kids and teens

What comes to mind when you think of someone getting scammed? A grandma on the phone with some jerk? If so, this will probably surprise you.

The total money lost by teens in online scams grew by nearly 2,500% between 2017 and 2022. Victims under the age of 20 lost a staggering $210 million in 2022 alone.

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Kickstart 2024 with a clutter-free inbox: Your simple guide to email zen!

Right now, I’m sitting here beaming because my inbox is at zero. Really! Did I read and reply to every single message? Well, no. Before I took back control, I had 409 unread messages. But I have a trick to starting each year with a clean slate. You can do it, too!

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Necessary 60-second security checks: 4 quick cybersecurity steps to take NOW

I have to tell you this story. When my college-bound son moved to Los Angeles, he asked me for the house number of a place nearby that I rented 28 years ago for two months. I laughed because I couldn’t remember it. Then, I was shocked!

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3 best methods to store your favorite recipes in the cloud

If you value family traditions, you should store recipes in the cloud. Replacing tattered cookbooks makes life easier and your kitchen cleaner. It’s easy with recipe management software.

A cloud-based library allows you to access your recipes while away from home. This means you can pull up a recipe on your phone to get all the ingredients at the grocery store. While you’re there, use these seven strategies to save money on groceries.

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Can Apple's pricey headset make us accept VR in our everyday lives?

According to ’80s and ’90s movies, we should all be using virtual reality (VR) daily by now. But the tech has yet to catch on. People don’t want to be immersed in an all-digital world (We’re looking at you, Facebook metaverse). 

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3 secrets about email marketing and sending your own newsletters

Email marketing is one of the best ways to reach your target audience. It helps send personalized messages straight to your ideal customer’s inbox. Don’t overlook it when planning cross-channel campaigns. If you’re new to email marketing, use these three strategies for success.

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Your TV is spying on you, but you can stop it

Fun fact: The first Compaq Portable computer shipped in 1983 and cost more than $8,400 in today’s dollars. Wow, times have changed.

Still, your computer is a significant investment, and you want it to perform well for years. Tap or click for my five-minute fix to speed up your PC.

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Don’t lose important messages: How to save your voicemails

Life is short, and there’s more than ever to think about when it comes to the end of life. Tap or click for steps to decide who gets access to your accounts when you’re gone.

If you’ve lost someone, you know how comforting pictures and videos can be. Being able to read old text conversations is special, too. Tap or click for the best way to save your texts.

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Top 10 tech tips of 2022 for better privacy, saving time and money

From Queen Elizabeth’s passing to Will Smith’s iconic slap, 2022 was a year for the ages. We all went a little “goblin mode” this year — so much so that it was Oxford’s word of the year. Throughout it all, the Kim Komando team has churned out some of the web’s best insider cybersecurity strategies.

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10 tips to secure your accounts with strong passwords

Two decades ago, you had a single password to keep in mind, maybe two. But these days the list of sites and accounts you might want to sign up for is nearly endless. What’s worse is hackers prey on people who reuse passwords, so it’s important to use strong, unique passwords for every site. 

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Run a small business? Follow this end-of-the-year checklist before 2022 ends

The new year is right around the corner, which means it’s time for New Year’s resolutions, paperwork filing and holiday vacations. For busy business owners, there’s a lot to keep track of. Make sure you don’t forget anything important with this small business checklist.

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Use tech to have the spookiest house on the block this Halloween

Spooky season is well underway and you should be expecting some trick-or-treaters soon. Before you get the candy ready, take some time to ramp up your security.

Vandalism and property damage are more common during the holiday season. Whether you’re home or away, you’ll want to keep an eye on things. A video doorbell is a simple way to secure your home. Tap or click here for my favorite video doorbell to keep an eye on what’s happening out front.

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How to see the secret map tracking everywhere you go

At this point, the idea of privacy in our digital world seems like, at best, a farce. As we continue to learn about our devices, we see more and more that they are tracking us in many ways, including some that we never thought of.

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Tech how-to: How to automatically alert loved ones in an emergency

Uncertain times remind us that we’re not always as prepared as we need to be.

In the digital world, no one is ever truly ready for the reality of getting hacked. Tap or click to see if someone is really watching what you do or if you’re being paranoid.

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Privacy how-to: Hide notifications on your phone's lock screen

Our phones contain much of our personal lives in today’s digital world. From conversations to social media to our private photos, we have many things we may not want the world to see on our phones. Tap or click here to see six social media privacy mistakes you’re making.

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