You likely have a profile up on LinkedIn. Chances are, your business also has a company page on LinkedIn. While there are millions of people on this professional social networking platform, many fail to use it to its full potential. For marketers, LinkedIn has immense value that can help you get ahead regardless of where you are in your career.

Here are three of the lesser known features of LinkedIn that can help you excel as a marketer:

1. LinkedIn Today

For marketing professionals, business intelligence is important to stay current on the latest events happening in your industry. In order to be competitive in your market, you need to know what your competition is doing, what your customers are demanding and innovations that are taking place.

LinkedIn Today is a tool that LinkedIn has put together to pull this type of business intelligence from a variety of sources across the internet pertaining specifically to your industry. Unlike news curators, LinkedIn Today compiles the news that you read based on what others in your network and industry read and share.

This tool makes it easy for you to get the information you need to stay up-to-date on the trends that impact you and your company. This is information that you can access on the LinkedIn mobile application, or on your computer, making it easy to start your day with or pull up when you have a free moment and want to check in with the outside world.

2. LinkedIn Skill Search

LinkedIn is designed to be a place online to help bring professionals together. The social platform began as a sort of beefed up online resume that people could access. One feature that helps you achieve the goals of the platform is the skill search. This feature allows you to distinguish your specific skill set and then find people with matching skill sets.

In the fast-paced and ever changing field of marketing, this can prove extremely useful. When you find marketers that specialize in a specific type of marketing, you can add them to your network and learn from the unique content they share. This tool can also be used to find out which conferences your peers are attending and use LinkedIn as a way to make connections at events across the country. Not just limited to head hunters, the skill search allows you to the ability to find people who are just as passionate about the same fields as you are and connect with them to deepen your knowledge on specific subjects.

3. Applications Within LinkedIn

Profiles on LinkedIn are becoming more and more complex with the help of applications. Now, LinkedIn has its own application center that allows profile holders the ability to add videos to their profile, manage travel plans, take a poll, share files and more. With third party vendor applications from companies such as Box.net, TripIt, Slideshare and thousands more, you can find an application that will allow you to post almost anything to your profile. This can help you generate buzz about your brand or create your own personal brand by enhancing your current profile page.

LinkedIn has a lot of potential for marketers. Most professionals do not realize the opportunities they have to make the most of this powerful social network. Put these lesser known features to work for you and discover the ways LinkedIn can help you grow professionally.

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