Over the past several weeks, Hep Communications has been helping Winnipeg businesses build their LinkedIn presence.

I’ve long been a believer in LinkedIn’s capabilities, seeing that it truly is the best social media platform for business professionals. While Facebook has dared challenge LI with it’s BranchOut app, the reality is that integrating business networking into a casual environment is a recipe for disaster.

Of course, like any social media, LinkedIn is only effective when you use it properly. There are some great features available, including the ability to use introductions to reach out to that client, supplier or talent you’ve wanted to reach. Personally, I’ve used this feature and it’s an absolute must for anyone looking to truly take advantage of the million-plus people in the large-scale network LI likes to promote.

The key to effective LinkedIn use begins and ends with having a complete profile. In this respect, LinkedIn has done a fantastic job of creating a mechanism that shows you how complete (or incomplete) your profile is.It will also walk you through the steps to make your profile richer.

There are obviously a wide variety of other features to talk about, so be sure to check this section out (or better yet – connect up with me on LI) for more tips in the coming weeks.