Did you know that there are 7610 searches on LinkedIn per minute?  There are over 50 million unique visitors that use LinkedIn each week and in 2012 there were over over 5.7 billion professionally-oriented searches on the LinkedIn platform.

LinkedIn launched on May 5, 2003 and has earned the name “the social network for professionals.”   A name that has been earned with now over 200 million members worldwide.

What do we use LinkedIn for?

61% of social media users use LinkedIn for professional networking.
81% of LinkedIn users belong to at least 1 group.
Top use of LinkedIn for entry level users is job search.
Top use of LinkedIn for middle management and top-level executives is industry networking.
90% of LinkedIn users think the site is useful because:

- It helps to connect to individuals in the same industry as possible clients.
- It’s more professional than Facebook.
- It allows me to hire people that I wouldn’t regularly meet.

So whether you are using LinkedIn to create new connections, strengthen existing relations, position yourself as an expert, cultivate leads, or searching for a job statistics show that LinkedIn is important.

Now, question is – are they finding you on LinkedIn? Learn how to optimize your LinkedIn profile so that you increase find-ability and are found when prospective clients or recruiters are looking for what you have to offer.

Source: About.com