To upgrade or not to upgrade – that is the LinkedIn question most ask.

I do quite a bit of LinkedIn training both online in the form of webinars as well as in-person workshops.  One of the most frequently asked questions is, should I upgrade my free account?

Let’s look at the benefits for business professionals with the LinkedIn Premium options

 – You have access to more people

–  You can see the full list of who’s viewed your profile.  I use this everyday and take a proactive approach to building my network with the right people.

–  Contact anyone through “InMail” that you may not be able to reach via regular invitations. InMail is a guaranteed response system.

–  There are more search filter results that will narrow your search and bring you more targeted contacts

Compare the plans:  Personal Plus, Business and Business Plus

If you click on your account settings on the top right navigation bar under your photo, you can view the various plans and pricing you have available to upgrade to.

For most businesses who are looking to build their network you can choose one of “Premium” options based on your marketing goals and budget. From personal plus, to business and business plus.  Consider investing in a premium upgrade part of your marketing budget.  I guarantee this will be one of your least expensive investments and could be the most profitable asset.

Refining Your Search – this is worth the upgrade!

Simply having the ability to refine and narrow your search results make the upgrade worthwhile.  For example, if your target audience is small business owners within 30 miles of your location, been in business a minimum of 5 years and have certain key words in their profile….this helps you connect with your target audience quickly and easily.  The bonus here is that you can save your searches.  You can save three searches with a free membership,  Premium members can save up to seven with the additional bonus of 500 profiles showing up in the search results rather than the standard 100 that comes with free membership.  That’s reason alone to upgrade in my opinion!

Advanced LinkedIn Search

Do You Know Who Has Viewed Your Profile?

I love this feature, I feel like it puts me in the driver’s seat of connections.  WHY?  because number one, see if there is a trend in the type of people who are viewing your profile and ask are they your target audience? if not, your profile needs to be tweaked for keywords that are more relevant.

I also teach in my workshops and webinars how to approach those people who didn’t invite you to their network and what to say in a proactive way.

Who’s viewed your LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn is an integral part of my marketing strategy, I spend about 20 minutes per day responding to invitations, looking at who’s viewed my profile, commenting on my connections posts in the news feed and searching for new people to connect with.  Once you establish some momentum, I encourage you to stick with a schedule every week.

Do you think you will upgrade your account now?  I’d love your comments below as to which tools you think will help your networking results or which ones you are using that are currently working for you. – Thanks!!