There are ten new applications that have been added to LinkedIn recently from third parties such as TripIt, WordPress and Amazon.com.  My initial reaction after exploring these applications was to assess how they could be used to personalize and enhance my LinkedIn experience.  However, my mind quickly wandered into exploring the potential of the new applications for corporate marketing purposes as well.  Applications on social networks have been pervasive for some time now on other sites such as MySpace and Facebook.  And numerous companies have tried various innovative approaches to marketing through applications as an alternative to advertising.  However, I think LinkedIn offers a different opportunity for marketers.  Most Facebook users still view the site as a leisure activity associated with their personal lives.  LinkedIn, however, is viewed as an application associated with a user’s professional life.  As a result, there is a unique opportunity to leverage

For example, consider the Events application which allows end-users to register events in its database.  What a great place to list your next big customer forum or user group!  Of course, the LinkedIn calendar is better for events that are applicable for a broad potential audience.  Don’t limit your thinking to physical events.  Why not post your next webinar on LinkedIn along with instructions on how to register online?

In future posts, I will offer some suggestions on other potential marketing approaches for the LinkedIn applications.