LinkedIn's popularity amongst corporates is no secret. But its premium service brings in even more to the table. This Buzzle article tells you about the many benefits of upgrading to a LinkedIn Premium Account.
LinkedIn FTW!
According to popular web analytics site, Alexa, as of March 2014, LinkedIn is the 8th most popular (in terms on site traffic) website on the Internet.
LinkedIn is the place where professionals meet on their off days! The world’s largest professional networking site has grown leaps and bounds in a very short time. The service has caught the eye of not just professionals, but also of major companies. Over time, the site has transformed itself into a job portal without too many strings attached. The site lets users connect with other professionals for free, and lets you endorse their skills, send emails, read their updates, etc. If you are someone who’s seriously on the lookout for a new job, or are looking to hire new people for your company, the basic features of LinkedIn might not quite suffice. That is where LinkedIn’s premium accounts come into the picture. So, is it worth upgrading to a LinkedIn Premium Account, and what are they anyway? Here’s taking a look.
Benefits of a LinkedIn Premium Account
- First up, a premium account makes sense if you’re looking to target specific LinkedIn users, or looking to get into a company that heavily relies on the site for recruitment. Getting a premium account would ensure that your profile shows up amongst the top results in relevant searches (you would even have a LinkedIn badge showing against your name).
- Another benefit is the option to send emails directly to a potential employer/employee who isn’t a part of your connections. All you need to do is look for that particular user on the site and send across a mail. Tracking down a user elsewhere on the Internet would be an extremely arduous task.
- With a premium account, you can manage a detailed automated spreadsheet of all your favorite connections. You can even organize them the way you’d like them sorted and can save notes against profiles.
- A very useful feature for premium users is the option to track all your profile views. You can keep a track of all the users who view your profile within a span of 90 days.
- Premium users figure at the top of all relevant searches and even have a LinkedIn tag by the side of their names. If you are a premium user, your profile would get a lot more visibility as opposed to that of free users.
- Premium users even get to organize their contacts and can even pin notes against profiles.
- Besides this, LinkedIn also provides access to video tutorials, tips, and tricks from professionals about how to make the most of your Premium LinkedIn Account. These are extremely helpful in increasing your visibility and reach on the site.
- Another benefit is in the form of a feature called OpenLink that lets anyone on LinkedIn message you for free.
- You can see a list of all the people who’ve viewed your profile, and you can even see how they found you.
- You get to see complete profiles of all your connections (up to third-degree).
- You get a list of people in your network who can help you with references of others who you would be interested in your profile.
There are three premium accounts available on LinkedIn; these are, Business/Job Seeker, Business Plus, and Executive. Here’s a look at the features of each of these accounts and how much they cost.
Business/Job Seeker
USD 29.95/month
USD 24.95/month (annually)
- Send 5 InMails per month (direct messages) to anyone on LinkedIn. It comes along with a 7-day guarantee, wherein if you don’t receive a reply to your message within 7 days, that InMail doesn’t count toward your monthly limit.
- Searches yield up to 250 results outside your network.
- Your connections can introduce you to their connections up to 15 times each month.
Business Plus
USD 49.95/month
USD 39.95/month (annually)
- Send 10 InMails to anyone on LinkedIn along with a 7-day guarantee (for up to 30 mails) each month.
- Searches yield up to 500 results outside your network.
- Your connections can introduce you to their connections up to 25 times each month.
Executive
USD 99.95/month
USD 74.95/month (annually)
- Send 25 InMails to anyone on LinkedIn along with a 7-day guarantee (for up to 30 mails) each month.
- Searches yield up to 700 results outside your network.
- Your connections can introduce you to their connections up to 35 times each month.
- You get to view the full name of third-degree or group connections.
So is it really worth the upgrade?
The Business Plan (formerly called Job Seeker), is probably best suited for individuals looking for the perfect job openings. The Business Plus and Executive plans are meant for corporates looking for the best talent out there. As we mentioned earlier, the free LinkedIn account also gives you plenty of options and is really good. But if you are looking for better exposure of your profile, you might be better off opting for the premium account. Cheers.
Diclaimer: Prices mentioned are subject to change according to location and offers.