LinkedIn has just rolled out a new feature for company pages – and it looks like a great way for universities and colleges to promote their academic programs to the busy and engaged audience of professionals: the elusive yet crucial prospective adult student.
With more than 100 million members, LinkedIn has become a giant resume database allowing its members (by the way, are we connected? If you read this blog on a regular basis, we should probably connect) to keep in touch with their professional contacts, give and share authentificated recommendations, network with others around professional interests with LinkedIn groups and find a new job.
While most institutions don’t use LinkedIn as much as they do with Facebook and even Twitter, many have an official “company page” on the network.
The new feature introducted yesterday, Product & Services pages, looks like a brillant idea in my book.
And, not just because it’s another (free) venue to advertise services or products for companies and degrees/programs for institutions.
It can do far more by helping collect authentic (and authenticated) testimonials or recommendations about them.
I’ve set up a product page for the Web Writing Boot Camp Webinar Series to test the feature (no recommendations yet, it’s not over yet so I didn’t ask for them) and show you how it looks.
I really see this new feature as a great way for universities and colleges to promote their continuing education programs and any other programs targeted to adult students. LinkedIn is the place to go when you’re looking for professional contacts, recommendations and even answers. So, it seems like the perfect platform for adult students to find information on academic programs as well.
What do you think? Have you had any success using LinkedIn to connect with prospective adult students?
